John 8:25-30
The people in John 8:25-30 don't understand who Jesus is. So Jesus once again tells them, and a large part of this is Jesus talking about his earthly relationship with God the Father. It's a helpful explanation. Jesus tells the people "I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me....I always do the things that are pleasing to Him" (verses 28, 30). When you think about it, Jesus' words give us a model for living our Christian lives today.
So what do we need to do to get a mindset of not acting on our own authority, of submitting? And then, how do we live that out? Tami W.
When you use the word "mindset" in your question, what you are really talking about is how do we bring our mind into conformity with Christ. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that our role in this is to "cooperate with the Holy Spirit."
We can't strong arm our way into a Godly attitude (mindset). We need to understand that the Holy Spirit will work in us if we allow Him to, i.e. "cooperate."
As we increasingly yield to the Holy Spirit we will increasingly "live it out" because ultimately we "do" as we "think."
If I die to self and surrender my whole life to Jesus and join the Holy Spirit as He lives His life through me it will be His "mindset" and His life lived out and His doing"
i strongly believe that once we surrender our life to Christ and let the Holy Spirit do His job in our lives then our mind will be tuned with the Bible. I have experienced myself that there is nothing I can do to make myself a better Christian if I do not let the Holy Spirit works in my life. We must then act according to the scripture so we can live a life allign with HIS authority.
At first we need to make a concerted effort to abide in him. It is not easy at first. You must remind yourself that you are living for him. Read the bible often and ask God to show you something new. Approach it this way and you will find abiding in him to be easier every passing day. The most important part of our relationship to God is prayer. It is one of our greatest gifts. Learn to pray according to God's will. Jesus taught the disciples to pray "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". God wants to communicate with you. He wants to support you but he also is looking for you to abide by his will. If you can implement these changes then you will find your mindset will be more godly. It takes commitment and it takes time. While we all lead busy lives in this day and age there is more than enough time for God. Trust me you will find it. Finally, remember that you are always in the presence of God. This means you can always think of him or pray wherever you are. If you have a free minute turn your thoughts to him. The rewards will be amazing.
Great question. I think of what I heard recently about honoring my father's name. In the olden days, people were proud to say, "Hey, I'm a Bush or a Clinton" (this is just an example) because they knew with that name came some form of authority. It's the same way as being a son or daughter of the Most High King - we take the name "Christian" and that name has authority, because of our Father. So what I do, reflects on Him - both good and bad. The submissive part is knowing that He is the one who gave me His name. So I should honor it, by being obedient to all that he has taught me. :)
When we accept Jesus as the Son of God and truly believe in, and trust Him, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us. I believe Jesus is telling us in the Scripture passage that He does nothing of Himself but as the Father taught Him. The Father who sent Him is with Him and because He does what His Father says He (God) is always with Him. Jesus is saying the same thing to us that when we receive Him He will be with us just as the Father is with Him and the Father will also be with us. For us to make sure we are ever faithful, we have to keep in The Word of the Lord and pray, praise and thank Him.
If we are choosing life eternal we have have to do what God says and let our life testify accordingly.
Matthew 6:33 talks of putting God first. That is what we need to do at all times, in all situations, and before we open our eyes or our mouths. Prayer is such a key element for the believer! After prayer, we rely on the Holy Spirit to open our minds, eyes, mouths... at the appropriate times (maybe keep them closed too sometimes). Also, we are to be thankful - no matter where we find ourselves.
I think in order not to act on your own authority we must always be in prayer, read our Bible (to develop a relationship with Christ), and the Holy Spirit will not allow us to act on your own authority.
Accepting the authority of God is a choice-one that Jesus clearly made. I can choose to listen and obey....or turn a deaf ear and disobey. If I choose to obey, I am accepting the Father's authority in my life and must live accordingly. In order to do that, I have to know what He wants of me....which is clearly spelled out throughout the manual(scriptures) He has not left me to my own devices, but has provided equipment for me to use...as in the Holy Spirit. The more I practice, the more in tune with His desires I become.
I really like this. Especially the part of the verse where Jesus says, "I always do the things that are pleasing to Him". I think that I want to be able to say that...that I always do the things that are pleasing to my Father in Heaven. I want to remember that before I do 'things', are they pleasing to Him? Is it my will or His will for me? It's a good check for me. Thanks!
Your comment, "If someone you know has doubts about the Bible--what it is, why they should care about it, why they should read it--then 2 Timothy 3:16-17 would be a good place to take them."..
It is troublesome when they won't listen...and believe.They ARE lost. It is a heart matter and knowedge comes from reading..But if they refuse, the best I should do is pray. Please pray for my family and Muslim friend and I'm sure you all must have people your trying to reach with your witness,testimony and love that need our prayer. So I pray for all of you.
Dear God our Lord and Savior, I cry for these to have Your courage with words of wisdom and boldness and a loving heart that will take action where help is needed. I pray we will not only be hearers but doers of the Word. Please open the hearts of our lost loved ones and allow Your Spirit to bring them into New life in Christ and salvation. Our Hope is in the Name of Jesus.
Your comment, "If someone you know has doubts about the Bible--what it is, why they should care about it, why they should read it--then 2 Timothy 3:16-17 would be a good place to take them."..
It is troublesome when they won't listen...and believe.They ARE lost. It is a heart matter and knowedge comes from reading..But if they refuse, the best I should do is pray. Please pray for my family and Muslim friend and I'm sure you all must have people your trying to reach with your witness,testimony and love that need our prayer. So I pray for all of you.
Dear God our Lord and Savior, I cry for these to have Your courage with words of wisdom and boldness and a loving heart that will take action where help is needed. I pray we will not only be hearers but doers of the Word. Please open the hearts of our lost loved ones and allow Your Spirit to bring them into New life in Christ and salvation. Our Hope is in the Name of Jesus.
The Pharisee's were prime examples of acting out on their own authority, primarily because they didn't store God's Word in their heart- it was on their lips and developed by rote memorization only. In order for me to submit to the Lord, I must go before His throne and give all of myself to Him- daily. I think it's also helpful to realize our 'oneness' with the Trinity. We need sustenance from the Father daily and without it, we're prey to the evils of the world.