Yesterday we ended with this question:
Do you know ANY Christian who seems completely satisfied; that is, not only content in their circumstances, but also overflowing with love, joy, peace, wisdom, and strength?
Ok, let’s be real, how many people do you know like this? Is there even one? Is it you? My friend, although we live in a fallen world, God has given us MANY tools to walk through this life completely SATISFIED. Remember…
GOD is always satisfied with Himself AND—He offers us the extraordinary satisfaction of His presence!
But to develop a strong sense of God’s presence, we must PASSIONATELY DESIRE a grown-up relationship with Him—no matter what the cost! We must be sick of the ice cream. If we want to live a completely satisfied life, we must be willing to grow! To fail to do so, is the reason we see so many Christians perpetually dissatisfied. Rather than satisfying ourselves in the presence of God, we cram our life full of the activities and distractions of this world—even church activities! We were NEVER designed to be satisfied by the things of this world. They are fleeting. Pursuing them is like hoarding fools gold—it makes a fool out of us!
The real treasure is found in God’s presence. They are discovered in a deep relationship with Him. They are the things no one can take from us—despite our circumstances—even if we are falsely imprisoned! Paul, who was unjustly imprisoned, wrote (from his confinement):
“Be ANXIOUS for NOTHING, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God; and the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding, will GUARD your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are TRUE, whatever things are NOBLE, whatever things are JUST, whatever things are PURE, whatever things are LOVELY, whatever things are of GOOD report, if there is any VIRTUE and if there is anything PRAISEWORTHY—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these DO, and the God of peace will be with you.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in WHATEVER state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:6-13
So doesn’t it make you wonder about what’s required to possess supernatural satisfaction?
What will guard our mind and heart from despair? Well, I can tell you from experience, one fundamental tenet is to develop the mind of Christ!!! Paul knew that His satisfaction was grounded in God’s presence. Jail could not separate Him from God. Hunger, beatings, stoning, suffering…none of it could separate Him because He had developed the mind of Christ. He had trained His mind to develop a strong sense of God’s presence. We often get little glimpses of the FEEL of God’s presence when we’re in church or when we’re around someone who is filled with God’s presence. But—unless we cultivate it for ourselves, we lose it very quickly. We can’t stay in someone else’s garden—we must allow God to build our own. So how?
Well, we must first be born again because this is what makes us spiritually alive and able to communicate with God. Then we must grow different desires. This begins in our MIND. If you re-read the verses above and the ones from yesterday they give us great indicators about the EVIDENCE that our MIND is changing. We think, talk, and act more in line with God’s Word. We must learn to do things differently like:
Love God more than we love the world—in other words make Him the center of our greatest thoughts and passions.
Develop a thankful mind towards God.
Fill our mind with good—not evil—which allows GOD to guard our mind and gives us PEACE.
God’s Word is full of instructions about how to change our MIND in order to develop a stronger sense of His presence. (In fact, a simple Google search will reveal a plethora of verses.) The Bible instructs us to:
“…be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2
So ask yourself…How committed are you to your own transformation? Are you willing to do everything it takes? Are you ready to passionately study God’s Word? Are you committed to learning what you need to know in order to grow? Are you committed to dedicating the TIME for a relationship with God? We must transform our mind to be more like Christ!
How badly do you want this remarkable contentment that is promised in God’s Word?
We must take the time if we want to develop our mind. When we begin to develop the remarkable mind of Christ, we will also begin to see another fundamental transformation [tomorrow’s devotional] which also heightens our awareness of God’s presence.
I promise you, this path is remarkable! And…the work is totally worth it!
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith’s ministry Fostering By Faith, click HERE.
One Response
We must pursue God with all our hearts. It will NEVER go to waste.