The Consciousness of the Spirit

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Romans 8:11 (KJV)

I have long wondered how this scripture could become a reality in the life of a believer, because if it is true, then immortality in this life is an attainable goal. The greatest power in the universe inhabits the believer today, and this should make our bodies as indestructible as the resurrected body of Christ. What, then, should be the mentality of the Christian man or woman? Beloved, read that scripture again and see the vision of God for your body; see the vision of God for your life.

Christianity is the expression of God's goal for mankind through the power of His indwelling Spirit. We have in us the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead, and the outcome of God's working in a believer should be no less than it was with Jesus. I believe the Lord has been waiting for a generation who will look at these realities and dare to believe, so as to give them expression in their time. Think about it: the foundation of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we have been given the very power that made it possible.

This was impressed on me more deeply after I suffered a neck and shoulder injury that persisted for days without relief. It was excruciatingly painful, and I had difficulty sleeping at night. I rebuked the pain and commanded healing in the name of Jesus, but to no avail. When nothing changed I became discouraged, and I asked the Lord why it was not working, but at first He did not answer. I knew there was something I was not getting right in the Spirit, so I simply endured the pain. One night the pain was too much and I could not sleep. I got out of bed and paced the floor, and because I did not want to disturb my wife, I went to my study to pray a little, returned to bed, and then went back to the study to pray again. I did this for about an hour and a half.

At around two in the morning, while I was praying, the Spirit of God rebuked me: "You're distracted by the pain. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, He that raised Him from the dead shall also quicken your mortal body by the same Spirit." I was not thinking these words; I was hearing them spoken to me. Being who I am, I replied, "I know, Lord, but I'm in pain, I'm tired of this feeling, and I want to sleep. I want relief." The Spirit answered, "Yes, by the same Spirit," and said nothing more. I was quiet for a while, and then I realised that I was still doing the very thing the Spirit had chastised: I was focusing on the pain and not on what He was saying. Suddenly I saw it. The Lord was drawing my attention to Himself and to His word, calling me to look away from what I was feeling and give Him my undivided attention. I learnt an invaluable lesson: consciousness of the Spirit is more important than we have understood. It is the key to accessing the resurrection power in the Spirit, and the secret to activating the ministry of the Spirit to our bodies and souls.

I stopped praying, went back to bed, and consciously minded the Spirit. I contemplated the words He had given me and focused on nothing else, and I became so engrossed in the consciousness of the Spirit that I did not notice the pain, nor the moment I fell asleep. When I woke, I was revitalised. It worked. Minding the Spirit achieved in a few minutes what a week of praying and commanding could not. True power in prayer, and in moving in the authority of God, lies in the consciousness of the Spirit.

According to Romans 8:5, carnal or spiritual living is regulated by the setting of the mind. The Greek word translated "minded" is phronema, whose root, phronesis, concerns a person's mental disposition, thought patterns and mentality. Phronema therefore refers to one's mental inclination, the way one is disposed to think about things. Phronema opens access into the dimensions of the Spirit and His possibilities; the gateway into the supernatural power of the Spirit is the development and configuration of the consciousness. The more conscious, or minded, you are of the things of the Spirit, the greater your access to the abilities and possibilities of the Spirit in your mind. Both the dianoia (the imaginative and emotional mind) and the logismos (the logical and intellectual mind) must participate if the soul is to enjoy the benefits of the ministry of the Spirit. Your mind is the switch to the life of the Spirit.

In Isaiah 26:3, peace and prosperity are the consequences of a person's yetzer, the mind, being set on the Lord. We have been deceived by the Babylonian system into thinking that to achieve wealth, security and stability one must study hard and gather degrees. Now, if men can achieve so much simply by setting their minds on books, imagine what would become of your life if you began using your mind for its original and loftiest purpose: to focus on the Lord and the things that are His. God destroyed the antediluvian generation in Genesis 6 because He looked on their yetzer, their imagination, and saw that it was continually inclined to evil. In Genesis 11, God saw the yetzer of the generation that began building the Tower of Babel and concluded that they would not be stopped unless He intervened, meaning that they would have erected a tower that reached into God. Today we see similar endeavours in the skyscrapers men build toward the heavens. God was saying that whatever the yetzer conceived was as good as done. The mind participates in the constant creation and framing of reality. If only we were taught to use the mind rightly, we would surely tap into the immortality brought to us by the indwelling Spirit of God.

Child of God, develop and practise a consciousness of the Spirit, and train your mind to be set on the Lord. Become obsessed with the things of the Spirit, put away every distraction, and commit to a soul that is minded on the Lord and the things of the Spirit, and the quality and experience of your life will change. Now you can understand why Jesus was as He was. While many factors may have contributed to His stature, one stands out: He was totally conscious of the Spirit, fully aware of His ministry and power. He was one with the Spirit.

Fellowship, koinonia, refers to a sharing together of minds, a symposium or synergy of consciousness. In any relationship, the foundation of fellowship is awareness of the other party. This is how we take hold of the indwelling Spirit: we mind Him daily in our lives. This will enrich your prayer, your life in the Word, your ministry, your family, and your career or business. May He become your goal.