Those Israelites who came out of Egypt in the Exodus, were free from bondage, but weren't able to receive that fact as true, in their minds. They were free and had God in their very midst, but they kept looking back into their bondage where they knew they could walk. They didn't know how to walk in liberty, once they had it. Even though God said it and Joshua and Caleb brought proof of the Promised Land, their minds remained in bondage.
Most of the persons reading this blog, will never meet or see me, until we are in God's Presence forever. Tony Grullo tagged me, "Cowboy Jim" back when I had a radio program. He gave me that nickname because of my demeanor and manner of speaking. I have always chosen to live in the country, far enough from civilization to raise kids, cattle, horses, chickens and pigs. Everything I have, came from the blessing of the covenant of this new creation.
I've never had to "make" a horse, a horse. They were horses when they were born. I find very few things more beautiful than a horse or a foal. From the moment of their birth, until they leave this life, horses remain horses and beautiful. My place isn't to make them a horse, but to train them into being useful to me. The horse only knows what I teach them or train them to do, even though he is still a horse.
I train some horses for one purpose and others for another purpose, but they all remain horses. We've trained some horses to run barrels, some to pull carts and others to cut cattle. It doesn't matter what you need the horse to do, there is still a basic training you give to every one of them. You must train them all to lead or to halter break them. You must teach them to pick up their feet so you can trim their hooves or shoe them. We train them to take a bridle and saddle, for riding.
Some people "cowboy" break their horses, but I prefer to gentle break mine. The most important thing I've found in all these experiences, is building trust. Once there's a trust established between myself and the horse, I've found they're eager to please me (like a big ole dog). You never break the horse's spirit, but you want the horse to do what is asked of him, in love and trust. There comes a time when your horse will do anything asked of him, because he believes you will never do anything that will hurt him.
You can break a horse to ride and never establish a trust or bond between the horse and yourself, but is simply something the horse is broke to do out of mental bondage and he is simply yielding to you by force. There is also the horse who is eager to please you in whatever you ask, because of a bond between the two of you. As you and the horse come together in trust, you can ride and have delight in one another (even without a bit in his mouth). You can move together as one, by simple knee pressure and not by a bit in his mouth. Trust makes the horse and rider move as one unit. You can use a bit in your horse's mouth and make him obey, but this isn't so much a thing or trust, but a form of dominance.
Your Heavenly Father wants you to be this new creation family, without the fear of reprisal to "keep you in line." There are those who serve the Master in love and those who serve Him grudgingly. Our new creation being requires our learning how to operate as such. You are already a new creation, so there is no need to try becoming what God has already made you to be.
This is the time for the training up of this new creation, so that we've useful in God's Kingdom. I've seen herds of wild horses running free and they are amazingly beautiful doing so, but they are not useful. I've watched Christians in this new creation, who are like the wild mustangs. They are beautiful, but not useful. Their mind is still wild and carnal. Their actions still need to be dominated and "beaten" with religion, instead of being guided by relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The thing about training is, you must do things on a consistent plan. I can work with one of my horses for awhile and see improvement in his conduct. But, if I'm not consistent in my training, then the horse tends to go back to his old ways. The same is true about renewing your mind by the Word of God. We get busy in life and neglect our training, then begin thinking like the world again.
Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So then faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself) So then, faith comes by hearing." Faith in the Word comes by hearing the Word and faith in anything else, comes the same way. We understand what Jesus meant in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) when He said, "Be careful what you are hearing. The measure (of thought and study) you give (to the truth you hear) will be the measure (of virtue and knowledge) that comes back to you-and more (besides) will be given to you who hear."
What we hear, determines what we think. What we think, determines what we do. What we do, determines our usefulness as vessels in the Master's House. 1Timothy 2:20 (Amplified) tells us, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also (utensils) of wood and earthen ware, and some for honorable and noble (use) and some for menial and ignoble (use)."
Consistency in training makes the difference whether we walk naturally super-natural or religiously and out of obligation to God. Romans 10:17 says that "Faith comes by hearing" (present tense) and not by "Faith comes by heard." The memory of a hamburger will not nourish your body, only eating one will. The memory of the Word doesn't nourish the spirit either. Consistency in training means doing it like you're training for an Olympic event. One doesn't get up one day and decide to win a gold medal. He or she trains with fervor and consistently for years.
Our minds will begin con forming to whatever they hear or are subjected to on a constant basis. Hebrews 5:14 (Amplified) says, "But solid food is for full grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law."
We need to go to God's Word to learn how we are a new creation and how to function in this new creation. The only way to truly understand our born-again spirit, is to find out what this spirit man is supposed to be. 1Corinthians 2:11-12 (Amplified) says, "For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit (that belongs to) the world,but the Holy Spirit Who is from God (given to us) that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts (of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly) bestowed on us by God."
Today's Church still struggles over "The Blessing," the grace of God, sonship rights, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the promise of healing, among other things. The Word says that we received the Holy Spirit so we can "comprehend and appreciate the divine favor and blessing God has freely bestowed upon us." The only way to know the Mind of God and His way of doing and being right, is to train up or renew our new mind of Christ by the Word and the Holy Spirit. then, we can think and act in this new creation family we are born into. It's nearly impossible to walk usefully in this New Kingdom, by the old dictates of a mind that only knows the way of the world.
This doesn't mean God isn't your Father or that heaven isn't your home, but only that we might not become vessels to be used for greater things in the Master's House. All of the utensils were already in the House, but some would be used for lesser use and others for greater use. The more consistently we train our new mind by the Word and the Holy Spirit, the more God can use us for His Glory. You cannot train occasionally and expect perfect performance, that only comes by habitually training and using the Word. This is where the discipline of training our minds and being careful what we hear and how we use (or become doers of the Word) will make us profitable to the Father.
Our lives have been controlled by the spirit of this world or age. We had lived in this realm completely, until being born-again. Now, we must learn to listen to the Word and not the world. The world has no idea on how to walk in the newness of our minds. It only knows what it has been trained to react to. Our now dead, old man had been led by the senses. It's like the bear who wouldn't leave the cage, even though the door was open and he was invited into a beautiful, new realm. We've become futile and feel hopeless, waiting for the time when we can be free, when we've been made free through Christ Jesus all along.
Jesus is our example and walked in liberty, despite all the opposition He had to endure. We will encounter opposition to what God had called us to be, but we have one advantage that Jesus didn't have. At that time, the devil could use all his forces on the One Man (Jesus), because Jesus was the Only Son of God at the time. We are now also God's children and are born again as new creation people, so the devil must divide his forces against millions of forces, instead of targeting Only One. Satan has his hands full, trying to control the Church.
The more we learn and train ourselves up in renewing our minds, the harder it will be for the enemy to control us, like he does by religious act of self-helps ministries. Only God knows what the new creation is capable of and God's Spirit will reveal to us, who we really are in this world. This must be one of satan's greatest fears. He must fear the time when the entire Church walks in what Jesus instructed in John 17:24. We must make the effort of renewing our way of thinking and begin thinking like our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus. If we will be consistent in renewing our minds,then we won't have to fight the flesh, but bring it into a place where it will respond to the training.
When I begin training a new colt to lead, he will simply "pull back" or go his own way. I can try dragging him or I can show him a better way. If I'm consistent in his training, then he will yield to me and follow me after awhile, even without a lead rope. Even an animal will respond to constant renwing of his mind, when it's done correctly. I submit to you today, that if I can train my farm dogs to be useful and train my horses to be useful, then surely I can train up my new creation man, who is in the Image and Likeness of God. I would hate to think that my horse is smarter than my new creation being.
When we hear how, "These things are passed away" or "Those things were for the early Church and not for us today," we must not allow them to undo our constant training and renewing of our minds. These things are only there to confuse the truth, so we cannot walk in it. Religion has no room for revelation. Religion was brought about to make the Word of God to no effect in our lives. It would hold us in bondage, like the bear who was free, but wouldn't leave his cage to walk in that freedom.
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