MIND Drives The Bus S14e24 Phil4:11

Paul is telling a secret today.  He'll let us in on WHAT IS DRIVING THE BUS of his life. The choices are his EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES vs. his INTERNAL MIND.  He votes for "mind control" rather than being buffeted about by the winds of circumstances.

This is doable. It is learnable. It is knowable. It is a "secret" meant to be discovered (now you know ;-)) and then applied to all the crazy events of life.  

Listen 7 minutes as Paul declares for MIND CONTROL rather than CIRCUMSTANCE CONTROL over his life. bewithme.us@gmail.com or Google podcasts.  Please share, repost, talk about to others and comment here.

Transcript

Michael Smith: 0:00

Good morning, my brothers and sisters, welcome to episode 24. In the book of Philippians, in a podcast called Be with me, I'm going to title today the mind drives the bus, the mind drives the bus and the bus. And here's the thing is you are going to need this lesson when today. Now Paul says the secret to this lesson, it calls it a secret. So it's, you know, not everybody knows this, but it is noble, and you can learn it and you can control your mind. And in the end, we'll find out that the mind should be in is the thing that drives the bus of our life. Now, remember, Philippians is a book about setting the mind in a certain way, we have the mind of Christ, He says, set your mind to prayer and begging and supplication. And then set your mind and make it full of truth and whatever is honorable, whatever is just pure, lovely, commendable, etc. That was yesterday. And he's kind of chasing out anxiety by setting your mind and filling your mind with these good things. Now, he says to the Philippians, think about me and imitate me and practice what I do. There's a circumstance of need that Paul and Paul as that these guys are concerned about him, and possibly have no opportunity to, to give to him. So there's the situation of need. And he's they're going to come back to that in a couple of verses. But in the middle, here's the pearl that he gives about how you set your mind and what the secret is what drives so here's the big question for today is what drives the bus? When you are in need? Is this need affect your mind? Or does the mind affect the need? In which is primary? Is it what you set your mind on? Or is it the neat? So here it is. This is from Philippians chapter four, verse nine, what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. And that's kind of the end goal there. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. That now at length, you have revived, you're concerned for me, you were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity, not here. And then he's gonna go off in this little section here about about his his mind control in his mind driving the bus. Not that I'm speaking about being in need for I've learned, I've learned this in whatever situation good bad, I am to be content, this mind control, verse 12, I know how to be brought low. Again, he's gonna he's gonna talk about circumstances. And I know how to bow a bound in any and every circumstance, I have learned, again, from his head, his mind, the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and neat, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. So God is very concerned about the act of mind in Christian and likely as you face today, this very day, there's going to be an effort of your mind necessary to stay on track. Why because the situation is going to come up and you're going to be want to be turned sort of in the wrong direction. And you're going to have to have the the discipline and face a hardship or an attack or a doctrinal change, or some sort of deception where a failure of someone in your life, or maybe even a betrayal. In the key of this that the Paul says is this is something that I have learned, in other words, I It's the whole theme of Philippians, I have learned I can set my mind towards being content. So I know so again, setting his mind how to be brought low, I know how to abound. So his mind is, is leading the charge, whether loneliness or abundance, in every circumstance where there plenty abundance, hunger need, and he says this is a secret. So you got to set your mind this way learn the secret is discharge. The verse I can do all things through Him who strengthens me this is probably the most misinterpreted verse, one of the most misinterpreted verses in the Bible, and certainly with the most misinterpreted verse in Philippians. What it does not mean is that I can affect all circumstances, positively. That doesn't mean you can win every game if you're an athlete. What it does mean though, is that I can set my mind right, whether I'm winning the game, or losing the game, no matter what the scoreboard says. So no matter what the circumstances, I can do it. I can do the mind part of this, right. So does this mean in the context Paul is saying, Hey, watch me watch me in my actions, but also watch me in my mind. I have learned to be content I have learned towards to turn towards him. I have Learn to secret to abound in plenty to a bound in abundance, but also a bound mentally in hunger need when I am brought low? So does your Christian and Christianity say hey, I love being a Christian as long as I'm in a time of abundance. But what about the time of need and being brought low? Do you have a situationally dependent faith pulses don't do that. Do your circumstances affect your convictions? That is, so we're going to ask the big question today is who's driving the bus to external events, drive the bus and affect your internal controls. And if so, this is backwards, this is weak, this is being tossed to and fro. This is not standing firm. This is not setting your mind. And this is not being found in him no matter what. So he's saying, Don't do that. What he is saying is Paul is calling. And the Lord is calling, not just Paul is calling for, like mind control. The governance of our countenance of our peace with God at all times, is to be free from circumstances. So whether the circumstances are positive or low our countenance, our peace with the Lord is the same. Why? Because we've set we've learned, we know stuff. And that affects our bearing no matter what the circumstances. So in other words, the big summary is the mind is driving the bus of the circumstances, the mind is driving the bus to be content, no matter what the weather of the circumstances are. So I heard a friend say the other day, hey, I'm struggling, quote, unquote, and describe the circumstance. And exactly I was so so proud of him for saying that, because that is an external event and you know, could be a broken relationship or a money trouble or a death thing or something you don't understand or why is there evil? Or why is there tsunamis? Exactly. This is exactly where the Christian life is fought. bad circumstances. And then what are you going to do about your mind? What's driving the bus? Is it your mind? Or is it the circumstances and here's the big conclusion is what's driving the bus? Let's be on moved of mind, no matter what the circumstances. Let's have our mind drive the bus. Thank you for listening. Use this today.