#531 Dwelling in the Obedience of Christ
There is another aspect to this process of bringing every thought into captivity of the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: We are to wage a valiant warfare. The battlefield is the mind. Our weapons are spiritual. We are to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ. The word obedience is Strong’s #5218: attentive hearkening. It is the same word used in Hebrews 5:8. “Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” Here is our example of the obedience of Christ: it is the attentive hearkening of Jesus to the Father. Whatever the experience, however painful, or whatever the cost, Jesus listened attentively to the will and thinking of the Father. “I delight to do thy Will, O my God.” Psalm 40:8 “I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” John 5:30 ”The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” John 18:11
Jesus listened attentively to His Father in every experience, and in every thought . The challenge set before us is to bring every thought into captivity to the attentive hearkening of Jesus, to LISTEN to each thought with the ears and mind of Christ!! We want to hear what Jesus would hear. The attentive listening of Christ heard and acted on the will of the Heavenly Father, which is summed up in the lengths and breadths of Divine Love, and that was his delight.
“They cried to the LORD in their trouble and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.” !!!! Psalm 107:13-14
The key to breaking free from old chains of bondage to habits of sin in our lives begins with the surrender of every thought. John 8:31-32
The Lord has helped me to be more aware of the connection between problem-centered thinking and the result of emotional and physical feelings of worry and anxiety. The challenge before us is the surrender of these negative thoughts with whatever matches Philippians 4:6-8, and to think on those things. We can DWELL in His presence in gratitude, in reciting of scripture, in singing of hymns and in prayers of gratitude and supplication for specific Brethren, etc. This spiritual refocus can lead to the lifting of worry and anxiety. Sometimes it takes some time, and we can fully trust His timing in regard to any results. And regardless of results we DWELL in the obedience of Christ!
If we do not surrender every thought to this captivity of the attentive hearkening of Christ, our random thoughts and focus on the problem will take us captive! He empowers us to be transformed into the image of Christ, from one degree of glory to the next. 2 Corinthians 3:18
There is another aspect to this process of bringing every thought into captivity of the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: We are to wage a valiant warfare. The battlefield is the mind. Our weapons are spiritual. We are to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ. The word obedience is Strong’s #5218: attentive hearkening. It is the same word used in Hebrews 5:8. “Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” Here is our example of the obedience of Christ: it is the attentive hearkening of Jesus to the Father. Whatever the experience, however painful, or whatever the cost, Jesus listened attentively to the will and thinking of the Father. “I delight to do thy Will, O my God.” Psalm 40:8 “I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” John 5:30 ”The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” John 18:11
Jesus listened attentively to His Father in every experience, and in every thought . The challenge set before us is to bring every thought into captivity to the attentive hearkening of Jesus, to LISTEN to each thought with the ears and mind of Christ!! We want to hear what Jesus would hear. The attentive listening of Christ heard and acted on the will of the Heavenly Father, which is summed up in the lengths and breadths of Divine Love, and that was his delight.
“They cried to the LORD in their trouble and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.” !!!! Psalm 107:13-14
The key to breaking free from old chains of bondage to habits of sin in our lives begins with the surrender of every thought. John 8:31-32
The Lord has helped me to be more aware of the connection between problem-centered thinking and the result of emotional and physical feelings of worry and anxiety. The challenge before us is the surrender of these negative thoughts with whatever matches Philippians 4:6-8, and to think on those things. We can DWELL in His presence in gratitude, in reciting of scripture, in singing of hymns and in prayers of gratitude and supplication for specific Brethren, etc. This spiritual refocus can lead to the lifting of worry and anxiety. Sometimes it takes some time, and we can fully trust His timing in regard to any results. And regardless of results we DWELL in the obedience of Christ!
If we do not surrender every thought to this captivity of the attentive hearkening of Christ, our random thoughts and focus on the problem will take us captive! He empowers us to be transformed into the image of Christ, from one degree of glory to the next. 2 Corinthians 3:18
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