A Stayed Mind

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Contents

Foreword..................................................5Back To The Basics........................................15Chapter 1 God's Plan For His Children.....................19Chapter 2 A Matter Of Choice..............................29Chapter 3 A Stayed Mind...................................50Chapter 4 Your Journey To Peace...........................68Epilogue..................................................77Thank You.................................................79Booking & Other Information...............................81

Chapter One

God created man in His image. (Genesis 1:27) In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lived a life of plenty. Everything they wanted was at their disposal. Even God was present. In return, He trusted Adam and Eve to follow His instructions.

This beginning of man is the ideal plan God has for all of us. God is our Father and we should live a life that makes others recognize Him in our lives. We do the same with our natural fathers. I have my natural father's skin color and hair color. I am sure that everyone in some way resembles their natural father whether they know him or not. But, above all we have a Heavenly Father, the maker of us all whose Word promises,

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up." ~ Psalm 27:10

Thus, as Christians and children of the Most High God, we are to resemble our Heavenly Father. We should have a creative spirit. He created the world for us and made sure that His creation would benefit all of mankind. The trees, seas, oceans, lands, animals and even man benefit all of us in some way or another. The best way for us to do this is to seek God for our purpose and be sure that our ministry is creative and benefits others. There is a way to honor God in all that we do.

We should also keep the presence of God in our lives. This is a great Christian debate. I have been in churches where they teach that this is impossible. Holiness is impossible. A life without sin is impossible. These are lies from someone who is disgusted with their personal walk with God and has never taken the time to study and grow in the things of God. I have always taught my students that God is not a lier. Therefore, if His Word says you can do it, you can do it. If His Word says you can be it, you can be it. If His Word commands it, you can accomplish it. God takes His super and puts it with our natural to give us the supernatural power to overcome our enemies.

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." I John 4:4

Yes! What great victory! We have overcome. As we abide and rest in His presence, He gives us power and strength. We even have victory over those things mentioned in I John 2:16,

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

In everyday life, God has a place. In how we wake up, speak to people, handle business, discipline children, monitor spending, promote health, pray and rest. The problem is some have convinced themselves that God is not needed in every area because they think they can handle it alone. This is a dangerous lie because it causes people to get comfortable relying upon a force with vast incapabilities and issues-ourselves. Instead, we should rely on the Maker of us all. When I have an issue with an appliance, I don't rely on what I think will work. I go to the manual from the maker. NOTE: The maker not only can tell you how to deal with the current issue, but can give you insight of further benefits of the product as well. As Christians, the Bible is our Maker's Manual.

And, as Children of God, we should be obedient to Him and His Word as a way of praise. Our way of saying thank you for life is by living a life of holiness. Our way of saying thank you for our resources is by tithing and blessing others. Our way of saying thank you for our children is by planting seeds of holiness and reverence that will pass on generation to generation.

Let's go further into Genesis 2.

"7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (KJV)

NOTE: Anything that you love should have rules. Rules allot children the knowledge that someone loves them enough to look out for them, keep them from danger and teach them how to look out for themselves.

Notice that the Creator has a responsibility to provide for the creation. We all should be living the Eden experience (if not for the fall of man which has created such an earthshake that some generations in many families are still feeling the tremors of the mistakes of our ancestors). These are also known as generational curses and can be changed by each generation making positive changes despite the debacles of the past.

Have you ever wondered why there are divorces in so many generations in your family, or why drugs, alcohol and abuse effects numerous generations. It's not just something that happens. It is a generational curse that we have the power to overcome.

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (KJV)

NOTE: In a perfect relationship, there is no shame. Each party can be open and honest with each other. That is how we should be with God. The truth is, we are the one's that don't always give our all in our relationships with God. Yet, He remains open and ready to love, heal and forgive. Hallelujah!

Just like Adam and Eve, man still does not have the true concept of the blessing of life we have been given. And Jesus came so that we can not only have life, but abundant life. (John 10:10) These and other gifts are available to the children of God. Most people give gifts to those they care about. This is another way we are like our Heavenly Father. The other side of that is accepting that gift is confirmation of receiving the love given in the gift. You have accepted the gift of life, now live a life that honors Christ.

Most relationships follow basic steps. 1. One party finds interest in another. 2. That party seeks the attention of the other. 3. The other party responds to their prompting. 4. There is an interview process (usually known as dating) where each party learns more about the other to see if they want to continue getting to know each other. 5. Courting comes next. This is where both parties have decided the relationship is worth the investment of more time and resources. 6. Engagement comes next; here, we see a pledge of a life long monogamous commitment. 7. Marriage is the step where each party continues to get to know each other despite changes in appearance, maturity and life. 8. This period is known as forever and signifies the continuance of love throughout life.

In the same manner, 1. God made man in His image to love and bless us. (Genesis 1:27) 2. He sent Jesus to die on the cross and cover the fall of man and every sin. 3. He has provided gathering places for us to know more about Him. NOTE: He already knows all about us. He is omniscient. 4. The natural progression of any Christian is confessing Him and wanting to get to know Him. This includes prayer. 5. The next step should be baptism if this has not already been covered. 6. Next, Christians should engage themselves in ministry. There are many auxiliaries in every church and God has a place for all of his children to utilize their gifts and talents. 7. Now is the step of consistency/ marriage. Stay focused and faithful in the church despite persecution, temptation, etc. until God lets you know that He wants you to move to another church. 8. This period is known as forever and signifies the continuance of love throughout life for God and His people.

Genesis 3 goes deeper. Stay with me. I want to lay the ground work for you to get everything you need from the scriptures and confessions in this book.

There are seven points you should learn from the Genesis 3 story. One, Satan works by putting thoughts into our minds. We do the rest of the job for him. Two, firsthand information is always the best. Three, secondhand information should be verified or ignored. Four, knowing the Word of God for yourself is paramount to your survival. Five, playing the blame game never works. Six, repentance is necessary for a fulfilling life in Christ Jesus. Seven, no matter what mistakes we make in life, God still loves us and will help us.

Genesis 3 1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (KJV)

You see, God forgives us, but many times that may not save us from the repercussions of our actions. Yet in the midst of it all, God provides blessings for us. Even though Adam and Eve sinned and had to leave the Garden of Eden, it was for their own good. This was done so they would not make a bigger mistake by eating from the tree of life and making themselves immortal. And God still blessed them by making clothes for them and continued to let them live off of the good of His resources; land, nature, animals.

You see, God's plan for His children is a life of blessing and plenty. Despite our sin, He still blesses and forgives us. We must build a closer relationship with Him by resisting sin and working hard to have a stayed mind. We must remember God loves us and His chastening saves us from making bigger, more costly mistakes. It may not always feel good, but it will work out for our good in the end. (Romans 8:28) After all, God is a faithful Father. (Hebrews 10:23)

Even greater still, we know have the benefit of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. This blood paid our ransom and won back our souls from Satan and the threat of hell and the grave. Hallelujah! Now when God sees us, it is through blood-stained glasses of grace.

Chapter Two

Philippians 4-7 ~ "4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

This chapter will start with Philippians 4, and I will refer to it as we continue study. First, let us discuss choice. Love is a gift available to all. People can choose to love others or not to love them. We can choose to love God or not to love Him. We can choose to listen to God or not to listen to God. In fact, this decision is the basis of Christianity.

As Christians, we choose to love God and follow His commandments. The word Christian simply means Christ-like. The first commandment is "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." ~ Mark 12:30 (KJV)

The second greatest commandment comes with the assumption that, as Christians, we love ourselves. We must pause here and handle this presumption noted in Mark 12:30-31.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."

While two commandments, three are spoken. First, love God above all else, with all that you are and have. This will, in turn, give you the power and confidence to love yourself because you are trying to live up to your full potential and reflect God's love. Thus, creating room for you to understand the concept of loving your neighbor as yourself and wanting the best for them. Try lending a helping hand and offering Christ to them.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from A Stayed Mindby V. C. White Copyright © 2010 by V. C. White. Excerpted by permission.
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