Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. 7[That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot. 8 So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.  Romans 8:6-8 AMP

Without Christ in your life, your mind is carnal, fleshly, and worldly. Even if you do receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, you still need to renew your mind to the word and submit it to both your own recreated spirit and the working of the Holy Spirit so that you can please God, have peace of mind, and live a godly life.

And you [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins 2 In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]. 3 Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings].

We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God–so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).  Ephesians 2:1-5 AMP

Before you met Christ, you were dead in your sin. If you had died physically, you would have gone straight to hell. Sin and darkness reigned in your spirit, your mind, and your body. You did not know any better. You were just imitating everyone around you and following the ways of the world. You were under the influence of society and demon spirits, your behavior governed by your corrupt and sensual nature; obeying the impulses of your flesh and the thoughts of your mind. Your cravings were dictated by your senses and your sinful imaginations. However, because God loved you so much, He sent Jesus Christ to take your place, to bear your sin and your judgment. You were in Him when He died and in Him when He was made alive. Because of Jesus, your life is redeemed – the first step toward peace of mind and freedom from the devil and the world’s system.

Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 AMP

Some people are born again, but they have never given their mind and flesh completely over to the Lord. They are still in bondage to sin, death, and the devil. Sin is deceptive – it promises freedom and happiness, but it delivers only bondage, fear, and darkness. If you want to walk free from the bondage of a carnal mind, you need to make some choices. No one else can choose for you. You are the only one who can make these choices for you.

You need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior in every area of your life: you need to choose to believe God’s word; you need to make a decision to walk free from sin and death; you need to strip off your former nature (your old unrenewed self) that was corrupted through the lusts and desires that spring from delusion; you need to choose life. You need to make a decision to allow God’s word access into your life, daily, to change everything in you and, therefore, everything in your life. You need to work constantly to renew your mind and refresh your attitude. You need to put on your new nature – which is created in God’s image – in true righteousness and holiness, by obeying God’s word.

Ephesians 5:26 AMP says that Christ sanctifies the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things and so that she might be holy and faultless. Submit yourself to the word. Allow it to penetrate you heart and mind and change you from the inside out. The more you submit your life to the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, the more freedom and peace are released into you!

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 AMP

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 Because we know that Christ (the Anointed one), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. Romans 6:8-9 AMP

I have been crucified with Christ. I was in Jesus when He died on the cross. I was in Jesus when He was raised from the dead. Death no longer has any power over me. The moment my faith connects with His promise, this becomes my reality. I am transformed from the inside out – a new creature in Christ. My life is not governed merely by external regulations, but it is led, guided and prompted by the Holy Spirit. I don’t live a life dictated and controlled by the flesh. I no longer fear the wrath of God. I live a life of absolute faith and implicit trust with one goal – to please Him and only Him.

I am not perfect yet – I am a work in progress. However, the more I come to know Him; the more I come into a revelation of His word, His character, and His plan for me – the more I realize how awesome He is, the more I fall in love with Him, and the more I commit my life into His hands. I no longer live just for me, I live for Him and He lives big on the inside of me. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live here in the flesh, on the earth, I live by faith in my precious Lord and Savior, Who loved me so much He gave me His all – He gave Himself up for me.

For me to live is Christ [His life in me], and to die is gain [the gain of the glory of eternity]. 22 If, however, it is to be life in the flesh and I am to live on here, that means fruitful service for me; so I can say nothing as to my personal preference [I cannot choose], 23 But I am hard pressed between the two. My yearning desire is to depart (to be free of this world, to set forth) and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; 24 But to remain in my body is more needful and essential for your sake. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and stay by you all, to promote your progress and joy in believing, 26 So that in me you may have abundant cause for exultation and glorying in Christ Jesus, through my coming to you again. Philippians 1:21-26 AMP

I am in love with Jesus. I have a revelation of what it means to have everlasting life. I will never die, but I will live eternally in God’s presence. I have eternal life right now. If my body dies, I (my spirit) will live on with Him forever. I already died the death of the cross the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. That old man is dead. That old sin nature is dead. No one can ever steal from me my resurrection life, purchased with the precious blood of the Lamb. I have glimpsed eternity and I am no longer afraid of death.

Because I have crucified my flesh and counted the things of earth as dung, it makes no difference to me if I live here or if I live in heaven. My heart’s desire is rather to be in His glorious presence, but while I still live here on earth, there is work to be done. It is better for those who need Jesus that I remain and labor in the harvest field. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Either way I win!

None of us lives to himself [but to the Lord], and none of us dies to himself [but to the Lord, for] 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For Christ died and lived again for this very purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Romans 14:7-9 AMP

Whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord. We don’t live for ourselves alone – we are accountable to Him. Whether we live or die, we will always belong to Him. We no longer live to and for ourselves, but to and for Him, Who died and was raised again for our sake.

For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] one died for all, then all died; 15 And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 AMP

For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake and make tremble the [starry] heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations and the desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house [with its successor, to which Jesus came] shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:6-9 AMP

God says, “I will shake the nations and the desire and the precious things – the treasures – of all nations shall come in.” Come in where? Come into the hands of the just.

A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up. Proverbs 13:22 AMP

The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just! This treasure will come into the hands of the righteous, who have been faithful with their tithes and offerings.

Will a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob or defraud You? [You have withheld your] tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with the curse, for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:8-12 AMP

God says that His people rob and defraud Him when they withhold their tithes and offerings. Notice that not only do they rob Him by holding back tithes, but they rob Him by holding back offerings too. A tithe is a tenth – the first tenth – of your income and it goes to the place where you get fed the Word of God. If you don’t have a church, you really need to find one. Wherever you are getting fed is where your tithe needs to go. Then – once you have paid your tithe – don’t forget to pray about your offerings and cheerfully sow them into good ground.

If you are stingy, selfish and covetous, not only will you be robbing God, but you will be robbing yourself. It is so important that you and I are faithful with our giving to ensure that we are positioned appropriately for this great end-time transfer of wealth! The purpose of this end-time transfer is for the funding of the end-time harvest – to bring in the greatest harvest of souls that the world has ever seen and the end-time purposes of God will be made manifest!

So be patient, brethren, [as you wait] till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. [See how] he keeps up his patient [vigil] over it until it receives the early and late rains. James 5:7 AMP

The husbandman (the farmer) waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth. The precious fruit of the earth is people and it is going to take a great release of finances to get the job done!

Come now, you rich [people], weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming upon you. 2 Your abundant wealth has rotted and is ruined, and your [many] garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are completely rusted through, and their rust will be testimony against you and it will devour your flesh as if it were fire. You have heaped together treasure for the last days. James 5:1-3 AMP

The rich people, who trust in their riches rather than in God, have heaped together treasures for the last days. These are the last days! It is now time to see the release of these finances into the hands of God’s ambassadors so the nations can be shaken by the power of God! God says, “The silver and the gold are mine” and also that He is going to fill this glorious end-time church with splendor. God is going to bless His church in a major way, but only as they obey Him and make His priority their priority. As we, the Church, go to shake the nations, God will fill His Church with His splendor and place the silver and the gold into our hands.

The wealth of the sinner is coming into the hands of God’s people for God’s purposes! Make sure that you are doing your part so that God can do His part and the nations will be shaken!

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12 NIV

So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.  Isaiah 55:11 AMP

Rodney Howard Browne shows us that God’s Word is alive and active and it is always productive and prosperous. When God wants to do something, He speaks it and it happens. There is power in His Word! God’s Word always produces and what it produces is always positive and always good. It is never useless, ineffective, or unproductive when it comes out of God’s mouth. God’s Word accomplishes what He pleases and purposes and it prospers in the thing for which He sends it. If you believe God’s Word and speak it in faith, it will produce for you too.

The devil knows the awesome power of the Word of God and he knows that he is powerless before, and defeated by, the Word. He does not want you to know the power of God’s Word, because you will use it against him to thwart his evil plans and to defeat him, and so he works to a) keep you ignorant of God’s Word, b) to get you to mix it in and dilute it with religion and tradition, and c) for you not to believe in it. 

IGNORANCE
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Hosea 4:6a AMP

God’s Word is the evidence that God is in control and that the devil is defeated. The Word gives you the key to being free of the devil’s influence and control and the key to living a victorious life. If you don’t know what God’s Word says, you don’t know what your rights and privileges are and you have no knowledge and no ability to defend yourself against the devil, giving him an opportunity to destroy your life.

RELIGION AND TRADITION
But He said to them, Excellently and truly [so that there will be no room for blame] did Isaiah prophesy of you, the pretenders and hypocrites, as it stands written: These people [constantly] honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far distant from Me. 7 In vain (fruitlessly and without profit) do they worship Me, ordering and teaching [to be obeyed] as doctrines the commandments and precepts of men. 8 You disregard and give up and ask to depart from you the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men [keeping it carefully and faithfully]. 9 And He said to them, You have a fine way of rejecting [thus thwarting and nullifying and doing away with] the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition (your own human regulations)! 10 For Moses said, Honor (revere with tenderness of feeling and deference) your father and your mother, and, He who curses or reviles or speaks evil of or abuses or treats improperly his father or mother, let him surely die. 11 But [as for you] you say, A man is exempt if he tells [his] father or [his] mother, What you would otherwise have gained from me [everything I have that would have been of use to you] is Corban, that is, is a gift [already given as an offering to God], 12 Then you no longer are permitting him to do anything for [his] father or mother [but are letting him off from helping them]. 13 Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing.  Mark 7:6-13 AMP

Rodney Howard Browne teaches us that Religious tradition is the invention of man, not God. The devil uses tradition to dilute the Word of God and also to distract people from what is truly important. People worship God, but the Word says that they do it in vain when they reject the commandment of God and cling to religious tradition. Religious tradition nullifies the Word of God and makes it ineffective in your life, opening a door for the devil to keep you defeated and in bondage.   

UNBELIEF
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.  Hebrews 4:2 KJV

The Word of God can be preached to you, but unless you believe it and have faith in it then it is dead to you – it will not profit you or benefit you and it will have no value to you. You have to mix faith with the Word of God.

What do you need to do to prosper and be blessed as God has planned for you? A) Study God’s Word and His commandments – believe them, receive them, obey them, and do them. B) Focus on God’s Word and keep your attention on it. Do not allow religious tradition to distract you or disarm you. Keep God’s Word in your mind and heart and mouth. C) Speak it in faith and see it go forth and produce good fruit as you promote God’s will and His kingdom on the earth.

No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely). 14 Now the Pharisees, who were covetous and lovers of money, heard all these things [taken together], and they began to sneer at and ridicule and scoff at Him. 15 But He said to them, You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted and highly thought of among men is detestable and abhorrent (an abomination) in the sight of God.  Luke 16:13-15 AMP

Jesus says that a person cannot serve these two masters – God and mammon. Mammon is riches, money, possessions, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely. God and mammon are diametrically opposed to each other and you will always end up choosing one over the other. When you choose to serve one you are in effect rejecting the other. Nobody can avoid this choice. Every single person on the earth makes the choice either for God or their stuff. You cannot love God and love mammon. You cannot trust in mammon and trust in God at the same time. If you trust in mammon it is because you do not trust God to supply what you need or to take care of you.

If you truly trust in God, then you will not be dependant on money or possessions – it makes no difference to you whether you have any or not – you know that God will take care of you on a daily basis. If you do not trust God to take care of you and supply your needs, you will be clinging to your mammon for dear life. The Pharisees were supposed to be spiritual leaders, but they did not love God anywhere near as much as they loved money. The very reason that they were angry and offended at Jesus is because they were covetous and lovers of money. If they were not, they would not have been offended at all. Jesus hit the nail on the head and exposed their sin and so they reacted violently. Instead of receiving the word and humbling their hearts before God, they derided Jesus – they sneered at Him, ridiculed Him, and scoffed at Him. This is a religious spirit.

A religious spirit hates it when you talk about money and giving and being a blessing. A religious spirit makes the appearance of being humble, but in reality it is very proud at heart. A religious spirit makes the appearance of honoring God, but it is serves and promotes itself. A religious spirit makes the appearance of obeying God, but it does what it thinks is right without asking God what He wants. Many religious people are sincere, but they have been taught wrong principles and ideas by their religious leaders and they just don’t know what the word of God actually says about their situation.

The devil likes to cloak himself in religion and deceive people into rejecting the living word of God that will break bondages and bind him up. The devil knows that if you tithe, God will rebuke him and not allow him to destroy you or your family. The devil knows that if you get a hold of God’s word and begin to put God first in your life and begin to obey Him in your giving, that God will begin to bless and prosper you. The devil is going to try to prevent people from getting to the truth because when they know the truth, they will realize that they can take authority over him!

Colossians 3:5 AMP says, “So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God).”  Covetousness is idolatry. You worship money and stuff instead of God. 1 Timothy 6:10 AMP says that, “the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.” Covetousness will cause you to sin – to be jealous of what others have, to steal from them, to lie, and even to kill. The devil wants to control and destroy you and if he can get you to make mammon your idol, he can do both!

Luke 12:15 AMP says, “And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man’s life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs.”  Covetousness, according to the Amplified Bible, is the immoderate desire for wealth and the greedy longing to have more. Covetousness will cause you to reject God in your pursuit of possessions. The most important thing you need is eternal life and this you can only get from God. Money cannot buy salvation. The devil knows this and this is why he tries to fill you with either fear or arrogance or both – so that you will keep your focus on your stuff and trust in your stuff and neglect to pursue God, Who holds the key to heaven and your freedom.   

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God]  Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor  give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not,[I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor  let [you] down ( relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]  Hebrews 13:5 AMP

For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect). 18 For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.  1 Corinthians 1:17-18 AMP

The message of the Gospel is so simple, so powerful, and so anointed that it does not need to be preached with fancy words in order to be effectively communicated to people. People whose hearts are not open to the Gospel story think that it is absurd nonsense, but those who have opened their hearts to the Gospel and received it, through faith, have seen and experienced the manifestation of the power of God.

For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing. 20 Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world’s wisdom? 21 For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).  1 Corinthians 1:19-21 AMP

God cannot be found in the multitude of man’s philosophy. Philosophy is a product of the human brain – the carnal mind. They see the Gospel as mere foolishness. The more they try to understand God, the less they do understand Him. The carnal mind is an enemy of God. Romans 8:6-7 AMP says, “Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot.” Unless you approach the Gospel with an open mind and a heart of faith, you will never receive it or understand it. Philosophy wants to figure it out and understand it before it believes it, but faith simply receives and accepts it as it is, and therefore understands it.

For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom, 23 We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense. 24 But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God. 25[This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:22-25 AMP

Unbelief will blind your eyes to the truth. The Jews had already decided how the Messiah would come and what He would do. Because of their preconceived ideas and religious conceit, their eyes were blinded to the truth. The Jews closed their minds and would not accept Jesus for Who He was – they did not consider or recognize the fruit of His ministry before or after His death – and they refused to believe that He was Who He said He was. Even though He performed miracles in front of their very eyes, they were not satisfied. Instead of believing in Him for the miracles they had seen, they asked for more miracles. As the saying goes, “There are none so blind, as those who will not see.”  The truth cannot be found by those who do not want to know or acknowledge the truth.

The Gospel is diametrically opposed to human wisdom, which has its source in carnality and worldliness. Human wisdom is contaminated by sin, demonic ideas and the lusts of the flesh. The Gentiles value human philosophy, education and intellectual pursuits, which do not accommodate the truth of the Gospel. They stumble over the simplicity of the Gospel. They are so much “in their head” that they cannot receive the truth that is right in front of their face. They have set ideas and cannot receive anything that goes against their view of life. They do not leave room for anything different from what they already perceive as truth. Because they can’t make sense of it, they do not appreciate its value.

God never does things in a certain way just because we expect Him to and He is not limited to our idea of Him. It is we who must open up our hearts and accept and believe His word just as it is. It is we who must receive Him for Who He says He is, by faith, in order to experience the power of His word in our lives.