Month: March 2021

Many people think that going to church occasionally or simply believing in God makes them a Christian. But the Bible presents a different perspective and definition of a Christian.

A Christian is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ.

Followers of Jesus were first called “Christians” in Antioch. Acts 11:26 says, “…for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” They were called “Christians” because their speech and behavior were like Christ.

When we put our faith and trust in Christ, when we commit our lives to serving Him and serving others as He served us, our behavior and mindset reflects the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Christ is with us and in us. We are new creations!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
Our old way of thinking is gone. Our motivation, desire, and purpose are replaced with delight in the things of God. The joys and pleasures of our lives are exponentially enhanced through our relationship with Christ. And our selfish and worldly pursuits are exchanged for desire to honor God.

Life in Christ is not a life of “I don’t get to do what I like.” It’s not a life of loss. Instead, it’s a life of abundance, where what I used to like and desire pales in comparison to what my heart now desires. Christians see, feel and experience the world in a different way. A much grander, deeper and meaningful way.

The outward, or the visible man, is the one that you salute on the street.
The inward man is the one who gives this outer man either his attractiveness or his repulsiveness.
It is a very remarkable fact that God deals with the “inward man” instead of the outer man.

Spiritual things are unveiled to this “hidden man of the heart.” The Holy Spirit makes His home in the “hidden man.”
Sin consciousness comes from this “inward man .
It is deeply important that you understand this fact : it is the recreated spirit that convicts of sin in the believer, and our conscience is his voice speaking to our reason .

We stated before that man is a spirit being. He possesses a physical body in which he dwells, He has a soul. The “hidden man” is the part of us that is recreated, receives Eternal Life, and becomes a New Creation .
A translators recently gives 2 Cor. 5:17 like this, “Wherefore if any man is in Christ there is a new self brought into being, but old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”
The reconciliation it speaks of in the next verse is between this “hidden man of the heart” and the Father-God.
He never speaks of a reconciliation between the mind, or the reasoning faculties, and God, it is always a reconciliation of the heart.
This is the truth unfold, it should have an effect upon our attitude toward some of the teachings we might have accepted at some point in our lives or during our early days of christianity.
Let us think of man as being in God’s class. He is a spirit. He is an eternal spirit. He is capable of receiving the nature of God. He is capable of loving God. He is capable of becoming a son of God.
You understand, he was created in the image and the likeness of God, that is “spiritual likeness” .

He lost that image in the Fall, but it is restored in the New Creation.
There is a very remarkable term used in the Pauline Revelation many times. For instance, in the first chapter of Ephesians it occurs (in one form or another) eleven or twelve times.
Take this as an illustration, Eph. 1:7 “In whom we have our Redemption.
Notice the first two words, “In whom,” “in Christ,” or “In Him.” For a long time that bothered me. I wondered what it meant.
There is something in John 15:5 “I am the vine, and ye are the branches.”
The branch is a part of the vine. The vine is a part of the branch. The two are one.

In Eph . 1 :6 he says, “We are in the beloved .”In Eph . 2:6 it states, “We are seated together .”We are seated with this Beloved One at the Right Hand of the Father.Eph . 2:6-7 “And raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
In Eph. 2:10 it tells us that “we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.”
You see, this occured before the Resurrection of the Master .
When Christ was recreated the Father said, “This day have I begotten thee.”

In the mind of Justice the entire Body of Christ was recreated .
This becomes a reality in us the moment we accept Christ as our Saviour and confess Him as our Lord. We then receive Eternal Life, the Nature of the Father . This makes us New Creations.
Now come back to this scripture “Wherefore if any man is in Christ there is a new creation, a new self . The old things of the old self have passed away, behold, they have become new, and all these things are of God : who has reconciled us unto himself through Christ.”
Romans 6 :4-8 “We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in the newness of life.”
Notice the next verse. “For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin .” Note the tense, “was” not “is.”

“For he that hath died is justified from sin . But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.”
Way’s translation throws much light on this . “Well then, if that baptism made us share His death, it must have made us share His burial too. It must follow that, as Messiah was raised from among the dead by means of the descent of His Father’s glory, so we too, who arose with Him, are to be employed wholly in the activities of the New Life.

“For if, by having died like Him, we have entered into living union with Him, most certainly we shall not be less so in consequence of having risen with Him. This we recognize, that our former self was nailed to His cross with Him, so that that body which was the instrument of sin might be made impotent for evil, so that we could not any longer be slaves of sin .”
Notice carefully that the part of us that was recreated, made new, was “the hidden man of the heart .” He is called “the old man.”
This old man was crucified with Christ . It was neither our physical body nor our reasoning faculties, but our spirit . That is the part of us that was Spiritually Dead and had to be recreated.
Col. 3:9-10 “Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings, and put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him.”
Notice that the “old man” was put off, crucified with Christ .
When Christ arose from the dead a “new man” arose with Him. That new self is the human spirit.

Now the physical body, which is the home of the five senses, must be brought into conformity with Christ, who is the Head of the Body.
This brings us to Romans 12 :1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service .”
“And be not fashioned according to this age : but be ye trans- formed (or transfigured) by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
This body is the home, or dwelling place, of the spirit. This recreated human spirit wishes to communicate its new-found joy to those about it.
Hidden away as it is in the human body, it has no way of communication but through the five senses .

Therefore, the first thing that must be done after one is recreated is to bring these five senses into subjection to the recreated human spirit, and the Word. When this is done the mind will be renewed.
Although you are Born Again you still possess the same mind and body that had been under the dominion of the Adversary. This is the reason that it is so important to renew the mind and bring it into harmony with the recreated spirit.
You must bring it into subjection to this new self that has come into being.
The trouble with the majority of believers is that their minds have never been renewed .
The mind will never be renewed until they begin to practice love. They must live this love life that Jesus introduced to the world.

INTRODUCTION

2 Corinthians 5:17-21
[17]Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
[18]And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
[19]To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
[20]Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
[21]For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

A New Creation is a New Identity in Christ; a new being with a new personality, someone whose sinful nature has passed away and the nature of God is born afresh, anew in you, a brand new specie, hence You Are Born Again!!!

The Word CHRISTIAN was not given by God or Jesus or the Church, No. It was given by “People” in the Bible.
Acts 11:26:
“And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” The city named the disciples and the church, “CHRISTIANS“.

The early saints were addressed as saints, brethren, Believers or the church but when they got to Antioch, the people in Antioch who were not part of the believers, saw their lifestyles. How they gathered for a whole year without DIVISION among themselves, in UNITY and LOVE.
How they taught considerable numbers of converts, discipling them to be rooted in the Word of God and they called them Christians.
In other words, Christ means the anointed, then they were addressed as the anointed ones.
They saw the True nature of Christ in these brethren. They knew they were followers of Jesus, they carry the virtues of Christ and they also manifested the Annointing of Christ.

A Christian is beyond church activities. A Christian is the one who after being Born Again, continue to bear and manifest the True Nature of Christ.
Note that A CHRISTIAN is not just like everyone and should not be like everyone.
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

Can People See Your Lifestyle, hear you Speak and then make this Statement?
Your Christ-like Character is what actually portray you as A CHRISTIAN.
Jesus said “Ye are the light of the world”
He also said “let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and Glorify your Father in heaven”.

As A Christian you are the reflection of Jesus here on earth.
A New Creation is being Born Again, the Lifestyle you begin to live is what defines you as a Christian.

As a Christian you have to realise your new identity in Christ.
You are a new person now. Your old sinful nature has passed away. You are born of God. The nature of God is born in you. You are a new creature, brand new specie. The nature of God is in you.
Therefore, you must learn how to live your new life just as a newborn baby must learn to do certain things in this world. (1pet 2:2)

A NEW BIRTH

1. WHY IS THE NEW BIRTH NECESSARY?
(a) Man was created in the image of God, a ruler on the earth
(Gen 1:26-28)
(b) Man was disobedient to God, lost his position and took on the nature of the devil.
(Gen. 2:16-17, Rom 3:23)
(c) The new birth is man’s only opportunity for restoration
(John 3:3-6)

2. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE NEW BIRTH?
(A) Jesus took your place.
When he died you died (Romans 6:8)
When he was buried you were buried
(Colossians 2:12)
When he was vindicated, you were vindicated.
(1 Tim3:16)
When he was raised to sit in heaven you were raised with him
(Ephesians 2:6)

(B) The legal and vital aspects of redemption.
One is in the past, the other is in the present raised with him. (Ephesians 2:6)

3. YOUR NEW STATUS
(a) You are Redeemed
(1Cor 6:20,
Rev 5:9-10)
(b) You are free from the bondage of Satan and sin (Rom 8:2)
(c) You have been transferred into God’s kingdom.
(Col. 1:13-14)
(d) You have access to God’s throne.
(Eph 2:18)
(e) You are now righteous (2Cor 5:21)
(f) You are God’s ambassador on earth (2Cor 5:20)
(g) You have power over Satan and sin
(Luke 10:19)
(h) You are a new creature
(2Cor 5:16-17)

4. MAINTAINING YOUR NEW STATUS

According to what Paul the Apostle says in (Phil 2:12)NKJV
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”.
After being Born Again, we need to constantly work out our Salvation with fear and trembling: meaning that we should subject ourselves to every ordinances of God in all diligent to grow spiritually, not wanting to slide back into the world. Hereby Growing daily in the Word of God and deliberately forsaking the world and it’s lust.
Worldliness is a great tragedy for a Christian. You know why?
The devil uses the love for the world to blind you from your inheritance in Christ Jesus.
There are Great heights assigned for every Believers in Christ Jesus. Every CHRISTIAN has a throne where he/she must rule and reign as kings and priest in Christ Jesus (Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen). This is your inheritance in Christ. The devil uses worldliness to distract you from ruling.
Worldliness is a cheat to every Believers in Christ Jesus. It comes so sweet and interesting. You tends to enjoy its benefits but Satan is just depriving you of the Great Glory ahead of you because worldliness profit nothing. It picks you up, carry you around, you enjoyed the pleasure and then it dropped you suddenly and empty.

BAPTISM

THERE ARE THREE MAJOR BAPTISMS

– Baptism in Water – Identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and a public declaration for Him. Immersion by watering the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:3-4, Matt. 28:19).

– Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The fact is, adult believers often act as if the Holy Spirit really was hiding in the church cellar. They may know something about the Holy Spirit, but they don’t know Him personally or realize that He is God in the same way the Son and the Father are God. When they read the Bible, many people are surprised to find that the Holy Spirit was at the very dawn of time: “The Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2), and many are amazed to find out there are approximately 100 references to the Holy Spirit throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Nevertheless, the Spirit’s role is fundamental both to creation and the life of the believer. When a person comes to Jesus Christ, he receives Christ into his heart. The Spirit of God comes and joins with the spirit of the believer. This “indwelling Spirit” reproduces the life of Jesus in the believer’s life.

What, Then, Is The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an empowering for service that takes place in the life of the Christian (Acts 1:5,8). In it we are immersed in the Spirit’s life and power.

To illustrate, if we drank water from a glass, then the water would be inside us. However, if we went to the beach and stepped into the ocean, then we would be in the water. We receive, as it were, a drink of the Holy Spirit when we are saved, but when we are baptized in the Spirit, it is as if that initial drink becomes an ocean that completely surrounds us.

There is In–filling and Outpouring of HolySpirit– Just as the indwelling Spirit that Christians receive when they are saved; reproduces the life of Jesus, so the outpoured, or baptizing, Spirit reproduces the ministry of Jesus, including miracles and healings.

Why Do We Need The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

We need a power beyond ourselves for service and ministry in Christ’s Kingdom.

When Jesus gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), He knew that His disciples could not fulfill it in their own power. Therefore, He had a special gift in store for them: It was His plan to give them the same power that He had — the power of the Spirit of God. So, immediately after giving them the Great Commission, Jesus commanded his disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father promised, “which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4-5). He further promised: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the outermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The disciples waited in Jerusalem as Jesus had commanded, and one day when they were all together, “suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing winds, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:3,4). Then Peter explained to the crowd that gathered that they were seeing the working of God’s Spirit and told them about Jesus. The Christian church began that day with the disciples and the 3,000 people who joined them as a result of the day’s events.

We can undertake making disciples of all nations with some degree of success without the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but when we do, we are undertaking a supernatural task with limited power.

It is God’s will – it is His commandment – that we be baptized, or filled with the Holy Spirit: “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The knowledge and reality of the empowering Spirit enables us to reproduce the works of Jesus.

When May I Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

It can take place at the moment you confess faith in Christ, as in the case of the first Gentile convert, Cornelius (Acts 10:44-46; Acts 11:15-16); but often it occurs some time after the salvation experience (Acts 8:12-17).

How Do I Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

You only have to do two things.

First, once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you just have to ask God to baptize you in the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “Ask, and it shall be given to you” (Luke 11:9).

Second, believe you have in fact received this gift from God. The apostle Paul, writing to the Galatians, said, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith?”

(Galatians 3:2). The answer, obviously, is faith. You have to believe that if you ask, you will receive.

This can be also received by the laying of hands (Acts 19:1-6)

LAYING ON OF HANDS :- Placing hands upon the body of another
Person for a definite spiritual purpose.

– It has a lot of significance in the old testament (Lev. 1:1-4, Gen 48:14, Deut 34:9)
– Reasons:
(a) To impart healing (Luke 4:40 Mark 16:17)

(b) To impart baptism of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 19:6)

(c) To impart spiritual gifts and blessings
(Rom 1:11, 1tim 4:14 2tim 1:6)

(d) To set people apart for specific assignment (Acts 13:2-3)

However, care should be taken in the laying on of hands (1Tim 5:22).

HEB 6:1-3, LUKE 6:47-48

INTRODUCTION:
A Foundation is that basic part of a structure that provides strength and stability.

The Six Foundational Teachings Of Christianity are listed in Hebrews 6:1-2.

1. REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS
2. FAITH
3. BAPTISMS
4. LAYING ON OF HANDS
5. RESSURRECTION OF THE DEAD
6. ETERNAL JUDGEMENT

1. REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS

– Repentance is a change of mind and attitude leading to a change of action
“2 Chr 7:14 If My People who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
In Repentance you must be sorrowful about what you did wrong and then this leads to a change of mind and attitude to bring about a change life.
– A Dead Work is anything we do which is devoid of the life of God. HEB 9:14 “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God”?
– The Marks of true repentance are:
(a) Godly Sorrow
2Cor 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death”.
(b) Confession of sin
*1 john 1:9
(C) Forsaking Sin *(Proverbs 28:13)*
(D) Hatred of Sin
( Eze 20:43-44)
– Repentance is an attitude of the heart essential to our on-going relationship with God.

2. FAITH
Faith is absolute trust in God (Heb 11:1)
– Without Faith, It is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6)
– Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8)
– Faith comes by hearing ( Rom 10:7) Our faith should grow just as a seed grows
(Rom 1:17)
– With Faith, all things are possible
(Mathew 17:20)

THE PLACE OF PRAISE AND PRAYER

Two other spiritual weapons available to us are praise and prayer.
Praise defeats the devil quicker than any other battle plan, but it must be genuine heart praise, not just
lip service or a method being tried to see if it works. Also, praise and prayer both involve the Word.
We praise God according to His Word and His goodness.
Prayer is relationship with the Godhead. It is coming and asking for help or talking to God about
something that bothers us.
If you want to have an effective prayer life, develop a good personal relationship with the Father,
Know that He loves you being full of mercy, He will help you. Get to know Jesus. He is your
Friend. He died for you. Get to know the Holy Spirit. He is with you all the time as your Helper. Let
Him help you.
Learn to fill your prayers with the Word of God. God’s Word and our need is the basis on which we
come to Him.
So, our weapons are the Word used in various ways. As Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, our weapons
are not carnal (fleshly) weapons; they are spiritual. We need spiritual weapons because we are
fighting spirits, yes, even the devil himself.

THE PLACE OF THE WORD
God has given us His Word, and we can feed upon that Word.
This will renew our minds. But He also put teachers in the
church to renew our minds and to bring us the revelation of the
knowledge of God’s Word.
So our minds are renewed by two methods:
(1) Feeding upon The Word of God in our own private study and meditation, and
(2) Being taught by Spirit-anointed teachers. In this way we can
grow in the strength and knowledge of the Word, and can walk
in its light as our minds are renewed daily with the Word of God.
….If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live inaccordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. John 8:31-32
Here Jesus tells us how we are to win the victory over the lies of Satan. We must get the knowledge
of God’s truth in us. Renew our minds with His Word, then use the weapons of 2Corinthians 10:4-5 to
tear down strongholds and every high and lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
These “weapons” are the Word received through Preaching, Teaching, Books, Tapes, Seminar and
Private Bible study. But we must “abide” (continue) in the Word until it becomes revelation given by
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Continuing is Important. In Mark 4:24 Jesus says . .The measure [of
thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that
comes back to you .. . I repeat, we must CONTINUE using the weapon of the Word.

Even Jesus used the weapon of the Word in the
wilderness to defeat the devil. (Luke 4:1-13.) Each time the devil lied to Him, Jesus responded with,
“It is written,” and quoted him the Word.

The Place Of The Word overcome the weaknesses of our Mind.
It is very important for us as Christians to Continue in Studying The Word of God, the more we Study, the better we become.
Our thoughts began to reflects in our Daily lives as the Word Of God Changes us Daily, We become better person.

For the believer, right thinking is a vital necessity. A vital necessity is something that is so important
that one simply cannot live without it, like a heart beat is vital, or blood pressure is vital, so is the state of our Thoughts. Our Minds Needs a great Transformation because that is the pointer to what we would achieve in Life.

THE RENEWAL OF THE MIND
Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external,
superficial customs, but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:2(Amplified Version)

In this passage the Apostle Paul is saying that if we want to see God’s good and perfect will proven
out in our lives, if we have to ou renew our Mind. Renewed to God’s way
of thinking.

By this process of new thinking we will be changed or transformed into what God intends for us to
become. Jesus made this transformation possible by His death and resurrection. It becomes a reality in
our lives by this process of the renewal of the mind.

Salvation is based solely on the blood of Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection. Many Christians will be in heaven because they truly accepted Jesus as their Savior, but many of these same
people will never have walked in victory or enjoyed the God’s Plan for their Lives because their Mind Is Not Transformed.
Our minds are not born again with the New Birth experience, they have to be renewed. (Romans 12:2.) The renewal of the mind is a process that requires time, you do not have to be
devastated but determination.

“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”” (John‬ ‭9:5‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Jesus gave a timeframe for Him to be “the light of the world”. While He was in the world, walking on earth, He was the light of the world.

But what about after He resurrected and ascended to Heaven? He passed on this title to us. Now we are the light of the world.

“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew‬ ‭5:14-16‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

We are the light of the world not because we are so good in and of ourselves, but because Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is a glorious light that shines out from within us.

Notice how Jesus gave the illustration of a city on a hill. A city is fixed and cannot be moved, and it is on a hill—an elevated position. This is a picture of us being seated with Christ in Heaven, shining gloriously. It is from the posture that we can be light to this dark world.

You cannot be hidden—the Holy Spirit in you is too glorious. Wherever you go, you shine forth God’s light. However, you may block that light when you put a “measuring basket” over it by letting worldliness from the flesh take over in the way you conduct yourself. In that way, the light that others see is dimmed, even though the light within you is always shining.

How do we practically let our light light shine before men? Jesus said it is through good works. Our good works will cause people to glorify God in Heaven.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬)

Christ lives in you, and that makes you the light of the world. It is no longer you (the old crucified self) who live, but Christ who lives in you (you are joined to Him to become one spirit).

We can be truly alive (with eternal life) because of the faith of the Son of God. He had perfect faith in the Father, submitted to the Father’s will, and gave Himself up on the cross so that we may live.

“Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them. For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake; seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:3-6‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

You have light to illuminate this dark world that has been blinded by the veils of Satan’s lies. When you shine forth Christ in your words and actions, you reveal the truth of the Gospel to people, and they will want to get saved. After seeing the beauty of Jesus, there is no going back. Let your light shine!

Psalm 51:16–17
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

What is David the psalmist telling us there? Surely he’s telling us that first and foremost God is not interested in externals. Sacrifice and offerings are not necessarily things that God does not want, but they are things that He does not want first and foremost. And if that’s all there is in our lives – the external practices of religion – then God takes no pleasure in them. He looks below the surface; He looks to the heart; He looks to the motives; He looks to the attitude.

And it says that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Those are strange words to our ears today. What does it mean that God desires a broken spirit? Does He want to crush us? Does He want to beat us down? Does He want to humiliate us? No, that’s not it. What is a broken spirit? it’s a spirit that has come totally to the end of itself. All independence, all self-will and all self-righteousness have been purged out. We’ve come to the place where we have no hope but in God; we’ve come to the end of our own resources. We have no claims upon God, we simply turn to Him for His mercy and His faithfulness, not trusting our own merits, but clinging only to God.

The mind and the spirit are the invisible parts of man. Most of the time it might be difficult to ascertain which is communicating per time
The Mind tends to have more effect on the spirit especially when you are a new born in Christ or immature Christian.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).
Carnal mindedness doesn’t necessarily mean “sinful” mindedness. Like we have said in our previous lessons, the carnality of your mind that depends on your 5 sense organs, makes it difficult for your spirit-man to tame the corrupted mind. Your thoughts center primarily on the physical realm which add weights on your spirit-man.
carnal mindedness shuts it off. Simply stated,
carnal mindedness = death, and
spiritual mindedness = life and peace (Rom. 8:6).
“Death” means “anything that’s a result of sin.” This is not limited only to the ultimate physical death of your body but includes all of death’s progressive
effects as well (i.e., sadness, loneliness, bitterness, illness, anger, poverty, etc.) Which is as a result of Spiritual deadness.
In this world, being dominated by your mind produces
death.
So the soul a way of ruling the spirit if a Christian is not well grounded in the Word of God. The mind is so corrupted and can easily be derailed, if the mind is not renewed it began to have effect on the spirit man’s growth or several times you hear the mind speaks to you thinking it is your spirit man. This situation makes it difficult for the Holy Spirit to actually penetrate into you as a Christian.
You experience weight on your spirits overtime because your spirit is being ruled by your mind .

What made up of the Mindset?
What makes us act the way we do i.e What made us Think the way we think?

These are Factors that over the Time Project our mind the way it is.

BIOLOGICAL FACTOR

This has to do with what you inherit from your BIOLOGICAL parents. The pattern of their thoughts, how they trained you to perceive your Immediate Environment.
Thus includes the Family values, which has to do with what your family Believes in.
What you grew seeing your parents doing
How your parents trained you and made you see the outside world.
Some children grew into an abusive Marriages.
All these made up the way the child sees life and what comes into the child’s mind.
These factors has greater impact in the individual’s which lingers for so long.
Some individuals couldn’t recover from such Family impact either positive or negative but mostly negative.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR.
This has to do with the Environment you grew as a child, places you live even as an adult. Unconsciously, these Environments actively shape your mind, either positively or negatively. What you see daily, hear frequently and the behaviour of people around you, their responses to life issues subconsciously affects the state of your mind. Which later controls how you think and respond to life daily, people around you and even the way you see yourself.

EDUCATIONAL FACTOR
Your level of Education either formal, informal or Non-formal Education.

Formal education or formal learning usually takes place in the premises of the school, where a person may learn basic, academic, or trade skills. Small children often attend a nursery or kindergarten but often formal education begins in elementary school and continues with secondary school and up to the tertiary.

Informal education may be a parent teaching a child how to prepare a meal or ride a bicycle.
People can also get an informal education by reading many books from a library or educational websites.

Informal education is when you are not studying in a school and do not use any particular learning method.

Non-formal education includes adult basic education, adult literacy education or school equivalency preparation.

In nonformal education, someone (who is not in school) can learn literacy, other basic skills or job skills.
Home education, individualized instruction (such as programmed learning), distance learning and computer-assisted instruction are other possibilities.

At the end of the day, whichever Education you are expose to, the courses undergo, the philosophy learnt and way of approach to daily lives also frame the state of your Mind. Which controls how you see life in certain issues and how you respond to Daily living.

ASSOCIATIONS
2Cor6:14
Psalms 1:1-3
The people and events you are associated with do influence your mind. Your actions and associations effect your mind. In certain company your mind behaves in one way and with others in a different way.
Those you would call your Associates, those you spend time with, those you confide in daily, has great impact on your Mind.

LIFE EXPERIENCES:
Isaiah 43:18 -19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!….”

The Experience life had taught individual has a great impact on how the person thinks or how the mind is controlled.
So many people had disappointments, experience betrayals, abuses which made them become we they are presently. The issues of life Suddenly made them fearful, depressed, hateful, untrust, unbelieving, insecure etc.
Life Experiences have a great impact on so many people’s mindset and this tends to affects their daily.
The Experience life had taught individual has a great impact on how the person thinks or how the mind is controlled.
So many people had disappointments, experience betrayals, abuses which made them become we they are presently. The issues of life Suddenly made them fearful, depressed, hateful, untrust, unbelieving, insecure etc.
Life Experiences have a great impact on so many people’s mindset and this tends to affects their daily living even their relationship with God.

The past is something that should be forgotten, unfortunately, a lot of people let it define them.

They become miserable, cunning, selfish, greedy, and blame it on the past or people in their past, saying, “I am this way because of how that person mistreated me or what so, so and so did to me.”