As a
starting point for an examination of our doctrine, and the continual
cleansing of non-Biblical mindsets and practices, we can ask ourselves a
few questions:
-Based on Jesus words and actions, could I see Him believing and acting the way I do?
-Did the disciples (meaning all followers of Christ as recorded in the
Bible) make a practice of doing or saying the things I say and do?
Their words and actions matched – so have I misinterpreted their words
and put my own actions and desires into it?
-Would my doctrine be
valid across time? Could I step into the times of the greatest
persecution of the church, when some of the examples from the ‘Hall of
Faith’ lived (Hebrews 11), and trust that my doctrine would be
applicable in that time and in those situations? God and His Word are
one, and neither ever changes.
-Is my doctrine valid across
geographical boundaries? What if I lived in a place where Christians
are drastically persecuted, tortured and murdered? Today there are
thousands of Christians around the world who live under such conditions
on a daily basis – is their problem that they have the wrong doctrine?
-Have I continually hyper focused on any one aspect of the Bible or do I
have a good balance and simply follow Christ? There will be times when
we focus on one subject or aspect of the Word of God more than others,
but forming a doctrine around one or two tenets of the Bible can leave
us void of the whole counsel of God.
-Does my doctrine suit my
lifestyle, or the way I desire to live? Have I re-created a doctrine
that suits my culture? Ask yourself “what examples do I see in the
Bible that lead me to believe this is the way God’s calls us to live?”
These examples would have at least 2 witnesses: what is said in the
Bible and what is done by the followers of Christ and Christ Himself.
There will be times when we cannot see an example, and we simply need an
answer from God. But we are concerned with our basic doctrinal beliefs
in this brief blog.
-Are there parts of the Bible that I feel I must explain away so that my doctrine appears correct?
-Do I concern myself more with staying in agreement with a sect or set
of denominational beliefs rather than letting the Word wash and cleanse
my mind and heart?
-Do I take Scripture in context and use the entire Scripture as opposed to chopping off sentences to fit a mindset?
-Do I read the Bible to prove my doctrine or to know Christ and the
Truth? If we read to prove our doctrine we will likely find ourselves
pushing the people and circumstances in our lives to make our beliefs
come to pass. The flesh and soul have a lot of power to bring our
beliefs and desires to pass, but that does not mean we are in agreement
with God.
"...in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of
good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may
be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you" (Titus 2:7-8).
Sometimes we just want someone to make us feel good - to agree with
us, to pat us on the back, to buy us a sweet drink or justify our
dissatisfaction with life. Feeling good is nice, but striving to feel
good can be like painting over rust...sooner or later the rust comes
through the paint.
But if we scrape the rust away and repair the
structure, giving it new life, we can strengthen and protect it from the
onslaught of intense weather. Then the structure is much more able to stand strong over the long haul and accomplish what it was created for.
Be the renewed structure! Take the time to cleanse the old way of
thinking, feeling and operating and renew your mind to be Christlike!
Don't settle for covering the rust with a feel good solution; a latte, a
new gadget, venting on your spouse, etc., etc. etc... Get rid of the
hurts, emotional pain of the past, unforgiveness, hard heartedness,
irritability..and the list goes on!
Be transformed through the
Word and receive the mind of Christ. Willingly release those things
instead of hanging on to them as though you have a right to feel the way
you do! Refuse to conform to the way the world handles life and be
transformed to handling life in God's way.
"Strip yourselves of
your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which
characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through
lusts and desires that spring from delusion; And be constantly renewed
in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual
attitude], And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in
God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph
4:22-24, AMP)
Did you know that you can train your emotions?
2 Corinthians 2:4 tells us to have the 'most holy emotions.' If the Word of God tells us to do something it's not only possible, it's a command that will advance kingdom work, affect others for Christ and intensify our connection to God.
We often have it backward: our un-sanctified emotions lead us, we emotionally crash, then we run to the Holy Spirit for help. If we would run to the Holy Spirit before we allow our emotions to overwhelm us, He would calm us, teach us and lead us into the righteous use of our emotions.
Feeling a certain way about something doesn't make that feeling right and holy! That feeling may be real and justified to us, but at times unhealed hurts come to the surface, twisting our perception and making us emotionally vulnerable. And sometimes our feelings may not be wrong; it's how we act on them that makes situations worse and leads us into sin. Re-acting in the way that others act towards us is a means of allowing the enemy to lead us when we should be following the Holy Spirit.
Jesus used emotions as a means of furthering kingdom work: He felt compassion for the downtrodden (Matt. 9:36), He prayerfully cried over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), and He was angry over the misuse of God's house (John 12:15). In each of these instances Jesus' emotions were a tool which He had control of; He righteously used His emotions instead of letting them use Him! We must do the same, because even our gifts can be driven by unholy emotions, causing us to misappropriate God's benefits and material goods.
Let the Spirit of God guide you in the use of your emotions. Let Him teach and train you in the way you should feel; don't use the excuse that you have a 'hot temper,' or you are a 'sap.' You are a child of God who displays His love and walks in His purposes.
Stay in the Word and train your mind, will and emotions to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
