Prayer develops a spiritual mind

But how shall we attain to a love that is strong enough to bless and pray for our enemies?

This is where we ask for the Holy Spirit's help. We cannot set our minds on spiritual things all by ourselves.  John Piper has a prayer acronym that might work for you - IOUS --

· I: “Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to getting gain.” (Psalm 119:36)
· O: “Open my eyes that I might behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18)
· U: “Unite my heart that I might fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11)
· S: “Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love that I might rejoice and be glad in you all my days.” (Psalm 90:14)

Asking the Holy Spirit to do something in your mind and heart is a good way to start a prayer moment. 

The culture of prayer must be the primary focus every day in order for it to truly be considered foundational. This is something that should dominate our lives. It is essential to life as a follower of Jesus. 

It is even more critical when we are entrusted to lead others.  As leaders, it is our role to take people from where they are, to a better place, where they have not yet been and are not even sure they want to go. Without God’s constant guidance in our lives, how can we be confident of what we are teaching, how we are ministering, or why we are even leading? It does not matter how smart, well-intentioned or competent we are because our knowledge, skills, and talents are simply not enough for the task of leading others spiritually. That role is just too big for us to handle without continual prayer.

I think that many of us have a misunderstanding about the way that praying works.  Misguided prayer is a major cause of distress among followers of Christ and the reason why many avoid it.  It would seem that too many of us try to change God's mind when we are praying.  They are concerned about a problem and ask God to act in order to change the situation.  If nothing happens, the prayers turn to pleading and then nothing.

If God is worthy of all praise, and that Jesus' words found in Scripture are our authoritative standard and therein it describes that only God can deal with sin and produce holiness of life, I must find my total dependence on God and submit to Him. I need to accept the truth that praying in faith is absolutely necessary for the realisation of the will and grace of God in my daily life.

Renewing our mind

Our spiritual warfare is not just in the resisting of evil influences in our lives, it is also about the pursuit and the receiving of the quiet work of the Holy Spirit.

That change, that transformation does not take place all in one sitting.

So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

 Questions - what is our role in responding to this change? What does a spiritual mind look like - or how will I know I have one? Do I have any role in facilitating this change from moving in the flesh to moving in the Spirit?

As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own.  Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other.  Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace.  All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God’s people.  We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.  There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us.

Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us.  As the Scriptures say,

“When he went up
to the highest place,
he led away many prisoners
and gave gifts to people.” 

When it says, “he went up,” it means that Christ had been deep in the earth.  This also means that the one who went deep into the earth is the same one who went into the highest heaven, so that he would fill the whole universe.

Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong.  This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.[a]

We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place.  Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.

The Old Life and the New Life

As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people.  Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right,  and they are so greedy that they do all kinds of indecent things.

But that isn’t what you were taught about Jesus Christ. He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him.  You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits.  Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.

Rules for the New Life

We are part of the same body. Stop lying and start telling each other the truth. Don’t get so angry that you sin. Don’t go to bed angry and don’t give the devil a chance.

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard, so you will have something to give to people in need.

Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say.

Don’t make God’s Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins.

Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude.  Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ. - Ephesians 4

Do not be conformed to this world

 They know about God, but they don’t honour him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. They are evil, wicked, and greedy, as well as mean in every possible way. They want what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, and are hard to get along with. - Romans 1:21,29

Paul observes that those who have rejected God have done so by suppressing the truth about God. Historian Will Durant observed: “The greatest question of our time is… whether [we] can live without God.”  Durant was echoing Nietzsche on even lost delusions of the divine.

The primary reason Paul gives us acting wrongly is thinking wrongly.  Walking in the Spirit means to take action. Whether we walk “according the Spirit” or “according to the flesh,” the emphasis is on what we do with our bodies and not, primarily, on how we feel. Much of popular spirituality is about how we feel, whether we’re happy, but Paul focuses on what we do.

We see this in Hebrews 11 where some of the heroes achieved success and others did not. 

We ought in these days to have far more faith than Abel, or Enoch, or Abraham had. They lived away on the other side of the Cross. We talk about the faith of Elijah, and the patriarchs and prophets; but they lived in the dim light of the past, while we are in the full blaze of Calvary and the resurrection. When we look back and think of what Christ did, how He poured out His blood that men might be saved, we ought to go forth in His strength and conquer the world. Our God is able to do great and mighty things. - Moody

 Psalm 1 also celebrates not being conformed by not following the counsel of evil men and instead delighting in God's law. A godly person is influenced not by unrighteous people but by his meditation on the Word of God. That kind of meditation involves study and retention and that can only come about if there is a desire to do so - a delight to do so. The psalmist found direction, not drudgery by following God.

We choose with our minds whether to know God's teachings and whether to obey them. How do we learn to discern God’s voice? In meditation. Christian meditation trains our ears to distinguish God’s voice—that one instrument—amidst the orchestra of others. And once we learn to recognise God’s voice, we begin to hear it “time and again, in various ways.”

Even listening to my unguarded thoughts is a valuable diagnostic practise when discerning what is going on inside of me.

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.- Philippians 4:8