To literally change your mind is hard. It’s harder than adamantium, which everyone knows is the hardest substance ever created. If you don’t believe me rent the documentary that features this metal alloy, X-Men.
We get so used to the way things are that we convince ourselves that we can’t change. I’ve often said that I’ll always be fat. I counsel people all the time who have destructive behaviors. Behaviors that are creating a personal Hell for them, and yet they don’t change.
It’s as if we have created the Hell that we live in and then believe that it’s home. We have lived there for so long that the thought of finding freedom becomes laughable. Someone can even give us the answer to get us out of our Hell, but because of our mindset we can’t leave.
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
If you are a Christ Follower then you have everything in you to be transformed. You have God! What else do you need? God has given you the ability to change your thinking. It’s not easy, but it’s more than possible. If Jesus is living in you then it’s time to start thinking like it. It’s time to start thinking like we are saved. It’s time to start thinking like we are forgiven. It’s time to start thinking like we can find freedom.
To Be Continued…
Rob, it’s like people copping out and saying they say or do something because that’s “just the way they are.”Dangerous. No, they just choose not to change. We have been transformed, so we must transform. We already have the fruit if the Spirit, so let’s use it.
Larry, it feels so hard to change sometimes. I really do believe though that God has given us everything we need to be free.
A wonderful book is Darkness Visible by William Styron. Here the author tells his story of his descent into depression and a suicide attempt. He said that in our affliction, even if we had a magic wand in our hand that we could wave and fix everything immediately, we just can’t bring ourselves to do it. This is exactly what my experience tells me it is true. Deep seated problems are rarely easy to deal with or quick to fix. It is not a matter of laziness or a choice to rebel against God to sin. Alcohol, lust, gambling, overeating, anxiety, hatred, drugs, cigarettes, regret, jealousy, …, the list goes on and on. I look forward to hearing about your thoughts in part 2.
Daniel, It’s so true. Our Hell becomes our home and we don’t want to fix it.
Top tip for losing weight – nervous breakdown. I lost a stone and a half (I have no idea what that is in pounds!) I was in a personal Hell for just over two years. At the time I could not envisage a day when I wouldn’t feel sick at the thought of going out, I couldn’t even go to watch my childrens performances and it killed me to think of what I was missing out on, but the anxiety was greater than I could control.
I escaped from my Hell, with help from professional people and great Christian friends. I am back to a healthy weight and am pretty happy to go out to most places without having a panic attack.
Christ definately loosed me from my chains of restraint.
T.C. thanks for sharing that! I love your story of freedom.
i have that documentery!!!! lol….
I’ve been giving a bible study on my blog from that verse rob…
I think you’ve been keeping up with them…
there is sooo much we can learn from that verse alone!
The thing is to put our trust that he is trasnforming us everday!
That we have the mind of Christ…and can think like him if we want…
what did jesus think about all the time?
The Father…
The People…
The Word…
Arny, I am. It’s your transformers series. Love it!
Awesome Blog Rob!
Thanks for the reminder “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…”
Amber, it’s so true that we can. I think the problem is that we don’t want to change. Our Hell becomes our home.
For some reason the phrase “Knowledge Changes Everything” came to my mind when reading this. I agree that once we have the knowledge of Christ, and have made that commitment, then we have to do our part in order to make the change complete. I think a lot of people expect instant change. I know most of us might not have experienced that, I know I sure didn’t. We are instantly saved, it is up to us in order to complete the change. Pretty eye opening post.
Ok, ok, ok, on a huge side note. I had the esteemed experience last night at Community Group to watch the “Don’t be that Guy” Terminator Video. Dude, I am still laughing. Great job!
Thanks for the encouragement Joseph! Those videos have received mixed reviews, so I’m glad that you liked them.
Good stuff as always Rob. I bite my nails to a ridiculous extent. Not exactly Hell on Earth but my wife seems to think so, sometimes.
Kevin, I remember you biting your nails in high school. you always had short nails. On a side note I’m really excited that you are checking out Blogging Mojo. Keep up the good work on your blog.
Man, I got so excited that I almost painted my face blue and white and yelled at the top of my lungs “FREEDOM!!!!”.
Emmanuel… God with us!
Moe, love it! I would say that you should go ahead and paint your face blue and yell Freedom. That would be amazing. By the way your post was amazing! It oozes grace! I love how God pursued you!
It feels hard for sure. But I wonder if many people really want to change? I think many are happy in their misery to an extent.
Been pondering a lot lately what’s “changeable” about me and what’s innately part of me — specifically how I relate with others. I’m a realist, and I consider myself fairly able to discern what’s possible and what’s not. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t let pessimism creep in and tell me I can’t do this or do that or change this, change that. That line you wrote about creating a hell and calling it home brought me some chills. Our self-created hells then becomes weirdly wrongly comfortable, and I don’t want to be comfortable there.
Messy stuff. Looking forward to the continuation.
Thanks TMZ. Life is messy. That’s why the life of Christ is called the Narrow Road. We desperately need God and once we have Him we desperately need to believe that we have everything He’s promised us. Thanks for the comment.
Rob – this is off topic, but wasn’t sure how else to contact you. I would like to ask for a special prayer for our teenagers. Over the last couple of weeks, four of my friends have talked to me about their teens being depressed. I just found out today that one of them tried to commit suicide. Luckily, my friend got to him in time.
Teens (all of us) have so much stress on them these days. I try to do all the right things with my kids, and I know my friends are too, but what if it isn’t enough? I having been praying constantly for not only my friends kids, but mine and everyone elses.
I would appreciate it if you (and your readers) would remember our kids in their prayers today. Also, pray for the parents that are trying so hard to be good parents. Thank you!!
Worried Mom, I prayed for you as soon as I read your comment! Thanks for caring about teens. Prayer changes things!
Worried Mom. Added immediatly to prayer list. Prayers go out to the teens famliy as well.
Thank you!
I have found it helpful to ask myself, when negative thoughts invade, IS IT TRUE?
Is this a thought that defines who I am or who I want to be.
Stevie G, great thoughts! So powerful.
A to the men brother, one of my favorite verses.
Thanks Sirvhim! Have a great turkey day!
My wife has been battling with her weight for years. She recently went on a 21 day diet plan that severely limited her food intake in both quantity and variety. The diet, with its lack of variety and small portions, was uncomfortable for her. But she is now 18 pounds lighter.
Change involves risk and, most often, discomfort. Our little hells, though they be hells, are known to us and, as such, seem comfortable. Change requires a leap of faith, literally and figuratively, that the risk is outweighed by the reward and the discomfort is temporary. We must weather the storm to see the rainbow.
Randal, that’ll preach.
i don’t and won’t keep my daughter locked inside all day for the sun.and as far as babies i have seen they all love to be outside.put some sunblock on her and take her out