Date: 02-June-2024
Name: Neil Fairbrother
Topic: HEAVENLY MINDED
Content:
Let's pray.
Father God, we acknowledge You afresh & we proclaim Peace through Jesus Christ.
Lord we invite You to speak to this group, impart what you will, make alive Your word, that transforms us into Your likeness.
Holy Spirit put Your words into our minds, Your speech upon our lips, May the meditation of Your word bring light.
Holy Spirit I surrender unto You: let Your thoughts be my thoughts
as You lead guide & direct this Devotion. We pray for the atmosphere
By authority of the blood of Jesus; We forbid any disruptive or distracting spirits or any spirit that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God, we pull down any spirit of witchcraft or divination, all foul & unclean spirits. We bind
in Jesus’ Holy name. Amen
HEAVENLY MINDED
There is an expression we have all probably heard:
being‘Too heavenly minded to be any earthly good’?
However, the opposite is true…
as Christians.
We are praying for the Kingdom of God to be here on earth: -- “as it is in Heaven”.
For Christians this means to attempt to create:
by our attitude, behaviours, character, the right treatment of others, to bring a spiritual atmosphere of heaven here on earth - with the inclusion of, & led by God…
Romans 8: 6 – 8
For to be carnally (Earthly fleshly) minded is death;
but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity (waring against) God:
For it is not subject to the law (word) of God,
neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the Flesh
cannot please God.
As a human,
We are all subject to the demands, expectations,
situations & circumstances of life. Along with the frustrations of things not working,
& our failures.
Spiritually summed up as: - trials temptations & testings.
Isaiah 55: 8- 9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways & my thoughts than your thoughts.
Gods ways are not our (carnal) ways.
Pray
Father as we face these negative experiences in life, grant us the heavenly wisdom
“and Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”.
May our responses be glorifying to You & bring healing to the perpetrators.
Grant us the virtue of forgiveness. Thank You Jesus for the demonstration,
Of forgiveness & the value of the release & freedom that brings Peace. Keeping us in Your righteousness.
Jesus said: Mathew 5:44.
Bless those who persecute you, pray for those who despitefully use you, &
Love your enemies. (Neil’s version)
Why are we surprised:
when we are vilified,
wrongly accused - hopefully
Treated badly, attacked, stolen from, deceived or betrayed.
God could have plucked us from Earth straight to heaven when we excepted salvation…
But He has an ETERNAL plan; a Heavenly one.
If the children of Israel coming out of Egypt: (is a type or shadow of born again believers coming out of the world (flesh) into the promise land
Then we can learn from the 10 trials they faced mostly resulting in murmuring
Or complaining. Which invited God’s wrath.
Imagine after going for 3 days in the desert without water, how easy it would be to:
Jib Moses with,
‘hey have you bought us out here to die’ ??
However: An attitude of trust builds into Faith, no matter how severe our situation.
God has an Eternal plan, a Heavenly promised land.
We can live as though it is only about the
here & now,
but we are just in the training process. For Heaven & eternity
Luke 16:1-13
can we learn from the unjust steward?
Often the emphasis is on the fact we cannot serve God & money...
( good point.)
Jesus tells This story relating to a person who was dishonest but resolved to save himself in preparation for his doomed future.
Was Jesus applauding dishonesty or doing something else?
Emphasising
verse 8
He commended the unjust steward for his wisdom in preparing for the future.
Saying that the children of this world are wiser than the children of light.
(Believers)
What we do in the here & now will affect our Heavenly future.
The
King James English word
Prudent or prudence
(sounds like a woman’s name) …
Proverbs 14:15
“The simple believe anything; but the Prudent give thought to their steps.”
Proverbs 22:3
A prudent man foresees the evil and hides himself: but the simple pass on and are punished.
Fear God.
anything that is not of Faith, is sin
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Realise Sin has consequences.
Acknowledging Jesus has paid for our sin.
& is fathfull & just, that if we do sin, he forgives us as we confess our sins one to another.
The wages - consequence of sin, transgressions & inequities is death (Eternal death)
Ray comfort (Living Waters publications)
Says Christian men who say they are struggling with Porn addiction, do Not have a Porn problem. The problem is a lack of the fear of God.
The unawareness that Christ in us is the hope of Glory.
Heavenly minded is the knowledge the Holy Spirit Jesus is aware of everything we think , say & do
GOD Has an ETERNAL HEAVENLY PLAN
Our 70years or whatever we get is just a click of the fingers compared to eternity.
Because now is part of eternity: God is also in the here & now.
SO
BE HEAVENLY MINDED
Pray
Lord, You are an eternal God, so now is as important to you as any other time. So
We would ask of You. To bring Your presence in salvation healing & transformations
If not here then where? if not now, then when? if not us then who?
Pour out a Holy fear of God, Pour out the Spirit of the living God upon all flesh,
Pour out the former & later rain together as spoken by the prophets of old
May Your Heavenly Kingdom be alive in us to the glory of Jesus the Christ our Lord, the son of the living God. Amen.
Prayer Points:
Pray
Father as we face these negative experiences in life, grant us the heavenly wisdom
“and Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”.
May our responses be glorifying to You & bring healing to the perpetrators.
Grant us the virtue of forgiveness. Thank You Jesus for the demonstration,
Of forgiveness & the value of the release & freedom that brings Peace. Keeping us in Your righteousness.
Pray
Lord, You are an eternal God, so now is as important to you as any other time. So
We would ask of You. To bring Your presence in salvation healing & transformations
If not here then where? if not now, then when? if not us then who?
Pour out a Holy fear of God, Pour out the Spirit of the living God upon all flesh,
Pour out the former & later rain together as spoken by the prophets of old
May Your Heavenly Kingdom be alive in us to the glory of Jesus the Christ our Lord, the son of the living God. Amen.
