1 Corinthians 2:14
¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (NIV)

Because we are communal creatures of a communal God, we have been designed vulnerable to the influence of others. This not only happens with individuals, but the way culture sees the world also has an influence on us. The way Americans imagine the world is quite different from other parts of the world. Every culture has its own social imaginary and it is difficult to wrap our heads around how others outside of our culture think. The idea of gender fluidity, for example, never entered the imaginary of anyone just ten years ago, but now it is mainstream.

This is especially true spiritually. The more we abide in the Lord, the greater influence He has on the way we see the world. God has His own paradigm. His paradigm is the authentic reality and anything that disagrees with God’s paradigm, the social imaginary of Heaven, is an untruth. Yet, we are completely influenced by the social imaginary we exist within.

The Holy Spirit works in the minds of believers to open our eyes to God’s paradigm. Belonging to the body of Christ, the church, helps us to maintain God’s paradigm as believers under the influence of the Spirit nudge one another deeper into the social imaginary of Heaven.

Jesus said He was the truth suggesting there is an alternative, deceitful philosophy that promises to give us the things of God without communion with God.

There is more than the presence of the Spirit within us to discern God’s paradigm and wisdom. The Spirit will operate within us to the degree that we are operating in Him. Once our behavior, thoughts, motives, and reactions are no longer aligned with the fruit of the Spirit and obedience to the Word, we quench the Spirit and God’s wisdom within us.

To live in wisdom above the issues of this world, we must seek communion with the Spirit. We must worship in Spirit. We must be active in the body of Christ-centered around the Spirit. More and more, God’s paradigm will become clear. Then we will become more than overcomers in all things.

Prayer: Remind me each day how important it is for me to make time for communion with You in the Spirit. Amen.