Freedom of God-governed, not me-governed; realigning with God

OUR FIRST FREEDOM - The ultimate freedom we have as human beings is the power to select what we will allow our mind to dwell upon. There the light of God first moves upon us through the Word of Christ, and there the Divine Spirit begins to direct our will to thoughts that help us realign ourselves with God and his way. 

By thoughts we mean memories, perceptions, and beliefs, as well as what we would ordinarily refer to when we say, “I thought of you yesterday.” When we constantly and thoughtfully engage ourselves with the ideas, images, and information that are provided by God through the Scriptures, his Son Jesus, and the lives and experiences of his people through the ages, we are nourished by the Holy Spirit in ways far beyond our own efforts or understanding. This transforms our entire life. 

All that enters our mind, and especially the thoughts that first come to mind as we encounter people and events, will be healthy, godly, and good. The conclusions we jump to will be those in harmony with the realities of a good, God-governed universe, not the illusions of a godless or a me-governed universe. Our patterns of thinking will conform to the truths of scriptural revelation, and we will apply those truths under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit to all of the details of our daily lives. 

Are we undertaking some task? Then in faith we do it with God, assuming and finding his power to be involved with us. Is there an emergency? We meet it with the knowledge that God is in the midst of it with us, and we are calm in a center of intense prayer. Are we praised? Our thoughts (and feelings) move immediately to the goodness of God in our lives. Are we condemned or reproached? We know that God supports and helps us because he loves us and has a future for us. Are we disappointed and frustrated? We rest in the knowledge that God is over all and that he is working things out. Spiritual transformation of our thought life is achieved by the ministry of the Spirit in the midst of our necessary and well-directed efforts.


 

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