As Christians, we are blessed with many privileges and gifts that can be easily taken for granted or wasted if we are not careful. We have free access to pray and consult with the Lord at any time we want, we have His holy word at our finger tips, we are filled with an extraordinary companion and guide of the Holy Spirit unlike any other being in existence, and most importantly, we are lavished with unconditional love and the assurance of an eternal home with our heavenly Father. But so often, praying and reading the word becomes a chore that we sometimes do out of guilt, we turn to our Father only as a last resort, and we consider heaven more of an abstract insurance policy than a very real eternal home. One of our most precious blessings, the Holy Spirit, can at times be ignored, repressed, or shoved to a corner of our hearts in favor of distractions. When we fail to nurture it, we do ourselves a great disservice, and our inner being can begin to shift toward unrest and internal turmoil. The Holy Spirit is not only our best friend in our walk in faith, but also a source of spiritual enlightenment that is both invaluable and exclusively from the indwelling Spirit. When we allow Christ to come into our lives, no matter how imperfect or tattered they may be, He eagerly fills us with His Spirit and His mind. The mind of Christ is a beautiful thing, a perfect guiding force, and fully enlightened. The mind of Christ undeniably wants to be our mind, and if we allow it and listen to it, this mind can be our mind. When we think, they can be the thoughts of Christ, when we read the word, we can comprehend the wisdom and truth in the way of Christ, when we pray and speak, the words of Christ can fill our mouth. This is the gift and power of the Holy Spirit and it is ours for the taking. Because we have the mind of Christ from the Holy Spirit, we are naturally happier and spiritually at peace when we submit to the mind of Christ, and allow it to be unified with our own. When we reject the holy mind given to us, drowning out His voice with distractions, complaining, and our own selfish desires, we listen to our flesh rather than the guiding words of the Holy Spirit. This is the main source of our spiritual strife, conflict, and inner unrest. Wrestling with ourselves, our mind is trapped in discord because we can serve only one master and our mind can follow the leading of only one voice. As we find it impossible to be happy in life, we must chose to pray, immerse ourselves in the word of God, and abide in Christ by walking the walk instead of simply talking the talk. Only by fully appreciating and adopting the mind of Christ we were meant to have, as Christ adopted us, can we find true inner peace and happiness. Choosing to have the mind of Christ, instead of mere fleshly thoughts, is a conscious effort and at times hard work, but the Holy Spirit rewards us with growth and, little by little, an invaluable and priceless deeper comprehension of the thoughts of our Father. As we journey through the world, we can resist the urge to conform to sin and worldliness, and instead be transformed, taking on the ways and thoughts of Christ, learning to have deep discernment of the true will of God. When we allow Christ to renew our mind, walking in the steps of Christ, carrying His mind and His yoke, we find peace, contentment, and rest for our souls.

“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:6