Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV) 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Examples of our thoughts:
Why is God silent, does He not need me, did He forget me?
Ok God, if You are silent, I will be too.
This verse means this, not this, this preacher is wrong, if tried it, it doesn’t work.
This verse must be lost in translation, when was a mountain ever moved because someone believed?
The original Greek says…
Why doesn’t she apologize first?
God, thank you that I’m such a good person.
Why does she dress that way, does she not understand she is on stage, worshipping God and making people uncomfortable.
Here are the steps you must take to get succes in life.
I know I shouldn’t, but I want to.
But I cannot stop.
He is probably a proud person, the way he carries himself and how he talks.
I deserve a better car and a better house.
I deserve a better wife.
If I imagine it I will get it. If I keep saying I will believe it and when I believe it my faith will bring it to reality.
I want a big ministry, I was made for better than this.
I deserve a vacation.
I will not be able to write a book, I’m not a writer.
I cannot testify, I’m afraid of stage; I’m not even sure that I have anything to say.
I will start this business and make a lot of money.
I don’t like my daughter, she irritates me.
If I do all the good things God will bless me.
If I pray enough I will get on Gods radar.
(Take some time and add your own)
Examples of God’s thoughts:
I love the people richly and because of my love, even though they were dead in their sins, I made them alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4) and in the ages to come I will show them immeasurable riches of my grace in kindness towards them in Chris Jesus (Ephesians 2:7).
I will adopt you as as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5); I’ve been planning this for a long time (Genesis 3:15) and it’s coming to a grand finale soon (Revelation 21-22).
You are my heirs (Romans 8:16-17)
I speak to my children, to my people (Hebrews 1:1)
Let there be light (Genesis 1:3)
I send my Word and it will do what I had sent it to do (Isaiah 55:11)
I’m looking for worshippers in spirit and truth (John 4:23)
I’m looking down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek me (Psalm 53:2)
My eyes go to and fro throughout the whole earth to give support to those whose hearts are blameless towards me (2 Chronicles 16:9)
I was looking for righteousness and justice, but found bloodshed and an outcry (Isaiah 5:7)
I made my Son Jesus who had no sin to be sin for the people, so that in Him people may become my righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)
I’ve sent the Holy Spirit to remind you of Jesus’ teaching (John 14:26) and my goal is to make you more like Christ (Anointed One) and conform to His image (Romans 8:29).
You will suffer for a short time (1 Peter 5:10), and then you will reign with Jesus forever (Revelation 22:5)
Love your God and love people, that is pretty much all I ask (Matthew 22:37)
Where were you when I made the earth? (Job 38:4)
Does clay talk back to the potter? Do you understand what I’m doing so you can tell me what I am doing wrong and right? (Isaiah 45:9)
I was my will to crush Jesus (Isaiah 53:10)
For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you (Isaiah 54:7)
In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you (Isaiah 54:8)
Here is a pure and undefiled religion before Me, God the Father, visit orphans and widows in their affliction and keep yourself unstained from the world (James 1:27)
Not parents’ sin, but so the works of God may be displayed in him (John 9:3)
If you are hit on one cheek, turn the other one (Matthew 5:39)
You are blessed when they persecute for my Name sake (Matthew 5:10, 11, 12)
You are salt and light of this world (Matthew 5:13-14)
Not everything is about you, I have a plan where through the church I will made knows my wisdom to he rules and authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10)
I’m in my holy temple, on my throne in heaven, and I watch to test the children of men (Psalm 11:4)
I will forgive you as you forgive others (Matthew 6:12) and will be as generous with you as you are with others and I will judge you as you judge others (Matthew 7:2)
I watch to see who gives in secret and doesn’t receive a public reward, and I watch who gives publicly so others know that he or she gave and praise them right then, and I will reward the unrewarded by public praise (Matthew 6:4)
By the way, be sober-minded, be watchful. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)
Test and seek my will and you will find it (Romans 12:2)
My judgements are unsearchable, my ways are inscrutable, I have the depth of riches and wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33)
In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.. (Joel 2 28; Acts 2:17)
Yes, we can read and quote the Bible and say God’s thought out loud, but are we hopeless and stuck in our flesh and can never think like God, not just quote what God thinks? Or is it possible to actually think like God?
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 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.
I’ll repeat that again: “But we have the mind of Christ!”
How do we get the mind of Christ? How do we silence and replace the thoughts of flesh with thought of God? Well, first of all it says that we already HAVE the mind of Christ, so that is something you got to think about – start there. But then:
Romans 12:1-2 1 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. 2 (a) Do not be conformed to this world, but (b) be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that (c) by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is (d) good and acceptable and perfect.
(a) Remove the world from your life, don’t conform to it (do not comply with rules, standards, or laws), make a conscious choice to comb through your life and remove everything that is of the world from your life. It may take some time. Some things are harder to notice, some things take longer to let go, but be a mature Christian, a mature believer, and deliberately go through your life and remove what is of the world. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you need to get rid of, things that are of the world, or things that remind you of the world, or things that lead you to the world.
(b) Fill your life and mind and heart with what is of God by starting with the Word of God, a relationship with Him, conversation with God, questions to God, love (1 Corinthians 13:13), right thinking (Philippians 4:8) and later an assignment and work from God (Ephesians 2:10).
(c) Test and try and figure out and search and question and research and study and draw conclusions. Study self and study the Bible (1 Timothy 4:16). By testing you will discern what is the will of God. You will make mistakes, you will choose wrong trajectories, but God will finish what He started (Philippians 1:6), God will not leave you (Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 8) and Jesus is with you always (Matthew 28:20).
(d) The result of the above will be that you will know the will of God or all levels for your life, and you will be able to help others to acomplish the same (2 Timothy 2:2)
God bless you.
Amen.