Victory In the Mind!

Philippians 4:6–8 (NKJV)

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Thoughts are the activities of the mind, much like a computer has a CPU, or central processing unit, where billions of commands are processed.  The function of the computer is only as efficient as the quality of the commands that have been installed.  

The Apostle Paul addresses the importance of the quality of our thoughts.  Many companies that produce products for public consumption create a “quality control department to ensure the product meets the highest standards.  

Philippians 4:8 is the quality control policy of the mind.   Every thought should be approved by Philippians 4:8 before we accept its content.

Thoughts are potential realities in their birthing state.  We should carefully consider whether a given thought is worth enduring the process of giving birth.  Moreover, most people do not know the power of thoughts because it is such an innate part of our consciousness.

The More Than Conquerors thought process will resist and conquer the thoughts that will lead to defeat!

What is the sum of your thoughts?

Are you teaching your mind how to think?

You can try using Philippians 4:8 as your filter.

Victory Shouts Come Forth!

John 11:41-43 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 

43  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 

The stone was removed first.  To go forward in victory, all stones must be moved.

•According to the Talmudists, it was forbidden to open a grave after the stone was placed upon it. 

•They were also apprehensive about coming in contact with the dead.

•Typically avoided coming within 6 feet of the grave.

The Stone represents the obstacle between us and the life in Christ we are meant to live!

It is the addiction, unstoppable sin, the obsession, the illness, the past, public opinion, fear, approval addiction, unbelief, unresolved hurt, unforgiveness, despair. It is that which seeks to keep us separated from Christ.

Lazarus represents the old us who died and is in the tomb of life.  Jesus called out the newly raised from the dead, Lazarus.  But the stone had to be removed first. 

John 11:44 (NLT)

⁴⁴ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

The grave clothes are the remains of our being in the tomb.  When Christ calls us out from the tombs, he also wants us to be free from the grave clothes.  We can be out of the tomb but still have grave clothes on.  

We should ask ourselves about the grave clothes from our past.  The Lord told them to remove the grave clothes and the head cloth.  Jesus brought complete victory to us so that we can be totally free. 

Surrender yourself to the Lord, and he will remove all stones that impede the life God has planned for you. 

Identify the grave clothes (sin, depression, discouragement) that may be attempting to stay attached to you.

The More Than Conquerors mindset refuses to wear grave clothes!

Ask God to help you remove the stones because the stones are the first stage to becoming victorious over something deeply embedded in our inner parts.  The stones are the first line of defense against attempts to reach the innermost parts, and they can also impair our connectedness within ourselves.  Therefore, since the Holy Spirit is a helper; (John 16:7), Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (John 16:7, NKJV)  Noticed that Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit as “the Helper”.  Amazingly, the Holy Spirit will help us with removing the stones, as we allow Him to do so.  He will not force the issue, but He will lovingly persists with helping us overcome.  

Imagine what it would feel like to be totally free, no stones and no grave clothes.  It might seem impossible, but there are many witnesses who have been set free.

The Lord Leads Us to Victory!

Romans 8:14 (NLT)

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Who’s doing the leading?  Is it the Lord or us?  We are intrinsically prone to lead ourselves without question because of the comfort level associated with our thoughts and motivations.   God designed us to make hundreds of mundane choices throughout the day.  However, we as born-again believers function in another dimension of choices: to be led by the Spirit.  To be led by the Spirit has prerequisites as follows:

Must be born of the Spirit of God!

Must be submitted to the Spirit of God! 

Must have faith in the Spirit of God!

John 3:6 (NLT)

⁶ Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

Spiritual life begins with the new birth, which is actuated by the Spirit.  We embark on a new, exciting path of the Spirit life as the Lord teaches us how to follow His lead.  Following His lead challenges our faith, trust, and submission.  Remember when Jesus told Peter to cast his nets down to catch some fish.  Let’s examine the scripture below.

Luke 5:4–7 (NLT)

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 

⁵ “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” ⁶ And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! ⁷ A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

Note, Peter had fished all night and caught nothing.  What made him decide to go even further out and try again?  It was the Word, Jesus, and the Spirit that touched Peter deep inside his soul.  Peter was a professional fisherman. Why would he listen to a man who was a carpenter by trade, teaching the people about God?  There was something very different about this man who taught the people to the extent that His words ignited faith and trust beyond Peter’s skill set.  The Lord always leads us to the best for us.  This is very important because this can help us know when it is the Lord.  

The More Than Conquerors mindset accepts the leading of the Lord even when it seems to be illogical.

Is the Lord leading you now to do something?