Prayer to My Dear Father - by Patti Stephen - 2-29-16

I thank you dear Lord for your awesome great care

That follows me and comforts me, everywhere!

Even though I often feel hurt and distressed,

You’re always there for me and know what’s best.

Despite the hurtful attacks I keep on receiving

From the Enemy’s efforts to continue deceiving.

I can feel the presence of your gracious dear love

As you kindly lift me off the ground from heaven above.

I know your Spirit resides deep within my heart

And is there to keep my life from falling apart.

I know His goal for me is to renew and transform

My mind and my thoughts since I have been reborn.

But sometimes I am distracted and often feel defeated.

Yet I see how much you love me and how well that I am treated.

I’ve experienced your healing from the loving prayers of others,

Those whom you’ve placed into my life—my sisters and my brothers.

My thoughts should be on who you are and how you answer prayers.

As I continue to focus on your love which I will turn around and share!

Amen!

Transforming Our Minds and Renewing Our Thoughts

Transformed Attitudes

Romans 12:1-2 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Do want to change?  Why do we want to change? Can we change? If so, how do we change? By NOT allowing ourselves to be conformed to this world, and through the Holy Spirit’s transforming our thoughts and renewing our mind!  What we learn as disciples from the time of our spiritual birth in scripture is that God’s work in us through His Holy Spirit will continually work to transform our attitudes, so that rather than reflecting the attitudes of the flesh, we reflect the character of Christ.

A. According to scripture, the attitudes of mind that need to be transformed are illustrated in:

         Rom. 1:28 - "a depraved mind, to do things which are not proper"

         Rom. 8:5,7 - "mind set on the flesh"
         Rom. 12:16 - "haughty in mind"
         II Cor. 4:4 - "blinded the minds of unbelieving"
         II Cor. 11:3 - "minds led astray from simplicity and purity to Christ"
         Eph. 2:3 - "the desires of the flesh and of the mind"
         Eph. 4:17 - "the futility of their mind" *
         Phil. 3:19 - "set their minds on earthly things"
         Col. 1:21 - "alienated and hostile in mind"
         Col. 2:18 - "inflated without cause by a fleshly mind"
         Titus 1:15 - "their mind and their conscience are defiled"

B.  Calls for renewal:

            Rom. 12:2 - "be transformed by the renewing of your mind"

            II Cor. 4:16 - "our inner man is being renewed day by day"
            Eph. 4:23 - "be renewed in the spirit of your mind"
            Col. 3:10 - "the new man is being renewed to a true knowledge."
            Titus 3:5 - "renewing by the Holy Spirit"

What is the definition of “transformed” – to change completely and usually in a good way – a change in character or condition, to change the outward form or appearance.

What is the definition of “renewal” - to make (something) new, fresh, or strong again; to begin (something) again especially with more force or enthusiasm.

C. Attitudes of a renewed mind:

         Isa. 26:3 - "the steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace"

         Jere. 17:10 - "I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind"
         Jere. 20:12 - "The Lord who sees the mind and the heart"
         Matt. 22:37 - "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength"
         Rom. 14:5 - "let each man be fully convinced in his own mind" *
         I Cor. 2:16 - "we have the mind of Christ"
         Phil. 2:5 - "have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus"
         Phil. 4:8 - "whatever is true, right, pure...let your mind dwell on these..."
         Col. 3:2 - "set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth"
         Heb. 8:10; 10:16 - "I will put my laws into their minds"
         I Pet. 1:13 - "gird your minds for action" *
         Rev. 2:23 - "I am He who searches the minds and hearts”

How does our mind (or thoughts) affect how we change?

Romans 8:5-8 - For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

How does the Enemy (Satan) hinder the transformation of our mind?

II Corinthians 11:3 - But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

II Cor. 4:4 – “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

So how are we now different?

Ephesians 2:3-5 - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

How can the mind be renewed to develop godly attitudes?

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Colossians 3:2 – “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Ephesians 4:23 – “and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds” [by the Holy Spirit’s help!!]

The Strengthening Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The Study of the Holy Spirit

Chapter 3 - His Strengthening Ministry

There are some things in life that can continually bring us to total spiritual, emotional, and physical depletion. We can often feel exhausted, fatigued, weary -- which can bring us to the place of spiritual weariness. It is when we get weary in life that everything can be viewed negatively, and have a terrible impact our life and our family.

We don’t always understand these things that are going on in our life, or how they can adversely affect our attitude or how we respond.  Weariness can often cause us to question the most foundational and important things in our heart.  Often times, as a result of going through these difficult times, people will tend to over react to the point that they will make bad decisions regarding their marriage, their family, their job, their friendships with others, and even become negative in their attitude towards the Lord – all because they have allowed their flesh to take over rather than their spirit (including the Holy Spirit who resides within them).

Sometimes a good night’s sleep can help, but that’s only physical in nature. Usually weariness runs deeper than just physical rest. It requires a deeper rest, and beyond that  restoration—reviving the soul and spirit. It requires a renewal of strength of heart, a refreshing of courage and confidence.

Unfortunately, in this life and in this world, we all will experience difficult things from time to time which will trigger this weariness.   Sometimes it will feel like our passion is gone forever, and we may feel like we’ve lost any sense of motivation to want to live for Christ or to rely on the Holy Spirit for His help.  And even though this happens to every Christian, we have to realize that those who survive and move forward in life -- are those who do understand the strengthening ministry of the Holy Spirit. 

God always knew that we would face these trying times. He knew that life would require more strength than we actually possess, and that it would, at times, be so overwhelming and beyond our control.  But He wants us to know that we are NOT alone and that these trials are only temporary, and that we will travel through these journeys with the Holy Spirit’s help.  We don’t need to fall away from our faith and become even more discouraged and begin to make bad choices.  God does promise to renew our strength if we wait on Him! 

Isaiah 40:29-31 states: “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

The word wait in Isaiah 40:31 literally means to bind together in patience. The picture is that we must bind our life to God—to cast our self in complete dependence upon Him and patiently wait until He renews our strength because it is what He promises to do.

The Holy Spirit will meet us at the lowest point we’re in, and He will lift us up, strengthen us, and set us on solid ground once again since He’s already there, ready to sustain us and lead us through. Let’s take a closer, more personal look at how the Holy Spirit desires to breathe the fresh wind of His strength into your life.

The Holy Spirit Leads and Guides

• Remember in John 14:26 it states “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”  and Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Think about that phrase, “led by the Spirit of God
• Many people are led and are often misled by emotions, feelings, and desires. But thankfully, when the Holy Spirit came into our life, we received a new internal leader. Emotions and desires will often deceive us, but when the Holy Spirit arrives on the scene, emotions are meant to come to order and follow in step with God’s leading.
• This is so important because, as believers in Christ, we can finally be free from daily weariness and emotional instability. Think of the positive implications this could have on our heart, our relationships, our career—literally every aspect of our life! When the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding, life becomes much more stable and truth oriented. While the storms of life rage, our heart can be anchored in the leading and guiding presence of God. God is in control, and His Holy Spirit is available to help navigating every moment.
• We have to remember that before we became a Christian, we were going through life without a navigator, but since we are followers of Christ, we can focus on the fact that we now have the Holy Spirit in our lives as our “spiritual navigator.”  He understands and empathizes with us where we are in every stage in our life, both good and bad, and He is more than willing to help us get through.
•  What an awesome promise we have in the strengthening ministry of the Holy Spirit! No matter where we are in our life or what circumstances we are facing, we need to trust our Navigator, to listen to His voice and let Him lead and guide us safely home.

 The Holy Spirit Assures

• We know that every person struggles with a certain amount of insecurity. It’s typical for us to want acceptance and affirmation, and we often go to great lengths to fit in and be socially acceptable. 
• It is our heart’s deepest longing to be unconditionally loved and fully accepted, and yet we know we don’t always measure up. We know we fall short, and yet our hearts crave the knowledge that God is truly on our side, in spite of our sin and failures.  He has indeed forgiven us for all our sins.  He offers complete acceptance, unconditional love and eternal security!
• One of the great strengthening ministries of the Holy Spirit is to assure us of where we stand with God. He reminds us that God is on our side and working all things for our good.  Think about Romans 8:15–16, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
• This passage shows that we are God’s precious child, and that He views us the way a faithful father would see his infant. Though we are not perfect, though we have done nothing to earn His love, though we will often fail—He fully embraces and accepts us as His own. Even when we do make bad choices, as His children, He will forgive us.  He does not condone or excuse our sin.  He forgives us, but He has the Holy Spirit to help to keep our focus on desiring to please God and not to continue to do things in our behavior or attitude that will dishonor Him.

The Holy Spirit Comforts

• Jesus spent three years building phenomenal relationships with His disciples. They hung out with Him and watched Him do all sorts of miracles and heal so many people, and they undoubtedly wanted to always stay on His team.  But then when He sits down with them and tells them that He needs to go away, and told them about the crucifixion, they had to be experiencing so much confusion, questions and concerns, wondering “why?” And in the middle of their mental and emotional confusion, Jesus read these to His disciples:
• John 14:16-17 - (KJV) “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
• John 16:6-7 – (KJVJ) “But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:6–7).  
• The Holy Spirit is the Comforter. The word comforter means intercessor, consoler, and advocate. The Holy Spirit is God in us, for us, on our side—breathing hope and comfort into our life. He is a transcendent companion who not only knows the journey, but comforts and consoles us through tough times.
• God knew life would be hard. Being a follower of Jesus does not remove the difficult things in our life; it only gives us the assurance that we can survive it through God’s grace.  Sorrow for an unsaved soul is an absolutely hopeless and overwhelming experience, but for those who know Jesus and who have the Holy Spirit residing within them, sorrow is but for a while, and God provides comfort and strength to get through it. Christians experience sorrow with hope, while unbelievers experience sorrow with no hope. Now we have to understand that this does NOT mean that once we become a Christian, that all the strife and difficult things will go away and never come back into our life – it just means we will have a way to get through these issues with the help of the Lord!
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13 states, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” (NIV)  
• In John 14:27 Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Because of the Comforter, we can find refuge from fear and emotional turmoil. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to meet us in the depths of our difficulty and console us with His hope and grace.
• We may find often in life, that there is no one, other than the Lord, who can truly, intimately understand the deepest cares of your heart. Some may sincerely and lovingly try, but sometimes human effort just falls short. 
• Psalm 69:20 states, “Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless.  I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.”  
• Of course, the Holy Spirit can sometimes use others to help us by speaking through them the things He wants us to hear.  However, we need to remember that people, on their own, cannot always fill this void in our life. That’s why some people will become consumed with “painkillers” to try and “fix” their problems – to help deal with their emotional and spiritual pain – through obsession or addiction to drugs, alcohol, inappropriate relationships, etc.  Even though they may provide a temporary sense of comfort or a momentary relief from the pains of our heart, these painkillers do not truly fix anything and will only make issues worse!
• The Holy Spirit of God releases us from this prison. He rescues us from this endless search for temporary comfort, and He provides the true comfort for which our soul is searching. With the presence of the Holy Spirit, no child of God is ever without a resident Comforter. In the darkest moment of despair, if we turn to the Holy Spirit rather than “painkillers”, we will find Him eager to heal our heart and lead us forward through life.

The Holy Spirit Intercedes

• Sometimes when we are in the midst of such awful turmoil, we find it difficult to find the presence of mind to pray with clarify.  Sometimes the trial of life are so emotionally and mentally overwhelming that they can leave us in a dense fog of reason and concern. These are times when you don’t even know what you need, much less how to even ask God for it. The circumstances have left you prayerful, but speechless.
•  Consider the ministry of intercession explained in Romans 8:26–27, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” The Holy Spirit is our intercessor: He intervenes with the Heavenly Father for us on our behalf. He knows our heart. He knows God’s heart. He knows exactly what we need, and He bears us up before the Father with an intensity that the Bible describes as “groaning.”
• It’s hard to imagine God the Spirit, from within our heart, crying out with groaning to God the Father, for us. What an amazing Comforter He is!  He is an ever present helper—assisting, comforting, and interceding on our behalf.

The Holy Spirit Gives Patience and Hope

• When life gets hard, our first prayer is usually something like, “God, please make life easy again! Please get me out of this!” That is a normal human reaction, but the Holy Spirit takes us beyond “normal.” He lifts us beyond our capacity to see life through an entirely different lens. And this is where patience and hope come in.  
• Romans 15:13 states, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)  This passage teaches us that God wants us to abound in hope through the Holy Spirit, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
• Romans 5:2–5 states, “Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (NIV)
• Patience and hope—the divinely imparted ability to endure the trial (patience) and to see, by faith, the good hand of God through it (hope). This is supernatural strength (patience) and supernatural perspective (hope) coming from the Holy Spirit in your heart and converging upon your circumstances. It is not something that human nature can conjure up on their own, and it does not come from the power of positive thinking. It comes only from the Holy Spirit of God, and it endures every trial with confident serenity and faith-filled optimism.
• It has been said that “Faith cannot be developed in comfortable surroundings.” God does something special in our lives through difficult times. Apart from God, the difficulties of life could be chalked up to fate—purposeless, pointless, and meaningless. But when you belong to Him, every dynamic of life has eternal implications. Every trial has a hopeful outcome and every hardship involves the hand of God working something for your good.

The Holy Spirit Renews Strength

• In our spiritual life, the Holy Spirit is the one who provides us with the strength to endure and the energy to push forward in the peak of spiritual performance, even when we believe our strength is all gone. When we have run through a long and hard race in life, when our spirit is growing weak and weary and we wonder how we will get through another day—the Holy Spirit runs to our side and breathes a second wind into our spiritual lungs.
• In Ephesians 3:16, it states “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
• In 2 Corinthians 4:16, we read “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
• We can count on the fact that the Holy Spirit will always renew our strength one day at a time. He will provide exactly what we need to make it through the day, and He will be there tomorrow to do the same.  He is indeed the true source of our strength as He leads and guides our life.  He assures us of our standing with God. He comforts and consoles us through life’s sorrows. He intercedes for us when we don’t even know what to pray for. He provides patience and hope—supernatural endurance and perspective.
• So we need to learn more about how to rely upon Him and to acknowledge His presence.  Unfortunately, the Holy Spirit is easily ignored and disregarded by followers of Christ because they do not understand this whole process, and He will not force His strength upon us – we have to be willing to ask Him for His help to renew our strength.
• We need to pray this just as the psalmist did, Psalms 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”. (NIV)

(some of this content is from the book  “Living Beyond Your Capacity: Understanding the Spirit-Filled Life” by Paul Chappell)