LESSON 40

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Renewing Your Mind

 

Rom. 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

Renew means “to renovate or tear down all that is existing and totally rebuild.” 

 

Our will has to yield to God in order to receive His spirit.  The devil is after your will, wanting to make you reject God.  The devil keeps bombarding your mind, especially in those areas where he already had a stronghold before your spirit was born-again.  The spirit wants to take over your mind.  Whatever is in your mind will always manifest through your body.   

 

When Adam and Eve were in the garden man was ruled by his spirit, which was in the perfect image of God.  When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, they rejected the control of their God-like spirit and declared that the spirit was no longer on the throne of their lives.  They said we are no longer going to obey spirit, but we are going to obey self or the soul.  Thus, the soul  became the controller of man. 

 

The process after we become born-again is to get the soul off the throne and get our regenerated spirit back on the throne. 

 

Luke 6:45  The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

 

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Nothing good or evil is in your physical body.  That which is good or evil is brought forth from the heart.  Whatever is in the heart and mind of the man, that is what that man is. 

 

Prov. 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart [is] not with thee.

 

If your mind thinks upon Jesus, who are you going to be like?  JESUS! 

 

Satan throws his fiery darts at your heart and mind trying to tempt you. He knows that if he can get evil into you, then that evil will be brought forth from your heart.

 

Acts 5:1-3  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,  and kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land?

 

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Satan filled Ananais’ heart to lie. 

 

In the heart of man is where grief and turmoil are birthed.    

 

John 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.

 

Rom. 9:2  That I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.

 

In the heart of man is where desires are birthed.

 

Matt. 5:28  But I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

 

Psa. 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

 

The heart of man is where affections are birthed.

 

Acts 21:13  Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and  to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

The heart of man is where thoughts are formulated.

 

Matt. 9:4    And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

 

Heb. 4:12  For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

The heart of man is where you receive revelation.  You have to so get the revelation into your spirit, that it is manifesting in your heart and your mind.  Then it will come out of your body.  You never truly have a revelation of something until you walk in the manifestation of it; until you've experienced it. 

 

The apostle Paul prayed that we would receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation.  He understood that until we receive a revelation we can not walk in the manifestation of it.

 

Eph. 1:17-18  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

 

The heart of man is where your imaginations are.

 

2 Cor. 10:4-5  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

 

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The heart of man is where wisdom and understanding are birthed.

 

Prov. 13:14  The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

 

Prov. 2:2  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding.

 

The heart of man is where faith is conceived.  Your spirit is born of God.  Your spirit is full of faith, but faith has to fill your heart and mind for faith to operate.

 

Mark 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

 

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The heart of man is where your will is; your ability to obey.  If Satan can control your heart and mind he can control your actions.  If God controls your heart, He will control your actions.

 

Rom. 6:17-18  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

 

 Eph. 4:23-25  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

 

Jesus set you free from the old nature, but you have the responsibility to put off the old man, be renewed in your mind and put on the new man.

 

Eph. 6:11    Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 

From Ephesians 4:22 to Ephesians 6:11, Paul talks of putting off the old man and putting on the new.  Now, he concludes by saying put on the whole armor of God.  Remember, the war is in your mind. 

 

A stronghold is a position from which an enemy or military force takes control in order to launch further assaults.  The battlefield is in our mind, therefore the strongholds must be in our mind. 

 

2 Cor. 10:3-4  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds:)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

 

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Anything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (lust, greed, selfishness, sin) must be cast out of your mind.  We have the power to take captive every thought and make them come into the obedience of God. 

The devil can throw any dart at you and you can stand.  The devil can't control you.

 

The armor of God is for your mind.  We can't put on the armor of God by ritualistically saying every morning, "I put on the helmet of salvation.  I put on the belt of truth.  I put on the breastplate of righteousness..." because the armor is for your mind.  Putting on the armor of the Lord is the process of putting on the new man which is Christ.  Jesus is the armor of your mind.

 

Isa. 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of Me, saith the LORD.

 

Put on the armor and walk in it.  When you do this you can stand against all the wiles of the devil. 

 

In Review:

1.  Define renew.  _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.  When do you know you have a revelation of something?  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

3.  When does faith operate?  _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.  Define a stronghold.  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.  Memorize 2 Cor. 10:3-4.  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6.  How do you put on the armor of God?

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