Thanks for your thoughs, oi.
There's very little distinction between workings of spirits and workings of the mind.
Really? How so?
When a spirit possesses a body, it takes total control of the body including the thoughts. A fit body is controlled by the mind. A smoker cannot smoke a cigarette unless the mind allows it to. A murderer cannot kill unless his mind allows it to. Therefore when we are living in the Holy Spirit our minds are directed by Him. When we are under the influence of a demon we can perform some attrocious demonic actions, let me not get specific. But Jesus did warn that this could happen, here:
Matthew 6:22-23
New Living Translation (NLT)
22 Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.
23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
Notice also that Satan has a finger in the pie:
Revelation 3:9
Look, I will force those who belong to Satans synagoguethose liars who say they are Jews but are notto come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
So really it becomes a responsibility of yours to be sure that your mind is fit to worship God and not overcome by such demonic spirits that would bomb abortion clinics or assault homosexuals, in other words to pursue the light instead of the darkness.
Is it not possible to -think- something is true, fall into that belief, allow that belief to dictate your actions, even though it's possible that such a belief is untrue? I'm pretty sure that's what he meant - that people operate from the mind, and believe that it's the Spirit. When much of what was written with regard to what seems to happen when someone receives the Holy Spirit, was that they spoke in tongues - and nothing in the bible about people shivering, etc, after having received it.
Yes, that is what happens, with the imperative word being "think". What more could a spirit want than the key to your thoughts. When we think about information (whether it comes from memory or external sources such as the bible or people), we must have bias. This bias is determined by the attitude. For instance I once wondered whether the bible was getting me in trouble and I went and asked God whether I should stop reading it. You know what He said? "Come back with the right spirit". So the spirit does have a huge impact on the mind's performance.
Good point. I agree.
You contrast and compare what you see, hear, etc, with Gods word and thus can pinpoint whether or not something is of/from God or not.
FYI I've grown beyond that stage, I now just trust God 100% that my thoughts are safe in His hands. If I have any concerns I will ask Him.
But although a great thing to be grounded in God's Word, simply reading the bible, as I see it, doesn't automatically fill you with the Holy Spirit or give you faith.
Bang on. This is why my boss claims to know the bible inside out yet be atheist. He was raised Catholic. Maybe one day he'll flip the switch. I've been careful not to tread on his toes, I don't think there's anything I can do to help him except be an example of a good Christian who doesn't shovel it down his throat. Different people have different needs.
You're very mature in thought, I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here, do you have a goal?