“13 And we impart this in words NOT TAUGHT BY HUMAN WISDOM taught by human wisdom but TAUGHT BY THE SPIRIT, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The NATURAL PERSON does not accept the things of the SPIRIT of GOD, FOR THEY ARE FOLLY TO HIM, and HE IS NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THEM because THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.
15 The “SPIRITUAL PERSON” judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
16 "For who has understood the mind of the LORD so as to instruct HIM?" But we have the mind of CHRIST.”
Apologies at the beginning for the length of this devotional, but my heart was oozing out these thoughts and I had to write them down!!
Evidently one of the most ignored, or overlooked, maybe even UNSEEN by some who have studied Scripture is listed in the four verses above. Social media reveals ignorance, HUMAN WISDOM, and Spiritual Blindness so vividly, but the NATURAL PERSON doesn’t SEE themselves as deficient in their thinking. They see themselves as wise (Romans 1:22), they reveal themselves to be fools (again Romans 1:22)!
Being the “SPIRITUAL PERSON” doesn’t make us better than the NATURAL PERSON. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says pretty plainly “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”. We are able to SEE ONLY because GOD has opened our EYES and revealed TRUTH to us. Without GOD’S Grace we would still be in our LOST condition, having NO HOPE!
How do we get “the mind of CHRIST”? It isn’t to be purchased like a bill of groceries, picking and choosing the parts we want while refusing the “uncomfortable” aspects of being a child of GOD! Personally, I do not struggle with KNOWING that GOD IS REAL? Obedience to HIM is my weakness! Unless, and until, GOD ALMIGHTY reveals HIMSELF to us in a way that we are TRANSFORMED, we cannot Spiritually SEE and will not even desire to follow HIM. The Apostle Paul (Philippians 3:5) was a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, of the tribe of Benjamin, yet he had to be stricken with physical blindness to be healed from his Spiritual Blindness on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-18) before he was able to be USED by GOD.
Being able to Spiritually SEE is not anything that humans are able to control or manipulate. ONLY GOD can change a heart. HE changed Pharaoh’s heart multiple times and HE received Glory! Only when our hearts are “broken” and transformed by ALMIGHTY GOD are we prepared to SERVE HIM in the measure HE has planned for our lives. When JESUS “chose” Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus, he wasn’t ready for immediate warfare. Although he immediately proclaimed JESUS in the synagogues (Romans 9:20), GOD sent Paul into Arabia for three years (Galatians 1:15-19) before he was prepared for his task of service. Paul was already educated by “this world’s” standards, but he has to be “seasoned” by the SPIRIT OF GOD for three years.
In Matthew 3:16-17 JESUS was baptized in the river Jordan. Upon coming up out of the water, a voice from Heaven was heard that said “This is MY beloved SON, with whom I am well pleased." In the very next verse (Matthew 4:1), JESUS was led up by the SPIRIT for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. Even JESUS the CHRIST was sent into seclusion to prepare for warfare with “the enemy”!
Unless we are willing to become a “SPIRITUAL PERSON” we will not be used to further HIS Kingdom. “The enemy” is a extremely adept at causing the demands of being a NATURAL PERSON to consume far too much of our time and resources, causing us to focus on “this world”, when our future is ALL about the “SPIRITUAL PERSON”!
It is my prayer that I will remember that the “old man”, the NATURAL PERSON, has been crucified and the “SPIRITUAL PERSON” has CONTROL over my life! Although the NATURAL PERSON may believe they are in control of things, the “SPIRITUAL PERSON” has the mind of CHRIST!!!
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