In our last teaching, I used some practical illustrations to explain how we can draw the
promises and provisions of God for our new identity in Christ from the spiritual realm
into our physical circumstances.
We concluded that it is by declaring the word of God that has been engrafted in our
minds through the renewing of the mind that we can change negative circumstances
and live in the reality of our new identity in Christ.
In this episode I want us to still look further at our mindsets and to consider something
that may seem elementary to you and yet is the key to enjoying a close and personal
relationship with the Lord which is the objective of our journey here.
What do I mean when I say you need to renew your mind until your mindset comes into
complete alignment with the word of God. Alignment as we all know means a position
of agreement. So when the mind is in alignment with the word of God, it means the
mind has come into agreement with the word of God.
I checked for another word we can use to describe coming into agreement with the word
of God and I found the best word to be to believe the word of God. I also checked for
the synonyms for the word believe and I came up with words like-to have confidence in;
to have faith in; to be convinced; to accept; to affirm, to have no doubt; to be rest
assured; to swear by; to take as gospel truth.
When your mind has been renewed to the extent that your mindset has come into
alignment with the word of God is when you believe the word of God so that you are
convinced of its truth; you have no doubt of its truth; you can swear by it and you are
assured in your mind that it is true.
And this issue of believing God completely is the challenge I find most Christians
experience. Off course everyone claims they believe His word. However when certain
circumstances arise that require us to stand on His word, declare it and act accordingly
you realise that most Christians only have a mental assent and not an experiential belief
in the word of God. And without this childlike belief in His word. His promises and His
provisions, we cant have that close, victorious and satisfying relationship with God.
I discovered recently that as elementary as it may sound to you, believing God is the
key to enjoying a close and personal relationship with Him and the condition for His
blessing.
Jeremiah 17:7 states-
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
In Luke 1: 45, Elizabeth said to Mary- Blessed is she who has believed that what the
Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

In John 20:29, Jesus said to Thomas-You believe because you have seen me. Blessed
are those who believe without seeing me.
According these scriptures, in order to experience the blessings of our new identity in
Christ; in order to call those things He has promised us from the spiritual realm into the
physical realm, we need to believe His word.
The man who trusts the Lord is blessed! The man who believes that the Lord has done
what He says He has done is blessed. You need to be convinced of the truth of His
word; you must have no doubt of its truth; you must be assured in your mind that
whatever He says is true. Obviously the only way you can get to this state of being is by
consistent study and meditation of the word of God.
And how do you know when you are convinced of the word of God. How do you know
when your mindset has aligned with His word?
Hebrews 4: 2-3
For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the
message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of
those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest just as God sayed.
We are reminded here that the Israelites did not enter the promised land and therefore
into the physical rest that God promised them due to their unbelief. We are reminded
that just like them, the good news of the Gospel has been proclaimed to us and that we
can only enter into the Lord’s rest if we believe.
Rest here does not mean taking a break from physical activity. It refers to a spiritual rest
from worry, stress, struggle and human effort. It means to be at peace; to be quiet; to be
still and calm in the spirit. Why? Because you believe. Because you are assured that
the word of God is true and cannot fail. Because you are assured that the word of God
is stronger than the present storm or crisis. Coming to a place of rest and calmness is
the way to know that you are believing God. So if you are still always anxious, stressed
out, fearful, complaining, confessing sickness and negative situations, am not sure you
are believing. In fact a lot of our prayer points today are a clear indication of a lack of
belief in the word of God. For instance if you spend most of your prayer time speaking
to the devil, it simply means you do not appreciate your authority over him. Did we ever
experience Jesus or the disciples doing gymnastics or going on and on in order to cast
demons out? No. They just spoke the word with authority and the demons fled.
Again the bottom line is-study the word of God to transform your mind. Believe the word
of God just like a child without trying to make sense out of it. Confess it consistently and
faithfully.
As a matter of fact every Christian believes God is powerful enough to do everything.
Every Christian believes God can do what He says He will do. The missing link is that
most Christians do not believe God has done what He says He has done. And this will
be the subject of our next discussion.