E m e r g e n c y-Based or Pe a c e -o f-God-Based Living Many people are driven to God by their anxieties; when instead, God desires for us to seek Him by assignment and experience supernatural peace

E m e r g e n c y-Based or Pe a c e -o f-God-Based Living

Many people are driven to God by their anxieties; when instead, God

desires for us to seek Him by assignment and experience supernatural peace

and that divine release of greatness within, an inkling, of the eternal magnitude of their destiny. I have found that these two approaches by people in

their relationship with God represent two groups of people in the church

today.

The people in the first group are in a constant state of turmoil, worried

about everything that comes their way. They have not grasped the concept

from Proverbs 23:7 that as we think in our heart, we are. Rather than heed

Paul's teaching that gives them direction for the way out of their emotional

state, they continue to live from their emotions, fears, and worries.

The people in the second group have read the Apostle Paul's words in

Philippians 4:6-9, believe, and act on them. These people pray their way out

of all anxieties and worries. They enjoy the peace of God in their lives

because they refuse to live with constant worry and anxiety. These proactive

believers are walking in that not-to-be-tampered-with protocol of prosperity in order to move into the true biblical prosperity God intends. They are

not waiting for an "emergency" to arise in order to begin thinking about

biblical prosperity.

Perceptions, Precepts, and What's On Your Mind

In the Old Testament we see three levels described upon which truth is

built. These levels, of course, carry into the New Testament, and in them we

see the thought of Proverbs 23:7 reflected: As we think in our heart, we are.

The first level is perception, viewing something in the way God views it. In

Psalm 27:11 we read that David said, "Teach me thy way, O LORD…."

When we know how God views something, we can base our thoughts and

actions on His viewpoint. This gives us the right perception.

The second level of truth is comprised of God's precepts and statutes,

or guidelines (rules), He has set in place for us to follow. As we learn how wants something handled, we find it much easier to follow His guidelines, or rules, for our lives when we know what they are! David spoke of

keeping God's precepts throughout Psalm 119 (see AMP).

The third level is comprised of God's laws. God established two important laws in the Old Testament (which in the New Testament Paul expanded

in the light of Jesus) that came into play in the commandments God gave

Moses:

1. The law of righteousness, and

2. The law of death.

We read in Romans 8:1-2 that Paul speaks of these two laws, stating

that each has its rewards.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in

Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For

the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from

the law of sin and death.

To be concise, the law of righteousness brings the reward of eternal life

with Christ, while the law of death brings the "reward" of an eternity in hell.

As we think in our inner man, this is who we will become: slaves to our

flesh or servants of righteousness. As sons and daughters of God, we need

to be knowledgeable of the spiritual laws and the way God works through

them and remain determined to think on the things God's Word tells us to

keep on our minds.

Why don't you stop for a few moments, re-read the virtues listed in

Philippians 4:8–9, and ask yourself if you are acknowledging these virtues?

Are you letting God work them into your life? Thinking becomes our

primary point of reference. The person you are right now is a direct result

of what has been on your mind, but above all remember that God wants

you—all of us—to grow to the place of entering a deeper realm of relationship with Him, to become so well-grounded in who He is and in who we are

to Him that we live in His untroubled and undisturbed peace inYour Thoughts, Your Now, Your Future

As you learn to "think on and weigh and take account of these things,"

the virtues of God listed in Philippians 4:8-9, the "protocol of prosperity" will

bless your life abu n d a n t l y. Building your relationship with God and changing

your thoughts to agree with His thoughts will serve to shape your future.

It is important to grasp that heeding Paul's instructions in this passage

begins to take effect at the point we begin, not just in the present. For

example, people who understood and heeded Paul's instructions ten years

ago would probably have a much better mindset than they currently possess.

I know that I would. More importantly, if we grasp these principles now, we

will be in a much better posture to receive and activate God's blessings,

favor, and prosperity ten years from now. We can be much further ahead in

the things of God than we have ever been or ever expected to be.

I write this humbly, because I have often wished I had known more people

in the past who could have taught me the importance of the types of thoughts

we have on our minds. Now that I have discovered the principles Paul teaches

in this passage and applied them to my life, I am determined to share with

everyone who is seeking God's true prosperity this major aspect of our relationship with God that Jesus provides in this protocol of prosperity.

When I was growing up in church, one of the most important things I

remember being taught was to look toward heaven. We sang the old song

"I'll Fly Away"1 over and over again, clapping and stomping the floor as we

sang. Those songs birthed a spirit of praise in us and also brought real joy

in our lives. Yet because most of those people were working on a daily job

that didn't pay very much and living from paycheck to paycheck, this

approach to life put them in a mode of simply existing. We comforted ourselves with those songs of promise that one sweet day, by and by, life would

be better. I was young, but I knew those people believed they had to die and

go to heaven in order to have a better life. We didn't understand the significance, the importance, of the types of thoughts God intends for us to haveYour Thoughts, Your Now, Your Future