Set your mind on things above

When we tell God that He is high and lifted up, do we mean that He is up and somewhere above? The spiritual realm is not up there, it is around us. When we say He is high, we speak of authority not altitude. We do not calculate the altitude but we refer to the authority that God has. What is physical is temporary but the spiritual is permanent. Jesus encouraged us to go after the food that does not spoil, but which food is this? This is not a matter of food but information. For instance, you might like a picture that you took now but as time goes on you can get used to it and might even get a better one. This is a sure sign that this is temporal. Cars go out of fashion, even feelings come and go. God does not want us to think of temporary things but on what is permanent and what is from above. When you are thinking of things from above [the Word], you will be determined by time. Certain things that we think, come and go just like visitors. Some come to mess up and leave, hence God encourages us to think of what is from above.

Parents are capable of taking care of the physical well-being of their kids but rarely think about their minds. Parents realise at a later stage what their children have consumed. You are what you have consumed in your life. Hence God rewrites everything in your mind, renovating your mind. The bible says “put on the new man but renew your mind.” Some people have the new body but with the same mind. The mind is the soul, it is the person. The body is renewed, even the way you think should be renewed. What is above is in our midst. We know that faith is a substance, evidence of things unseen. As we are on earth, what is spiritual surrounds us even though we cannot see it, this is faith. Faith is above; it is spiritual! Set your minds on things above, not on deeds. Faith changes how you think; it is not only about material things, but also in the issues of sin. A person thinks first before they sin. Therefore, you need to set your mind on things above (have faith not to sin). It is not about the surrounding but the mind. When you surround yourself with bad people, they will affect you, so you need to cut away. One can go in the midst of drunkards and not drink, but he/she can be battling with the temptation of drinking in their mind. When you are at home, you might find yourself thinking of what you surrounded yourself with.

Thoughts are like demons, when you cast a demon out; it leaves. It roams around and when it finds a dry place, it comes back to check if the previous place is occupied or empty. When it is empty, it goes back and calls other demons to occupy the empty place. This is what happens with thoughts, you need to be clean and set your mind on things above. When your mind is empty it is vulnerable to other thoughts. Do not take out dirtiness and leave the place empty. People clean up but do not meditate and read the Word of God. When you set your mind on things above, you constantly feed your mind. The mind is created to think. If you do not want your dog to eat from dustbins, give it food and it will no more eat from the bins. When your mind is occupied, it will not have the opportunity to be filled up with filthy things. The problem is that you do not apply faith in your mind. Sometimes, you do not have to see but just meditate. There are thoughts from above and permanent which we need to acquire. If you were to choose which person in position you would report to, either to a cleaner or the shareholders, many would prefer to report to the one in higher authority. Therefore, submit to God’s thoughts. Our thoughts are not in the same level as His.

How do we calculate what is temporary? Is it six months, a day or a year? Even fifty years can be temporal but people do not realise this. We do not go to church because the world is not nice for us, yes the world is nice but the problem is the cost. The cost is too high and few do not calculate that. Do you calculate the cost when you meditate on the Word of God? Do you think what can happen if you meditate on the Word? Calculate both direct and indirect costs. Check this out; people opt to pay R300.00 for 36 months than to pay the full price of the furniture at once. No one really calculates the full amount that they would have paid in those 36 months. The does would not even feel the same after 6 months the furniture as before, meanwhile you are still paying the R300 that you could for something else. Then, at this time, people start thinking of other expenses which they cannot settle because of the R300.00 they started paying. It might seem nice at first sight but there is a cost around it. The devil is very patient, if you want to learn perfect patience check the devil. He knows short-term and long-term investments, where he deals with others now but invests in others in the long-run. Even thoughts are investments to the devil, he is so clever that he plants and never thinks of the seed he planted. He plants and goes elsewhere to deal with others. Some of you the devil has invested and has even forgotten about the seed that he planted in you. He then becomes surprised one day when he realises how his seed in you has matured. Sometimes we cast the devil when he is gone. We cast out the manifestations and not when the devil is still whispering.

You need to resist the devil; but you do not resist him at church. The devil allows you to go to church and jump knowing that he has his own place in your mind. The devil’s ground is not in church but it is at home and at work, etc. This is a serious matter, the attacks that Christians get are not from church but from home, school and at work. Moreover, you are not attacked in the midst of people but when you are alone. The devil waits for us to go out the service/church then he attacks. At some instances ministers can become co-workers with the devil where they minister to you at church and the devil attacks you outside church. It is not social media, it is you who decides. There are gospel channels but it is you who ignores them and go to the world. Nowadays, the world does not invite us but we go to it. We sometimes fool ourselves; stop becoming a rat trapped with cheese. The world is no longer temptation to others because they follow it. Let me tell you the honest truth, demons have retired from sin because your thoughts are in control now. When last did you see a demon of lust manifesting? Demons are busy with generational curses and not sin because the very Christians have taken over in their minds. Demons sit back because Christians love the world. Do you love the world?

[Colossians 3:1], this is what I realised; the bible says “set your mind”, the Holy Spirit will not assist you here but you need to set it. Do you understand the word “set”? When you need to wake up early in the morning, you set an alarm. Why is it so hard to set our minds on things of God? You have the power over your mind and no one else. Setting is channelling. When you set the alarm, does it ring immediately? No! So, set your mind on things above so that in times of trouble, you can wake up and conquer.The bible says that you ought to watch and pray, meaning that be alert that things that are not from God come. A watchtower sees everything that is happening around to alert in case of danger and for safe landing. There are things that need to land safely in your mind i.e. the Word of God, but other things are not meant for your mind that you need to be aware of; we bring into subjection every thought that esteems and thinks of itself higher than the thoughts of God. It is your decision to subdue and think what is of God. Whatever you thought about which was not of God is was your choice.

How can God speak of the power that you have over the mind and you say that your mind overpowered you? Do not defile the righteousness that you have received because the cost is high. It takes only one slip and it is done. You can start well, but only that one open door can disturb you in the race and you lose your focus. Never open that door! I am not teaching you to be cautious of falling but you need to live as if there is no temptation. When you masturbate, think of the generation to come. Set your mind on what is from above. You are from above; you are the one who decides what comes in your mind. The biggest battle is in the mind, you win it in the mind there is nothing to worry about and everything will go smooth. You choose what you enjoy. If there was no play-station no one would want to play it. We watch TV because we know it exists. In the olden days no one would want Wi-Fi because it did not exist. Some of you have curiosity in the wrong places. Curiosity can put you into trouble, be content and love what you have. Enjoy the life that you have. The command: “Men love your wives” is not a feeling but you take the decisions to love. You decide to listen to the message. You decide to read the bible, if you are able to eat brown bread every day, why can you not read the same verse every day?

[John 10:1-5], we do not have the prevention for the thief to enter, but the thief will enter as he jumps but you need to know that he is not the Shepherd. The door is visible to everyone, there is no hiding here hence the thief does not want to enter by the door. This is what I got from God from this verse: “Go out of your mind”. I am acknowledging that there are some seeds that will come in by the window, but the fact is you need to be out of your mind. When the Shepherd comes in, He takes His sheep out of the kraal. Allow the Word to come in and take you out of your mind. Whatever might come in to contaminate you, it finds no one. Leave your mind and be absent, but be available for God. Go out to be with God in mind. You might stop watching TV but there are some thoughts that will come in, you need to be in the Word. The problem is that people think that they need to be in some state to think of what is from above.

[Philippians 4:8], what is from above is permanent, which is worth thinking about. Life is not far but right in your tongue, choose life. You cannot expect to Conquer while you do not have a bible. Why do you buy movies whilst you can buy a bible? You know your battles; take your life seriously. The difference between you and an unbeliever is that you are chosen. You commit sin together with an unbeliever but you become the most affected because you are chosen and the world cannot accept you.

Your Father through the gospel
Abraham Unknown