Thinking Spiritually
…And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Ephesians 4:22–24

Lord, I must distinguish between common sense, which is carnal knowledge, fleshly knowledge, which relies on my five senses or spiritual sense. That knowledge and understanding wisdom is given by the Holy Spirit. The natural man who lives by his five senses always doing the convenient thing. But I must live by the spiritual sense, which means doing that which is according to the word of God.

When I first became a Christian, I found a lot of variances between doing the convenient thing and the holy thing. I found myself stretching the truth, telling social lies not to hurt anyone’s feelings and doing other things that made common sense, but the Spirit within me was grieved. Gradually, I came to see that the Holy Spirit was not interested in saving my skin or making me attractive to others; He is always interested in making us attractive to Father God.

That meant my old mindset had to go. My carnality relying on my five senses will always contradict the Word of God. The scheming and looking for an advantage, had to give away to thinking spiritually, that is thinking like God thinks, which He desires, and demands. That meant a crisis of will, for God does not make us mature men and women against our wills. with God, our death took place with Jesus on the Cross of Calvary and our new life of resurrection begins in the power of the Holy Spirit. His thoughts become paramount and, to a certain extent automatic. His life became the natural life, the spirit led life. The life led by the Spirit of God is my new common sense.

The mature Christian will not have to ask. What shall I do or what shall I say? He responds as God would want him to do. Answers to all our questions are found in scripture as we study it. Our lives now need to be Spirit led decisions, all others are simply the result of following relationship with Him, who makes the best sense of all eternal sense. To be like-minded with Jesus we must be in His Word. Then I will have His mind in me is right behavior will follow. Phil. 2:5.

God likes and dislikes.
And do not neglect and sharing; with such sacrifices, God is pleased Hebrew 13:16

If I am to be a fruitful disciple, I must respect God ‘s likes and dislikes. The Bible is full of things God likes, and the things he dislikes. If I am to keep irritation out of our relationship, I must respect the fences of God.

I do this in human relationships, such as marriage, friendships, and church service. The only difference is that human relationships are often petty and selfish, whereas God’s fences are always pure.

God hates many things-He hates a proud look, a lying tongue, a murderous heart, a wicked heart, mischievous feet, lies, and troublemakers’ (Proverbs 6 17–19). But He particularly despises an empty sacrifice (Isaiah 1:14). If I offer that sacrifice with all the correctness of the law, yet without the heart affection to accompany it, it creates only an irritation and God’s heart.
The difficulty with the empty sacrifice is that I may never know when I am offering it. Mental mistakes are far more obvious than emotional mistakes. I cannot teach wrong doctrine very long before being found out, but who can examine the heart?

So, my sacrifices, like praise, prayer, gifts, and service must be constantly scrutinized by me, because I may be ever so correct in form yet ever so lacking in devotion. Do I say, “I love you, Lord”, and yet wince at the hypocrisy, you see in my heart? Lord, may I ever please you with the sacrifices of righteousness (Psalms 51:19) which is the sacrifice after your own heart.

¡Vence el mal con el bien!

No os dejéis vencer por el mal, sino venced el mal con el bien. Rom. 12:21.

Debo admitir que durante toda mi vida he luchado contra la ira. Cuando me enfrento al mal, respondo principalmente con palabras negativas en lugar de ser positivas. Realmente creo que tiene que ver con mi orgullo. Siento que la gente debería estar a la altura de mis expectativas, aunque yo no esté a la altura de las expectativas que Dios tiene para mí. Me arrepiento y le pido perdón a Dios al menos 20 veces al día porque vuelvo a cometer el mismo pecado.

El Señor Jesús no ignoró a Satanás. No ignoró el mal. Pero Él derrotó a todos Sus enemigos en la cruz del Calvario con el amor que tiene por la humanidad. Las Escrituras declaran que: “Y despojando a los principados y potestades, los exhibió públicamente, triunfando sobre ellos en la cruz”. Col. 2:15.

La prerrogativa de Dios al tratar con el mal era tener victoria sobre él y aprovechar la oportunidad para el bien. El Calvario fue un acto oficial contra el reino de las tinieblas. Dios y el mal son antagónicos porque el mal fue el motivo mismo del acto redentor de Cristo en el Calvario.

Si soy un verdadero discípulo de Jesucristo, entonces manifestaré los principios del Calvario. Me han atacado verbalmente y me han mentido y sé que esto es una herramienta del enemigo. Al igual que Jesús, en cada situación que enfrentó, miró a sus enemigos con ojos eternos. Vio lo que la gente podía llegar a ser a través de Su amor y compasión.

Jesús declaró que vino a salvar lo que se había perdido por el mal, no a condenar a los que están atados por Satanás. Lo hizo por misericordia y amor. ¿Merecemos misericordia? No. Pero Dios en su amor hacia nosotros a través del sacrificio de Jesús no nos dio justicia por nuestra rebelión, sino misericordia.

Overcome Evil with Good!

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom. 12:21

I must admit that throughout my entire life, I have struggled with anger. When I’m confronted with evil, I mostly respond with negative words rather than being positive. I truly believe it has to do with my pride. I feel that people should live up to my expectations even though I do not live up to God’s expectations for me. I repent and ask God for forgiveness at least 20 times a day because I commit the same sin again.

The Lord Jesus did not ignore Satan. He did not ignore evil. But He defeated all His enemies at the cross of Calvary with love He has for mankind. Scripture stated that, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Col. 2:15.

God’s prerogative in dealing with evil was to have victory over it and using the opportunity for good. Calvary was an official act against the kingdom of darkness. God and evil are antagonistic because evil was very reason for the redemptive act of Christ on Calvary.

If I’m a true disciple of Jesus Christ, then I will manifest Calvary principles. I have been attacked verbally and lied on and I know this is a tool of the enemy. Just like Jesus in every situation He confronted he looked at His enemies with eternal eyes. He saw what people could become through His love and compassion.

Jesus stated that He came to save that which was lost to evil, not condemn those who are bound by Satan. He did this out of mercy and love. Do we deserve mercy, No. But God in His love towards us through the sacrifice of Jesus did not give us justice for our rebellion, rather mercy.

¡Presentando Nuestras Credenciales!

Devuélveme el gozo de tu salvación, Señor, y susténtame con espíritu dispuesto. Entonces enseñaré a los transgresores tu camino y los pecadores se convertirán al. Salmo 51:12-13.

Mi vida como discípulo debe ser consciente de los derechos y privilegios del ministerio. Los vasos santos del tabernáculo eran dedicados con sangre porque eran un ministerio. Hebreos 9;21. Así como no puede haber remisión de pecados sin sangre, tampoco puede haber ministerio sin sangre. Ningún hombre tiene derecho a hablar o hacer cualquier otra cosa para Dios a menos que haya sido tocado por sangre, es decir, a menos que se le haya dado el derecho de hablar basándose en la muerte de Cristo en el Calvario.

Siempre que Dios trata con los hombres, siempre lo hace a través de los derechos de Jesucristo obtenidos en el Calvario. Así como un embajador debe presentar sus credenciales, así toda persona que sirve a Dios debe demostrar que ha sido tocada con la sangre del Calvario. Aparte de eso, no tiene ningún derecho a servir. ¿Tengo mis credenciales o soy un falso Profeta?

Pero hay otra cara de la moneda. El simple hecho de tener derecho a hablar no significa que acepte el privilegio. Muchos han rechazado el privilegio. El cuerpo de Cristo está lleno de miembros desfavorecidos, por su propio egoísmo, miedo o indiferencia. Se necesita sangre y aceite para llegar a ser un siervo de Dios. Sangre (Sacrificio) representa el llamado; El aceite (Espíritu Santo) representa poder. Ambos son necesarios para un servicio eficaz y fructífero.

El sumo sacerdote aplicaba continuamente la sangre y el aceite. Así que debo continuar revisando mi llamado y mi investidura. Los vasos de mi ministerio para Él deben estar diariamente bajo su mirada. Sólo entonces presento mis credenciales. Pero tenemos este tesoro en la tierra y en los vasos para que la excelencia del poder sea de Dios y no de nosotros mismos. 2 Corintios 4:7

Presenting Our Credentials!

Restored to me the joy of thy salvation Lord and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors thy way and sinners will be converted to the. Psalms 51:12-13.

My life as a disciple must be aware of the rights and privileges of ministry. The holy vessels of the tabernacle were dedicated with blood because they were a ministry. Hebrews 9; 21. Just as there can be no remission of sins without blood, neither can there be a ministry without blood. No man has the right to speak or do anything else for God unless he has been touched by blood, that is, unless he has been given the right to speak based on Christ’s death on Calvary.

Whenever God deals with men, He always does so through the rights of Jesus Christ won at Calvary. Just as an ambassador must present his credentials, so every person who serves God must show that he has been touched with the blood of Calvary. Apart from that, he has no right to serve. Do I have my credentials, or am I a false Prophet?

But there is another side to the coin. Simply having the right to speak does not mean I accept the privilege. Many have rejected the privilege. The body of Christ is full of under privileged members, because of their own selfishness, fear, or indifference. It takes both blood and oil to become a servant of God. Blood (Sacrifice) stands for the call; oil (Holy Spirit) stands for power. Both are necessary for effective fruitful service.

The high priest applied the blood, and the oil continually. So must I continue to review my call and endowment. The vessels of my ministry for Him must come daily under his eye. Only then do I present my credentials. But we have this treasure in earth and vessels that the excellency of the power May be of God and not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians.4:7

La espina de Pablo

Por favor lea las siguientes escrituras y la explicación atentamente.
2 Cor. 12:7-9. Santiago 1:12-18. 2 Pedro 1:2-4. Hechos 10:38.

Introducción
Algunos creen que Dios le dio el aguijón a Pablo para mantenerlo humilde. Este no es el caso. Dios Padre le dijo a Pablo que Su gracia (habilidad) en su vida era suficiente para manejar este ataque de Satanás. La obra redentora de Jesucristo en la cruz del Calvario fue y es más que suficiente para vencer el mal de cualquier tipo. Incluyendo el aguijón de Pablo que le dio Satanás.
Hay conceptos erróneos con respecto a las Escrituras, 2 Cor. 12:7-9. Por lo tanto, necesito indicar que debemos mirar otras escrituras para entender también lo que se dice aquí.
En 2 Pedro 1: 2-4 dice que la gracia (capacidad) y la paz de Dios se multiplican para el conocimiento de Él. La gracia es la capacidad de Dios obrando a través de nosotros y la paz es nuestra confianza en Él. Dios no usará nada de Satanás hacia sus hijos. Es como decir: Dios le da cáncer a una persona para bendecirla. Esto es una mentira del abismo del infierno. Tenemos un padre amoroso que se complace en bendecir a Sus hijos. Todo lo que el Señor le estaba diciendo a Pablo era que estaba siendo atacado por Satanás, pero la habilidad que Dios le dio a Pablo en el nuevo nacimiento fue más que suficiente para superar cualquier ataque del maligno. Esto, debemos entender que Dios nunca usará a Satanás ni a ninguno de sus demonios hacia sus hijos. Este no es el carácter de Dios. Dios declaró en Su nombre que ordenaremos a los demonios que abandonen a la gente. Dios le estaba diciendo a Pablo que su habilidad al usar el nombre de Jesús era más que suficiente para su vida y ministerio como lo es de igual manera para nosotros el día de hoy.

Paul’s Thorn

Please read the following scriptures and read carefully the scriptures and the explanation below.
2 Cor. 12:7-9. James 1:12-18. 2 Peter 1:2-4. Acts 10:38.

Introduction

Some believe that Paul’s thorn was given by God to keep Paul humble. This is not the case. Father God told Paul that His grace (ability) in his life, was sufficient to handle this attack from Satan. The redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary was and is more than sufficient to overcome evil of any kind. Including Paul’s thorn that was given to him by Satan.
There are misconceptions regarding the scripture, 2 Cor. 12:7-9. Therefore, I need to indicate that we should look at other scriptures to also understand what was said here. In 2 Peter 1: 2-4 says that God’s grace (ability) and peace is multiplied to the knowledge of Him. Grace is God’s ability working through us and peace our trust in Him. God will not use anything from Satan towards his children. It’s like saying, God gives cancer to a person to bless them. This is a lie from the pit of hell. We have a loving father who takes pleasure in blessing His children. All the Lord was saying to Paul was that he was being attacked by Satan, but God ‘s ability given it to Paul in the new birth, was more than enough to overcome any of the attack delivered by the evil one. This, we must understand God will never use Satan or any of his demons towards his children. This is not the character of God. God stated in His name we will command demons to leave people. God was telling Paul that His ability through using the name of Jesus was more than sufficient for his life and ministry as it is for us as believers today.