Developing and Building the Mind and Heart of Christ Jesus: (Within You)

By Dr. David Garty

The book is a heart desire to help individual believers to grow and mature in their personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. As they would become to understand that they are already the sons and daughters of God through their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That the Christian walk is not about doing, but about being. And when we as believers start being the true sons and daughters of God the natural flow of doing happens. It’s all about who I am in Christ Jesus and practicing my true identity in Him, each and every day, that will allow heavens realities to manifest here on earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664165526

Dr. David Garty

I have been married for 53 years; we have three sons, of which two are married and our oldest is not. We have five grandchildren and one great grandchild. I have been a Pastor for 40 years, I hold a BA in Bible, a Master in Bible, and a P.H.D. In Family Life Counseling and Crisis Trauma. I have been a Crisis Trauma chaplain and a first responder for debriefings for first responders working in crisis Trauma situations. But today I enjoy driving school bus in Middlebury In. . And encouraging all the schools sport teams in their athletic. I still help Pastor at Living Stones Christian Fellowship but no longer the lead Pastor.

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Copyright © 2021 by Dr. David Garty.

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Rev. date: 03/26/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

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Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Website.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Praying the Mind and Heart of Jesus

Chapter 1 Learning about Position from Being

Chapter 2 Your Real Life Is Hidden

Chapter 3 Who’s Your Real Life?

Chapter 4 Justification Creates Being!

Chapter 5 Crucified to the World

Chapter 6 Living for the Sake of Christ

Chapter 7 Living with and Having the Mind and Heart of Christ Jesus

Chapter 8 Living by the Life of the Spirit

Chapter 9 Walking like We’re the Light of the World

Chapter 10 Restoring a Fallen Brother

Chapter 11 Two Equal One

Chapter 12 A Freedom Beyond Comprehension

Chapter 13 Listening to God’s Voice

Chapter 14 Koinonia, the True Earmark of Fellowship

Chapter 15 A Family beyond Description

Chapter 16 Adopted to a Higher Standard

Chapter 17 Adopted through the Blood of Jesus Christ

Chapter 18 The Kingdom of Light Banishes the Kingdom of Darkness

Chapter 19 Living Life from a New Kingdom

Preface

It is the heart’s longing of every parent to see their children grow up and reach a level of maturity that causes them to be productive as they contribute to society. Parents will do almost anything to help their children to become successful at whatever event they would like to become a part of. Many parents will even find ways to advance the skill level of their children by placing them or taking them to special programs or schools that help and teach a high level of technique and technology in the desired areas of expertise they are seeking to grow and mature in. It’s truly amazing to witness the belief that many parents have and display in their children’s abilities for being successful. But there is one thing that is even more interesting, and that is how much time and money parents are willing to spend on the success of their children’s development.

Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting in a barbershop looking at a sport magazine waiting to get my hair cut, reading an article on some of the major colleges’ quarterbacks who at the starting age of eleven years old were being placed under the care of personal professional trainers, who mentored them until they were able to sign a letter of intent with a major college.

The developing of our children’s skills and abilities should be a heartfelt desire by all of us as parents. But as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I find myself with a longing to see the growth and maturity of my fellow brothers and sisters in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is here that I ask myself how much time and how much of my life am I willing to spend to encourage the growth and maturity of my fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. This is the reason for the writing of this book, Developing and Building the Mind and Heart of Christ Jesus.

What will it take for each and every believer to develop the mind and heart of Christ Jesus? It is my hope that through the writing of this book I can create a process that we can follow and practice for the development of the mind and heart of Christ Jesus. The developing of our minds and hearts is the core issue here for every true believer in Jesus Christ. Our minds and hearts must be involved together with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for true growth and maturity as the children of God. It is a true fact that our eternal destiny will be decided by the issues settled on from our minds and hearts.

Again, it’s my longing to see every true follower of Jesus Christ grow and mature into the full potential of who they are in Him, their real life. Most of the Christian life is taught from the perspective of doing, which often leads to a work or performance mentality. This mindset creates a continual struggling that often leads to up-and-down experiences.

The scriptures teach that our relationship with Christ Jesus is not about our doing something but about being the true sons and daughters of God we are in Christ Jesus. What is truly needed in the life of each and every believer is an intentional internal focused faith that learns to truly visualize the spiritual reality of who they are from their position and identity in Christ Jesus. Just listen to these words of truth and life: Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ (Colossians 3:3–4 MSG). We are truly called and purposed to let Christ Jesus live in our place, who has become our real life.

This book is written to be a devotional and written with thoughts and eternal life points that will help create intentional internal focused faith, creating a mindset that will help create the thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions that establish one’s being.

An eternal life point is a spiritual truth that exists in God the Father and must be seen through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. As this spiritual truth begins to manifest itself within the mind and heart of the believer, it will find itself becoming a physical reality in the life of the believer. This brings Heaven’s realities to earth through the lived lives of each believer. Being led and transformed by the creative work of the Holy Spirit should be a key heart issue for every believer. Revelation is not released because one simply wants insight into an issue or matter that they want to understand for their own glorification and benefit. Revelation is a transforming truth that has heavenly potential to establish Heaven’s presence on earth that will have life-changing effects on all of humanity.

ETERNAL LIFE POINT: A believer’s highest priority is to live for the will of God and for the sake of Jesus Christ in behalf of others. Obedience is your declaration to receiving the Holy Spirit by your submission to the leading of the Spirit. (You are the living gospel!)

(Luke 9:23–24) your obedience to the Word of God is the truest form that you have experienced God’s unconditional love.

ETERNAL LIFE POINT: Following the lead of the Holy Spirit is having the ability to see the invisible while doing the impossible by the creative empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

ETERNAL LIFE POINT: Being led by the Holy Spirit is a part of the transforming work of the Spirit to create and bring every believer into the image of Christ Jesus while manifesting heavenly realities in and through the life of the believer to the world around them.

ETERNAL LIFE POINT: Being creates a natural flow of being God’s good work in Christ Jesus.

Room has been created for you to reflect and write your discovery of your position and identity throughout this book. My prayer for you is that you will grow and mature in your position of being His son and daughter through intentional internal focused faith.

This writing is not created to be a daily devotional but is one that may take a week or more to truly complete. It’s truly about your maturity and growth in Jesus Christ.

Made Alive in Christ

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1–10 NASB)

I have written this devotional in a style that focuses on thoughts for each individual to spend time dwelling and meditating on, being able to memorize those truths that can transform their life walk while in this world as they live from Heaven to earth.

Being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose (Philippians 2:2 NASB).

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength (Mark 12:30 NASB).

ETERNAL LIFE POINT: The physical moment of now is the greatest opportunity to give expression to the spiritual presence of now!

Concentrate and Meditate on These Words

These words of scripture will be found through this personal study and growing in the mind and heart of Christ Jesus:

Dear friends, listen well to my words. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health. Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. (Proverbs 4:20–23 Message Bible)

God calls us friends; He has five commands:

1. Listen well to His Words.

2. Tune your ears to His voice.

3. Keep His message in plain view at all times.

4. Concentrate on it (intentional internal focused faith).

5. Learn it by heart (memorize it).

Promise to be fulfilled for those who practice these Words: they will live, really live (abundantly), and their bodies and souls will be bursting with health.

Introduction

Intentional internal focused faith is the heart’s matter of truly following Jesus Christ and being able to reflect His image to a world He came to die for and reestablish a Heaven-to-earth relationship with all of humanity again. As I reflect on my years of serving and ministry in the body of Christ, there has been a struggle that appears in the life of many who are the followers of Christ Jesus. I, too, have found myself with this struggle but did not truly understand why. It was not because I myself or because others who were struggling with their walk as followers didn’t have heart for following Christ. Heart is a key issue for sure in following after Christ Jesus, but there is a component that plays a great part in becoming a true reflection of the image of Christ for the world He died for. This component is so strong and is the reason why many world-class athletes wear gold rings on their hands or gold medals around their necks or why their fireplace mantles are lined with trophies displaying this one component (and I am not speaking of their pride, although that may be there also), not displayed in rings, gold medals, or trophies but in their personal character.

There is a scripture that can help us discover this component if we are to be the true reflection of Christ Jesus in this world He died for but also remembering in which He created for His pleasures. Every world-class athlete found this component in what was a heart issue of love for them that created the pleasure to be the best they could be. It was no longer about doing the event that would bring them their gold rings, gold necklaces, or trophies; it was about being. That’s right—being; being creates this component that many believers have not yet discovered. Listen to this passage of scripture: So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ (Colossians 3:1–4 MSG). Now before we look at this scripture in our next chapter, I would like us to look at the opening verse from the New Living Translation: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand (Colossians 3:1 NLT).

In this one verse, we’ll together find this much-needed component that can produce the pleasure our Heavenly Father was looking for when He created you and me. The apostle Paul says to us, Set your sights (minds) on the realities of heaven. What is he truly talking about here? Our component is found in this statement. Let me ask you a question: how did all those world-class athletes win those gold rings, gold necklaces, and trophies? By setting their sights or minds on the things around them. What was around them? The event they became. What is this statement implying to us who follow Christ Jesus? It is talking about having the mind of Christ, which is intentional internal focused faith, for without this component in our Christian walk, we will struggle at doing the Christian life instead of being the Christian life.

As true followers of Jesus Christ, we are never asked to try or do Christian acts of serving or ministries, but we are called to be acts of service and ministry. Intentional internal focused faith is the ingredient that is missing in so many of our Christian lives and the key reason for all our struggles in Christ Jesus. It is my heartfelt desire to help and encourage every true follower of Christ Jesus to develop intentional internal focused faith by learning how to set our minds on the things above, where our Savior and Lord is seated at the right hand of our Heavenly Father, as we ourselves are there positioned in and seated in Him (Christ Jesus). And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the anointed One) (Ephesians 2:6 AMPC). This is all about a spiritual mindset that is set on the things above, not