Salvation is the deliverance from sin and its consequences. It is God’s grace to mankind and the gift of freedom from harm which includes death and separation from God. “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you…” (1 Peter 1: 9-10) “Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: and let such as love Thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.” (Psalm 70: 4)
Christians are the most privileged class of people ever assembled in the history of mankind because we serve an Almighty God. We have access to God through Jesus Christ with redemption through His blood and forgiveness of sin according to His grace. Believers and followers of Christ must be conformed to His image in character. We take on the attributes of a holy God to be Christ-like. We prioritize constantly and carefully to be in accordance with His will with all diligence. “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 29-31)
The heart and mind work closely together. They express true feelings. The heart must first be changed in order for the mind to be pure and holy. Our actions and behaviors will change as a result of it and our hearts will reflect and produce things that are pleasing to God. When we receive Jesus in our hearts and make a commitment to follow Him, He begins a transformation in our heart. He takes the old, vile, wicked heart and changes it to a kind, loving, giving, caring and free heart. Our love for Him will translate into a hunger to know Him and a thirst to live like Him. A pure heart desires nothing more than to be with God. This is truly what our life should be about and what He is most interested in which is a sinless life. “Therefore shall ye lay up these My Words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 11: 18)
We purify our hearts by being made clean through the Spirit and the Word. We are kept by the power of God through faith in believing. The Holy Spirit has the power to totally transform our lives and to give us a new-found hope and existence. A clean heart is where God communicates with our spirit. “Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. ” (Psalm 73: 1) This requires us to let God lead the way and for us to live our faith-filled, purpose-driven life each day in close connection with Him. We diligently search and seek Him out as He reveals Himself and bestows blessings and great grace upon us. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 29: 11-14)
A repentant heart has a hatred for sin and a dislike for things of the world. It has a love for Christ and for people and it delights in holiness and keeping the laws of God. True repentance is hating the sin you used to love and loving the righteousness you used to hate. The righteousness you would purposely avoid, not even wanting to think about it. But rest assured, your enemy Satan himself is watching our every step. He is always in the background laying low and waiting to attack us at our weakest moment hoping to rip us to shreds. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat…” (Luke 22: 31) We must at all times guard our hearts and keep our minds on Jesus and our focus on the cross and what He did for us at Calvary. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19: 14)
The soul loves and knows its Maker. There is a total rest for it when repentance is granted. It is safe, at peace and it is finally free from the destruction that it was headed to. “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies…” (Psalm 103: 1-4) “Rejoice the soul of Thy servant: for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy Name for evermore. For great is Thy mercy toward me: and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.” (Psalm 86: 4, 12-13) Once God sets us free we have the task of keeping ourselves out of the clutches of the devil. His pursuit for us is relentless but we have a Savior who conquered death, hell and the grave and He will surely protect us when we submit to Him. He will not allow us to be defeated when we put forth the effort and apply ourselves to His will. “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons…” (Deuteronomy 4: 9)
We know from the Word that God hates evil, sin and all unrighteousness so we are to hate it too. All of it! “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.” (Psalm 97: 10-12) By constantly denying our flesh it increases the love for God and everything that pertains to the Kingdom. It does His heart good to see His children walk in righteousness with a purity that only God expects from us. Our love for God not only encompasses Him but all people also. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1: 22-23) The soul, the inner man, will go to its final resting place when we depart this life as we guard and protect it to ensure a guaranteed reserved spot in Heaven that God has promised to those who endure to the end. “My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me.” (Psalm 63: 8) “My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed.” (Psalm 71: 23)
The mind has creative powers and conjures up all types of things. Satan is highly effective in manipulating the mind. We discard the old toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with godly thoughts. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5) God never intended for us to live according to the world’s system and ways of doing things. We change from old to new and this includes our old ways of thinking. We are no longer governed by the flesh in which Satan resides but by a radical Holy Spirit hostile takeover that transforms us completely from the inside out. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8: 6-8) Our mindset should always be on a level of pleasing God by constantly evaluating every aspect of what we say, what we do, where we go and how we act. “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2: 1-5)
Apostle Paul advised Timothy to meditate on his gifts, his calling, his preaching and reading. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1Timothy 4: 12-16) It is important for us to fill our minds with the Word so that we can see and respond when the enemy pulls a sneak attack on us. With his clever tricks, schemes and strategies, he tries his utmost to conceal his identity and disguise himself as he lies in wait to destroy us. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11: 14) Remember that we are always under satanic attack as he stalks his prey. Be sober, be vigilant, watching and waiting for him to come into focus because he has a goal ….. to destroy your mind, body and soul. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” (John 10: 10) The mind is the battlefield. This is where he fills our mind with doubt, oppression, depression, confusion, anger, frustration, temptation and misunderstanding. Resist him then watch the power of God work and send him running. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4: 7) “The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.” (Deuteronomy 28: 7)
King David gave his son Solomon a serious charge to seek and keep the commandments of God. “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off forever.” (1 Chronicles 28: 9) To win the victory in spiritual battles we must saturate our minds with the Word of God. The more you read the Word the more you think the Word, feel the Word and respond with the Word. The more your faith grows the more your life will reflect the Word, be grounded in the Word and be in complete alignment with the Word. This is how we maximize our potential to reflect God’s image and He gets the glory.
For those of us who profess godliness, loving God comes naturally, without hesitation or reservation. As we are in hot pursuit of Him, holiness gets easier when we stay before Him and learn His ways. As we know, there will be trials to be faced and battles to be won but God will give us everything we need in order to get the victory. We don’t rely on our own strength, we rely on God’s strength and power. “The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace.” (Psalm 29: 11) The more we overcome and conquer, the more zealous and eager we become. We gain strength, confidence and courage in approaching the next battle. With God’s help we can slay giants and defeat foes.
The source of our strength is in none other than God Himself Who will always be victorious in every battle. It’s through our darkest and most fearful moments where He shows Himself strong to us. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46: 1) It is in the valley of challenges, trials, hardship and struggles where God refines us, disciplines us, prunes and strengthens us to rid us of all that would hinder us. We go in His strength just like He commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous, not afraid or dismayed. And although we lose strength sometimes, God always comes to the rescue. “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” (Psalm 73: 26) “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” (Isaiah 41: 10)
God answers our prayers to showcase His strength and mighty power. Whether we win or lose He remains faithful to help us because He loves us. “I will love Thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, Who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.” (Psalm 18: 1-3 & 19-20)
Adversity has a purpose to refine us to the will and glory of God. Therefore, we will love You Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, come what may. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5: 10-11)
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