What is Your Mindset?

Do you ever stop and think about Heaven? In your mind is it a floating place out there that contains our loved ones that we will get to see again one day? Is it a real place or a nice to think about place? Are people on clouds passing time, or are they gathered around the throne room worshipping non stop? Is it a place that some get into or all get into? 

I think for me, as a child, Heaven was a nice place. We all wore robes and sang songs of praise and were extremely nice to each other. I accepted Jesus into my heart at a very young age, and I have been in church my whole life. However, growing up, there were many well meaning people around me that were so caught up in Jesus coming back and the rapture and Jesus rescuing the children of God from this world, talk of Heaven was actually not very appealing to me. I really didn’t have a desire to hunker down and wait for Jesus’ return. I knew I had a purpose for being on this planet and I wanted to find it. Can you relate?

As I grew older and my relationship with Jesus became a very personal one, my view of Heaven changed. I think many of us live from Earth to Heaven. Meaning, many of us see Heaven through Earth’s understanding. How can it be possible that there is no bitterness, resentment, anger, unforgiveness in Heaven? If I am struggling with forgiving someone here on Earth, how will it magically disappear in Heaven? What if I see that person I cannot forgive in Heaven? Surely I will still have these feelings I have here on Earth toward them when I see them in Heaven. These are very Earth bound view points we all struggle with. We often see things from the perspective of the here and now rather than an eternal purpose.

When Jesus came to Earth, He presented a whole new perspective. He presented a Heavenly perspective. He showed over and over how things work in Heaven.  There is no sickness in Heaven therefore Jesus healed the sick. There are no demonically oppressed or possessed in Heaven therefore Jesus cast out demons and delivered people of demonic oppression. There is no lack in Heaven so Jesus multiplied. Remember the story of the loaves and fishes? There is no death in Heaven so Jesus raised people from the dead. Jesus viewed Earth through a Heavenly lens. 

After Jesus was baptised and then led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, He emerges and begins His official ministry. Matthew 4:17 tells us that one of the first things He proclaims is “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Passion Translation says, “Keep turning away from your sins and come back to God, for heaven’s kingdom realm is now accessible.” Jesus is telling people right away, repent, meaning change the way you think about things. I have come not just from Heaven but with Heaven. My kingdom is now on earth and close enough to touch. If you continue with your old ways of thinking, you will not understand the things I want to tell you and show you. 

The Jewish people had waited a long time for Jesus. There were so many prophecies about Him. They had hope knowing one day He would come. However, like so many of us with prophecies, they filtered the prophecies through their own Earthly understanding. They thought when Jesus came He would establish an Earthly throne and an Earthly kingdom. They could not understand why Jesus would come to Earth and not take over in a physical sense. And they definitely could not understand why He would need to die. 

Jesus never intended to set up an Earthly throne. He died so that all sins for all mankind could be taken care of and that no one who called upon the name of the Lord would be condemned to hell. That is a much bigger picture, vision and purpose than what the Jewish people thought at the time. The Jewish people were thinking about their circumstances right now and right then. Jesus was thinking eternally and about all mankind. 

In John 14, Jesus is talking with His disciples. He is telling them about Heaven and how in Heaven God has many mansions for all His people and Jesus is going to prepare a place for them. However, He also tells them that even though He will have to leave soon they have experienced God. They have been with God and talked with Him and that anyone who follows Him in faith will do the same mighty miracles as Him and even greater because He is going back to Heaven with the Father. 

Jesus is basically telling them I have shown you God. I have shown you our Kingdom. I have shown you Heaven. Now use what you have learned and go multiply it to others. What does this mean for us? It means we can live a victorious, overcoming, abundant life because we follow Christ. Is there anxiety, depression, worry, fear in heaven? No! Then we don’t have to live with it here on Earth. Jesus took care of all that when He died on the cross. 

Our mindsets have to change. We can no longer buy what Satan is trying to sell. He will work endlessly to convince you that you live in his territory and you have to live under his dominion. He will also convince you that the destruction we see around us is God’s decisions, consequences, or punishment towards us. Everything in the Bible tells us differently. If God still needed to punish us for our sins, then why did Jesus die for our sins? Satan is conquered. Jesus made sure of that. We can choose to live on the Earth with an Earth mindset, or we can choose to live on this Earth with a Heavenly mindset. If it doesn’t exist in Heaven, then it should not exist on this Earth, and it is our job and our privilege to rise up and come against it with the authority God has given us. 

How do we come against those things of darkness? Prayer. Tell God, I know you have defeated these things that are trying to come against me, and I know you provided a way where I don’t have to live like this. Your word says whatever is bound in Heaven is bound on Earth and whatever is loosed in Heaven is loosed on Earth. So, Lord, I declare this anxiety, worry, sickness whatever you are struggling with is bound and I loose your peace, joy, health etc into the circumstances of my life. Thank you Lord for always being willing to do a divine exchange with me. 

Listen, friend. hell was not built for God’s children. It was built for Satan and the fallen angels. God does not condemn anyone to hell. But he will not violate people’s ability to choose. God’s desire is that absolutely none shall perish, but unfortunately there will be those that choose hell over God. We as the children of God were sent to this Earth for a purpose. We are meant to live victoriously and to also help and exhort others to live victoriously.  However, it all starts with our mindset. So instead of living with an Earthly mindset, ask the Lord to give you a Heavenly mindset. Ask the Lord to help you see things from His perspective and watch how your perspective changes!