Never have I been so challenged by a written word. The verse from Romans 12:2 is this:
‘Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world but Be transformed by a renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is….His pleasing and perfect will.” NIV
It continually astounds and challenges me, the depths and levels of surrender and sacrifice required to fulfil this advice/command from Paul but all done gradually with grace by a loving Father.
I have been, by nature, a glass half empty girl. I say, “by nature”, but in all honesty that was my upbringing. Negativity was the norm and for many of the past few years, that mindset was defended as being “practicality”.” I’m just saying” … has been a lifelong catch-phrase.
My parents were brooders. Days would go by where the atmosphere was thick with resentment…unspoken, unresolved emotions. Then I came into my beloved’s household where sparks would fly and there was no such restraint. I brought those backgrounds into my marriage and my mothering…my parents, their parents, having brought with them the burdens of generations past.
It is these backgrounds, those attitudes and subconscious traits we hold to, that direct and influence our thinking and then, by matter of course, our responses and reactions to all things in life.
I think the powerful verse that couples to this train of thinking is 2 Corinthians 10:5 “ we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God captive and make it obedient to Christ.” ESV
So, “do not conform to the thinking of this world”. There are unspoken societal rules by which we all operate, mostly rules of behavioural standards…what’s acceptable, what’s not, expected attitudes reactions and responses to life, circumstances and our security, whether that be personal, community, national or global. In this realm we can operate almost anonymously and can in most cases, get away with less than honest and transparent behaviours.
The more challenging place to instigate change or transformation on any scale in our behaviours and mindsets is within our own homes amongst those familiar with our pasts, our intimate selves, our foibles and failures…and they are quick off the mark to point out our emerging inconsistencies.
To initiate change…and maintain it…will require a steady and firm mindset based on a solid and confident “WHY”. What is my purpose for this upheaval? Many of us have fallen victim to the New Year’s resolution for change and lasted a mere few days mostly because of not only ours but our loved one’s resistance to change.
I have subscribed to many health forums over the years, my inbox inundated with seminar and summit invites, health tips and the latest do’s & don’t of eating. This, while good information, developed a fear and self-diagnosis into a food and health prison. Proverbs 23:7 says “As a man thinketh in his heart…so is he”…satan’s foothold. He will attack what matters to us most…and did…my health. As this has become such an ingrained habit, I have discovered that I need as much to seek God’s control over all aspects of my life…especially this area and surrender my seat of control over my physical body as well as my heart and especially my thinking.
Our obsession with media…social, radio and TV are another area where what we input into our minds are the opinions of others. We post things and watch and wait for reactions. Did “they” like it? How did “They” respond? We count the likes and read and review the reactions. Our emotional being is arrested by the opinions of others… the “they’s” of the world, some we know, most we do not. I love Steven Furtick’s comment from his sermon “R U N CTRL? recently, and I quote:
“Don’t outsource your priorities to a world that doesn’t care. A human opinion is nothing compared to a Divine Seal. When God puts a seal on you, nothing and no one can stand in His way to achieve His purpose in and through you”.
The Passion Translation puts Romans 12:2 so succinctly:
“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you”.
That’s pretty clear, I think…yet we live in a world where we are ruled by the very culture we live in. We have been recently thrust into a climate of fear and as time goes by under restrictions, people are becoming fractious and phobic.
So how do we step beyond those norms…those ideals and opinions of what is appropriate, fair and reasonable and especially now, in our Covid ordeal…what’s socially allowed by regulation and now deemed our “new normal”?
The verse continues…” but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think”.
I do not know what that will mean for you. This verse has taken me on a multi-levelled journey, exposing many things from all aspects of my being and thought life. I chose the word “Exposed “ with all its negative connotations because that is how it has been for me…a gradual unpicking of a tightly packaged mindset about myself that has fostered and formulated many facets of my thought-life and its subsequent default responses to people, especially family, experiences and events, past and present.
It has required of me a fully conscious surrender and granting permission for God to “unglue” me…again a word chosen because I have been ‘stuck’ in this version of me for my whole life.
It has been said by someone…. Max Lucado, I think…that “God will take you as you are, but He won’t leave you that way”. This has certainly been true for me. There have been many things that needed addressing….aspects, attitudes and atrocities from our pasts that we tuck neatly out of harm’s way, or we’ve adapted strategies to sidestep any suggestion or sense that we don’t have a handle on something. It is these hidden…even from ourselves… hotspots that satan will source to unseat us from our security and identity.
God is in control. I quote Steven Furtick again because he has touched my life through his frank and honest sermons…where he says, “God is in control…but he wont TAKE control” by overriding our free will. That’s why it is important to not only surrender but to give permission to change who you are…to make you more like Christ. That is the aim…isn’t it?
As I am moving towards a dream God has planted in me and have begun to activate ways to fulfil this, I am finding myself under attack…at the core of my identity. Satan is aware of and will use anything he can to keep me from doing what God has placed in heart to do. So, this morning, he went for that soft underbelly…a long held subconscious fear and familial curse that surfaces in my relationships. It resulted in tears and loss of confidence…one of those “crawl into a deep hole” moments. I am reminded that I have THIS blog to write about being transformed by a renewing of my mind and not to allow myself to be distracted or undermined.
TD Jakes, in his speech titled “Step over into the Future” says … “If satan can tie up our minds with unforgiveness, negativity, a loss of our identity and worth in Christ, he can keep us locked in a past that no longer serves us and prevents us from accepting and realising our new identity in Christ Jesus and the fullness of Him. We limit God’s ability to work in & through us when we hold to our old ways of thinking. Our minds are powerful and that is satan’s point of attack….”
So, I had to choose. I gathered myself up, tissues in hand, and walked, as is my daily prayer and meditation mode, asking my Loving Father for help rather than wallowing in satan’s wake. Out loud I stated and claimed my identity as a beloved daughter of the Most High God and His love for me. This I know and trust. I opened my YouTube to listen to some calming “soaking” worship while I walked and prayed but seemingly touched the screen that brought up the message of the day.
“The enemy only attacks what is valuable”! Another Steven Furtick message and was that ever a message from God that met my need in that moment! I will unashamedly plug this message for anyone struggling with their walk or worth!
So, I choose. I choose to take all God has offered me…all Jesus died to release to me …. Forgiveness, healing, life, love identity, redemption… and as Jesus rebuked the storm, I rebuked my emotional one and worked through 3 questions that Steven Furtick preached on in a previous sermon called “Take Control of Your mind”, from Philippians The questions are these:
- What does it matter?
- What is God calling me to do?
- What will I choose?
As I walked, I worked through these 3 questions in my mind and shifted my focus to what was important in this moment. That is not to squash or deny the trauma or thoughts that were used to tamper with my emotions but that is better dealt with in a more measured and mindful way under the direction of the Holy Spirit….a stronghold that needs by prayer, to be dismantled and destroyed. But in this moment, the change of focus to my true identity and what that privileged place and purpose requires of me in my response to God…not to the subtleties of satan…is my choice.
The verse we began with ends like this:
“This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes.”
TD Jakes says, “Decide to be blessed. It is an act of will. Make up your mind to rejoice. Let the past go…the OLD you and step into the NEW you and the future”.
“For as a man thinketh…so is he”. Proverbs 23:7
Blessings and Amen.
References:
#stevenfurtick#stevenfurticksermons
1.“The Enemy Only Attacks What is Valuable”
2. “Taking Control of Your Mind”
3. “R U N CTRL? “
TD Jakes speech #Step Over Into The Future#
#TashaCobbs# #In Spite Of Me# just a great song!