“Let This Mind Be In You”
By Tammy Lacock
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5 KJV)
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:16 KJV)
In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman explains the practical characteristics to live by that are in the seed of Christ that now lives in each one of us who believes on Him. These are the things that will give rise to our thoughts and will renew our minds. He emphasizes that we must give our minds over to Him, by the help of the Holy Spirit, if we are to ever truly understand who we are now by His seed. The problem is we still have the mind of the incorruptible seed governing us. Now that we are born again of the the incorruptible seed (Christ), we must let Christ take over our minds.
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Pet. 1:23 KJV)
The battle is between our minds and our flesh as we grow up in Christ. We must allow the Holy Spirit to constantly renew our minds so that we are able truly know the Christ who now resides within us by His seed. We must be rooted in His seed if we are to bear His fruit.
Warren tells us of 7 things in the seed of Christ by which we can live and put our minds to as we grow up in Him:
1) The seed is offended by our sin and, therefore, brings a deep hurt to our entire being. Christ in us is offended by sin and anything that is contrary to who we are now in Him.
Two rampant and accepted examples in our society today are abortion and homosexuality because they are contrary to life and Christ is life.
2) The seed is always striving against the flesh. The voice of the Spirit of Christ is constantly warring with our flesh and wanting to break through, come out through us and live freely. It’s so important that our minds give way to Him, that we hunger and thirst for Him and nothing outside of us, so He can come through.
3) The seed draws us constantly to the Grace of God. The seed itself is within us by the Grace of God. God has the power to turn a bad person into a good person, but He didn’t do that. He kept us the same person and by His grace, put the seed of His Son in us. It turns out God is not pleased by how good we are. He is pleased by His Son who now lives in us. We are a brand-new creation because of Him. We no longer live. He is our new life. We are saved by His Grace. Now we can grow up in Him.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9 KJV)
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20 KJV)
4) The seed within us loves believers. The hardest ones to love are our own brethren. Our enemies are within our own body of believers. Christ’s enemies were his own brothers, His own family! We love them because Jesus, His seed, now living in us loves them.
5) Constant Godly communion is within the seed. The apostle Paul said to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:16-18). He meant that by the seed of Christ, in our daily walk, we are one with Him and therefore, one with the Father. There is no separation between us. There is a constant intimacy available to us in every moment, no matter what we may be doing. Give thanks and rejoice in Him throughout our days, in all circumstances.
6) The seed within us is constantly looking for the coming of the Lord. In fact, the Apostle Paul thought the Lord was coming in his day. By His seed, his coming is also in our thoughts so that we may ready for Him.
7) The seed causes me to persevere in this life until the end. Every day in our walk we come to a greater knowledge of Christ and who we are now in Him. He is our hope. He is our strength. He is our very Life, here and for eternity.
Only by giving our minds over to Him can we truly know Him and love Him and grow up in Him.
At his dying moment, even the Apostle Paul, who knew Christ more than anyone said:
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” (Phil. 3:10 KJV)
It’s a mind thing!
