Mind of Christ.

Last week we looked at 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 and how, through Holy Spirit, we have the mind of Christ. I have heard it taught when I was younger but never fully grasped it. “If I have the mind of Christ, then why are my thoughts so messed up?” I would think to myself. Have you ever thought like that? If I have the mind of Christ, why am I always stuck in this type of situation? I would get frustrated because I felt like I was failing at this Christianity thing.

Well, if you have ever thought like that or felt like that, I have good news for you! Today’s post is for you, yay!

I think to properly explain 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 I need to throw it back to John 17:20 – 23 which says, “And I ask not only for these disciples, but also for all those who will one day believe in me through their message. I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me. For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me.”

Jesus’ plan of redemption did not just stop at giving us access to heaven when we die. He wants for us to be joined with Him now, so we are one with Him just as He is One with the Father. How was Jesus One with the Father when He was on Earth and Papa God was in heaven? Holy Spirit. When Jesus got ready to join us to Himself so we too could be one with Him what did He do? He gave us Holy Spirit.

So back to the mind of Christ, knowing the mind of Christ is not something that we can do in an of ourselves. No wonder I was frustrated when I tried. God tells us that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than ours, Isaiah 55:8-9 so we could not guess what He was thinking if we tried.

It is through Holy Spirit that we get to know what’s on God’s mind and what is on His heart. This means we do not have to be stuck in dysfunctional thought patters. We don’t have to be limited in our thinking because we have access, through Holy Spirit, to God’s thoughts and we can receive revelation to see things God’s way.

The number of times I have been stuck in a loop only to hear one word or one phrase from Holy Spirit that made everything make sense and fall in place! There are things that we face in life that will have us stuck in a loop until we get God’s wisdom on how to deal with it and how to come out of it.

So how do we tap into the mind of Christ about a situation? My pastors taught me the easiest way to do it and that is to pray in tongues.  Praying in tongues requires a surrendering of ourselves to Holy Spirit. When we surrender ourselves to Holy Spirit, we no longer decide what to pray or how to pray about it. We surrender our agenda and lay down what we think we know.

There are times I go into prayer thinking I am going to be going to war with the devil and I start praying in tongues, and Holy Spirit’s tone is totally different to what I was expecting. It turns out God wants to minister to me about something and next thing I know, I am awestruck at the goodness of God. Then there are other times when I just want to relax in God’s Presence and I start praying all nice and quiet in tongues, just chatting to my Papa God and Holy Spirit takes me to war with things I was not even aware were coming at me. Praying in tongues is all about surrender. It is about allowing Holy Spirit to pray through us. Hearing from heaven and getting a glimpse into the mind of Christ comes when we are in a posture of humility and surrender.

When we pray in tongues, it helps us see and hear God on a different level. Much like what 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 is describing. Does that mean we are no longer accountable to anyone, and we have all the answers? No, we are human, and we are flawed. Also, we are very limited. It is quite prideful to think that any one human being or group of people know all there is to know and have deciphered every single one of God’s thoughts. Because I have come to know, what worked last time may not necessarily work this time.

When you are starting out hearing from God, it is always wise to have good godly counsel. I have wonderful pastors who have helped me navigate spiritual things and learn when I am hearing God and when I am not. We also have the word of God to always check that what we are hearing from God, aligns with the word of God. God will never contradict Himself. Never. We like to think we are the exception but nope. He just won’t do it. For God to contradict one part of the Bible is to call Himself a liar and He is not a liar. The Bible is your friend. Whatever you think you are hearing from God, test it with the word of God and seek counsel.  

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.