Teaching And Research By: M. E. Arbaugh

OVERCOMING
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Better than the Blood of Bulls
and Goats  

FROM THE CROSS TO THE RAPTURE
(Our part in the New Covenant)

RENEWED MIND
LESSON  SIXTEEN

What does God want? He wants us to have a renewed mind. Why? Because if we do not have a renewed mind, we will not have a good confession.

Titus 1:15  "To the pure all things are pure: but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, even their minds and conscience are defiled."

We are Spirits, we live in bodies, and we have minds. Before we are born again, our spirits were dead unto God and our minds and conscience were defiled. We thought like everybody else, looked like everybody else and acted like everybody else. After we meet and accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, our spirits are born again. We now want to serve Him, the problem is, we still think like the world. For years we have learned everything, the way the world teaches it. We have a new spirit, but we are still carnally minded. Romans 8:5-7

Ephesians 4:21-24 AMP. "Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as all Truth is Jesus -- embodied and personified in Him: Strip yourselves of your former nature -- put off and discard your old unrenewed self -- which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion: And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind -- having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude: And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness."

He has a established rule, we must have renewed minds.

If someone stood before your church congregation and said, "Everyone who wants a renewed mind come up here. I'm going to lay hands on you and you are going to receive a renewed mind." Do you think there would be a stampede? For sure. In fact I'd get in line too, but that is not the way it works.

Paul says, if you have heard Jesus, then you put off the old man, you be renewed in your mind and you put on the new man. It is your responsibility. It is time consuming, hard work to renew your minds. It means, reading, studying and listening to tapes. It means going to church to hear the word.

You may have to give up the two hour newspaper, cut back on light reading, and eliminate a lot of television. It means spending some money to buy more books and tapes. It means making a determined effort to bring every thought into captivity, casting down evil imagination, and making faith declarations. Thinking only on those things which are pure and lovely and of good report. At this point, some are likely to think, "Maybe I'll put it off for awhile. Maybe I'll wait until next year."

3 John 2 amp. "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and that your body may keep well, even as (I know) your soul (mind) keeps well and prospers."

Notice THE RULE, as the mind keeps well and prospers. THE RESULT is the body is well and we prosper in every way. We need a renewed mind for many reasons. We need health and abundance in order to fulfill God's plan for our lives. Prosperity means having enough to take care of us and plenty to give to others. If we do not have health and abundance, we are so busy trying to take care of our own needs, we do not have time for anything else.

So we set up a goal. Our goal is to have a renewed mind. Every goal has three stages, first there is the desire, then discipline, and then delight.

Example: We desire to have money. We discipline ourselves to go to work. Then on Friday, we delight to receive our paycheck. We want to be healthy and prosperous (desire) but renewing our minds is hard work (discipline). If we do not choose to discipline ourselves, then we will never taste the sweetness of delight (health and prosperity).

Romans 8:6 amp.  "Now the mind of the flesh (which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit) is death...death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter, but the mind of the (Holy) Spirit is life and soul peace both now and forever."

The above scripture gives us two choices. We can choose the mind of the flesh (an unrenewed mind) or we can choose the mind of the Spirit (a renewed mind). To help us decide, lets look at the results of both choices.

The unrenewed mind is subject to every brand of worry. It just knows that economic depression is going to crash down on us tomorrow, and guess who will be the first one laid off? The unrenewed mind is certain the wart on his or her finger is melanoma (cancer). If the unrenewed mind does make it to age 80 (doubtful, because the first missiles fired will land on his or her house), then he or she believes: I'll be forsaken by my family, poverty stricken, crippled by arthritis, almost blind, nearly deaf and unable to remember my own name. The unrenewed mind is subject to every negative influence, filled with fear, has a long and continuing list of aliments, thinks everyone including God has it in for them. The unrenewed mind spends it's life lusting for money, because of lack or because no matter how much he or she has, the more he or she wants. The unrenewed mind never feels successful, no matter how much it has, or how hard it tries.

That's choice number one, now let's look at choice number two.  The renewed mind knows he or she is an ambassador for Christ and ambassadors live in the manner of their home country. The renewed mind knows heaven is it's home country and there is no lack there. The renewed mind understands God is it's source. It's not the brook or the raven (where Elijah was fed I Kings chapter 17) but God who supplies it's need. The renewed mind knows if one source dies, God will raise another.

The renewed mind knows God's word is truth and so it speaks and says: "I am obedient to the word, therefore, I will not fear, no evil will befall me, no plague will come nigh me. Though 10,000 fall around me, the angel of the Lord encamps around me to keep me in all my ways. He upholds me with the everlasting arms and covers me with His pinions (feathers). His joy is my strength. His words are health and healing to my flesh.  I have plenty to pay my bills and much to share.

The renewed mind knows, declares, expects and enjoys an old age that is energetic and filled with plenty. The renewed mind knows he or she is loved and so is free to love. The renewed mind sees money as a tool instead of a possession. The renewed mind knows and says, I am fulfilling God's plan for my life, therefore I am a success. With GOD IN ME nothing is impossible. The renewed mind has peace, wisdom, creative power, love, forgiveness, faith, financial independence, hears the voice of the shepherd, has a merry heart and Is bold as a lion. The renewed mind makes devils nervous.

WHICH CHOICE WILL YOU MAKE? Some of us will say, "We'd like to, BUT!   We think if only we had more time, it is easier for the Pastor, he or she is able to devote all their time to study. Wrong!!! The pastor's life also requires someone to run errands, pay bills, mow the grass, service the car, visit the sick, and attend meetings. It may be that he or she does not have to punch a computer or a cow, wire a house or teach school, but if they did, it wouldn't be any harder.......just slower. The pastor made a choice, to go for it. What about us? We are the ones who have to do it, we have to set our hands to it and do it with all our might. If the word BUT is left hanging in the air, we will never get out of desire, thru discipline and into delight. Instead, we will be saying, "Oh! I wish it were so."

Joshua 1:8  "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success."

THE RULE, keep the word in our mouths, keep the word in our minds (meditate), and do the word (observe to do).

THE RESULT, we shall make our way prosperous and be successful. A renewed mind is a requirement for success. To be successful we must be all out for God. He does not bless lazy or wishy washy people with lasting success. He didn't say love the Lord your God with part or most of our minds and hearts. We must be all out for God. Thirty percent commitment will equal thirty percent fruit.

Suppose our primary goal isn't to preach. Suppose our primary goal is to have a thousand cattle on a thousand hills, be Governor, own a trucking company or the biggest electrical supply and repair in the world. Shouldn't we spend less time in the word and more in the manuals? No, we need to get our priorities straight:

The primary goal is to be pleasing to the Father, What pleases the Father? Faith. How do we get faith? WORD, WORD, WORD.

Our families come next, families are of great importance to the Lord. He wants us to spend time with our mates, children and grandchildren. We are to nurture them in love and teach them the scriptures. We are also to provide for them, so the jobs we have are important. We are to provide things honest in the sight of all men. That means giving an honest days work for our pay. Working as unto the Lord. Next comes others, caring for them, helping them, showing courtesy, and praying for them (all races.)

Joshua 1:8 amp.   "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it, for THEN you shall make your way prosperous and THEN you shall deal wisely and have good success."   

OVERCOMING
THE ENEMIES
   OF HEALTH

HOME

QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS!

After we think the word, speak the word, and do the word both by day and by night, THEN comes wise dealing and good success and prosperity. Reading the manuals on how to break horses and buy cows, do it yourself politics, three easy steps to truck repair and how I turned $42 into the largest company in the world, will help, but they won't give good success that satisfies. We are to have a renewed mind and THEN apply ourselves.

Notice that Joshua 1:8 says, "you shall make your way"? It does not say we can sit on the porch, swatting flies and watching the Fords go by. We must possess the land. At the wedding in Cana, there was a miracle. Water was turned into wine. We usually overlook where the miracle took place. The miracle happened in the midst of the people's efforts. They put the water in the jugs and they poured it out. In between the putting in and the pouring out, the miracle happened. When we expend the effort to gain a renewed mind, in the middle of our efforts a miracle will happen. Our lives will be totally changed.

Next    LESSON  SEVENTEEN

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Teaching And Research By: M. E. Arbaugh

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