This one thing you can do when you try to concentrate on Jesus

Welcome to episode 220.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Spending time in the Word of God is the best way to spend time with God. Welcome to No Doubt, No Fear, Only Believe podcast, where we will encourage, inspire, and empower you to live your best life in Christ. Here's Greg.

Welcome to episode 220. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I am continuing to talk about picking a side and the importance of being single-minded. And I don't know that I've ever said the importance of being single-minded before. It just came out, so we're going to stay with that. And if you can focus on one thing, and that is the key, I think, to following after Christ is that if we forget all this other stuff— Paul said, "This one thing I do, forgetting all those things which are behind me, and I press forward to the upward call." And I know I've just butchered that, so let me go to the scripture. And it is found in Philippians 3:13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mind. And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that which you have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. So we need to get— and that's kind of my segue into unity, that we need to get into the same mind. We need— and it says the Bible is pretty clear saying that we have the mind of Christ, that we can literally dial into the mind of Christ. That means that if we pray, I believe we can expect to have the thoughts that Jesus would have. And I know that's probably over the top, but I'm going to give you a scripture here in a minute. But we are the body of Christ. You and I are part of the body of Christ, and we're going to dig into that too on this episode. We got a lot going on in this episode, so let's get into the mind of Christ, and then we're going to do the body of Christ, and then we're going to kind of wrap this all up, and we're going to start talking about unity in the next few episodes. If we go back a few, we're talking about being single-minded, either hot or cold. We're We're not talking about being in the middle of the road and being on either side of the street. We gotta pick our lane and we just need to continue to go down that lane until God calls us home. And I just believe this. I think this is one of the things that I've done wrong for most of my Christian walk. I mean, I'm not saying that I was doing anything wrong or, you know, living in sin or anything like that, but I have gotten so, not scattered, but not focused, not focused on Christ and putting him out front and then trying to live and build his kingdom. I am trying to build Greg's kingdom, and I, you know, and don't look at me like that because most of you are trying to build your kingdom. It's 180, and it's called repenting, and that's just change your mind, a different way of thinking. And it goes back to Matthew 6:33, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. When you start building the kingdom of God on purpose and start doing what God has built you and called you to do, and it goes back to where Paul says, "This one thing I do." We need to pick one thing, and I'm talking to myself more than you right now. You need to pick one thing, and this one thing I do, forgetting all those things that are behind me. You can't change yesterday. And tomorrow is a mystery. But to right now, the present today is what you need to be dialed in and be as present in today with the people around you, your loved ones. Make today count because we're not promised tomorrow. And that's all. I got to get off my soapbox, but I need to get into the Bible. All right, I want to go to 1 Corinthians 2. Again, I'm going to show off my superior reading skills. And it's going to be 1 Corinthians 2, and we're going to start in verse 6. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew. For had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. And I just wanted to read all of that. I wanted to go back to 6, that the last verse is what I was really going for, is, but we have the mind of Christ. We have been given The mind of Christ. I want you to notice again the theme about maturity. It says in, in 1 Corinthians 2:6, however, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. There is going to be a time when all of this comes together and all of it is going to be made known to heaven and to earth. All of the things that God has spoken in this word. We have but just a sliver, just a glimpse of what it is. And I've heard somebody say it's like a mosaic, and it's like these little bitty pieces that you just pick and you put on this page. And as you build this mosaic, it's just— it looks scattered and it looks all broken, but when you put it all together, you can see a clear picture. God knows exactly what's going to happen. God has spoken it to mystery, Paul said, but it is being revealed through his Spirit. You and I have access to the mind of Christ. Now don't think that I've got all this figured out. I don't have all this figured out, but we do have in our spirit man, we have the ability to have the mind of Christ. And the trick, or the key, or the key to turn or the trick to do it. I don't know which is the right word to use, but our deal is figuring out how to bring this spiritual truth into our physical mind. And sometimes, I just got to be honest with you, sometimes I struggle at this, or a lot of times I struggle at understanding exactly what God is trying to tell me through his word or tell me in his spirit, or what the Holy Spirit is trying to lead me. A lot of times I'll just run into a dead gum hole. And just hit this big old pothole in the middle of the road as I'm going through this Christian walk. And it's like, dang it, I should have seen that coming, but I'm running too fast, or I'm driving too fast, or I'm going too fast. And I don't know if you've ever driven on the interstate and you're just driving and someone's in the left lane and you're in the right lane, all of a sudden about a half a count before you actually hit this big old pothole, you see it and there's nothing you can do. You can't swerve out of the way, you just get to hit it. If you're anything like me, if my— if your wife is in the car, then you get to hear about it for the next mile or two. Why'd you hit that pothole? What are you doing? Why don't you pay more attention? I don't know. She doesn't do that a lot. And I've got to tell this story. There was one pothole on our trip back from her parents' house, and I think I hit that thing 3 times in a row. I'm like, God, what an idiot. Why can't I miss that stupid pothole? It's in the same place every time I'm driving down the road, and I— there I go, I hit it. Well, one day I was doing work on my computer or on my phone or whatever, and she said, "Hey, why don't you let me drive?" And I said, "Yeah, okay." And she was driving home from her parents' house. I'm doing my business on my phone, and all of a sudden I'm just sitting there. I wasn't paying attention or anything. All of a sudden, wham! We hit that same hole. She was driving this time. And I tell you, that was nice. That was the most fun I've ever had hitting a pothole, because then I was justified for the next 4 or 5 times that I was going to hit it. I haven't hit it again, I'll have you know. I've learned what exit it's on, and I don't know, in my mind I know to look for it. But that's the way we go through in life. We're going so fast sometimes that we don't see these things coming up. That's why I just want to encourage you just to take time. This is soapbox moment here. Take time to be in God's word, and we don't have to get in a hurry, but we do need to spend time with the Holy Spirit, and we do need to ask him, Holy Spirit, what are you trying to tell me with this lesson? Or what are you trying to tell me with word. And that is my only goal when you listen to the podcast, is that you get into the word of God. I just want you to be fed by the same bread of life that I'm eating out of. I'm telling you, I'm nothing special. I'm just a regular guy, but I have made it a commitment. My word is relentless. I've just decided to be relentless, and I've got a word for 2022 And I'm gonna reveal that probably in December, but we are gonna move on. We're gonna continue to go with this thing, but it is important that you and I understand that we have the ability to dial into the mind of Christ, that we have— the Bible says we have the mind of Christ. And that is incredible. And if you're ever struggling with a decision, or if you're ever trying to figure out what would God do, or what is God thinking about this, or what is the purpose of all of this? If you just slow down and listen— and I can't explain it because I've had multiple episodes where I've tried to talk about the eyes of your heart and the ears of your heart, to where you can listen with your spiritual ears and see with your spiritual eyes. And it just takes a lot of training, and it takes— I promise you, it takes you to slow down. And that's why I think that this world is going so fast. Satan does not want you or I to slow down. He wants to hit every stinking pothole in life that he's put in our way, and he wants us to hit these brick walls, and he wants us to just— he just wants to— he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. That's his modus operandi, and you know how I love that word. If there's any stealing, killing, or destroying, Jesus said in John 10:10, the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But the good news is, is God has come that we can have life and have it more abundant. I want to stand in the line of abundant life, and I want to be the one that says, "Hey, I want more of God's life." And I just want to encourage you that, you know, this is a struggle. We talk multiple times that it's a battle, that it's to the death, that you and I aren't going to get out of this thing alive, but we can live. While we're fighting through all this, and Satan is defeated. He is a punk. He is a lying thief, deceiving nobody, nothing. And if you will just submit yourself to God, then you can resist the devil and he has to flee. That's what the Word of God says. Every day I want to encourage you to just read Romans 12:1, where Paul says, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present yourself a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is your reasonable service. Every morning I present myself to God a living sacrifice, and that has helped me tremendously. We'll probably talk about in the next few episodes about being a dead man walking, but there is power in being dead in your flesh. There is power to be alive in your spirit and dead in your flesh, and that is— it's a learned behavior It took me a long time to do that, but I just want to encourage you that the benefits are innumerable, and I'm not even sure that's a word, but it— there's so many benefits to just being calm before God and presenting yourself. He says, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy— because God is so merciful— just do this one thing and just present yourself to God and just watch how your life changes. And then resist the devil. It says submit yourself. I think that's James 4:7. Submit yourself therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee. So you have to submit to God, then you resist. And that resist is actively pushing back against, and it's like fighting, and he's got to leave. He's got to go. And he don't just— he tucks tail and run. He's a punk. He's a sissy. But he's gonna— if he can fight you in the physical realm, he's gonna kick your butt. I'm just telling you, I have experience, and I've got some scars to prove it. Well, that's enough for now. Let's pray. God, I thank you so much for your word. I thank you, Father, for sending the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Jesus, thank you for coming and living a life that I could not live, and thank you for dying for me and for this listener. And I pray in Jesus' name that if they do not know you as their Lord and Savior, I pray that you would draw them to yourself. Holy Spirit, I pray that you would plant the seed or water the seed or harvest the crop, Lord. This, this soul that is— if they do not know you as their personal Savior, I pray that you would draw them into your kingdom, into your family. God, we thank you, we love you. We ask it all in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, thank you for being a part of this, and I look forward to visiting with you in the next episode.

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