Spirit #6 – What Does Your Mind’s Disposition Say of You?

Workings of the Holy Spirit

Much of our inability to recognize the workings of the Holy Spirit in us is because we believe for, rather than do, the work of faith which salvation requires (James 2:17). Thus, in order to take what is limited in scope (what we see or believe for) to what is unlimited in reality (what we see or believe for by faith), we are to be:

·Renewed in the spirit (pnĕuma) of your mind  (Eph. 4:23).

·Renewed in the mental-disposition of your mind.

Throughout our Christian journey, we’ve experienced some mean-spiritedness from other Christians, haven’t we? Yet, we’ve also been guilty of the same behavior. Let’s say someone has offended us. We do the “Christian thing” and forgive. Yet, after we walk away, our mind is busy hurling insults at them because we’re still angry and forgiveness did not satisfy our sense of self-rightness.

We’ve made ourselves Christians with incongruous behaviors—hypocrites—because what we’re doing openly do not agree with what we’re doing secretly! And as long as there is no agreement between our outer and inner behaviors, we mute the inner witness that testifies of Christ in us the hope of glory.

Therefore, to renew the mental-disposition of our mind is to make transitions—away from its origins in darkness, through shadow, onward toward light—and the reality found in Christ Jesus (Heb. 2:17 NIV).

To accomplish these transitions, we apply the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23, 24) to the spirit (pnĕuma, mental-disposition) of our mind.

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Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Other Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved.