Mind Control part 4
Here's my question: why does it seem like it's so hard for us to embrace the truth that we know? "Jesus loves me THIS I KNOW, for the Bible tells me so." Well... actually I think that's part of the problem. I think we spend so much time trying to know ABOUT God that we miss out on KNOWING God. Head knowledge vs heart knowledge, right? I mean you see it everywhere you look in the church world. Songs like, "I want more of you, God." You already have ALL of Him! Or prayers asking--or usually begging--Daddy for "stuff." He did it all so we could get it all. And now we have it all! Because the "all" that He did was the cross. And the "all" that we have is Him! He gave His life FOR us, and He gave His life TO us. And let me say this: If you have to beg someone for something, even if you get it... it isn't worth it. Daddy doesn't make His Son beg, and He doesn't make Him jump through hoops. Jesus explained it like this in the parable of the prodigal son, "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine" (Luke 15:31). This is actually one of the things I'm most proud of in my parental life. Logan doesn't beg me for stuff. In fact, he usually doesn't even ask me for stuff. If I'm eating something, and he thinks it looks good, he just eats it with me. He knows that if it's mine, it's his. Guys... THAT'S the mind of Christ. The heart of Christ. The love of God beating in our chests. And that's what mind control is all about. The love of Christ controls us. It is our motivation for everything we do. We know and believe that we are loved, and we love others with that same love. Not just because the Bible tells us so. That's a pretty good place to start, because faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. But while the Bible CONTAINS the Word of God... Jesus IS the Word of God. The book doesn't do you any good unless you know the Author. It's more important to have an experience with Him than to be able to memorize words about Him. Saul knew the Old Testament up and down. But it wasn't until God knocked him off his donkey and blinded him with the light that Saul became Paul and was able to minister mercy and grace and love instead of condemnation and death! It wasn't until he let the mind of Christ (that was already in him) BE in him. It wasn't until he EMBRACED the truth that the truth set him free and made him free. That's what it means to take every thought captive unto obedience to Christ. It means KNOWING and BELIEVING. "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive wtih meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21). Don't chase thoughts and try to change them. This isn't--and has never been--about changing from evil to good. This is about JESUS waking us from sleep. Jesus brought us out of death and into life. He did all of the work. So, like it says in Hebrews, just lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily besets us. The unbelief. Anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. Don't fight it. Don't mess with it. Just lay it aside. We don't need to defend God. He's big enough to defend Himself. AND He's big enough to defend US! We have His mind. We know the thoughts that He thinks toward us--thoughts of peace and not of evil. We don't have to keep trying to figure Him out. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies!