Today I heard the inner voice telling me to stop analyzing ANYTHING, that this constant over-thinking is robbing me of the peace Jesus has freely given. Jesus taught us to take no thought
about the things we think most about. As I am constantly listening to the still small voice of Spirit, I am to do and say what I FEEL to do and say as a result of what I’m hearing, not what I THINK I should do and say.
For even when I do hear accurately, I can still think myself out of responding by the Spirit. We see this in the parable of the sower Mark 4. To have the Word sown into my heart doesn’t guarantee that the Word will bear fruit unto God. As Jesus explains the parable to His disciples, we see that the seed sown by the way side
is taken away by Satan v 15. And who is this Satan but the carnal mind which is the father of all lies John 8:44 and the accuser of the brethren
Revelation 12:10. I hear the Word but begin to entertain thoughts that are lies and which accuse myself and others—just as did Adam and Eve. They heard the word that they were blessed and had been given dominion over all creation. They themselves used their minds not to remain constantly aware of their oneness with God that would prevent their having any sense of lack; they rather used their minds to entertain thoughts of separation from God and what they might need to do to become like God, from whose Word they were begotten. Eve listened to and believed the lie that she was not like God, and Adam accused Eve of causing him to entertain the carnal thoughts that made him afraid of the God who gave him dominion over his thoughts and actions.
To return to the parable of the sower, the stony ground
Mark 4:16 hearers cannot bear fruit from the Word they hear because they think themselves into being offended when they give voice to the Word and are persecuted
for doing so. Their carnal mind (the Satan) accuses those who won’t accept the Word they have heard. Rather than responding like Jesus, saying, Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they are doing
Luke 23:34, they allow their accusing thoughts to pluck up the Word their Father had planted in their hearts.
Then there are the thorny ground
hearers who also do hear the Word and, like the others, entertain thoughts that keep the Word from bearing fruit. In their case, their thought-taking
comes from a sense of lack, or not remembering the words of their Father, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine
Luke 15:31. They lust
Mark 4:19 for what they already have and keep their minds stayed on this world
(with all its cares
) rather than on their Father (God) and the words He speaks to them which are spirit
and life.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Lastly, there are the good ground
hearers who not only hear the word
but also receive it, and bring forth fruit
v 20. They don’t start thinking about how the fruit is going to come forth or what they must do to make it do so. In other words, they don’t think themselves out of bearing fruit unto God because they, like Jesus, know that of themselves they can do nothing John 5:30 and that it is the Father within, the One who spoke the Word that they heard, who does the work of bearing fruit John 14:10 … the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works..
We cannot stop thinking altogether, but we can choose what we take no thought
about and what we think on.
Jesus instructed us NOT to think about our life
and body
Matthew 6:25—what He later (in the parable of the sower) referred to as the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things
—which choke the word
that God speaks to us Mark 4:19.
And Paul gave instructions as to what we should THINK ON—the things that are honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report
Philippians 4:8.
When Jesus preached, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Matthew 4:17, in using the word repent,
He wasn’t saying, as we in orthodox Christianity have believed, that we are to confess our sins and receive Jesus as our personal Savior. The word He used is metanoeo
3340 in Strong’s Concordance which is defined as to THINK differently.
We have to move out of our carnal thinking that we are separated from our Father and that there is a power of evil opposed to God that we refer to as Satan
but is really only our carnal thinking which never abode in the truth
John 8:44.
Our responsibility is to listen to the voice of the Father within and let the mind be in us that was also in Christ Jesus Philippians 2:5 so that, like Jesus, we do only what we hear our Father say John 5:19,30; 12:49 without analyzing it. Then, and only then, will we begin to bring forth fruit unto God because we are abiding in the vine.
John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.