Higher

Colossians 3:1-3 NIV Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

How often have you heard the phrase, “You just need to pray harder.” You may have even said it to yourself. While the intentions behind this may be commendable, the intensity of our prayers has little to do with the outcome. God is calling us to pray higher, not harder. To pray with a heavenly mindset, seeing the person or circumstances through His eyes and viewpoint. We must ask, “Am I praying from a position of surrender (thy will be done) or from a position of self-interest (my will be done)?

Every day, there is a constant battle for our minds. Social media and mass media… continually telling us what to think instead of how to think. But spending time in God’s Word, praying, and worshipping a faithful God will reveal to us the mind of God, what He loves, and how he sees our life. You are not going to learn God’s worldview by reading the news, listening to a podcast, or vegging in front of the TV. But as you turn your mind towards Him, worries turn into trust, and your mind can become quiet to hear God’s voice and plan.

We are called to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Surrendering our minds, thoughts, and desires may very well be the most difficult part of that well-known command. However, praying with the mind of the Father is the key to powerful, answered prayer. The apostle Paul reminds us to fix our eyes on things above and not on our present circumstances, to gain a heavenly perspective. When you choose this perspective, you will see things the way God sees them, right in the midst of whatever you face. You can then remain steadfast, strong, and faithful, not because you are strong in yourself, but because He is strong, and God’s Spirit lives powerfully within you. Being able to rise above fear, temptations, and hard places of life is wrapped around the truth of setting your mind on things above, on gaining a heavenly perspective.

Do I really believe that the will of the Father is better than anything I desire? When Peter attempted to express his desires above the plans of God, Jesus turned to Peter and gave a sharp rebuke, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man.” Powerful prayer comes when we set our mind on the things of God, and pray in unity and alignment with the will of the Father. That requires full surrender to His thoughts, plans, and actions. 1 John 5:14-15 NIV assures us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Our thoughts are a powerful weapon either for us or against us. There is no neutral ground. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Living a life filled with the peace, joy, love, kindness, and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father comes only when we choose to view people, circumstances, and life through a heavenly lens. So the next time life throws you a curveball or someone steps on your very last nerve; pause and ask the Lord for his perspective and claim Ephesians 4:22-23 “I will throw off my old self and let the Spirit renew my thoughts and attitudes.”

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Ephesians 2:6 NIV And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

1 John 2:15-17 NIV Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Matthew 16:23-24 AMP But Jesus turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man. Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to follow Me, he must deny himself, setting aside selfish interests, and take up his cross and follow Me.

John 15:15 AMP I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you My friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.

Philippians 4:6-8 NASB 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Romans 8:5-6 NIV Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Galatians 2:20 NIV I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Jeremiah 17:10 NIV I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.

1 Chronicles 22:19 ESV Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.

Psalms 119:37 AMP Turn my eyes away from vanity, from all those worldly, meaningless things that distract—and let Your priorities be mine, And restore me in Your ways.

Philippians 3:18-19 NIV For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:10-11 NLT The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.