Lamentations 3:21-25
“This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.”
INSIGHT
-Mind in Hebrew is written as leb which is the part of a human being in which thoughts take place & decisions to do good or evil are processed; & is closely linked with the brain & heart. The brain is a physical organ in the human nervous system which processes, stores & integrates information while the mind is a spirit (Eph 4:23). The heart is the subconscious mind (Isa 10:7; Heb 10:22; Pro 23:7); & it is cardinal to harmonise the subconscious mind with the conscious mind. We find a multitude of references of the mind in the Bible including; the mind of God (1 Cor 2:16), Isaac & Rebecca were grieved in the mind when he married other wives (Gen 26:35), Jacob kept Joseph’s dream in mind (Gen 37:11), we should have the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5) etc
-As this year gains momentum; we are asked to always remember that Gods’ faithfulness is great, His compassion never fail & His mercies are new every morning. Despite our shortcomings or the challenges we might be going through; be it personal difficulties, issues in the family, relationships, marriages, work, business, institutional, financial, moral, psychological, health complications, societal, global etc, let us put our hope in God for He is good to those who wait on Him.
PRAYER
Your mercies are new every morning Lord; great is Your faithfulness. Help us to be faithful to You with our hearts, minds & everything that You have entrusted us. You have always shown Yourself merciful & gracious unto us Jesus, we will forever give You thanks. Forgive us our trespasses Jesus & help us to forgive all those who trespass against us. Heal all the sick & suffering among us & settle the hearts of the families that are lamenting the loss of their loved ones; merciful Father. We present our petitions & hearts desires unto You Lord with firm confidence that You have already answered our prayers. Amen
Philippians 2:5
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
INSIGHT
-An emphasis has been made for us to have the mind of Christ through humility, love, service & becoming light in the world; through holding fast the word of life. Christ knew His mission; He humbled Himself unto death on the cross to satisfy the will of the Father; by saving mankind from sin & eternal condemnation. We are called to focus on where we are going & not where we are coming from. Our mental orientation positions us to the next frontier in life as the Lord leads us. For instance; if you want to study you must be mentally prepared to work hard; if you need a job you must be ready to work; if you want to start a business you must set your mind to it; if you want to be married or marry you must be willing to partner faithfully; if you need a child you must be ready to be a parent; if you want to become a leader you must be prepared to serve; if you intend to retire or resign you should be well prepared etc. All these things begin in the mind having self confidence & with prayer having faith in Christ for all things are possible through Him Who gives us strength.
PRAYER
Thank You Holy Spirit for the gift of life; we give You all the glory & praise. Thank You for the fruit & gifts that You have bestowed unto us. Fill our hearts with humility, love & wisdom so that we may always be willing to learn to fear You Lord. Teach us to number our days & align us accurately with Your will; so that we may accomplish that which You have called us do according to Your great mercy & love. Increase our capacity Lord that we may always be ready to grow according to the riches of Your glory & grace. Bless our leaders in various capacities; those in government, churches, schools, businesses, family, society & other institutions, & shepherd them all with Your wisdom. All glory & praise belongs to You Jesus now & forever. Amen
Colossians 3:1-4
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
INSIGHT
-In view of the fact that we have been raised together with Christ, these truths are supposed to change our mental, behavioural & spiritual orientation that answer the questions; who are we? & where are we going? These truths should thus change our perspective in life as these verses disclose a sense of belonging through the tripartite discourse of Gods’ everlasting love for us in His sovereignty beyond time evidenced by the strategic repetition of the word ‘with’. The first ‘with’ in the scripture reveals that in the past as Christ died & resurrected; we were raised with Him. At present we are hidden with Christ in God & are seated with Him for we are His sons. Finally, in the future; we will appear with Him in glory. These truths give us hope for a better life ahead & a prosperous future; for we are sons of God & He loves us with an everlasting love. We are therefore called to set our minds on the things above; in the realities of Christs’ love for us & has given us a new identity as His sons. We therefore have the confidence to approach His throne of grace where there is fullness of mercy & grace; & we obtain help in time of need (Heb 4:16). Since we were raised with Christ; we should always desire to live for Him & in Him through love as we are destined. Further; apply faith & works for each one is called to view one another in the eyes that only reveal the image of God & action a difference in our personal lives, communities, neighbourhoods, churches, nation & the world at large.
PRAYER
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth. You have set Your glory above the heavens; everlasting is Your dominion. We humbly ask You Lord to have mercy on us & on the whole world. By Your tender mercies Father heal the wounds of all those who have been injured in the attacks & settle the hearts of those who have lost their loved ones. Protect us with Your hedge of fire & cover us by Your precious blood Jesus. Instruct Your angels Father to guard us from danger always & walk with us in all situations. You are our Protector & Shield, our great I AM, our Rock of salvation, our sure Foundation, our Father & our Friend, we thank You & praise Your name forever. Amen
Genesis 37:9-11
“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.”
INSIGHT
-Contrary to the popular notion, information is not stored in our brains like books on library shelves but is actively reconstructed from elements scattered through neural pathways of the brain by the encoding process. Most often people store information that they deem important or sensitive in the word of God, from family members, friends, government, their studies, dreams, visions etc. God communicates through dreams & Jacob keenly captured Joseph’s dream which came to pass despite the envy triggered by his brothers. Before this dream was fulfilled, he assisted the chief cup-bearer & chief baker interpret their dreams while in prison & Pharaoh when no one else could interpret them. God revealed Himself faithful to Joseph who had a series of dreams at a fairly young age & through the ability to interpret dreams; He elevated Joseph who became the governor in Egypt.
PRAYER
We praise Your name Lord for Your tender mercies & care that You have always accorded unto us. Grant us peace Lord & especially those who have lost their loved ones, the sick & those who suffer post traumatic stress after the recent terror events. Have mercy Lord on those who are jobless, unmarried, divorced, widowed, widowers, orphans, disabled & all those who are suffering financially. Remember the dreams, visions & promises that You have revealed unto us Father; that You may bring them to fruition for Your name’s sake. Thank You Jesus for Your faithfulness & love for us, families, friends, children, churches & for our nation; we will forever give You glory. Amen
Luke 12:29-31
“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”
INSIGHT
-It is revealed that anxiety is a mental conditioning given to polytheists & atheists; & should be found within us who believe in the Lord Almighty, Provider of all things. In symbolism Jesus points out that we are of much greater value than birds & lilies; & therefore should not worry about anything for He is the only one who can change our situations & without Him we can do nothing. Since we are sons of our heavenly Father; we are called to believe in Him & do good according to His will. We are also called to seek first His kingdom & His righteousness with faith that God will answer us according to His great love for He knows all our needs.
SUMMARY
-The mind is a spirit which houses the consciousness of God. It is classified into three; the conscience mind, subconscious mind & unconscious mind. It is crucial to harmonise these three areas of mind with the consciousness of God; for He put His laws in our hearts & minds; so that we may always seek Him (Heb 10:16). Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:20-24 takes the premise that we should be renewed in the spirit of our minds by putting off the old man in the former corrupt conduct & deceitful lust, & embracing the new man through true righteousness & holiness. By the help of the Holy Spirit; renewal of the mind exposes our mental faculties, thoughts, volition, feelings & memories; which are gradually aligned to the will of the Father which takes us to the next level in life. Having the mind of Christ through fellowship, humility, service, generosity, love & thanksgiving, we are reminded to do good always through which we store up our treasures in heaven. Materialism is the mother of all anxiety for many seek after fleeting things & forget the instructions of the Lord. We are entreated never to be anxious about anything but in prayer, supplication & thanksgiving make our request known to God (Phil 4:6); for through giving thanks in all situations; we display total trust in Him. Jesus also reminds us to turn our eyes upon Him & evil desires will grow strangely dim in our minds through the light of His glory & grace.
PRAYER
We love You LORD, because You have heard our voice & our supplications; because You have inclined Your ear to us. We will therefore call upon You as long as we live. We dedicate all the cancer patients unto Your able hands Jesus that You may heal them all; for by Your stripes we are healed. Many of us Lord harbour the cancer of anxiety & unforgiveness in our hearts; heal us Jesus so that we may forgive those who offend us & be at peace within ourselves. Other times we have refused to let go of the cancer of repeated sin; deliver us & forgive us Jesus for nothing can separate us from Your love. Help us Jesus to trust, obey & give thanks to You always King of all glory. Bless us indeed Father & expand our territories according to Your unending grace. Amen