Now we know that God is Spirit (John 4:24). And from the living Word of God, the Spirit of God also tells us, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, THERE IS FREEDOM.” (2 Corinthians 3:17). So, clearly then, when it comes to the incredible blessing and treasure that is a "man’s freedom”, be it freedom from chains and captivity, or from trials and tribulations, "the key" to that freedom is to get the Spirit of the Lord to be where ever we need our freedom. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The question that naturally follows, then, is: "HOW do we get the Spirit of the Lord to be where we need freedom?" In Romans 12:2, the inspiration of the Spirit tells each of us, “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds.” So, firstly, if our mind is spirit, then where our mind is, the spirit is also. Where the mind goes, the spirit goes. So if our mind locks onto somebody's need, our spirit goes there along with our mind. Whatever we meditate upon or think of, THAT’s where the spirit goes. In the same way then, if "man’s" mind is spirit, and we are made in "the image and likeness" of God, then it stands to reason that where the mind of Christ is, that "His" Spirit will be there also.

In the natural, man has always had to apply "his mind" to the various challenges of life. In the same way, the answer of getting the Spirit of the Lord to be "where we need it", is to get the "mind of Christ" there too. For, if the mind of Christ is thinking upon something, it stands to sound reason that if God, who is Spirit, is thinking upon something, then His Spirit will naturally also be there. So in order to get the Spirit of Christ to where we need it to be, we just need to get "the attention" of His mind. And so, having said that, the question, therefore, is: "HOW do we get the attention of Christ's mind?"

If our mind is spirit, the answer to getting the attention of Christ's mind is prayer. Because prayer arrests the Spirit of Christ. And if it arrests the Spirit of Christ, it therefore arrests the mind of Christ too. Like Jacob, we need to wrestle and contend in the spirit of our minds (pray) in order to apprehend the full attention of the Spirit of Christ, so that having apprehended the Spirit of Christ, we may fully arrest the attention of His mind. When it came to receiving his blessing from the Lord, Jacob put "his mind" to it, and he would not relent until the Lord blessed him. For when we do apprehend the Spirit of Christ, we also arrest the Spirit of "wisdom and understanding", the Spirit of "counsel and might", and the Spirit of "the knowledge and the fear of the Lord" (reverence; disinclination to quench or grieve the Spirit). And the spirit of Jacob’s mind fully grasped and understood this.

When it comes to the final authority that can, single-handedly, set man’s mind, soul and body "entirely free" from "anything and everything" that holds them captive and defeated, what better “attributes" of ability would one need to invite to the challenges of life more so than the wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, and the knowledge and fear of the Lord ? As such, until Jacob received his blessing, even when daybreak loomed, after he had already been wrestling all night with God, and even though Jacob was then also encouraged by the angel to now relent, he simply refused to relent from wrestling with the Lord, and instead, remained absolutely determined to sit, in place and unmoved, at "the feet of the Lord".

In the same way, have you ever wondered why Mary also sat at the Lord's feet, and why she took the perfumed oil and specifically anointed “His feet” of all things, and not "His head", as per custom? And why it was also “perfumed oil” (John 12:3)? It was specifically at His feet that she sat, because it is at “His feet” that we are to place all our burdens. It was also specifically perfumed oil, because perfume represents the fragrance of the prayers of man "going up before God". “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God from the angel's hand.” (Revelation 8:4). It was "His feet" that she anointed with oil because it is at “His feet” that we bring our petitions. It was His feet that she anointed, because the earth is “His footstool”, and heaven is “His throne”. “This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will BUILD for me? Where will my RESTING PLACE be?”” (Isaiah 66:1). We are to build a "place of habitation" (house) for the LORD in "in our prayers". He inhabits our prayers. His "resting place" will be "in granting" our petitions and needs, for isn't it true that a person can only "rest"once the challenge of the day is "fully behind them"? "The earth is His footstool" means that from His throne in heaven, He has full authority over all matters of the earth. Every principality, and power, and might and dominion is under His feet (Ephesians 1:21). Which means that every realm, and authority and domain of the earth is under His foot. “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

And forget not that it is also under His foot that He crushed "the head of the serpent" (Genesis 3:15). the one who prevails WITHOUT MERCY (opposite of Jesus) and who prevails relentlessly against man with all manner of torment, accusation and trial. And God will also crush Satan "under our feet too" (Romans 16:20). But He crushes Satan under our feet only when we pray (which is to bow at the feet of the Lord). For to pray is the right thing to do. And to pray is to sit at the feet of the Lord. And it will not be taken from us. Just like Mary had chosen the right thing, and it would NOT be taken from her. The living Word, the handbook of all life instruction, also tells us: “But there is a place (prayer) where someone has testified: "What is mankind that you are mindful of them(have the attention of His mind), a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honour and put EVERYTHING under their feet." In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them (that falls outside of their remit and authority to command). Yet at present WE DO NOT SEE everything subject to them.” (Hebrews 2:6-8). Yet at present, we do not see everything subject to man, because we pray, "but do not pray aright". (Matthew 6:6; James 4:3). God IS mindful of the sons of man. We DO have His attention. God DOES care for mankind. Setting man free is "His crowning glory and honour". “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4). Compared with the glory of the heavens, the moon and the stars, we are not only God’s masterpiece, but we are His sons and daughters. THAT is why He minds. THAT is why He cares.

However, have you ever wondered why we do not see the evidence of everything "being subject to us"? Which is the same way as saying why some of our prayers go unanswered? And it's not because we DON'T pray, because we HAVE prayed. The question is why some of our “prayers” go unanswered, which implies that prayer has taken place. It’s because we don’t also “sit at the feet of the Lord”, like Mary did. To sit at His feet denotes the practice of "standing", or “waiting on Him”. Jacob waited on God “until” He got His answer. Even if it meant waiting all night through to the next day. Our prayers sometimes don’t get answered, because we just pray, and before giving the LORD a chance to say anything, as soon as our one-sided conversation is complete, we simply just get up off our knees and effectively "turn our back on Him", and simply walk away. We shift from "being Mary", who chose the right thing that would not be taken away from her, to "being Martha", who instead of waiting on the LORD, gets busy with the things of life. To wait on God is "sitting at the feet of Jesus", like Mary. Not to just pray and then get up and walk away. But to pray, and then wait on Him for an answer. To wait on the LORD is “to stand”. In the bible, God tells us “to stand” many times, that when we are finished doing everything (praying), to stand, not walk away. That means to wait on Him. “Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes (when our need is upon us), you may be able to stand your ground (to pray), and AFTER you have DONE EVERYTHING, to stand (wait on Him).” (Ephesians 6:13). How many times do we get down on our knees and pray, blurt out our one sided conversation, and then don’t have the decorum or the civility to wait for a response? THIS is often why our prayers don’t get answered, because we walk away and get busy with day before we allow Him to reply or respond.

When "the need" of our neighbour is upon us, we are "to stand" our ground by praying without ceasing, and when we have done everything, we are "to stand" and wait on Him. For it is when we "WAIT on the LORD", that we stand "in the counsel" of the LORD. “For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? Who hath marked his word, and heard it?” (Jeremiah 23:18). So "who" HASstood in the counsel of the Lord? The Hebrew word “stood” means "to stand with someone", as well as "to stand in an office (intercessor)" and "be a pillar (be unmovable)". The Hebrew word “counsel” is the same word translated as “secret” in Amos 3:7. By asking, “Who has stood in the counsel of the Lord", which is to hear from the mind of Christ, the Lord is asking “Who has been in My secret counsel to know what is on My heart? Who is ready to stand in My “Spirit of counsel and night” (Isaiah 11:2) and partner with Me and My throne by being raised up and seated with Me in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), and out of this "secret place" of prayer and intercession, where I reveal My heart, and My plans, and My intentions for those who are in captivity, plans to prosper you and not harm you (Jeremiah 29:11), plans and intentions for My people of setting the captives free? Who will wait on Me so that they may hear My heart’s desire, and stand as a pillar, as a watchman and an intercessor, and connect the governmental kingdom of Heaven to its footstool, the earth?”

This is why we are to "wait at His feet", because we are to first PLACE our petitions (for both our neighbours, and for ourselves) at His feet, because it is under His feet that He has the whole earth as His footstool. And, then, we are to SIT at His feet, which is "the right thing" to do, which is osmething that will NEVER be taken from us, and to just STAND, and then "having stood, stand some more", and just wait on Him. Prayer is the supreme endeavour of life. And prayer is the seedtime of a fruitful life. And the prayer of faith is the homing beacon to all that is our rich inheritance and promise in the Lord. The "office of a praying man" is the "office of a change agent". A relationship is always a “two way” endeavour. BOTH parties get to speak, and in the case of prayer specifically, not just man. First one speaks, and then waits on the other to speak. And in the same way, love is by the design of giving, a two-way model too. It's the "love of TWO" in both the UNION of fellowship (in spirit) and in the UNITY of community (in truth) that always has the victory, that always prevails, and that is ultimately an overcomer. It’s when we have "done everything" (arrested the mind of Christ through prayer), and have done so "in love", that the relationship between man’s spirit and God’s Spirit, and between man’s and God’s Spirit of counsel and might, that then frees man from EVERY captivity and places it under their feet.
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“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:18-21).

So then, when we pray, if we have then arrested and apprehended "the mind of Christ", we then take Christ’s mind right to the very thing situation or person we are interceding for. And we put that matter both front and centre of Jesus' mind. When we pray for any particular need, we bring His mind right to that person, or right to that need, where He "sees nothing else", and is then personally engaged "with all of His mind" with the person and their need, or the situation. But here's the amazing thing. God tells us we all already have the mind of Christ!! For the irrefutable Word of God, that is inspired by the very same Spirit, tell us this. "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we HAVE the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16). Which is to also have the spirit of "a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7), and not the spirit of a mind of fear. And with that soundness of mind, we then also have the Spirit of "wisdom and knowledge", the Spirit of "counsel and might", and the Spirit of "the knowledge and the fear of the LORD" (reverence), all working together, hand-in-hand, on the matter before Him, being together the fullness of the most perfect mind of all and all it's might, both front and centre before our need, interceding on behalf of our petitions, so that where His Spirit is, THERE IS TRUE FREEDOM.x

It is by living and walking in “the way, and the truth, and the life” that is living authentically, that we then live and walk, in both spirit and truth, in the mind of Christ. And when we then pray for our neighbour or ourselves, whatever we think on, the Spirit of the Lord is there also, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

“The way” is 2 Timothy 3:16. “The truth” is John 3:16. And “the life” is Luke 3:16. All three scriptures are “triplets of 3:16”. “The way” is the Word, which is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be "PERFECT", THOROUGHLY FURNISHED unto "ALL GOOD WORKS". Which is thoroughly furnished to "pray aright". Which is to pray in such a way and manner that "our prayers get answered". Which is to wrestle with God without ceasing, and like Jacob, to wait on Him, and not let go until you get your blessing. That like Jesus before us, we may all be sons of the Father of John 3:16 . And so that, like Jacob before us, we may all also be called Israel. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). “The truth” is that for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish (be captive unto death) but have eternal life (have their complete freedom). And “the life” is to not only be baptized with water, but to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. “John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is “more powerful” than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16).

When our hearts are “in agreement” with Him, and our lifestyles show “the truth” of that agreement, our lives become a “living worship”. And those who worship Him must worship Him "in spirit" and "in truth" (John 4:24). For then, when we pray (for our neighbours and ourselves) as a watchman on the walls of Jerusalem, whatever we ask for in prayer, it will be done. "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24). And when it comes to be perfect for every good work, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these (set the captives free), because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:12).

For I AM the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6), that the man of God may be PERFECT, THOROUGHLY FURNISHED UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS.

The 7 I AM's in John's gospel from the great “I AM”:

John 6:35 - I AM the bread of life!
John 9:5 - I AM the light of the world!
John 10:9 - I AM the door!
John 10:11 - I AM the good shepherd!
John 11:25 - I AM the resurrection and the life!
John 14:6 - I AM the way the truth and the life!
John 15:1 - I AM the true vine!

And the 8th is:
I AM coming...

#LoveIsAsLoveDoes