TIME TO CHANGE
 
“The Renewal of Your Mind”
 
 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
                                                                   (Romans 12:1-2)
 
 

  
I.       What Does It Mean to Renew Your Mind…
 
Before you can have a renewing of your mind, you need to understand the necessity and the importance of renewing your mind.  Anyone who wants to make it in life and change certain behavior patterns will do whatever it takes to renew their mind.  If you will renew your mind, you can actually be “transformed.”  The word “transformed” comes from the Greek word from which we get the term, “metamorphosis.”  It is used in Scripture when Jesus was transfigured on the Mount as He spoke with Moses and Elijah.  It is also used in II Corinthians.
 
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord.”
                                                (II Corinthians 3:18)
 
            As you spend time renewing your mind, your outer being will be transformed in much the same way a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly.  You will go from glory to glory and from strength to strength.
 
            You must understand God wants you to have everything the Bible says you can have, such as:
                       
·        SALVATION
·        HEALING
·        PROSPERITY
·        DELIVERANCE
·        PEACE
·        RESTORATION, etc.
 
The fact of the matter is that you can be “a born-again Christian” and still live in “hell” while you are here on earth…no one wants that.  When you are born again, you want certain things to change.  You have the right as a born-again Christian to have some “heaven” while you are here on earth, and not just have the title of being “born again” with no change in the situations or circumstances of your life.
 
            The Amplified version of Romans 12:1-2 reads as follows:
 
            “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. 
Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].”
 
            And the Message Bible reads:
 
            “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.  Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
 
            “Be not conformed to this world.”  “Do not be fashioned or adapted by this world.”  “Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.”  You see, we were born into this world, and we have spent lots of time being “trained” by the world.  We have adapted to the world’s:
 
·        Way of thinking,
·        Attitudes,
·        Ideas.
 
We have been shaped and molded to be “worldly.”
 
Then one day you make a decision to make Jesus the Savior of your soul and Lord of your life.  For many Christians it stops right there.  They are born again, but there is no change in the things that they have been conformed to, such as the world’s way of thinking, attitudes and ideas, its lifestyles and music.   They are still doing the same old things, the same old way, with the same old attitudes.  They are shaped by self-will.
 
Ask yourself these questions:
 
·        Are you still depressed?
·        Are you still controlled by life’s circumstances?
·        Do you still walk in fear?
·        Do you still treat your spouse badly?
·        Are you short tempered with your children?
·        Do you still struggle with poverty?
·        Do you still struggle with sexual immorality?
·        Are you still caught up in pornography?
·        Are you still mad at the world or at God?
 
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you are still conformed to this world, still controlled by the world’s fashion.  The answer is to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
 
What actually happens when you are born again?  You make a decision to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.  Jesus enters in and changes your spirit.  Your spirit man dies and the spirit of the living God enters in.  Inside, you’re perfect – born again in the image of Jesus Himself.
 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”                           (II Corinthians 5:17)
 
But outwardly, you fall frustratingly short of perfection. Your soul (which is comprised of your mind, will and emotions) remains the same, which means your body is doing the same old things as well.  You can be a born-again Christian, but still have the same ideas, the same attitudes and the same vocabulary.  Being born again saves you from eternal damnation.  You have the “title” of Christian.  However, to experience a life change you have to become a “disciple” of Christ.  That means renewing your mind. 
 
Most people who become Christians are fashioned and adapted to this world.  They will still have the same conflicts, problems, and fleshly desires until they renew their minds.  Some people believe being born again gets them out of their problems.  But being born again doesn’t get you out of your problems unless you renew your mind.  Renewing your mind provides the power to change your life.
 
To be “transformed” actually means to change.  How do you change?  By renewing your mind.  Renewing your mind and change go hand in hand, like a hand in a glove.  You cannot say your mind is renewed if there is no evidence of a changed lifestyle.  There must be a “line-up” of the Word of God and your thinking.  You must yield your mind, your thinking to the Word of God.
 
It is possible for God to re-create your spirit on the inside, but your soul (your mind, will and emotions) and your body stay the same.  If you don’t change the way you think or do things, all you will have had is a religious experience, and religious experiences do not produce change unless a renewing of your mind follows.   When a person has a renewed mind, everything changes; your fellowship, your priorities, your values, your giving and receiving and how you spend your time. 
 
Jesus said,
 
“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”                       (John 10:10)
 
 You cannot have an abundant life if you are still missing the mark (or sinning).  If there is no change of mind, the same problems you had before being born again will follow you after being born again.  You cannot fool the devil.  The answer is to stop playing games with the world and start thinking the way God thinks through His Word.
 
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”                                          (I John 1:5-9)
 
You must look to the way out of sin.  You cannot go ahead sinning because you know He will forgive you.  God will not be mocked. 
 
“If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim.  But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.”                              (I John 1:5-7 Amp.)               
 
“But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that (sin).  It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it.  He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit.”             (Titus 3:4-5 Message)
 
We all need to take a bath, not just now and then, but daily and faithfully.  Soap takes away odor. Sin has an odor.  But thank God for the Blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all of our sins.
 
Many Christians get born again, but they fail to use the Blood.  If the Blood is not applied to your life, you live in deception.  There is no joy in your salvation.
 
Read I John 1:9 again…“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  This verse should make you shout.  But notice verse 10… “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”  Let us understand that it one thing to be forgiven for sin…but it is another thing to overcome failures.  “I don’t want to continue in sin, especially if I know (in my mind) that it is sin.”  If you failed yesterday, that doesn’t mean you have to fail today.  Continuing in sin will open you up to more demonic oppression.      
 
As a Christian, you should be making progress.  You should be stronger, more committed today than you were yesterday.  There should be increase in your life, growing toward the better.  The objective of every Christian should be to stop sinning, especially when you know that Jesus loves you.
 
The following Scripture could be applied to those who do not have a renewal of the mind.  The same problems you had before being born again will follow you after being born again.  YOU CANNOT FOOL THE DEVIL!
 
“…those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority…are presumptuous, self-willed.  They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.  But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.  They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls.  They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.  They have forsaken the right way and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam and son of Beor, who loved the way of righteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity; a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. 
These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.  For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.  For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.  For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.  But it has happened to them according to the true proverb:  ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’”
      (II Peter 2:10-22)
 
 
II.               Mind Cleansing…
 
The renewed mind is one that has been dipped (washed) by the Blood of Jesus.  We are justified not by the Word, but by the Blood.  An illustration of this is if you quote Scriptures to the devil, he will laugh at you.  If you quote Scriptures to yourself, it doesn’t change a thing.  If you quote Scriptures to others, they might become hardened.  But when you apply the Blood to the Word, the devil responds to it.  With the Blood we break demonic powers and strongholds.  Only the Blood can wash away.
 
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments (vain imaginations) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”           (II Corinthians 10:4-6)
 
Note that there are 290 references in the Bible to the love of God, but there are l,300 references to the Blood. 
 
The Blood of Jesus:
 
 
·         JUSTIFIES
 

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
                                     (Romans 5:9)
 
·         REDEEMS
 

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
                                 (Ephesians 1:7)
 
·         OVERCOMES
 

“And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
                             (Revelation 12:11)
 
·         POWER TO FORGIVE

“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
                                  (Hebrews 9:22)
 
 
·         HAS AUTHORITY

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil.”
                                (Hebrews 10:19)
 
·         THE ONLY EXCHANGE FOR MY SOUL

“…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”                      (I Peter 1:18-19)
 
·         CHOSEN TO BE FAMILY

“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For you were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood…”  
                                 (Revelation 5:9)
 
·         COVENANTS ARE MADE BY AND THROUGH THE BLOOD

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.  Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption…And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death…”       (Hebrews 9:11-12, 15)
 
 
The devil recognizes the Blood.  When Jesus died on Calvary and shed His blood, He paid the price.  It’s possible the devils came out of everybody so they could gather around the cross of Calvary and wring their hands and say, “We have Him now.”
 
But they didn’t have Him!  Jesus died on the cross, defeating sin and Satan.  No one could destroy the kingdom of the devil except Jesus!
 
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death.”                                               (Revelation 1:18)
 
“There is a legend of Martin Luther, that during a serious illness the evil one entered his sick room, and looking at him with a triumphant smile, unrolled a big scroll that he carried in his arms.  As the fiend threw one end of it on the floor, it unwound by itself.  Luther’s eyes read the long fearful record of his own sins, one by one.  That stout heart quailed before the ghastly roll.  Suddenly it flashed into Luther’s mind that there was one thing not written there.  He cried aloud:  “One thing you have forgotten.  The rest is all true, but one thing you have forgotten:  ‘The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’  And as he said this, the Accuser of the Brethren and his heavy roll disappeared.”*   
“A preacher was speaking from the text, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ Suddenly he was interrupted by an atheist who asked, ‘How can blood cleanse sin?’  For a moment the preacher was silent; then he countered, ‘How can water quench thirst?’  ‘I do not know,’ replied the infidel, ‘but I know that it does.’  ‘Neither do I know how the blood of Jesus cleanses sin,’ answered the preacher, ‘but I know that it does.’ ”*
 
 
III.           The Process of Change…
 
There is no question that we all need to change.  The word “change” might appear to be a small word or a simple word, but it could become very big when you start to initiate the process of change.  We need practical understanding on how to change.  If we are to maximize the gifts God has given us and thus fulfill God’s destiny for our lives, then we need to do everything possible to change those areas of our lives that hold us back.  We will never be able to offer any evidence that God’s Word is true if we don’t renew our minds.  Through a renewed mind we can prove “…what is that good, perfect and acceptable Will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
 
The renewing of our mind is more than just a collection of new ideas and new attitudes.  That is only a part of it.  Romans 12:1-2 in the Amplified Bible reads:  “Do not be conformed to this world, this system, this age, do not be fashioned after and adapted to its external superficial customs, but be ye transformed (changed)” How do we change?  “…by the entire renewal of your mind.”  If you are going to deal with every area of your life, then you need to have your entire mind renewed.  So we can see that in addition to gaining new ideas and new attitudes, the evidence of a renewed mind is CHANGE!
 
Understand also that learning about a renewed mind is not enough.  You must “do” what you have learned.
 
  “But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only…”                                                      (James 1:22)
 
You must implement what you have received through the Word until it manifests as change in your life.  If you have not renewed your mind, if you are still engaged in the same ungodly activities that you were engaged in before becoming born again, then there will be no evidence of change.  Change is very important in our lives, and renewing our minds is not a one-time event.  It is a PROCESS, a LIFESTYLE, and it will continue until we pass from mortality to immortality, from corruption to incorruption!
 
Now is the time to initiate the process of change.  An interesting illustration – A caterpillar is called a caterpillar until it changes.  Then it is called a butterfly.  God allows us to be called Christians right now, even though we are in the process of change.  We must not wear the title of “Christian” and ignore the process of change.  Change should always be a part of our Christian existence.
 
The process of change comes about through HEARING THE WORD, READING THE WORD, MEDITATING ON THE WORD, and then DOING THE WORD!
 
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path!”
(Psalm 119:105) 
IV.            Taking off The Old, Putting on The New…
 
The Word of God tells us that we are to PUT OFF the old and PUT ON the new.
 
            “But now yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…       (Colossians 3:3-10)
 
 For example:

            “…just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”                                             (Romans 6:4)
 
            We cannot put on the new man if we neglect to renew our mind.
 
“…and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
                                                              (Ephesians 4:23-24)
 
            It is the goodness of God that leads us to repent, to be born again, and to desire the process of change.
 
            “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
                                                                         (Romans 2:4)
 
            If you become a born-again Christian and do not desire to change, then you have no fear of the Lord.  You have no respect for the Lord.    
 
 “…Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God.”                                                            (Psalm 55:19)
 
            Take a look at your life right now.  Are you born again, but not:
 
·        Attending Church faithfully (not just now and then)?
·        Praying and reading the Word daily?
·        Involved in ministry in your local church?
 
Then these are areas where you need to renew your mind and change.
 
 
V.               12 Biblical Steps in The Process of Change…
 
We are all familiar with the 12-step programs available to help individuals overcome drug and alcohol addictions, gambling addictions, overeating, etc.  We will present to you in the following pages 12 Biblical steps outlining what you can do to change from your present state of mind to the mind of Christ.
 
As you read the 12 Biblical steps in the process of change, you will be placed in a most dangerous position.  The reason is this – it is one thing to remain as you are.  However if you learn how to renew your mind and bring about change in your life, and choose to remain the same, you will be held accountable to God. 
 
            “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.  Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.”
                                                                (Proverbs 4:20-22)
 
            “Thy Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”                                   (Psalm 119:11)
 
 
 
 
·        Step 1:   Make a Decision to Change
 
            Many people are where they are right now because they have never made a decision to change.  They have never decided to improve or grow.  In other words, until you make a decision to change, nothing is going to happen.
 
            “…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life…” 
                                                           (Deuteronomy 30:19)
 
            God in His great love for us always gives us the freedom to choose.  In other words, until you make a decision to change, nothing is going to happen.  You have to decide you are going to prosper.  You have to decide you are going to be out of debt.  You have to decide you are going to receive your healing.  You have to decide you are going to lose that extra weight.  You have to decide you are going to overcome your problems and addictions.
 
            “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”                                       (Joshua 24:15)
 
            One day you have to make a decision; am I going to serve God or serve the devil?  Am I going to heaven or am I going to hell?  (If you have not already made this decision, now is a good time to do so!  Pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart.)  Once you have made a quality decision to serve God, please understand that no devil can stop the manifestation of that decision.  The reason is that decision is an open door to reality.  You will never enter reality until you make the decision.  The reality is this:
 
            “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”                      (John 3:16)
 
            “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”                                                     (Romans 10:13)  
 
            An example of someone who made a quality decision was the woman with the issue of blood:
 
            “Now a certain woman had an issue of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was not better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, “If only I may touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made whole.”
                     (Mark 5:25-28)
 
            This woman had a blood infirmity.  According to the culture of that day, it was illegal for her to come out in public with that disease and especially illegal to appear before a priest.  She could have been legally stoned to death.  But she made a decision:  “If only I could touch the hem of His garment, I know I will be made whole.”  She made a decision that changed her entire life from that time on for all eternity.  She was willing to put her life on the line for that decision.
 
            Decision is the open door to reality.  Until you “decide” you will never see the reality of its fulfillment.  You cannot sit and think about it.  You cannot wait for someone else’s opinion.  You cannot wait for someone else’s approval.  There must be a point when you decide.  There must be a point when the door opens, when the invisible becomes visible, and the intangible becomes tangible and real.
 
            If you make a quality decision about anything (smoking, anger, prosperity, weight loss, etc.), you will find yourself with more courage and strength.  You will have determination and boldness.  You will experience assurance and confidence because all of heaven will back you up.  Angels will back you up.  The Holy Spirit will back you up.
 
 
“But thanks be to God, who (always) give us the victory through our Lord Christ Jesus!”
(I Corinthians 15:57)
 
 
·        Step 2.  Turn Over Your Will to God   Totally and Completely
 
A man’s will is a powerful thing.  We spend most of our lives doing what we will instead of doing the Father’s Will.  Now in the process of change, you have to let your will die, so that God’s Will may live. 
 
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
                                                                (John 3:30)
 
This must be our attitude.  God cannot increase as long as your will is in the way.  What is it that you are willing to do?  Will you continue the same as yesterday?  Will continue to sin?  Will you continue to smoke or drink or be involved in immorality?  What is your will?  You must turn your will over to God totally and completely.
 
The blessing of it is this:
 
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”                                            (Isaiah 1:19)
 
If we are to eat the good of the land, we must align our wills to His will.  Most of us do what we do because we will to do it.
 
Most of us participate in doing what we do not even wish to do because we will to do it.  For example, most people know someone who says they do not want to smoke.  They hate smoking, but continue to smoke.  However, when we make up our minds that it is not going to be “my will”, then things will start to change.  When you come to this point, you willingly are submitting to God’s will.  To do this successfully, you must first KNOW what God’s Will is.  God’s Will is His Word.  You must feed on God’s Will (His Word) daily.  You must attend church services, Sunday school classes, prayer meetings, Bible studies, whatever you can to learn God’s Will.  This is taking care of the “intangibles” or the “invisible” first.  Nothing takes place on the OUTSIDE until it first takes place on the INSIDE.  Most often it takes longer to work on the inside before it manifests on the outside.  Do not expect outward manifestations of change until you have worked on the inside.
 
There is a story in the Book of Acts that illustrates someone who wanted the manifestation of God’s Will on the outside, but who had not turned his will over to God:
 
“Then they (Peter and John) laid hands on them (the Samaritans), and they received the Holy Spirit.  And when Simon (the sorcerer) saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’  But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!  You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.  Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.  For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and iniquity.’ ”                                (Acts 8:17-23)
 
Simon (the sorcerer) wanted the power and authority that the apostles had without changing what was on the inside or what was in his heart.  God will not be mocked.  We will reap only what we sow both spiritually and naturally.
 
To do what needs to be done on the inside is tougher and more important than receiving the outward manifestations.  For example, wealth is not a result of just gathering money and material possessions.  Before you can receive wealth, you must see true treasures developed on the inside.  In order to receive your healing, you must first see yourself healed on the inside.  You must see your deliverance taking place on the inside before it can be seen on the outside.  Because of all this, the Bible says:
 
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil…”                                                                (Luke 6:45)
 
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”                            (Proverbs 4:23)
 
Life itself comes from the ground of your heart.  Whatever your life is right now, it comes out of the ground of your heart.  It is an internal issue before it becomes an external issue.
 
An illustration of this can be found in many married couples.  If they are having problems, it most generally is because of problems that existed in each individual on the inside before they were married.  The bottom line is this: if we can get change to take place internally, then we can see change externally. We cannot neglect the internal intangibles if we are to see good things on the outside.
 
 
“Something on the inside, working on the outside.  Oh what a change in my life!”
 
 
 
·        Step 3.  You Must Possess a Strong Desire to Change         
 
            Desire is the motivation of life.
 
            “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I seek; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…”                                                     (Psalm 27:4)
 
            “‘Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.’”                        (John 17:24)
 
            “But earnestly desire the best gifts.”
                                                           (I Corinthians 12:31)
 
            “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”                (Romans 10:1)
 
            All these Scriptures represent heart motivation. David desired intimacy with the Lord.  Jesus prayed to the Father that we might be with Him.  Paul encouraged believers to desire God’s best gifts.  He also expressed his desire for the salvation of Israel.
 
            In order for you to successfully change, you must desire that change.  Change will never come because someone else desires for you to change.  You must desire.  An example of this is a wife who desires for her husband to change.  She prays that God will change Him.  Her husband will not change based on her desire.  He must desire the change.  (Most times, changes in your spouse will occur when you change yourself first!)
 
            After you make a decision to change and turn over your will completely to God, then you must build boundaries around your decision.  You build a “fence” around your decision.  For example:  “I am not going to smoke anymore.”  “I am not going to purchase those cigarettes anymore.”  “I will not read those immoral magazines or watch immoral TV or movies anymore.”  “I will not sleep on Sunday morning when I should be in church.”
 
            Many people struggle with bad habits.  They want to do what is right, but they end up doing what is wrong.  Paul experienced the same problem:
 
            “For what I am doing, I do not understand.  For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do…For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
                                                                 (Romans 7:15, 19)
 
            In order to desire change, you must first understand where desire comes from.  Desire comes from what you give your attention to.  If you attend to the Word of God, this is what you will desire.  If you attend to certain businesses, this is what you will desire.  If you attend to pornography, this is what you will desire. 
 
            There is an interesting aspect to desire.  You can have an initial desire for something, but if you don’t give attention to it you will lose that desire.  Whatever your desire:
 
·        Attend to it;
·        Cultivate it; and
·        Work at it.
 
If you don’t attend to your desire, you will lose the motivation that led you to the process of change.  Desires are created and must be followed by appropriate action.
 
For example, do you want your children to grow up with Biblical values, or the values of the world?  It is not right for your children to be babysat by the television.  It is not right to allow your children to be fed the seeds of this sinful world.  Whatever you allow your children to attend to, this is what they will desire.
 
The same principle applies to your friendships.  Do you men hang around other men who only talk about sex? This is what you will desire.   Women, do you hang around other women who only want to gossip?  This is what you will desire.
 
It is important that we find out what God’s desire is for our lives.  This can only be found by giving attention to His Word. 
 
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”                               (Psalm 37:4)
 
If you delight in the Lord, give attention to His Word and worship Him, He will place His desires in your heart and they will become your desires.
 
 
“Behold,
You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part,
    You will make me to know
 wisdom.”
 (Psalm 51:6)
·        Step 4.  Deepen Your Knowledge Base
 
Your knowledge base must increase if your life’s experience is to increase.  You will never increase or change more than what you know.  For example, do you want promotion on your job?  Then you must increase your knowledge base in that job.  You cannot be promoted any further than what you already know.  You will not be able to do more than what you know.  Your knowledge base is the foundation upon which you are building.
 
The people of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they did not understand God’s purposes and plans for their future.  If they had, it would have taken them only six months to reach the Promised Land.  They wasted 39 1ž2 years of their lives.  Spending years in one place does not make you better.  It can make you harder.  There are many Christians who have been “in the way of the Lord” for many years but have not grown beyond their original salvation experience, primarily because they have not taken the time to broaden their knowledge of the Lord through the Word.
 
What are you doing to increase your knowledge base, for example, in your marriage?  If you don’t expand your knowledge about your marriage and your mate, you will have the same problems, the same arguments, the same frustrations, and the same unfulfilled dreams.  Nothing can change if you don’t learn about the marriage relationship, communication, intimacy, finances, children, and family, etc.  You will carry on whatever family dysfunction your parents may have had.  Consequently, if a marriage does not work, we throw it out as if the marriage covenant had no value.  We then try another marriage with another person not realizing that we only take the same problems from the first marriage into the second.
 
The way to change from that miserable existence to a better marriage is to deepen your knowledge about marriage, your mate and what the Word of God has to say about marriage.  It is not good enough to say: “We just don’t get along,” “We just don’t understand each other,” or “We just don’t agree or like the same things.”  Divorce is not the answer.  The answer is:  “How can I change?” 
 
If you refuse to deepen your knowledge base, you are not going to change.  When you refuse to change in a relationship, your attitude will worsen and verbal abuse will start.  This often is followed by non-verbal expression and then physical violence and possibly worse.
 
How can I deepen my knowledge base?  There are many ways:
 
1.      Attend Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services faithfully!
2.      Read your Bible daily!
3.      Watch teaching videos.
4.      Listen to teaching tapes.
5.      Take Bible correspondence courses.
6.      Read Bible-based books.
7.      Go online.  Many ministries are putting their teachings on computer.
8.      Get Biblical counseling if you need it.
 
You will not change if you are a lazy Christian.  It takes WORK to change.  One of the most depressing things in the world is to see someone you know who has been a Christian for many years and has not changed.  They are still struggling with the same sins, the same weaknesses, the same shortcomings and lack in their lives.  How this must hurt the heart of God who has provided us with everything we need to grow.  Paul prayed for the church in Colosse that they would:
 
“…be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”                                                     (Colossians 1:9-10)
 
            “Wise people store up knowledge...”
                                                                   (Proverbs 10:14)
 
            “…the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.”             (Ecclesiastes 7:12)
 
            “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
                                                                            (Hosea 4:6)
 
 
 
·     Step 5.  Look Into the Word of God as Your Mirror to Change.
 
Consider the following illustration.  You get up in the morning.  Hopefully, you look into your mirror.  The mirror shows the image of your present condition.  It will also assist you in achieving the condition you would like to be in before you leave the house.
 
The Word of God should do the same thing.  We should look into the “image” of the Word of God, and allow the reflection from the Word to be made a part of our lives so that our change will be a change in line with the mirror of God’s Word.  We need to change according to the Word, not according to tradition, or the times we live in, or even church teaching. 
 
You must know what you look like.  I don’t want to look like the Koran (Islam), the Veda (Hindu), the Watchtower (Jehovah Witness), or the Mormon Bible.  There is only one living book in this world.  It is the BIBLE, the WORD OF GOD.  I want to look like the WORD OF GOD!
 
Anyone who has truly changed has looked into the Word of God and actually reflects the Word of God.  There must more than words or talk.  There must be evidence of the good and perfect Will of God.  Unless it is the Word of the living God, it will not produce righteous, holy and permanent change.
 
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’  Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
                                                              (James 2:18)
 
Do not tell me how much faith you have.  Show me your faith by what you are doing.  Your life will reflect evidence of the Word of God if you have gone:
 
·        From darkness to light;
·        From poverty to prosperity;
·        From sickness to divine health;
·        From bondage to deliverance;
·        From unrighteousness to righteousness.
 
You cannot argue with evidence.  You need to change what you watch, what you read and what you practice.  Allow your life to be a mirror image of the Word of God.  Don’t change the wrong way such as through new philosophies, new trends, or current codes of ethics.  Unless you change by the Word of God, you will never have lasting change for the better.
 
 
“But as for you, brethren,
do not grow weary in doing good.”
(II Thessalonians 3:13)
 
 
 
·     Step 6.  Diligently Apply the Truths You Have Learned.
 
Here is the key – diligently apply the truths you have learned!  This diligent application must be consistent, day-by-day.  If you have learned something today from the Word of God, it will do you no good until you apply it.  You watch videos, listen to tapes, or read good Bible-based books, but it will not profit you if you do not apply the truths you have learned.  A person with a renewed mind is a person whose life reflects the truths he has learned. 
 
Information without application is useless.  For example, a drug addict can go to a drug recovery program and learn all kinds of ways to recover.  However, unless he consistently applies what he has learned, he will not change.  He will not overcome his addiction.  He will stay the same.  Many people do not “make it” because they are not consistent.
A good practice to follow is this: Whatever you start, always finish it. 
 
The spirit of your mind is changed or renewed by “diligence,” not by  “every now and then.”  You cannot pray every now and then.  You cannot tithe every now and then.  You cannot refrain from cursing, or drinking, or committing adultery every now and then.  Failure oftentimes is the result of lack of diligence or consistency.
 
 Consistency is the key to breakthrough!  This consistency will require discipline.  However, if you want change, then you must be consistent to diligently apply the truths that you have learned. 
 
“He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
(Proverbs 10:4)
 
 
·        Step 7.  Guard the Entrances to Your Heart.
 
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”                            (Proverbs 4:23)
 
What are your life’s issues?  The issues of your life grow out of your heart.  Whatever problems, addictions, or sin you are in is the result of neglecting to guard your heart.  The entrance to a man’s heart is through his mind.  As you are working to produce change in your life, Satan is working on you to keep you from changing into the person God desires you to be.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy….”                             (John 10:10)
 
There are three “gates” through which Satan can gain entrance to the mind:
 
1)      The “mouth-gate” – “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth…” 
                                                       (Ephesians 4:29)
 
2)      The “eye-gate” – “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you…”
                                                                     (Matthew 18:9)
 
3)      The “ear-gate” – “Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to works of knowledge.”                            (Proverbs 23:12)
 
You have to take responsibility for what you say, for what you feast your eyes upon and for what you allow your ears to hear.  If you are attempting to change, but continue to speak evil, watch violence, read pornographic literature or listen worldly music, you will fail. 
 
“…whatsoever a man sows, that he will also reap.  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”                                  (Galatians 6:8)
 
Satan is looking for any way to gain entrance to your heart.  Most often it is through compromise.  If we say, “That movie is not so bad,” or “I can look at those pornographic pictures and it will be okay because I’m not going to do anything about it,” or “It’s just a harmless joke,” then we have compromised the Word of God and given Satan permission to gain entrance.  Whatever we give attention to will ultimately produce similar results, if not immediately, sometime in the future.  There is a saying that came as a result of the development of the computer that says:  “Garbage in, garbage out.”  This saying also applies to us.  If you are not seeing the changes in your life that you would like, it may be because you have not changed what you give attention to.
 
Guarding the entrances to your heart takes commitment and discipline, especially in today’s world where the media is an important part of our lives.  As parents and grandparents, your responsibility is even greater today to protect your children from the evil that is prevalent on the TV and Internet.  Satan is out to get your children! 
 
In the process of renewing your mind and changing, it is important to set up boundaries for yourself in order to guard the entrances of your heart.  Know what you can look at with your eyes.  Learn to turn the TV off!  Know what you should allow yourself to hear.  Walk away from bad jokes or foul language.  Stop listening to worldly music.  Be careful how you speak.  Drop the negativism and the gossip!  Stop buying those cigarettes. Don’t hang around people that are still practicing bad habits and evil deeds.   If you change your conduct, you will stop falling back into the old habits.  Guard the entrances of your heart!
 
“With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against you.”
(Psalm 119:10-11)
·        Step 8.  Defend Your Mind Against the Old Thoughts.
 
This step demands that you come to the defense of your mind.  After you were born again, did you have to still deal with all the old thoughts?  This step talks about you coming to the defense of your mind.  One of the most powerful weapons that Satan and his demons use against you is the power of suggestion.  If he has used something against you in times past that worked, you can be sure that he will use the same suggestion again unless you have learned to take authority over it.  He will come against you with the same old thoughts.  The Bible tells us how we can defend our mind against old thoughts.
 
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 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…”                                         (II Corinthians 10:3-5)
 
Many people believe that they have no power over their thoughts.  They believe that they are subject to their thoughts and have no control over them.  They believe that cannot help the way they think and can do nothing about it.  But the Word of God says differently.  You must take your thoughts captive.  The devil will come at you with negative thoughts such as:  “You’re no good,” or “This sickness is going to kill you,” or “There is no way you will ever be able to quit smoking or drinking.”  When that happens, you must take that thought, reject it, cast it down and refuse to entertain it.  You must apply the Word of God to your thoughts.  What does the Word of God say about your situation? 
 
God has given you the authority and the power to capture every thought that argues or goes against the Word of God.  We have authority to bring down every argument that contradicts the Word of God.  For example, the Bible speaks about your “body” being the “temple of the Holy Ghost.”  Then you have another thought that says, “There is nothing wrong with having sex outside of marriage as long as I use protection.”  Who will protect you from God?  Paul the Apostle tells us in II Corinthians 10:3-5 to take that thought that goes against the Word of God, arrest it and put it into prison!  How do you do that?
 
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”                                                      (Philippians 4:8)
 
Another key tool that you have at your disposal is to SPEAK the Word of God.  You cannot think one thing and speak another at the same time.  As an illustration, count from one to ten in your mind.  While you are counting, speak your name out loud.  What happened to your counting?  When an evil thought comes to your mind, speak out the Word of God.  That will capture the evil thought and bring it into submission to the Word of God.  So when a thought contrary to the Word of God comes into your mind, open your mouth and declare His Word and His Will.   The mind is a battlefield.  You can help control your mind with your mouth.  Don’t wage a silent battle in your mind.  Speaking interrupts your thought processes.  Use confession to help keep your mind where it needs to be.
 
When the devil says, “You’re going to die from this sickness,” you say, “By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed.  With a long life will God satisfy me.  So devil you be quiet.  I cast you down, I arrest you in the name of Jesus!”
 
Remember your authority as a child of God.
 
“I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothingshall by any means shall hurt you.”
                                                              (Luke 10:19)
 
When you use the tools that God has given you, you are defending your mind against the development of any thought patterns that go against His Word.  Open your mouth and speak God’s truth:
 
·        “I have been redeemed from destruction.”
·        “I have abundant life.”
·        “I am healed and prosperous.”
·        “I am more than a conqueror through Christ who strengthens me.”
·        “I belong to Christ, and He belongs to me!”
 
Don’t let evil thoughts attach themselves to you.  If you do, more evil thoughts will come in and will develop into a pattern of thinking.  Before you know it, you will have a stronghold in your mind preventing you from doing God’s will.  Defend your mind against your old thoughts.  Pull that evil thought down – you are no longer that old person anymore.  You are a new creation!
 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”
(II Corinthians 5:17)
 
 
·        Step 9.  Think Success, Talk Success, and Walk Success.
 
            In spite of all your past failures, you can think success, talk success and walk success.
 
            “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”                                     (Philippians 4:13)
 
            The Bible speaks of having faith like the size of a mustard seed.  Anything small that is cultivated in good soil will become huge. 
 
            Nehemiah was a man of prayer who wept when he heard about the broken walls of Jerusalem.  In studying the book of Nehemiah you will discover 7 factors that caused Nehemiah to do what others thought, said and predicted he wasn’t able to do.  These same seven factors will cause you to prosper if you apply them to your life.
 
1.      DREAM – When Nehemiah learned of the broken walls of Jerusalem, he had a dream of doing something about it.  This dream caused him to spend many days fasting and praying to God, crying out on behalf of the people in repentance for their wicked ways and asking God for mercy.
 
“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.  And I said: ‘I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You…grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”                                           (Nehemiah 1:4-6, 11)
 
If you want to succeed in anything in life, you must have a dream.
 
“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” 
       (Proverbs 29:18)
     
A dream must be cultivated.  It must be lived.  It must be believed.  It doesn’t just happen.  For example, when I started out in ministry, one of the dreams I had for the ministry was to have a Christian school.  For a short while, it seemed that it would never materialize.  However, while studying the Word of God, I learned that I could only receive when I believed. 
 
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘be thou removed and be cast into the sea,’ and believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”                    (Mark 11:23)
 
So I wrote the vision down on paper and started confessing:  “I am going to have a school.  I am going to have a school.”  Everywhere I went I said, “I am starting a Christian school.”  Every time I prayed I said:  “Thank you, Lord, for the Christian school.”  After a while, I knew I would have a Christian school, even though nothing yet had materialized in the natural.  A dream must first be birthed in the spirit, before it can become a natural reality.  Nobody has ever done anything big for God or for man unless they have been consumed by a dream.  My dream for a Christian school did materialize and was very successful.
 
As a word of caution, be careful whom you share your dream with.  Avoid negative people who will not or cannot believe with you.  These are people who are “wet blankets” who will attempt to put out the fire of your belief or dream.  It is important also that your dream is of God and not something borne out of selfish motives.
 
2.      DESIRE – Nehemiah’s dream had so consumed him that it became his desire.  This desire was expressed in his request to the king: 
 
“If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”                                             (Nehemiah 2:4)
 
Nehemiah’s desire was to be used of God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  When you dream long enough, that dream becomes an overwhelming desire.  When you have a desire and that desire is of God, you will do everything in your power to make it come to pass.
 
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”          (Psalm 37:4)
 
As you delight in the Lord he puts His desires for you into your heart.  In the earlier years of my ministry, I desired to start a Bible college.  I had a dream for a Bible college for such a long time that it became an overwhelming desire.  I had to do something about it.  Even though there were many challenges along the way, I was determined to fulfill that desire.  I pursued the desire in every way I could until it came to fruition in September of 1979.  To be a success, it is important to pursue your desires, believing God to guide you and provide for you along the way, never giving up!
 
3.      DECISION – Nehemiah made a decision to do something about the walls of Jerusalem.  He could have just wept and prayed that something be done abut the walls of Jerusalem.  Instead, he made a decision to do something.  He took action and went the king with his request.
 
           “And I said to the king, ‘ If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house to which I will go.’  And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.”                                                    (Nehemiah 2:7-8)
 
           I admire people who say, “I have decided to do this or do that,” and then go ahead and do it.  It’s a sign of character and integrity.  If God has called you to do something, then you need to take whatever steps necessary to do it.  If you do what you know to do, God will give you the provision and ability.  For example, has God called you to the ministry?  Then go ahead and enroll in Bible college, or take some correspondence courses, etc.  Prepare yourself.  Sitting and waiting is a waste of precious time.
 
           If you don’t have a dream, ask God to give you one.  Let that dream become a consuming desire and then make a decision to do something about it.  Develop a plan; set goals for yourself.  The Amplified Bible says:
          
           “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.”
                                                               (Proverbs 16:9)     
           
4.      DARE – Do something you have never done before. Dare means to be courageous enough to try something new or different.  Don’t be afraid to take a risk or to “dare” God for something that seems impossible. 
 
Nehemiah “dared” to do something seemingly impossible.  Chapter 2: 11-16 of Nehemiah speaks of his going out in the night by himself, having told no one what God had put in his heart, to view the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem.  It must have been overwhelming to him, and it probably appeared to be an impossible task.  However, he had the courage to go to the Jews, the priests, the nobles and officials with the challenge.
 
“Then I said to them, ‘You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire.  Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.’”
                                                             (Nehemiah 2:17)
 
            Strive on becoming a person who is not afraid to “dare” God.  He looks for people with faith, who have courage and never give up.  Anybody can quit.  When things get tough, you fight harder.    There’s a saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”  I don’t believe in quitting, and I don’t believe in compromising.  I believe that if the true church of God would rise up and have the courage to do what seems impossible, we would see a greater manifestation of the Kingdom of God on this earth.  We would see the harvest come in.  And we would see the return of Jesus!
 
I dare you to do what you can’t do.  I dare you to have the largest Sunday school.  I dare you to have the largest bus ministry.  I dare you to promote and evangelize your city for God.  Let me challenge you to DARE to do what God has put in your heart.  With God all things are possible!
 
5.      DEDICATION – Once you have decided to do something for God that you have never done before and are willing to have the courage to go forth, then you must be dedicated to your dream.  Dedication means to commit yourself to a certain course or action.  Without dedication, nothing can be accomplished.
 
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might…”                                           (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
 
This Scripture should be lived by every Christian from the day he or she receives Christ.  Only if we really mean it, and are willing to dedicate ourselves to it, will we change our cities, our nation and the world for God.
 
Nehemiah was dedicated to his dream of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.
 
“So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”                                      (Nehemiah 4:6)
 
You might ask, “So what happens if I fail?”  If you worry about failing, you already have.  Make no provision for failure.  Instead, make provision for growth.  It is regrettable that today’s world capitalizes on failure.  All you need to do is watch the daily newscasts.  Whatever evil is done, whatever harm comes to someone, whoever in the public eye gets a divorce or commits adultery, that’s what you see in the news.  Do something good and worthwhile, and it’s not newsworthy.  We need to be success conscious, not failure conscious.  Someone once said to me, “You strike me as being a poor loser.”  Look at what is happening today.  Churches are losing families; families are losing children; children are losing their dignity through drugs, alcohol and illicit sex.  Yes, I would say I am a poor loser!  Proper dedication will ensure that you will be successful in whatever your dream is.  We at RCCM are dedicated to be winners!
 
6.      DIRECTION – It is important to continue in the direction that the Lord gives you.  Stay focused on that dream.  Nehemiah had to contend with distraction and opposition while the wall was being rebuilt.  Chapter 6 of Nehemiah describes the conspiracy that came against him by his enemies.  But he refused to become disheartened or distracted from the direction that the Lord had given him.
 
“Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plan of Ono.’  But they sought to do me harm.
      So I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.  Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?’”                                                 (Nehemiah 6:1-3)
 
The opposition against Nehemiah became great, but he refused to abandon the direction God had given him.
 
How many preachers today get distracted from the call of God on their lives, namely the Great Commission, the salvation of mankind.  So many have become so involved in social, environmental and political issues, that they forget the heartbeat of God, which is the salvation of souls.  Those issues may not be wrong, but they must not become priority or get us off course if we are to fulfill what God has commanded us to do.  We must stay in the right direction.  We must preach the Gospel and disciple God’s people.  We must keep our focus on the direction God has given us in His Word.
 
“For God will bring every work into judgment including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
                                                         (Ecclesiastes 12:14)
 
7.      DEVOTION – To be devoted means give or apply your time and attention to the task at hand.  It requires a sense of loyalty.  In reading the story of Nehemiah, you will note that he was completely devoted to rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.  He let nothing deter him or prevent him from what God had given him to do.
 
“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.  And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.”                                  (Nehemiah 6:15-16)
 
I want you to know that I am not a genius.  I don’t have the eloquence of some great orator.  I don’t have the brilliant mind that some others do.  In the natural sense, I am not greatly gifted.  But what I can do is DREAM BIG and as big as any who are geniuses or highly talented.  I can desire, I can decide and I can dare.  I can receive direction from the Lord.  And I can be dedicated and devoted to the work at hand. 
 
It does not require talent to be devoted to God’s purposes and plans.  What it does require is WORK.  Success is not wrapped up in being brilliant or eloquent.  Success is rolling up your sleeves and getting busy for God.  Follow His footsteps and don’t let anyone change your thinking or your dreams.  Only have a renewed mind according to His Word.  Hard work and devotion are the key to success in Christian growth. 
 
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”                       (Colossians 3:17)
 
 
·        STEP 10.  Be Selective About What You Expose Yourself To.
 
            When you are going through changes, you must be selective. 
 
·                    Be Selective About Whom You Associate With.
 
            You cannot associate with anyone and everyone.
 
            “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’  Awake to righteousness, and do not sin…”
                                                           (I Corinthians 15:33)
 
      &nb