Giving
Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
Declaration.
The Lord has raised the Refinery up that you might raise a halleluiah ,That the Refinery might raise a standard, that when the enemy might come in like a flood the spirit of the Lord would raise up a standard, God is raising up a human standard, you are going to be the VOICE and you’re going to speak and mountains will be moved, you’re going to decree a thing and it will happen, and He will even deliver the ones whose hands are not clean because of the cleanliness of your own hands
There’s a down load of revelation, a download of truth, the spirit of truth is going to be strong in the Refinery, God has written His word upon your heart, the Refinery is a role model for everyone around it.
God is going to bring in those who have never been loved and they are going to come and be loved back to life and be led in the paths of righteousness for the path of the just is a shining light.
Amen.
Today we continue our series titled Finding and Following God’s Guidelines.
In times like these, we are in need of God’s guidance more than ever.
Today we are talking about Receiving God’s Guidance.
Prayer
Father, we receive so much of Your good and providential care without thinking to thank You.
But if You let one blessing we are expecting be absent from all Your gifts we notice it and complain about it.
Forgive us for our selfishness and help us see the absent blessing as Your concern that we will be more dependant on what You provide and more aware that the missing gift is a means for development of our faith I You.
Bless now our response as stewards of all that You have given us, and may we give all to honour Your Son.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Text
1 Corinthians 2:16 AMP
16 For who has known the mind and purposes of the Lord, so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes].
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 2:12-16 AMP
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the [Holy] Spirit who is from God, so that we may know and understand the [wonderful] things freely given to us by God.
13 We also speak of these things, not in words taught or supplied by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual thoughts with spiritual words [for those being guided by the Holy Spirit].
14 But the natural [unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, [and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters].
15 But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].
16 For who has known the mind and purposes of the Lord, so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes].
Introduction
“But we have the mind of Christ.”
That claim may seem presumptuous and shocking to those who view the Christian faith as supplemental support for ordinary human experience.
But when Jesus is Lord in our lives and each day’s highest priority is given to seeking and trusting God’s guidance, it is normal to seek and find the mind of Christ.
Like Abraham’s servant, who was sent to the old country to find a bride for the son of promise, Isaac, we can say, “The Lord led me” (Genesis 24:27).
The reality is we should also seek the Father before making any decisions and be also able to say, “The Lord led me”.
Is that an intended lifestyle for all believers?
It is if we are to take our text today seriously, “But we have the mind of Christ.”
Receiving God’s guidance means that our lives have been possessed by the living God.
He has taken up residence within us to enlighten us so that we may walk in the light.
He leads us so that it can be said, as in Romans 8:14, “For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
- If we have the mind of Christ, we have received His knowledge.
We receive the knowledge of Christ from our guide book.
God reveals Himself and what He expects from His people through the Bible.
Its words are God’s words.
There are more than two thousand instances in the Bible where it is said that the words of this book are identified as the Word of God.
Clearly the Bible can help us know how to walk and where to walk.
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.”
Without God’s Word as a guide, we walk in darkness.
To ignore it or take it lightly is to assure the absence of God’s guidance.
Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 10:23, “O Lord, I know that the path of [life of] a man is not in himself;
It is not within [the limited ability of] man [even one at his best] to choose and direct his steps [in life].”
To receive God’s guidance means we must be open to the open Bible, but not because the Bible maps out our daily schedules or gives us detailed prescriptions for every problem.
The Bible does, however, present principles, and these principles show us the path.
They light up the way.
Best of all, the Bible shows us Jesus, the Light of the World.
When we have been born again by the living and abiding Word of God, He is present to instruct us.
I know of a Pastor who was asked to counsel a couple about a family problem, he discovered that neither spouse was a Christian.
The focus of the discussion moved from the problem itself to Christ, who could give light to their lives.
In due time both became disciples.
Later the Pastor reminded them of his availability to help them think through the problems with which they had first approached him.
Their answer was, “With Jesus we’ve learned how to talk to one another about our problems and to forgive the past.
You can be assured we will call you if we need you, but right now we are solving the problems that we’re irritating us by opening ourselves to His Word and to one another.”
When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, the Bible serves as a helpful guidebook.
By the knowledge of it, we have the mind of Christ.
2. If we have the mind of Christ, it is because we have received His Spirit.
The reality of the knowledge that we have the mind of Christ because we have received His Spirit causes some who seek a rational explanation for every spiritual experience to blow the fuses of faith.
On the other hand, this reality causes others to blow the fuses of practical application.
The truth is that faith and world require the Spirit’s guidance to be operational.
We are not merely to set the automatic pilot and keep our hands off the controls.
Rather, we are to be decisively open to what is being cultivated by our knowledge of the truth and by our openness to God’s guidance.
We choose to make our minds a store house for the knowledge of God and a distribution centre for the doing of God’s will.
With this highest knowledge and deepest impressions of how to apply truth in all we do, we are walking in the Spirit.
If you have ever been in a foreign country, especially an unsafe country, you know the value of a guide.
People may not speak your language, but the guide does.
He helps you understand what you see and what you do.
Otherwise you may not appreciate your surroundings and may not enjoy them as much.
Our Lord does not leave us alone.
He comes to us.
He dwells within us.
He teaches us His truth.
Therefore we have His mind.
3. If we have the mind of Christ, it is because we have received His invitation to pray.
Our minds are the battleground in which the forces of righteousness and the forces of evil engage in battle.
The outcome of the battle depends on our submission to God.
Through faith we may be in a right position and yet disagree with God’s guidance.
This is why Jesus said in Mark 14:38, “Keep [actively] watching and praying so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
This is why He so frequently turned aside to refresh Himself in new submission to the Father’s will.
His position with God was never in doubt, but He had to renew His submission regularly because of satan’s power.
We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices.
That is our position before the Father.
We also are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
This is submission.
And how is submission achieved?
Through prayer.
Do you remember how Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!”
The Holy Spirit is already given to believers as the representative of Jesus.
If, however, we respond to Jesus’ invitation to pray, to make contact with heaven, to get in tune with the will of the heavenly Father, then the Holy Spirit becomes the power to guide our minds in the conflict.
He enables us to choose our actions wisely.
Receiving God’s guidance means that we pray intently, frequently, and submissively
In Acts 17:10-11 we see that the new church in Berea received the Word,
Paul at Berea
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they entered the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Conclusion.
Some amazing experiences take place because we have the mind of Christ.
Circumstances that mean nothing to the natural mind take on special meaning.
Events that unfold can become a unique means of ministry in the name of Jesus.
We cannot always know where our circumstances and where events will finally lead, but we have the mind of Christ, and that is enough.
Remember how the boy Samuel was called from his bed to respond to a voice that spoke to him?
Under the wise nurturing of Eli, he learned to answer, in 1 Samuel 3:10, Then the Lord came and stood and called as at the previous times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
This is to be our daily prayer as we receive the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
Giving
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
2021 IS A YEAR OF REFORMATION
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