Riding Bucephalus: Developing a Victory Mindset

By Dr. William Kell

Life on this planet is lived just above your neck between your two ears. You are what you think. The Bible talks about the “mind of Christ”. That phrase is referring to the way Jesus thought. We are encouraged to download that mind, that way of thinking. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) In other words, think like Jesus. Biblical Christianity has always contended that Jesus is God in the flesh.

Jesus is God incarnate. When you think like Jesus, you are thinking like God. We know how Jesus thought. Just read the Scriptures. God does not know what defeat is experientially. He has never known anything other than victory. God does not know what fear is experientially. He has never known fear. Fear is a chaotic bundle of dark thoughts. Defeat is a series of fearful thoughts. Victory is a mental perspective.

In this book, I am going to lay out a pattern for developing a victory mindset. Simply put, I want you to download the thinking of Heaven. Jesus’ thought system is from above. It is not of this world. My passion is that you invite and welcome as a valued and cherished guest the Kingdom invasion of the mind. Think like God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973647331

Dr. William Kell

William Kell was born in Bristol, Virginia. He married his high school sweetheart, Janet Gemmell. They have four children and eleven grandchildren. William is a graduate of the University of Virginia and holds a doctorate from Union Theological Seminary. He has served as organizing pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church and Shiloh New Covenant Church. He and his wife founded Elijah House Academy in 1989, a school for children in the city. He served for twenty-three years as Executive Director. Janet is a graduate of Converse College with a BA in Elementary Education. She earned a Masters degree in Christian Education from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education. She served as Principal of Elijah House Academy for twenty-three years. Dr. Kell is also author of Good News from a Far Country: The Kingdom Invasion of the Mind. Dr. Kell is available to lead a Kingdom seminar at your local church. He can be contacted at [e-mail].

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Copyright © 2018 Dr. William Kell.

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Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-4732-4 (sc)

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WestBow Press rev. date:   12/27/2018

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter One:

Declaring God’s Strength and Power

Chapter Two:

The Thinking That Promotes Victory

Chapter Three:

God of the Nations

Vignette One:

Identity, Overcomer

Vignette Two:

Identity, Grasshopper or Giant-Killer

Vignette Three:

Identity, Labels and Tags

Vignette Four:

Dividing Soul and Spirit

Vignette Five:

Identity, Confused?

Vignette Six:

Victory and the Deep

Vignette Seven:

A Victory Mindset, Paul

Vignette Eight:

A Victory Mindset, John

Vignette Nine:

The Foundation Stone for Leadership – A Mindset of Victory

Vignette Ten:

Faithfulness and Kingdom Economics #1

Vignette Eleven:

Faithfulness and Kingdom Economics #2

Vignette Twelve:

The Power of the Name of Jesus

Vignette Thirteen:

The Order of the Towel

Vignette Fourteen:

The Statutes and Judgments of God

Vignette Fifteen:

Doing Trinity

Vignette Sixteen:

The Prayer of Agreement

Vignette Seventeen:

Faith Comes; You have a Yes in Your Future

Vignette Eighteen:

Faith Believes

Vignette Nineteen:

Faith Speaks; Speak to the Mountain

Vignette Twenty:

Faith Acts

Vignette Twenty-One:

The Third Hand – The Winning Hand

Conclusion:

Think Telescopically

About the Author

A BLESSING

To my beloved family: Drew Kell, Dani Kell, Gracie Kell, Felipe Helo, Kitsie Kell Helo, Sebastian Helo, Isabella Helo, Christian Helo, Jesse Kell, Elizabeth Kell, Knox Kell, Virginia Grace Kell, Ellie Kell, Mac Kell, Blake Kell, Cassie Kell, Emma Kell, Jack Kell, and Stella Kell. I love you. You have enriched my life. You are my joy! You are my wealth – gold, silver and precious stones. You are valuable beyond understanding. God’s hand is on each of you. May the dew of Heaven (the promised Holy Spirit!) and the fatness of the earth be your inheritance! (Genesis 27:28) May you be mighty in the land! (Psalm 112:2) I bless you with this blessing. Dad/Doc

PREFACE

Life on this planet is lived just above your neck between your two ears. You are what you think. The Bible talks about the mind of Christ. That phrase is referring to the way Jesus thought. We are encouraged to download that mind, that way of thinking. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5) In other words, think like Jesus. Biblical Christianity has always contended that Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus is God incarnate. When you think like Jesus, you are thinking like God. We know how Jesus thought. Just read the Scriptures.

God does not know what defeat is experientially. He has never known anything other than victory. God does not know what fear is experientially. He has never known fear. Fear is a chaotic bundle of dark thoughts. Defeat is a series of fearful thoughts. Victory is a mental perspective. In this book, I am going to lay out a pattern for developing a victory mindset. Simply put, I want you to download the thinking of Heaven. Jesus’ thought system is from above. It is not of this world. My passion is that you invite and welcome as a valued and cherished guest the Kingdom invasion of the mind. Think like God.

This book is not for entertainment or a quick read. I am asking that you read one vignette a day and meditate and ponder the thought of the day from the power verse. Sometimes you may want to spend two or more days on one vignette before moving on. My prayer is that you become what God says you are – a victor in every circumstance. Welcome to the Kingdom invasion of the mind!

Dr. William Kell

CHAPTER ONE:

Declaring God’s Strength and Power

It was the sound of victory, the hoofs of a horse pounding hardened clay. The year was 336 BC. Alexander the Great was engaged in a stunning conquest that would subdue the world of his day from Egypt to India. Within a decade, he rode over ten thousand miles on his war horse, Bucephalus, defeating one opponent after another. Often precariously outnumbered, with an army of some forty thousand men, he fought against heavily fortified cities and the best armies of his day. Astonishingly, he never lost a battle! Many are surprised to know that Alexander was used by God and mentioned in Bible prophesy. Like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Caesar Augustus and others, he did not know God. He was used as a pawn, working out the sovereign purposes of God on the stage of world history. There is a story that is told by an ancient historian, Flavius Josephus. This historical narrative is recorded in Antiquities of the Jews. Many historians reject the veracity of this account because it involves the supernatural. I believe the story is true. God knows the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 46:10) He can drop any piece of information, even things that are yet future, into the mind of a believer or unbeliever to accomplish His unstoppable purposes.

Visions and dreams are the language of the Spirit. When we think of visions and dreams we are apt to think of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the Old Testament prophets, Peter, John, Paul and others, all believers. But we know that God gives visions and dreams to non-believers as well. Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan Babylonian king, was given a dream that described the future political history of planet earth from Heaven’s vantage point. We will take a closer look at that in chapter three. Josephus claims that God gave Alexander the Great, an unbelieving king, a dream. This is how the story is told. Before Alexander began his Persian campaign, while still in Macedonia, he had a dream of a person clothed in a habit or religious garments. In the dream, the person in the habit told him to cross over to Persia and that he would be given dominion over the Persians. The dream would be fulfilled! Before invading Persia, Alexander loosed his military machine on Tyre and the Egyptian fortress of Gaza. He was ruthless with cities that opposed him. When large numbers of his own army were lost in battle, after the city had fallen, in retribution, he would execute all the men of the city and sell the women and children into slavery. During the siege of Tyre, Alexander had requested supplies of food from Jerusalem. The Jews had refused to send such supplies, saying it was inconsistent with loyalty to Darius. Jerusalem was a protectorate of Darius, the Persian. Tyre was eventually destroyed. Now, Alexander, the one they had refused to help, was headed their way! Powerful cities had fallen. What were they to do? When Jaddus, the high priest of Jerusalem, realized that Alexander was coming to Jerusalem, he called on the Jews of the city to pray and offer sacrifices for the protection and peace of Jerusalem. In response to prayer, Jaddus had a dream. He was told in the dream that he should adorn the city with flowers, throw open its gates to Alexander and that the priests should meet Alexander dressed in their white priestly robes, while he was to wear his high priestly garments. When Alexander was not far from the city, the procession of priests marched out to meet the conquering Macedonian. To their amazement, Alexander stopped and advanced toward Jaddus with an air of profound deference and respect. As Josephus put it, he saluted and adored the high priest. Asked why he did this, Alexander related the following. "This very person, in a dream, in this very habit, when I was in Dion of Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to pass over the sea thither, for that He (the God of the person in the habit!) would conduct my army, and would give me the dominion over the Persians."¹ Alexander was welcomed into the city. He was shown, in the book of Daniel, how a Greek would destroy the empire of the Persians. And when the book of Daniel was showed him wherein Daniel declared that one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he supposed himself was the person intended.² That must have been quite a confidence builder!! It was all too much for Alexander. He spared the city, remitted the obligation of paying tribute, promised to protect the Jewish population in the lands he would conquer, and allowed the Jews to continue to worship the God of their fathers! What a demonstration of the power and might of our God!!

Alexander the Great was a winner! He rode a horse, Bucephalus. He never lost a battle. I believe this is your destiny as well! I want you to ride Bucephalus. Winning in life is not a coincidence or remarkable confluence of random events. There is a way of winning that is predictable and sure. Most people live life based on a hypothesis. They guess at life. They try this, that, and the other, hoping to find life. This can be avoided. Winning comes from operating in wisdom. Winning and wisdom are a power duo! Winning comes from listening to the voice of a woman as she implores her readers to come to the banquet hall and eat from her table. She cries out at the gates of the city and at every place where road crosses road. (Proverbs 1:21) Oh simple one … come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding. (Proverbs 9:4-6) Of course, this woman is wisdom. Wisdom is depicted as female in the book of Proverbs as well as by the word sophia in Greek. The Spirit of God is called the Spirit of wisdom. "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him (Jesus!), the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:2) You will never win at the game of life or lead effectively without God’s wisdom. Janet and I have a habit of reading one chapter of the book of Proverbs every day. We read the chapter that corresponds with the day of the month. The first day of the month is chapter one, the second day of the month is chapter two, etc. Proverbs is concentrated wisdom.

Alexander the Great was a cogent leader. He exhibited exemplary leadership character. His character was magnetic. Since God chose him to win, He built certain character qualities into Alexander’s mental and emotional mindset. We will take a closer look at the word mindset later. He was focused. He was mentored by one of the greatest minds of all time, Aristotle (and others!). He won the hearts of his followers. He was flexible, continuously reinventing and refining his war strategy. He recognized the accomplishments of those who followed him in battle. He built a great team around a great vision. These are all great leadership qualities! Downloading the wisdom of Heaven prepares you to lead and win. Although Alexander’s life started with great promise, it ended tragically. He was not a believer. He had no covenant with the true and living God. That is not your destiny as a follower of God. Your life is under a covenant of blessing! "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 28:2)

I am now in my seventieth year. I have been given an assignment. My assignment is hidden away in the