Genesis 1:28
New King James Version
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Our own personal attitude is the first arena of life we must conquer and be dominant in.
In order for Adam to dominate that garden and keep it under control, he first had to THINK like someone who has dominion. His attitude was affected by the Word that GOD spoke to him.
In Christ, the same is true for us as believers and saints today. The overcomer's attitude is a DOMINION MINDSET. And Jesus is the Word of God. He is God. (John 1:1) He was made flesh and dwelt among us! (See John 1:14) By hearing and believing Jesus, we can regain that dominion mindset, that overcomer's attitude that we lost at Adam and Eve's fall.
If your thinking is off, the rest of your life will be too. We must dominate wrong attitudes trying to get into our minds by overpowering them with a Biblical Godly attitude, fueled by the Person known as the Holy Spirit. I am not talking about dominating other people's attitudes. I am talking about letting the Holy Spirit shape your OWN attitude into a dominant attitude that overcomes the world, pride and sin and Satan. The first war is the war of ideas. The only way to conquer a bad idea is to bring a better idea to the conflict.
I have learned from the Lord Jesus: Attitude is my own responsibility. It is also in my own authority. No one can make me feel or think like they do. I choose how I think and feel. This is true no matter who I am around. It could be family, friends, church goers, co-workers, staff who are under my leadership in my department, or co-workers, or managers above me. I can work for others and they have authority over my actions while I am on the clock. BUT they can never force their own attitude on me. If we aren't careful, some people's negative and terrible attitudes can seep into our thinking. Bad attitudes such as: favourtism, hypocrisy, gossip, defeated mentalities, victim mentalities, bullying, gas-lighting, etc. No matter who the person is who has such attitudes, and who presents them to you, they have no authority over your own attitude. Zero. Only you choose what mindset to adopt. If we are left to our own devices, as fallen sinners, we will spiral into selfish, sinful and deadly thought patterns.
I have learned from the Lord Jesus: Attitude is my own responsibility. It is also in my own authority. No one can make me feel or think like they do. I choose how I think and feel. This is true no matter who I am around. It could be family, friends, church goers, co-workers, staff who are under my leadership in my department, or co-workers, or managers above me. I can work for others and they have authority over my actions while I am on the clock. BUT they can never force their own attitude on me. If we aren't careful, some people's negative and terrible attitudes can seep into our thinking. Bad attitudes such as: favourtism, hypocrisy, gossip, defeated mentalities, victim mentalities, bullying, gas-lighting, etc. No matter who the person is who has such attitudes, and who presents them to you, they have no authority over your own attitude. Zero. Only you choose what mindset to adopt. If we are left to our own devices, as fallen sinners, we will spiral into selfish, sinful and deadly thought patterns.
And yet there is hope. The inerrant Word of God tells us to willingly submit our soul (our mind and thoughts) to the Lord and His Spirit. Submit every idea to Him. Put the bad ideas, and ungrateful attitudes and toxic envy in chains.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
So while no one has authority over my attitude, I must grant Jesus and His Spirit authority to shape my mind and my attitude. Jesus chooses not to force His mind or ways. We must be hungry for His thoughts and ways. I strive NOT to live by my soul (mind will emotions). I practice living by the Spirit of God. There's a difference. Soul is the realm of emotions and will power and personality. But the Holy Spirit IS a person and He has an attitude. Adopt His attitude according the the Holy Bible. Let Him teach you His attitude. As we yield to Him, no one else will be able to dominate your attitude. Your overcomer's attitude will begin to bring you dominion over circumstances. In the face of blatant disrespect, rudeness, and selfishness, your Holy Spirit inspired attitude will begin to have dominion in the earth (your body) and in your region. This is an attitude of humility, grace, blessing, peace and holiness. The person who practices daily submitting to the perfect attitude of the Holy Spirit and of Christ Jesus will begin to build a godly sphere of influence around them on planet earth. Attitude, then, is the first ingredient to us having dominion on earth as God intended. And it is only possible through Jesus Christ and His Spirit!
So while no one has authority over my attitude, I must grant Jesus and His Spirit authority to shape my mind and my attitude. Jesus chooses not to force His mind or ways. We must be hungry for His thoughts and ways. I strive NOT to live by my soul (mind will emotions). I practice living by the Spirit of God. There's a difference. Soul is the realm of emotions and will power and personality. But the Holy Spirit IS a person and He has an attitude. Adopt His attitude according the the Holy Bible. Let Him teach you His attitude. As we yield to Him, no one else will be able to dominate your attitude. Your overcomer's attitude will begin to bring you dominion over circumstances. In the face of blatant disrespect, rudeness, and selfishness, your Holy Spirit inspired attitude will begin to have dominion in the earth (your body) and in your region. This is an attitude of humility, grace, blessing, peace and holiness. The person who practices daily submitting to the perfect attitude of the Holy Spirit and of Christ Jesus will begin to build a godly sphere of influence around them on planet earth. Attitude, then, is the first ingredient to us having dominion on earth as God intended. And it is only possible through Jesus Christ and His Spirit!
This is a key ingredient to the original commission given to Adam in the garden of Eden. To have dominion over the earth (rule responsibly), we must first have the RIGHT ATTITUDE.
to have an opinion of one's self, think of one's self, to be modest, not let one's opinion (though just) of himself exceed the bounds of modesty
to think or judge what one's opinion is
to be of the same mind i.e. agreed together, cherish the same views, be harmonious
to direct one's mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for
to seek one's interest or advantage
to be of one's party, side with him (in public affairs)
---
So in the case of the Believer, we are to be of Christ's mind, Christ's opinion, agree with Christ, understand Christ, and ultimately, have relationship with Christ.
And all this is done by the Holy Spirit in us, as we participate with Him.
It is all spelled out for us in the Bible.
Rom 8:5
For they that are after the flesh do mind G5426 the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 12:3
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; G5426 but to think G5426 soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Philippians 2:5 KJV
Let G5426 ➔ this mind be G5426 in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Col 3:2 KJV
Set your affection G5426 on things above, not on things on the earth.
Rom 15:5 KJV
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded G5426 one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
The Greek Word "Froneo" G5426 is in every one of these Bible verses, as indicated with the bold, underlined text. The Blueletterbible definition is:
to have understanding, be wise
to feel, to think
No one has authority over your attitude except you,
and those whom you grant authority to.
(Self Portrait of Curtis Alexander on the roof dining area of
Halifax Public Library, June 2022)
Rom 8:5
For they that are after the flesh do mind G5426 the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 12:3
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; G5426 but to think G5426 soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Philippians 2:5 KJV
Let G5426 ➔ this mind be G5426 in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Col 3:2 KJV
Set your affection G5426 on things above, not on things on the earth.
Rom 15:5 KJV
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded G5426 one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
The Greek Word "Froneo" G5426 is in every one of these Bible verses, as indicated with the bold, underlined text. The Blueletterbible definition is:
to have understanding, be wise
to feel, to think
to have an opinion of one's self, think of one's self, to be modest, not let one's opinion (though just) of himself exceed the bounds of modesty
to think or judge what one's opinion is
to be of the same mind i.e. agreed together, cherish the same views, be harmonious
to direct one's mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for
to seek one's interest or advantage
to be of one's party, side with him (in public affairs)
---
So in the case of the Believer, we are to be of Christ's mind, Christ's opinion, agree with Christ, understand Christ, and ultimately, have relationship with Christ.
And all this is done by the Holy Spirit in us, as we participate with Him.
John 16:13
New King James Version
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
The Holy Speaks as He hears the Lord speaking in Heaven. And if we will take time to listen to HIM, the SPIRIT of TRUTH, He will begin to gradually shape our minds, and attitudes in new and powerful and indomitable ways.
Let me give you an example. Today, at the store where I work as a department manager, an employee came to me with a question in the aisle. It was very quick. But a customer came behind him and complained that we employees were blocking the aisle. I said to the customer politely that we are happy to move aside, and that he should "say the word". (Funny thing: some people have forgotten how to say "excuse me" nowadays. They seem to prefer barreling through people and shopping carts with little regard for manners.)
So the two of us immediately cleared the way for the man, and he was grumbling. So as he shopped down the aisle I followed him and approached him. I think I surprised him actually.
I said: will you be needing any assistance with product today?
He, not expecting kindness after being a grump, decided to ignore my words.
So I, in an attitude-dominating fashion, spoke up again: "are you doing well today sir?"
This time, he had no choice. If he ignored me again, he knew that would expose his terrible attitude. So he turned his head toward me slightly and let out a tiny little "yeah...."
And then kept shopping.
So I concluded by telling him "That's wonderful, have a great day!"
He was out of the store pretty fast.
You don't have to be a grump. Instead, be dominant in kindness, be dominant in blessings, be dominant in forgiveness. Christ commands us to forgive others if we want forgiveness from the Father in Heaven.
So be dominant in an attitude that forgives the rudeness of others. If you begin to get grumpy over other people's rude or belittling behaviours, you are now granting that person AUTHORITY over your attitude. You and I need a better alternative. The attitude of Christ. Fill your mind daily with Christ's Words. Be so full of His thoughts that when people give bad attitude, your own mind will be ready to dominate the scene with Blessings, and with truth given in kindness and love.
I am far from perfect. I still have bouts with my old-fallen nature attitude. But after walking with the Lord and reading His word and following His Spirit for 36+ years, I believe I have made some headway into modeling a Christ-like mind and attitude. When people cut me off or are rude to me, I tend to bless them. Why? Because my Master, Jesus Christ, has authority over my attitude, and His attitude allows me to overpower bad thoughts with good and godly ones. Just look at the BEATITUDES of Christ to get a snapshot at what a Christ-like attitude in the Kingdom of God is really like:
Jesus tells us how to think, and it will take daily meditation on His word and daily practice.
Jesus tells us how to think, and it will take daily meditation on His word and daily practice.
He says the following in Matthew 5:3-12:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
He teaches us how BLESSED we are when we are persecuted for His sake, when we are merciful, when we are peacemakers, and when we seek the Kingdom of Heaven with a poor and humble spirit. We are blessed when we prioritize right-living, and right-standing with God!
We are blessed when we maintain a pure heart, washed in the blood of Jesus.
Kingdom of Heaven Dominion on earth begins with the right attitude. It's Christ Jesus' attitude. We can choose to adopt it and be overcomers. Our attitude in Him will OVERCOME the "stinkin-thinkin" of other people.
This topic is much bigger and I have only begun to scratch the surface. So, I encourage you to study this in Scripture for yourself. Adam's commission begins with attitude. An attitude of agreement with God. An attitude that believes one can do what God calls them to do!
I will leave you with two more Bible verses:
This one from 1 Peter shows us some key traits to an overcomer's attitude. Courtesy is often missing in the world, but Peter tells us we need a courteous attitude!
1 Peter 3:8 NKJV
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
Finally, John the Apostle records the words of Jesus, promising a reward for the overcomers in Christ!
There are several verses in Revelation chapters 2-3 that discuss this. Here is one example:
Revelation 3:21-22 NKJV
21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”
So Jesus rewards the overcomer, not just with eternal life and salvation, but also with rulership- coregency in Christ!
So in order for us to BE overcomers, we must first THINK like overcomers, nurture the ATTITUDE of someone who says "In Christ, I can overcome this challenge!". It begins in our minds.
Think like a winner, a victor: think like Jesus Christ! His attitude can be in YOU through the Word and the Spirit. His heavenly attitude OVERCOMES the bad attitudes of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Blessings
Curtis Alexander
Assistant Pastor,
churchonthego.ca
Thu Dec 22 2022 4:44am
Deep thoughts! Thank you for sharing. This reminds me of how the Bible says we need to convert our souls.
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