God's Deep Secrets

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. (I Corinthians 2:10-12)

Why did God send his Spirit to indwell believers? It may have something to do with us gaining the mind of Christ - seeing what he sees, understanding his ways, and learning to lean upon that understanding more than our own. What are the advantages to having the mind of Christ? If we allow the Holy Spirit to actually fill us up with his presence, there is very little room for the fleshly desires and thought patterns to exist. Essentially, when we allow the mind of Christ to be our guidance, we are shutting out the appeal of the flesh.

The mind of Christ is what helps us have a determined focus. We desire God's will and not our own, all because the Spirit of God is at work within us changing the way we process each thought, in turn affecting each action we take. It is not being 'brainwashed' but rather like being 'brain purified'. We find ourselves rejecting sin and embracing things that don't satisfy the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life. In other words, our thoughts are 'reordered' to align with Christ's example. Scripture might call this being 'single-minded', but we can call it being focused. 

The mind of Christ also leads to us developing a focus outside of self. We begin to see the needs of others and look for ways that we may serve or help them. We stop focusing so much on seeking all that will meet our needs and seek out ways to encourage the well-being of others. There is no longer an intense need to compete with each other because we realize all we have been given in Christ Jesus far outweighs all the accolades and accomplishments of the flesh. 

The most amazing thing about developing the mind of Christ is the effect it has on our heart. It actually helps to create a 'pure heart' within us. An advantage to a pure heart is a peaceful mind. If our mind is in unrest, perhaps asking God to show us where our hearts have any impurity would be a great place to start. When we ask, we must be prepared for the answer! The mind of Christ will not abide impurity in the heart, so when it is uncovered, it must be confessed, allowing God to bring peace once again in our minds. Just sayin!