How far away is improving our life skills from applying the Words of God?
Our life skills, in my vision, are more advanced than brushing our teeth. It is caring for our everyday life from the time we wake up until we retire at night. They engulf our every decision for today and the future. They are personal and social, mental and physical, financial and environmental and, of course, moral. I also know that the actions we take are based on what we believe is right whether it is morally right or not. Moral laws are defined in this area as well. If you do not believe in God then your moral compass doesn’t always point to North but if you do then your compass should always point North.
So then, how far away is improving our life skills from applying the Words of God into our lives? Closer than you think. Accepting Jesus as Saviour has put us in a position to improve our life skills the Spiritual way. God is very interested with our everyday life from the time we wake up until we retire. How do we know? How can we tell? There are two topics prevalent in the Scriptures; our mind and our actions. These topics are talked about so much it is hard to miss it even if we aren’t looking.
Our Thinking Process can be Transformed!
How does God approach this topic in His Words? We can see right from the very beginning of man that our mind is a horrible place to be. Sin began with Satan deceiving Eve’s with her thinking (Genesis 3). Her mind was on what she was doing for God then Satan got her thinking about forbidden areas. Then that was all she could think about. Have you ever had food in front of you that you are trying to stay away from but cannot stop thinking about it? The minute your thinking changes from ‘stay away’ to ‘it’s okay’ you’re done. You eat until you are delighted but later the delight fades, a bellyache ensues or a guilt trip invades. We are peculiar creatures. In spite of our peculiarity God still transforms us.
The truth about our thinking process being transformed is found ‘literally’ in the Words of God! We are called and will be raised up on the last days (John 6:44) so we need to set our mind on the Spirit (Romans 8:5-6). This takes our thinking process (our choice) in a whole new direction from inward/worldly to heavenly! The Father endows us with grace that instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts living a righteous life (Titus 2:11-12). The Spirit teaches us what to think about with many different methods designed to transform the way we think. We can do exactly this because we are endowed now with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We are able to do exactly what Elohim is instructing us to think about due to the fact that we do have the mind of Christ. If we choose to take on the mind of Christ our thinking process will be transformed beyond what we ever think possible as a result our actions change.
Our Actions Reflect our Thinking Process!
I think I want a cookie, I get a cookie and eat it! Don’t think that we do anything mindlessly because as we think we do! It is a Biblical principle (Proverbs 27:3). You might say this verse has nothing to with actions! How will we know what a man thinks other than his actions? Only the spirit of the man knows what the man is thinking (1 Corinthians 2:11) therefore since we are not his spirit we are only privy to how he thinks by observing his actions. Since our thinking process is transformed by the instruction of God what must follow is our actions being a reflection of that change. I think I want a cookie, Spirit lead sugar fast, Spirit power upon me, no eating the cookie! It is that simple but that hard. Our Spirit is telling our soul what to do and our soul is telling the body. The body wants that cookie so the soul must repeat itself but if our soul is weak the Spirit will endow us with the power needed to resist the temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) and a way out is provided. Can you guess what the way out is? You guessed it – Romans 8:5-6. Why would fighting a temptation be about the mind? Because as a man thinks so he is! Paul talks about this in Romans 7:13-25. He delights in the law of God according to his inward man (spirit) but another law is present in his members (body) and it is warring against his mind. Our mind caught in the middle between Spirit and body but can take control of our body. The arm does not punch unless the mind tells it too nor does the foot stomp. As we transform our mind into Spiritual things our body will throw an absolute fit. What do you mean I cannot hit that person? I need to hit him! Did you hear what he said? Yes, I did but the Spirit is telling my soul to restrain you, arm, because it will hurt that person and drive him away from God. Transformation complete in that situation!
As in Water, Face reflects Face!
The topics, the mind and the body, are talked about so much it is hard to miss them in Scripture even if we aren’t looking. As in water face reflects face; so a man’s heart reveals the man (Proverbs 27:19). We are revealed for every human to see by our actions but God searches the heart and tests the mind (Jeremiah 17:10). If we modify our life skills we need to start with the mind knowing that any action we take has started in our mind. The best place to go to learn the right thing to do in every subject is the Scriptures. We will not only get a life lesson but find love too. Search the Scriptures and see for yourself.
