A Renewed Mind For A Revived Heart Series

A Renewed Mind. If you have experienced a revival of your soul then I want to make sure that you hear this…A Revived Heart needs the support and defense of a Renewed Mind. Maybe you are here today and you are struggling to hold on to the flame of your faith, the passion of your heart, and the determination of your soul. If that is you then I want to say the same to you in that “A Revived Heart needs the support and defense of a Renewed Mind.” What I mean by having a renewed mind is that we have our minds molded and shaped by the Certainty and Sovereignty of our God so that when everything around us seems like it is falling apart; our walk with Him does not.

Being Prepared for the Attacks. It has been my experience that one of the things that can quench the fire of revival in my own soul quicker than anything else is the trials and troubles of life. When things start going south around us the waters of worry, anxiety and doubt begins to drown out the fire of revival with us. Satan cannot do anything about the fact that the Church exists but the last thing he wants is for the Church to experience revival to the extent that we begin to turn this place upside down for the glory of Jesus Christ whereby we see people saved en masse, illnesses and diseases of all sorts healed, the most desperate of marriages restored, faith that began as the size of a mustard seed growing, and growing and growing more than you ever imagined it could especially being that it began so small, etc… Therefore, it comes as not surprise to us to understand that the more revived we are in spirit the more likely that it is that we are on the enemy’s radar for attack. It has been my experience that the closer I am walking with Jesus the more intense the attacks of the enemy are on me. The closer I walk with Jesus the more it seems like things seem to “go wrong” around me. The closer I walk with Jesus the more “bad news” seems to come my way. Think about Job! He was a man whom God was glad to testify about regarding his commitment to and love for Him and when He did that the enemy sent a whole lot of hell into his life in an attempt to “cool off” this man who was “on fire” for the Lord. Through it all Job never faltered in his faith in, devotion to and love for God because he lived from the foundation of a renewed mind. In the same way, if we want to maintain a revived heart for the Lord among us then we need to have a renewed mind.

Esther 4:14

A Quick Recap…If you are not familiar, or even if you are, with the message of the book that bears Esther’s name I want to provide for you the “cliff notes” of the book:

1. Chapter 1: The Queen Refuses to “Dance.” The king of Persia, King Ahasuerus, holds a party and he and all his “boys” get drunk. In his drunkenness he sends for his wife, Queen Vashti, and demands that she does a “dance” for the crowd. She refuses and the king, in order to save face, kicks her out of the palace.

2. Chapter 2: The Very First Episode of the Bachelor. The king needs a queen so a nation wide beauty contest is held. Esther, a Jewish girl who is living there with her people as exiles, is beautiful and selected to participate and she wins the whole thing!

a. An Assassination Plot Spoiled. Mordecai discovers a plot to assassinate the king. He informs Esther who in turn informs the king. The king is spared and will recall Mordecai’s kindness in the days to come.

3. Chapter 3: Haman Promoted and Plots. A man by the name of Haman the Agagite is promoted in the king’s service to a very prominent position. It is said of his promotion that his throne was set above all the officials that were serving with him in the king’s presence. All of the king’s officials are ordered to bow down and pay homage to Haman. They were to all do this at the gates of the king’s palace which is where Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, hung out during the day. Mordecai does not join in the procession of those who are bowing down to Haman and Haman gets mad. He is so angry that he does not see it sufficient to simply pour out his anger on Mordecai but devises a plan whereby Mordecai and all his people would be extinguished. It was not enough for Haman to take out Mordecai the Jew. His anger was such that he wanted to take out Mordecai the Jew and all the Jews.