“For who has known the mind of the LORD, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (I Cor. 2:16).
Our having the mind of the LORD means that we possess His intellect; we have His intellectual faculties and understanding; that we are able by His Spirit to perceive spiritual things. We can walk so intimately with our Creator that we can “know” Him and be completely one with Him. We can know what He is thinking and how He is feeling.
One of the most powerful Hebrew words in the Bible is the word yadah (to know).
Yadah is made up of three letters יָדַע
יָ – Yud (10th letter in Hebrew alphabet=a hand)
דַ – Dalet (4th letter in Hebrew alphabet = a door)
ע – Ayin (16th letter in Hebrew alphabet= an eye)
The Hebrew letters are telling a story. It is through our eyes (ayin) that we see a person and become acquainted with them. The word yadahis found in Gen. 4:1 where Adam “knew” Eve and she conceived. To have “yadah” means more than just seeing, but also touching (yud) and becoming one. As we gain spiritual knowledge about how to walk in a face-to-face relationship with the Father, He touches us. This is how we become fruitful in the earth. The door (dalet) is the entryway that makes it possible to have this relationship. We know the door to the Father is Yeshua. Our eyes are the windows to our soul. We gain experience by visually observing. This is where knowledge comes from. This is how we begin to have the mind of Christ.
Jesus teaches us that He was able to do nothing of Himself. He was only able to do what He SAW the Father do and what He HEARD the Father say. (John 5:19) Jesus only moved as He was taught by the Father and as He got His orders. He spent intimate time alone with the Father. As the voice of the Father came to Him, He was able to accomplish the Father’s will. It is the same with us. Deut. 28:1 says that if “YOU” will hear the voice of the LORD you will be set on high, blessed in the city and country, blessed in your body, blessed in your storehouse, have the treasury of Heaven open upon you, etc. Is there a catch to this promise? Yes, and it is that no one can hear the voice of the LORD for you. You have to put in the time and effort to know Him yourself through reading His Word and talking with Him in prayer.
NATURAL VERSUS SPIRITUAL
If we continue to walk according to the dictates of our soul, we will not be able to receive the things of the Spirit of God. In fact, the things of God will become foolish to us. If we remain soulish, we will not be able to comprehend the language of the Spirit of God. (I Cor. 2:14) When God speaks to us, He expects us to obey His voice. He desires to speak face to face to us by His Spirit. The Israelites asked Moses to speak to God for them. What they were actually asking was to have a second-hand relationship with God. (Exod. 20:18-19) A second-hand relationship means that one would rather not spend time listening to the Father, but gain information only through others. After a while, such a person will become weakened and eventually powerless and unfruitful.
The LORD is inviting us in this new year to walk so closely with Him that we perceive His very thoughts. We CAN possess the intellect of the living God. Some may ask “How do I do this and how is this possible?”
Joshua relayed to us all the information we need to accomplish this. “This book of the law (instruction) shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success” (Jos. 1:8). Hebraically, “good success” is the word “sakal” meaning to be intelligent, skillful, prosperous and expert.
