1 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV
“For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
INSIGHT
-Mind in Hebrew is written as Lebab which means the will or inner man. Set in Hebrew is sum which means to place on or put. The theme mindset is therefore directing us to place our thoughts or will on God, our All in all. We are called to first of all know God and acknowledge that He is as our Lord and Savior. Then desire to know more of the mind of God that we may gain a heart full of wisdom. Knowing the mind of the Lord is key to knowing His will. We then need to acknowledge that we have the mind of Christ and it is no longer us that lives but Christ Who lives in us. In Christ we are a new creation for the old is gone and the new nature has come. Having said this, we are called to do the will of God by following His instructions and drawing closer to Him daily.
PRAYER
Our dear loving Father we thank You and give You praise for You are our God, and only You deserve to be worshipped. You are Holy and Righteous, our King of glory. You are our King and Master, Yahweh in You we live, we move and have our being. We are Your offspring, Your children and call You Abba Father. We praise You and honor You for You have enabled us begin this week in Your presence, holy is Your name. May You guide us and lead us in the way that we should go. May You forgive us all our trespasses and sanctify us whole body, soul and spirit. May You fill our minds with Your mind Jesus Christ that we may think like You do, see like You do and talk like You do, for You are Holy Lord. Thank You for Your grace which is sufficient unto us to enable us to do all things through You Christ Jesus who gives us strength. May You fill all people with Your gift of salvation and teach us to always do Your will. May Your peace that surpasses all human understanding fill our hearts, minds, homes, families, businesses, work, communities, churches and nation, for Your glory and honor Jesus. Amen
Further reading: Galatians 2:20, 1 John 3:2-3
Romans 12:1-2 NKJV
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
INSIGHT
–God calls us to set our minds on the things that are above and not on the things that are on the earth, for and our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:2-3). Our minds are therefore renewed in the newness of our lives in Christ, committed to the ideals of the kingdom of God. This precipitates a change of heart and our bodies are preserved holy by the mercies of Christ through the cleansing by His precious blood, which is an act of worship to God.
PRAYER
You alone Lord Jesus are worthy of our praise and adoration. You alone are our God, our Prince of peace and everlasting King. Your Kingdom reigns forever. We exult Your name and lift You high dear Savior. Thank You for You died for us so that we may live. Thank You for You resurrected so that we may live with You forever. May You forgive us all our sins and inquities and wash us with Your precious blood. May You cleanse our thoughts and our hearts dear Lord Jesus, and make us new. May You change us and transform us to be more like You precious Jesus. We declare that our minds belong to You, our hearts belong to You, our bodies belong to You, may You sanctify us whole body, soul and spirit and preserve us blameless for Your coming; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May You break every chain that so easily entangled us merciful Savior. May You deliver all those who have lost hope in life, all those who are depressed and are contemplating suicide. May You guide us in every step of our walk of life that our bodies may always be pleasing to You dear Lord Jesus. Amen
Further reading: 1 Peter 2:4-5, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV
“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”
INSIGHT
–Walking with God is a vital practice in our Christian faith. The scriptures provide a powerful introduction to the Book of Psalms, contrasting the way of the righteous and that of the wicked. The righteous person, in contrast to the wicked, finds delight in God’s law, and does not deem it as a burdensome obligation but a joy and privilege. The key practice here is meditation, meaning more than just casual reading. it involves internalizing, reflecting, and applying God’s word continually day and night. This practice nourishes the soul and builds spiritual strength. Even as we mediate on the word of God, we are called to do it prayerfully without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), and we prosper in everything.
PRAYER
We praise You dear Lord Jesus as long as we are alive. We praise You Jehovah with all our hearts and soul. We praise You with all our lives and sing praises to You Lord our God. May You teach us and enable us to meditate on Your word day and night merciful Savior. Lord You are the Maker of the heavens and earth, the sea, and everything in them. Lord You remain to be faithful forever. You are our healer and deliver loving Savior. You uphold the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry, may You remember all the street families and deliver them. Lord You set the prisoners free and give sight to the blind, we bless Your holy name. You watch over the foreigner and sustain the fatherless and the widow, but frustrate the ways of the wicked for You are faithful to keep Your word. You lift up those who are bowed down and show Your love to the righteous. May You look to us with mercy and favor, and answer all our prayers and hearts desires dear Jesus. You reign forever and all generations praise You dear Lord Jesus. We praise You and honor You, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-68
Romans 8:5-8 NKJV
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
INSIGHT
-To walk according to the flesh is to follow the sinful desires of one’s old life. Galatians 5:19-21 outlines the acts of the flesh which include:- sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like, and those who practice this will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, to walk in the spirit is to follow the desires of the Holy Spirit and to live in the way pleasing to Him. To walk in the spirit is to walk in holiness not only through our actions and words but also our thoughts that fill our minds each moment of our lives. Those who are led by the spirit are sons of God which becomes a lifestyle of kingdom living.
PRAYER
Precious Holy Spirit we love You and honor You. We thank You for Your love and kindness upon us. We thank You for Your grace and mercy upon us. Thank You for loving us first. We belong to You. May You liberate us from every form of sin and iniquity and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. May You fill our hearts and minds with Your fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control precious Holy Spirit. May You do a new thing and a new work in our lives, families, communities, churches and nation. May You touch each and every heart and train us how to keep in step with You. May You grant our leaders peace and wisdom that we may only do Your divine will. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Galatians 5:13-25
Philippians 4:8 NKJV
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
INSIGHT
-Believers are called to uphold everything that is pure, true, noble, just, lovely, of a good report and all that are praiseworthy, brings about separation for the sake of Christ. We separate ourselves from the things of this world that are not noble and not of a good report, so that we may please the one who has called us, as we are always at war and in a battle with forces of darkness and principalities. When we also dwell on what is right in our minds, we focus on what God is doing and not how the situation we are going through looks like. We are reminded that for those whose minds are set in Christ, they receive perfect peace.
SUMMARY
Studies have revealed that those who maintain a positive mindset rarely have heart diseases, and they have a lower chance of getting stressed or depressed and the associated diseases that accompany stress. Maintaining the right mindset that is vital for our physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being. To achieve this, we are called to pivot our minds on the word of God and meditating on it day and night (Psalms 1:1-3). Whatever we feed our minds on ends up becoming what our thoughts processes. Also, whatever a man thinketh in his heart so he becomes (Proverbs 23:7). For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit, and to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:5-8). God calls us to be renewed in the mind that we may prove that which is good, acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2). Jesus Christ also requires us to focus our minds on Him that He may instruct us (1 Corinthians 2:16). The result is always, increased faith for truly without faith we cannot please God and cannot receive anything from Him. But with faith we obtain victory in every area and aspect of our lives.
PRAYER
Our dear and ever living God, we come before Your holy presence thanking You for who You are and what You have done unto us. Thank You for Your goodness and mercies which are new each morning. You are a Good and Faithful God. You are an awesome God. You are a Holy God. We worship Your and praise You dear Lord Jesus for You are Faithful God. We lift Your name high and exult Your holy name. May You shape our minds and help us to focus on the things about and not on the things below. May Your powerful hand touch every soul and mind, and align them to Your holy will. May Your salvation power be found upon every individual in our families and societies Abba Father. May Your will be done in our lives and nation, and guide us in all things for the glory and honor of Your name. May You bless us abundantly so that in all things at all times having all that we need, we may abound in every good work. May You bless us and keep us dear Jesus. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen.
Further reading: 1 Peter 1:13-19