Building a Kingdom Mentality
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. It is very important that Kingdom citizens be of the same mindset and of one accord. We must learn to abide in His Word. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. Only a transformation will give us that Kingdom mentality. If you believe that you are supposed to follow all the time, then follow on. This world is full of people who will be more than happy to lead you. If, however, you detect the seed of leadership in you, if you see evidence of the dominion mandate in your spirit, then commit yourself to follow it. Nothing can stop you. That mandate is inside every one of us, for the Lord God put it there.
As children of God, who were once sinners now saved by the blood of Jesus, we have no reason to feel ashamed of who we are or to sell ourselves short. Instead, we should embrace our identity as beings created in the image of God. We are like our Father, and we should live accordingly; boldly claiming our rights as citizens of a heavenly Kingdom. Remember, God gave us dominion over the earth. That is an awesome responsibility as well as a wonderful privilege. Let us not conduct ourselves like vagabond servants or hired hands who have no personal interest or stake in the land. Instead, conduct ourselves as wise children, giving careful and confident management of a realm that we stand to inherit one day.
Thoughtful Questions:
As children of God, who were once sinners now saved by the blood of Jesus, we have no reason to feel ashamed of who we are or to sell ourselves short. Instead, we should embrace our identity as beings created in the image of God. We are like our Father, and we should live accordingly; boldly claiming our rights as citizens of a heavenly Kingdom. Remember, God gave us dominion over the earth. That is an awesome responsibility as well as a wonderful privilege. Let us not conduct ourselves like vagabond servants or hired hands who have no personal interest or stake in the land. Instead, conduct ourselves as wise children, giving careful and confident management of a realm that we stand to inherit one day.
Thoughtful Questions:
- Describe what you think is a "Kingdom mentality".
- Rate yourself on the following aspect of the Kingdom mentality: a. Detecting the seed of leadership in yourself. b. Seeing evidence of the dominion mandate in your spirit. c. Committing yourself to follow your mandate.
- Find scripture or illustrations in the Word that: a. describe people having a Kingdom mentality, but not a religious mentality b. give directives regarding each of the above aspects.
- Choose one of the three aspects of Kingdom mentality to concentrate on during your prayer time. How will you need to change your thinking to embrace it?
- Does the management of the planet earth confine itself to the environment and nature? What are other areas it might also include?
Paul stated that we need to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind", His point being that even though as believers we have been born again, we still have a mental problem. We have the Holy Spirit, but not the mind of the Holy Spirit. We have the anointing but not the spirit of the anointing. We need to change our thinking. The transformation that Paul is speaking of involved a complete revolution of our mental state.
Question: What "mental problem" do you have in regard to the Holy Spirit and the anointing? How must your thinking change?
Romans 12:1-2 John 15:1-4
~~W.R. Luchie
Question: What "mental problem" do you have in regard to the Holy Spirit and the anointing? How must your thinking change?
Romans 12:1-2 John 15:1-4
~~W.R. Luchie