Your new life in Christ should reveal evidences of Christ’s mind. When we come to Jesus a radical transformation begins happening in every area of our life. God has provided the potential for constant growth into the knowledge and likeness of Christ. We have looked at some of the implications of what is possible in Christ.
- He is the vine, we are branches in Him.
- He is the cornerstone that we are being built upon.
- Christ is the head of the church which is the body of Christ.
What God has done for us in Christ impacts our eternal destiny, our standing with God, and life right now. We have noticed immediate changes that occur as soon as we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
We are going to look at the evidence of Christ’s presence in our lives. One of the places we notice evidence of Christ is in the mind.
Ephesians 4:20-24 NKJV But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
When we were first saved, a dramatic transformation took place in us. When Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, He said, “You must be born again.” As soon as we believe and receive Christ as our Savior, we are made a new creation. We are born again.
What does that really mean?
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
The moment we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and repented of our sins, we were made a new creation. A glorious transformation began.
Romans 12 shows the process of this glorious transformation.
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.
Look closely at this.
When we present our bodies to God, the transformation and renewal of our mind begins to take place. We begin showing evidences of the mind of Christ in us.
As soon as we believe and receive Christ into our hearts and lives, we are changed. Initially, God’s attitude toward us changes. God sees us as His very own and makes us as His children. Instantly, we are changed from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. As soon as we are saved, God fully accepts us in Christ Jesus. He loves us completely and forgives us fully. He accepts us as His own and gives us new life, the life and victory of Christ. Our spirit, which was dead in sin, is made alive by grace. We are set free to have fellowship with God. Our spirit is made alive within us.
Although we have been fully accepted and forgiven, we still have evidences of the old mind and way of thinking. Changing our mind is a process that we must be engaged in daily.
Ephesians 4:22-24 NLT Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
We must learn to throw off some things and put on some things. We cannot enjoy complete joy and gladness until we throw off our old thoughts and actions. When you came to Jesus you had developed a lifestyle of a certain way of thinking. That old mind of the flesh was corrupted by many things that were out of sync with God and Christ.
When we start throwing off the old sinful nature, we must replace it with the mind and nature of Christ. We are not stuck with who we were. We are not stuck with the corruption of our old nature. You don’t have to be chained to what you were.
Jesus can change your heart and mind. He wants us to have a heart like His! God wants us to have the mind of Christ and the Spirit of Christ.
To have evidences of the mind of Christ in us, we must put away and put to death old thought patterns and lifestyles.
Galatians 2:20 NKJV I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
This change can happen as rapidly as you will let it. God does not want you to be chained to those old hang-ups, habits, or thought patterns. Although God wants to make you totally free, He will not take away anything that you are not willing to throw off. Our old nature struggles in these areas and cannot find the strength to live in freedom. Our old nature has many break-ups and break-downs because it does not have power to make these changes. Through Christ, we can quickly gain victory over our old life.
In Christ, we have something that the world does not have. When you accepted Christ as your Savior, something new started living and working within you. You have the abiding presence and power of the Holy Spirit living in you. As soon as you start moving in the direction the Holy Spirit is working, you will experience victory that overcomes the world. The law of the Sprit of life in Christ Jesus will make you free from the law of sin and death, (Romans 8:1). The Holy Spirit will generate and energize your renewed spirit and mind.
Philippians 3:21 NKJV The Lord Jesus Christ “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
Have you noticed evidence that Christ is working in you? You need to acknowledge what God is working in you. You are not stuck with your failures and nastiness. You are not bound with your old bitterness and hurts. You are not stuck with your pains, illnesses, or cancers of the body and mind.
God is ready to make such a radical change in our mind that it will impact our lives here and now. We need to be transformed by renewing our mind, (Romans 12:1-2). The life of victory in Christ is evidenced in our transformed mind.
How can you have evidence of Christ in your mind? Before we answer that, how many of you have times of trouble with the thoughts of your mind.
- Do you have negative and wrong thoughts?
- Is your mind filled with fear and doubt?
- Are you troubled and have little peace?
- Does worry and anxiety grasp your thoughts and mind?
If you are going through any of that, you need to take immediate action. How can you have evidence of Christ in your mind?
2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
Romans 12:1-2 tells us “do not be like the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.”
Whenever your mind starts running down those paths that are in line with the kingdom of darkness, you need to take action. Don’t wait until your thoughts produce actions. Take decisive action in your mind and spirit which are God’s. Bring every thought into captivity and alignment with Christ.
Romans 12:2 The Philips translation says: “Do not let the world squeeze you into its own mold.”
The Amplified Version says this, “Don’t copy the behaviors and customs of this world.”
Start meditating on the victory that God has provided for you in Christ. Get God’s word out of the pages of your Bible and into your mind and heart.
Repeat the Word of God to yourself.
1 John 4:4 “Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.”
You can overcome because God has made a way of escape. God is working within you to make this happen. You need to get God’s Word and promises into your mind. Don’t just read the Word, meditate on it day and night and speak it out loud. Allow it to change your thoughts and behavior. Throw off the old way of thinking and conform to God’s Word. It has power to bring changes in you.
Joshua 1:8 NKJVThis Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Psalm 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.
Will you allow these words to sink down into you and produce some evidence?
Go back to Romans 12. Here are some positive actions that we should take to see evidence of Christ’s mind in us.
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.
The word “prove” means to “demonstrate by evidence.” When your mind is renewed, there is evidence in your life. That evidence of a renewed mind is proof of our transformation. The Amplified Bible says, we have “new ideas and a new attitude.” These “new ideas and new attitude” demonstrate things that are good, acceptable and perfect in God’s sight. These new ideas and new attitudes are evidence of Christ working in you.
Our renewed mind has been changed or transformed. The transformed mind is the mind of Christ in us.
Philippians 2:5 NKJV Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
There is clear evidence of the mind of Christ. Christ’s nature and character was evidenced throughout His life, ministry, and death.
The mind of Christ is a mind of obedience to the Father without regard to self. When we are transformed by the renewing of our mind, we become less self-centered and self-focused. We begin saying things like, “Father, I want Your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26:39 NLT) Our desires and comfort are secondary. The Lord Jesus never refused to do the will of the Father.
Right thinking always produces right actions. When your mind is right, your actions produce the right fruit. Thinking and being are connected. We cannot be like Christ until we think right. We cannot bein Christ and think wrong.
We can see the evidence of the mind of Christ in the way Jesus handled life’s situations.
In Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus and His disciples got into a boat to cross over the Sea of Galilee. As soon as He got in the boat, Jesus went to the back of the boat and went to sleep. While sleeping, a great tempest arose on the sea. The disciples became frantic and full of dread and fear.When they awoke the Master, Jesus said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.Then He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
Jesus expected His disciples to have the same mind about God’s care over them that He had. He expected them to believe and have faith that God would take care of them in the storm.
In Matthew 21:18-22, Jesus and His disciples were returning to the city and He was hungry. Jesus saw a fig tree by the road, but He found no fruit on it. When He saw that the tree was fruitless, Jesus said: “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” The text says, “Immediately the fig tree withered away.” Think about that. When the disciples saw what happened, they marveled and said: “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
Matthew 21:21 NKJV So Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Jesus expected them to have faith and trust in the Father. He taught them to expect the same results He had. Miracles are available to those who ask and believe. He wanted them to have a mind of faith in the Father and to have great expectation for answers to their prayer. Jesus lived the example before them of what it looked like to have a mind of faith in God. His faith and expectation was always for greater things.
Evidence of Christ’s mind in us is great faith in difficult situations. Pay careful attention to what Jesus said and did. Notice the confidence He had when He healed the sick and multiplied loaves and fishes. Be attentive as He walked on water, cast out demons and spoke with authority. Jesus was walking in full obedience to the Father.
Jesus wants you to KNOW that you can do great things. He is the believer’s example.He wants us to have great expectation and trust in God. In every situation, Jesus expected His disciples to develop a new life of great faith and expectation.
Pay attention to the disciples and listen to what Jesus said.
- Jesus kept saying, “Have faith.”
- He kept asking them, “Why did you doubt?”
- He was saying, “You can do this.”
- He said, “I have given you this authority to use My name.”
He was trying to get them to change the way that they were thinking about the troubles, trials, and challenges they faced.
- He told them, “Your Father in heaven will take care of you.”
- He said, “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Jesus was preparing them for a great change in the way they think. He is preparing and equipping believers for a new life and a new mind. We will not only be fellowshipping with Christ, we will have the Spirit of truth dwelling in us. The same Spirit that raised Christ will dwell in us. The transformation is going to be extensive. It will impact our whole body and mind.
There should be evidences of Christ’s mind in you.
