2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed. Behold, the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him)."
In the new creation, our spirit was created new in Christ Jesus and connected back unto the Father. The very Life of God has been generated in our now living spirit and the new creation man has regained access to the wisdom and counsel of Almighty God Himself. The problem with God's family (the Church) isn't that the new birth didn't work or that the children don't love the Lord, but they don't understand the new Life in the Spirit.
When you're born-again, your spirit is now recreated and receives the nature and Life of the Father, but the mind has held your spirit in captivity by the same carnal thinking. The only knowledge your mind has had, comes from your senses and cannot be renewed, because they are part of the physical body. They can be brought into subjection and they can be controlled, but they cannot be renewed. The spirit is recreated. Our minds (or brains) receive their knowledge from the senses, can though, be brought into subjection by the Word of God.
Paul says in Romans 12:1-2 (Amplified), "I appeal to you therefore brethren, and beg of you in view of (all) the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted,consecrated) and well pleasing unto God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age) (fashioned after and adapted to its external superficial customs) but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)."
Paul says we must "present" our body (which holds the five senses), as a "living sacrifice to God." They are the most important part of the body, the seeing part, the hearing part, the feeling part, the tasting and smelling parts. The five senses are the five channels, where the impulses flow to the brain and teaching all the brain knows. Paul implores us to give the home of our five senses, over to the Lord. He tells us to lay our body on the altar, like the old covenant people laid the lamb as an offering on the altar. We're to lay this body down as a dedication and give it over the Lordship of God's Word. Paul goes on, directing us to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds." Before being born-again, our minds were fashioned after the things of the world and this has been the only form of information, your body could receive until then. Now, your mind must come under the dominion of your new creation spirit, through the Word of God
As new creation people, we must renew our minds to recognize the Lordship of the Word, the Lordship of Jesus and the commandment of Love. All these things were previously foreign to our carnal mind, because everything it knew came from the world and the five senses. Faith, love and revelation knowledge from our new creation spirits are learned from God, His Word and His Spirit. Things that cannot be seen, touched, smelled, felt, heard or tasted are fighting against the things of God.
The thing that has guided your body throughout your life, is now the enemy of your born-again man. Being led by the Holy Spirit, is contrary to everything your body (senses) has previously known. This is the thing which has hindered God's people, for so very long. Your spirit man is in direct conflict with the senses and it cannot be reconciled to it. Your senses have to be renewed. You must take the Word of God and train the senses, in order to limit them to the natural things they were made for.
The senses were to be servant to the spirit and not the master. God placed them in the body of Adam, so he could contact the natural world (or earth) God designed for him. The senses could determine the natural sounds of the earth, but couldn't contact God. Adam could hear the wind, the birds, the voice of his wife Eve, but the instruction of Life came from his Father, into his spirit. Adam's spirit could then relay God's instructions to his mind.
After his transgression, Adam could no longer receive instructions from God and needed to rely on only the natural (carnal) instructions of his five senses. It was like disconnecting your computer from the internet and trying to receive information from the web. You could continue doing a minute amount of tasks on that computer, but not the endless amount of things before severing the Internet connection. You can reconnect your computer to the Internet, but must program or renew contacts to receive information again.
When we become born-again and our mind (or computer) is reconnected to all the information made available to us, we need God's Word to direct us into the new source of information. Your computer will still put things in front of you for saving or deleting and these decisions continually need to be made.
As we are renewing our minds (our senses), there are things that pop-up and must be deleted. The only source for flagging these things is the Word of God, which is Spirit. There are always words written or spoken that arise against God's Word, but they're prevented from entering or remaining in your mind, when it's renewed with God's Word and led by God's Spirit. It doesn't matter what men might say, if their words don't line up with God's Words, then you must build a firewall against them.
Revelation will always come come into your spirit and then must be reloaded into your mind. What comes from the outside, isn't always reliable Truth. A mind that is renewed, will always check to see whether or not the outside information should be received, but an unrenewed mind will grab hold of the old things of the world and rebel against revelation knowledge of the Spirit. This worldly wisdom is always in opposition to anything that doesn't come from the five senses. If I cannot feel, see, hear, taste or smell something, then my unrenewed mind will not believe it.
This has been and still is, the greatest enemy to our maturing in the Lord. We're still trying to "feel" the Presence of the Lord, in order to believe He is here. We're still saying, "If only I could touch the hem of His garment" or "If only I could see the glory of the Lord, then I would believe." If the only time we believe God is there, is when we "feel" Him, then we must not believe He is present very often, because we rarely "feel" Him in our lives. I don't want Jesus to be Lord only when I "feel" like He is here. I want to have faith and believe "He will never leave me or forsake me, but be with me always to the end of the age."
If you can only believe in the Holy Spirit when you can see Him, then you will miss Him altogether. I have never seen the wind, but I have seen the results of the wind. I have seen cities that were devastated by the wind, but I have never seen the wind. I know that the leaves are being blown around my yard by the wind, but I cannot see the wind. I have seen the results of the Holy Spirit in healings, miracles and the glory reflected on the people, but I still haven't seen the Holy Spirit. This is faith, which is born of a renewed mind.
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