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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:
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PUT
OFF
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PUT ON
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Sin
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Righteousness
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Hatred
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Love
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Cursing
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Blessing
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Old worldy friends
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New Christian friends
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Trust in yourself
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Trust in God
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Pessimism
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Optimism
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Excessive
TV
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Time
in the Word of God
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Sunday sleeping
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Attendance in Church, etc.
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“…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)
In
other words, awake or have your mind come to a new understanding about
whom you hang around with. For example, if you were formerly a drug
addict, you cannot afford to hang around with people to use drugs.
You must be selective. Your former drug friends may not understand.
But it is better to lose some “friends” rather than be drawn
back into that sinful lifestyle. Remember that misery loves company,
and if you try to retain those friendships that brought you down in the
first place, you will only be brought down again.
You
are in the process of change, and your flesh is weak. You will undoubtedly
fall if you don’t use wisdom about your associations. If you
were an alcoholic, don’t hang around those who drink. If your
weakness was immorality, don’t associate with men or women who have
no scruples about that lifestyle. Also, do not hang around with
carnal Christians who have no desire to grow or change, who have no vision,
no destiny or no excitement about the things of God. You need to
be in fellowship with other Christians who are serious about their walk
with God.
· Be Selective About
The Places You Go.
You
just cannot go anywhere you wish. You are trying to change.
You cannot walk into some club and say, “Oh well, the Lord led me
here to witness to some people.” That’s just an excuse
for not wanting to change your ways. Some people are seen at places
that are questionable, where they know they shouldn’t be seen.
And when they are “caught” there, both parties suffer embarrassment
as a result. Another excuse is, “Well I need to go there because
I know people there and it makes me feel important to be known.”
Your worth is not measured by who knows you. When you became a child
of God, you were already important in His eyes. After all, He sent
His son to die for you.
You
also need to be selective about what church you go to. Every church
is not the same. You need to be sure you attend a church that preaches
the uncompromised Word of God and not some “watered-down” gospel.
“Now
the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from
the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…”
(I Timothy 4:1)
It
is sad to say that there are many churches that are preaching a “social
gospel.” They are given to pleasing men rather than pleasing
God. They preach and teach only what the people want to hear, giving
no heed to the Word of God. As a result, lives are not changed.
There is no spiritual maturity.
There
is also a great danger in listening to every preacher on radio or TV.
There are many false doctrines and incorrect teachings being broadcast,
and they can cause great confusion. Just because someone is called
Reverend, or Pastor, or Bishop, doesn’t mean they know what they
are talking about.
“Beware
of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
they are ravenous wolves.”
(Matthew 7:15)
It’s
important to be careful which “word” you hear. Just because
a man or woman appears to have great knowledge and speak with great eloquence
or clarity, does not mean they know the Word of God. Know the credentials
and observe the fruit of those you listen to. Is the person who
is trying to teach you prosperity constantly broke and having financial
problems? Is the one who is teaching healing constantly sick?
Be careful of who you listen to. Almost everyone has challenges
in the area of finances and health from time to time. What we are
referring to here are those who have not learned God’s principles
and how to apply them to their own lives. Many people know how to
“talk the talk”, but have not learned to “walk the walk.”
· Be Selective About
Whom You Spend Your Time With.
Are
you believing God for a mate? Then be selective about whom you spend
your time with. If someone wants to spend time with you, ask some
pertinent questions; i.e., “Are you born again? Are you involved
in a local church body? Are you actively in the process of renewing
your mind? How have you changed as a result of renewing your mind?
Or have you changed at all?” Many a woman has found herself
in great trouble because she married a man who claimed to be born again
and then found out that man had no interest in serving the Lord.
You have to ask, “What kind of “born again” are you?
What kind of Christian do you profess to be?”
· Christian No. 1:
There are those that are “born again” in title only, but have
no interest in serving the Lord or renewing their mind with the Word of
God.
· Christian No. 2:
There are those that are “born again”, who show up in church
on Sunday, but still have no interest in serving the Lord or renewing
their mind with the Word of God.
· Christian No. 3:
Then there are those who are “born again” and are willing to
serve the Lord. They are actively and consistently renewing their
mind and are willing to change according to the principles of God’s
Word.
Before
accepting a date, it’s a good idea to ask: “Are you Christian
No.1, Christian No 2, or Christian No. 3?” If you are wise,
you will only spend time with a Christian No. 3! This is a serious
thing. You are allowing someone into your life, your heart and your
future. If that person is not renewing their mind and is unwilling
to grow and change through the Word, whatever struggles they have will
become your struggles. And if you struggle with the same issues,
you both get bigger problems.
I believe
one of the greatest tricks of the devil in these times is to deceive people
into choosing the wrong mate. If he is able to do so, that poor
individual will never realize their full potential of what God has called
them to be or do. Don’t be afraid of hurting someone’s
feelings by being selective. Also, don’t fall into the trap
of “missionary dating”: “It’s okay if I go out
with that person. I can change him or her. I can lead him
or her to the Lord.” Or worse, “I know he or she has a
problem with sexual sin, or alcohol, or drugs. Since I had
that problem before I was saved, I can understand and provide help.”
That is wrong thinking and will get you into big trouble. Don’t
hang around with people that have the same sin or addictions that you
did. The temptation to fall back into that sin will be too great.
(This does not refer to belonging to “support groups” where
people of like weaknesses gather together who are committed to changing
and helping each other to change.)
Better
to be SELECTIVE NOW than SORRY LATER.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what
fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion
has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial?
Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?”
(II Corinthians 6:14-15)
· STEP 11. Disassociate
From the Past.
If you are
going to change and grow, it is very important that you disassociate from
the past.
“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)
“…knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might
be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”
(Romans 6:6)
Disassociating
with the past is not something that happens easily. You must set
your mind to do it. It is human nature to try to hang on to what
is familiar. But it can be disastrous if you are trying to change.
You might feel “comfortable” with some of the old ties, but
you will never get to the place where God wants to take you. It
would be wonderful if all your old friends became born-again Christians
with the same direction and goals. There is the temptation to continue
to spend time with those you enjoy, but if they are not willing to follow
Christ, they will ultimately drag you back into the old lifestyle.
They will continue to influence you in the “old ways.”
Look
at what Paul had to say in the Word of God:
“Brethren,
I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which
are ahead.”
(Philippians 3:13)
He
said he had not apprehended or captured anything, accept for one thing.
And that was to forget those things that were behind and to reach for
those things that were ahead. Consider Paul’s past. He
was a highly educated man, well versed in Scripture and a Pharisee.
He also was a persecutor and a murderer of Christians. After his
life was transformed, he himself was persecuted and suffered beatings,
shipwrecks, and torments. But he also did great exploits for the
cause of Christ. Yet he did not consider any of it. He continued
to look only to what was ahead. He did not look at his successes
or failures, but only looked ahead.
You
might have had a past steeped in sin. You may have been abused as
a child. Or you may have been very successful in business or a great
athlete. We are talking about not only what was bad, but also what
you thought was good. Now you are a “new creation.”
You must learn to look ahead in all areas of you life. Start fresh;
give yourself a new beginning. Forget yesterday and reach to a new
day. Make a clean cut from the past and change your ways.
The
Bible tells the story of the children of Israel who continuously rebelled
and complained against God. As a result, they were not permitted
to enter into the Promised Land.
“And
the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘How long shall I bear
with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard
the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say
to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have
spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have
complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were
numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.’”
(Numbers 14:26-29)
The
root of rebellion had to be cut off; otherwise that same rebellious spirit
would have entered into the Promised Land and infected the next generation.
This is an example of how destructive the past can be. If the root
of sin, or bitterness, or abusiveness remains, we cannot come to maturity
in Christ. The Word of God tells us we are to “put off the
old self.”
“But
now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy language out of your mouth.”
(Colossians 3:8)
For some of us it’s graduation time! There is something better
ahead than what you are accustomed to. Paul said, “I have this
one thing to do: I must forget about the past and reach for the things
that are ahead of me.” If you are honest with yourself, the
so-called “good old days” weren’t so good after all.
If they were so good, God would have kept them around. You cannot
“correct” the past, but you can let go of it. You also
need to let go of the crutches such as; “if only I had a good father,”
or “if only I hadn’t been abused,” or “if only I had
a better education,” or “if only I had married someone else.”
This type of thinking must be done away with. Today is a new day,
and God is here to help you move on to a brighter future.
Oftentimes,
it is also necessary to disassociate from friends of the past if you really
want to change. If they were a negative influence in the past, they
will continue to be a negative influence unless they too get saved, baptized
in the Holy Ghost, and make a decision to renew their minds.
You
also must abandon your old way of doing things. After the death
of Jesus, Peter attempted to return to his “old” profession
of fishing. And he caught nothing.
“Simon
Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him,
‘We are going with you also.’ They went out and immediately
got in the boat, and that night they caught nothing.”
(John 21:3)
The
story goes on the say that Jesus came along and told them to go out again
and cast out their nets. They caught more fish then their nets could
hold. Then Jesus gave Peter his “new profession.”
“…Jesus
said to him, ‘Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you,
when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished;
but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will
gird you and carry you where you do not wish.’ This He spoke,
signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken
this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me.”
(John 21: 17-18)
This
is certainly not to say that everyone who is born again must change his
or her professions. But rather you must be willing to let go of
certain things and follow God’s direction for your life. This
is the only way to find fulfillment, satisfaction and blessings for your
life.
The
Bible is very specific about not looking back or longing to go back.
“Say
not thou, ‘What is the cause that the former days were better than
these?’ For thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:10)
There
is nothing from the past that is greater than the redemption our Lord
has already provided for us, or the future, which holds a destiny beyond
our imaginations!
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus!”
(Philippians 3:14)
· STEP 12.
Be Open to Correction and Be Teachable.
In
order to be changed or have your mind renewed, you must be open to correction
and be teachable.
“’My
son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when
you are rebuked by Him, for who the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges
every son whom He receives.’”
(Hebrews 12:5-6)
“My
son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction;
For whom the Lord loves, he corrects, Just as a father the son in whom
he delights.”
(Proverbs 3:11-12)
A man
or a woman who makes excuses about not changing or receiving correction
is unteachable. If every time somebody tries to correct you and
you make excuses, you are unteachable. If every time the Word of
God tries to correct you and you make excuses, you are unteachable.
If every time the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin and you make excuses,
you are unteachable.
How
many times have you read the Word of God and it “hits you right between
the eyes?” Are you willing to receive its instruction?
It is sad to say that many people receive instruction from the Word on
a Sunday morning, and by the time they get to the parking lot after the
service is over, they’ve forgotten it. The devil immediately
comes to steal that word from their heart. The word that is received
on Sunday morning needs to take hold in your heart. That is why
it is important not to leave the service early, but rather wait until
the pastor has made declaration and prayed the benediction thereby sealing
that information in your heart. There is a blessing attached to
the benediction at the end of the service, and only those present for
it will receive the blessing.
It
is also important not to leave the service early because of the distraction
it causes to others. A person sitting close to you may be on the
edge of making a decision for Christ, and then be distracted from it by
your leaving the church early. There is a divine order in a church
service, and we must submit to that order and to the authority of the
pastor. It is disrespectful to the Holy Spirit and to the pastor
to disrupt a service by leaving early, unless of course, there is an emergency.
In
regards to receiving correction, God often uses spouses to bring correction.
“As
iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
(Proverbs 27:17)
How
many men are willing to receive correction from their wives? Many
times God will give them wisdom for you and you need to be willing to
receive it. We need to be willing to receive correction. At
the same time, we need to be cautious about running around and correcting
everybody we see. We must refrain from becoming judgmental; rather
we must judge ourselves first.
I have
a serious problem when people tell me they love me, and then when they
see I’m doing something wrong, won’t speak to me about it.
“Open
rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.”
(Proverbs 27:5)
It
must be pointed out, however, that it is not up to the “sheep”
to correct the “shepherd.” If you see your pastor or elder
in error, it is not up to you to do the correcting.
“…Do
not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.”
(Psalm 105:15)
Rather,
you should speak quietly about the matter to another pastor or elder of
the church, and then leave the matter with that person. It is your
responsibility to pray for your pastor that the Lord would change what
needs to be changed. As a pastor, I am submitted to other pastors.
They have corrected me when I’ve needed it. It certainly doesn’t
feel good when it happens, but if I humbly receive it and act upon it,
it will produce a change in me that will allow me to grow.
“If
you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is
there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening,
of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not
sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and
we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection
to the Father of Spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days
chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may
be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful
for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable
fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
(Hebrews 12:7-11)
As
part of your process of change, you must learn to depend upon God and
other members of the Body of Christ for support. You cannot change
yourself by yourself. If you try to change by yourself, you will
end up in deception. Realize that God is your source, and surround
yourself with mature believers. Build yourself a support base.
You need to be discipled. For example, if you have a problem with
drugs, be discipled by someone who has been delivered, healed and totally
set free from drugs. That person will understand where you are at
and what you need to do to be set free.
Get
a support system going. You cannot look to the eldership or pastor to
receive all you need. Let others feed you, especially those who
have an understanding of your situation. It is very dangerous to
isolate yourself. That is a tool of the enemy to lead you into deception.
You cannot say, “Well there’s no one to help me.”
Be loyal to the person who led you to the Lord and look for someone who
has already been where you are to help you.
While
it is true that God is your source, He uses His people. The Body
of Christ is God’s hands extended. We need to get over
the fear of discipling people. As part of the Great Commission,
the Lord instructed us to make disciples.
“Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Matthew 28:19)
While
it is true that a healthy church gets its vision and direction from leadership,
every member should be involved in feeding each other or involved in discipleship.
For example, a Sunday school superintendent should be feeding the Sunday
school teachers; department heads should feed each other and their staff,
etc. People need to have a heart for growth and be willing to be
part of a “whole,” and not be an entity unto themselves.
There is one body and we are all members.
“…so
we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one
another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that
is given to us, let us use them…”
(Romans 12:5-6)
We
need to get into discipleship. You should not say, “I am going
to be my own person;” or “I don’t need anybody;” or
“I prefer to be independent.” As a Christian, that really
means you are committing to a life of bondage, loneliness and isolation.
We need God and we need each other. God designed it that way.
If you think you just need the Lord without the discipleship, it’s
like going through a revolving door – you go through the door of
salvation, but you come back out into your former world without a renewed
mind or changed life. We need to spend time being discipled so that
we can grow and then disciple others. By doing so you will grow
to a greater dimension. As we give to others what we have learned,
we will grow into maturity in the Lord.
“…but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
(II Peter 3:18)
VI.
The Control Center of Your Life…
· What is it?
The control center of your life is your mind. If you can control
your mind, you can control your life. You can control your destiny.
You only get out of life what you think and say about yourself.
“…What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.”
(Mark 7:20)
Many people don’t understand why we want to live right, and it’s
because they don’t understand the future. If they were to understand
the future glories and rewards and the eternal glories, they too would
want live holy and righteous.
“For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred)
reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection
comes] we shall see in reality and face to face!”
(I Corinthians 13:12 Amp.)
Although we don’t see clearly now, when the Righteous One comes,
we will understand such Scriptures as Romans 8:28, (“And we know
that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those
who are the called according to His purpose”); and Genesis 50:20,
(“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for
good…”).
To
clearly comprehend the need to renew our minds, we must have a revelation
of what it is that controls our lives.
“Were
there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish…”
(Proverbs 29:18 Amp.)
We
all need a “redemptive revelation of God” with regard to our
thinking process. We all need to see things as God sees them.
We all need transformation and change in our lives.
“Now
may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole
spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
(I Thessalonians
5:23)
This
Scripture says, “the God of peace.” What then does “peace”
mean? It means much more than lack of conflict orwar. It means
wholeness, nothing missing and nothing broken. The Word says that
God wants nothing in our spirit, soul or body to be broken in any way.
He wants every part of our being to be in “one piece.”
This
Scripture also teaches us that we are a tri-part being. Just as
God is a tri-part being (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit), we also are made up of three components.
1. We are a Spirit. This is how we are born.
We are born out of the Spirit of God. As God is a Spirit, we also
are spirits made in God’s image. “Let Us (Father, Son
and Holy Spirit) made man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”
(Genesis 1:26)
2. We possess a Soul. This is comprised
of our mind, will and emotions. The mind is where your thought process
is. Your will is where you make your choices in life. Your
emotions contain your feelings.
3. We live in a Body.
The soul is made up of the “thinker,” the “chooser”
and the “feeler”. But they exist in the physical body.
The body and the soul make up the “flesh.” When
you become born again, it is the spirit that is saved. Your spirit
man dies, and the Spirit of the Living God comes to dwell in you.
But the flesh (the body and the soul) is unsaved. This is what the
Bible refers to when it says we are to work out our salvation.
“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…”
(Philippians 2:12)
It is the mind that must be renewed so that the body can be brought into
subjection to the Will of God. It is the mind that is the control
center of your life.
The
day you were saved, the Holy Spirit came into your life and now indwells
your spirit. Being a spirit, the Holy Spirit cannot communicate
with your soul or your body. Therefore, he communicates directly
with your spirit. Now that you have the Holy Spirit, He wants to
guide you and lead you into all truth. Your spirit man has been
recreated and is now perfect. It is flawless. But this union
did not affect your soul or your body.
The
Bible says that our whole spirit, soul and body are to be preserved blameless.
The problem with your spirit man was resolved when you became born again.
It is not your spirit that needs to be renewed. It is your mind.
“Therefore,
we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing,
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”
(II Corinthians 4:16)
Our
bodies are getting older and older every day. But our inward man
is being renewed day by day. Our bodies as we know them will die.
But the spirit and soul will live forever. And as your spirit man
has already been recreated, it’s the mind that needs the work.
“For
as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
(Proverbs 23:7)
There
is a connection between the “thinker” and the spirit man.
Many assume that the spirit man all by himself makes up the “heart.”
But that is not exactly true. The heart of man is made up of both
his spirit and his soul. It is the spirit man part of the heart
that is saved, but the soul part must be renewed. According to the
Scripture, man thinks in his heart. However, it is not the spirit
man part of the heart that thinks, but rather the soul (mind) part.
“Jesus
said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew
22:37)
The
Holy Spirit comes in to make man’s spirit perfect. Now the
challenge is to get the soul and the body to line up with the recreated
spirit man. For example, the recreated spirit man says, “I’m
going to pray for one hour.” The body says, “I want to
sleep for an extra hour.” Who is responsible for making the
decision? It’s the mind part of the soul that makes that decision.
Now if the mind has not been renewed with the Word of God, it is not going
to make the right decision.
We
need to learn to follow our recreated spirit. However, we will continue
to allow our mind to control us unless we renew it with the Word of God.
The spirit says, “We refuse to live in sin. We are going to
walk in holiness and abstain from sexual lust.” The body says,
“Love them and leave them. What will it hurt?” But
the decision will come through the mind. What will it choose?
If it has been renewed with the Word, it will follow the spirit.
If not, it will follow the body. If you properly renew your mind
with the Word of God you will make the right decisions and your body will
have to follow. And it will be a witness to your spirit that you
have done the right thing.
Your
soul is the bridge between the spiritual or supernatural realm and the
physical realm.
“Beloved,
I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your
soul prospers.” (III John 2)
God
created you so that you can contact the spiritual realm through your spirit,
and the physical realm through your soul. In order for God to give
you what He wants to give you (i.e., prosperity and health), He has to
go through the “bridge” of your soul. The key to prosperity
lies in the control center, which is your mind. In other words,
it is up to you to determine whether you are prosperous or healthy.
It is the Will of God for you to prosper and be in good health even as
your soul prospers. But it doesn’t happen automatically.
What is a prosperous soul? It is one that has been renewed by the
Word of God. Without that renewal, you cannot have true prosperity
or divine health.
An
unrenewed mind will always follow the desires of the flesh. The
reason why God wants us to have renewed minds is so that you will have
a prosperous soul that will follow the spirit, and follow God’s perfect
will for your life. This is where true peace is; nothing missing,
nothing broken. When your mind is renewed, you will put down the
flesh. You mind will follow the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
will lead you and guide you into all truth. Other’s opinions,
or popularity, or majority thinking will not lead you. There will
be no confusion, no deception, no depression, and no half-truths.
The
key to wholeness (nothing missing, nothing broken) lies in the compartment
of your soul. A prosperous soul is a soul that will make decisions
according to the recreated spirit man versus the natural man or the flesh.
When your soul lines up with your spirit man, then it is prosperous.
If you soul is not prospering, you will not be prosperous or healthy.
You will not have peace because something will be missing or broken.
As
an illustration, let’s look at the computer. A computer may
be perfectly made. But if it does not have the proper software programmed
into it, it will not operate perfectly. There is a saying, “Garbage
in, garbage out.” The same holds true for the control center
of our life. If we “program” our minds with negativity,
or pornography, or any kind of perversion, that is what will come out.
If you “program” your mind with the Word of God, prosperity
and good success will be produced.
“For
those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace.”
(Romans 8:5)
It
is God’s desire for us to have our spirit, soul and body line up
with the Word of God. It is only then will we be able to live in
true prosperity. Although our present body is getting older and
will eventually die (that is, of course, if Jesus doesn’t come back
beforehand), it will be resurrected when Jesus comes. We will have
new bodies that are incorruptible. We will be made, not of flesh
and blood, but of flesh and bones. Our bodies will be glorified.
Our lives will no longer be in the blood, but in God’s glory.
You will no longer be subject to this physical, natural world because
you will be in a glorified state.
The
more you renew your mind, the more your body will come into submission.
When that submission takes place, you’ll notice an alignment with
the Word that will cause you to be prosperous in your soul and healthy
in your body. Here is the key: Only the Word of God can renew
your soul man. It will renew the way you think, the
way you choose and the way you feel. Without the Word, you will
continue to live the same life you had before you were saved. You
will continue to have ups and downs, depression, rebellion, confusion,
turmoil, etc. When you renew your mind with the Word, your spirit
will speak to the soul and the soul will speak to your body. You
will have complete transformation in your life. You will think as
the Holy Spirit thinks. You will speak as He speaks. And you
will act as He acts.
· What is a “carnal”
mind?
The word carnal means “from the flesh.” To be carnally
minded means to be governed by human nature. It means to follow
the “flesh man.” When you are carnal, you are governed
by fleshly desires that are born out of the unrenewed mind with no thought
of God, His Holy Spirit or of any eternal values.
“…the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject
to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in
the flesh cannot please God.”
(Romans 8: 7-8)
An unrenewed mind is always in conflict. It is interesting to note
that Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified, actually means “place
of the skull.” The first place of conflict is always in the
mind. It is a battlefield. An uncrucified thought life is
Satan’s playground. Satan dwells wherever there is spiritual
darkness. To defeat the devil, we must be renewed in the spirit
of our minds. We must crucify our carnality.
How can we determine if we have a carnal mind? The following Scripture
illustrates what is carnal.
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but
as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not
with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even
now you are still not able, for you are still carnal. For where
there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and
behaving like mere men?
(I Corinthians 3:1-3)
The Bibles further lists for us the works of the carnal mind (or flesh).
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness (licentiousness), idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, just as I also told
you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God.”
(Galatians 5:19-21)
The following defines those works in more detail.
· Adultery
- Sex with someone outside your marriage covenant.
· Fornication
- Sex before marriage.
· Uncleanness
- Impure, vile or obscene thoughts or practices.
· Licentiousness
- (Lewdness) Morally unrestrained.
· Idolatry
- Excessive devotion to some person or thing anything that comes
before God.)
· Sorcery
- Magic, witchcraft, rebellion.
· Hatred
- Strong dislike or ill will towards someone.
· Contentions
- Verbal strife, disputes, discord, argumentative, controversial.
· Jealousies
- (Plural) Resentful, envious, “I have rights!”
· Outbursts of
Wrath
- Uncontrollable anger caused from within.
· Selfish Ambitions
- Striving for development for selfish reasons or selfish gains.
Compelling desire to surpass others.
· Dissensions
- Inclined to argue, difference of opinion, disagreement.
· Heresies
- Any belief contrary to established Scriptural truth.
· Envy
- Resentful, dislike of another who has something desirable.
· Murders
- (plural) To kill someone unlawfully and maliciously in word or
deed.
· Drunkenness
- A selfish habit of being continually drunk.
· Revelries
- Noise making, wild parties, always wanting to have fun.
…AND THE LIKE
Many Christians continue to led by their flesh. They are unwilling
to discipline themselves to renewing their minds by the Word of God.
They blame their situations, circumstances, spouses or financial condition
for their behavior. Or with statements such as “The devil made
me do it.” They also use Scripture to justify their actions.
“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under
sin. 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
I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will
is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
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, 18-19)
Too many Christians choose to remain sin conscious, rather than make the
effort to renew their minds. They “set their minds on the things
of the flesh” (Romans 8:5) rather then on the things of the Spirit.
In other words, they make excuses for themselves. They prefer to
gratify themselves by pursuing the things that are pleasing to their carnal
nature. Those who set their minds on the things of the Spirit are
seeking those things that gratify the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us
in Romans that whatever you “set your mind” on is what is going
to control you.
What kind of life you live is up to you. Will it be a spiritual
life, which will bring prosperity and health, or will it be a carnal life,
which will bring death to your soul and body? The Holy Spirit is
not responsible to set your mind. Your prayer life won’t set your
mind. You have a free will. You must decide to set your mind
on the things of the Spirit.
As an illustration, you decide to set your clock to wake you at a certain
time each morning. Now if you don’t want to get up at that
same time tomorrow, you have the responsibility to change the clock.
If you don’t change the setting to a new time, you will still wake
up at the old time.
The same holds true for the mind. If you don’t decide to change
what you set your mind to, the same old carnal thinking and habits will
govern you. You will do the same things today as you did yesterday.
You will do the same things tomorrow as you did today. The only
way to change what you set your mind to is to renew it with the Word of
God.
Your mind won’t change by coming to church or paying your tithe.
You mind won’t change by listening to sermon after sermon, no matter
how good they are. You must set your mind on doing the Word of God
in order to change your carnal mind.
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace.”
(Romans 8:6)
Death is defined as separation. There are several kinds of death:
1. Physical Death – Separation of the
physical body from the spirit or heart of man. The physical body
dies and is buried.
2. Spiritual Death – Separation from
God for eternity. This means you (your spirit and soul) are going
to hell. Until you are born again, you are spiritually dead.
If you die physically without being born again, you are going to hell.
(Please realize that God did not create hell for man. It was created
for Satan and his demons. God does not send anyone to hell.
We have the free will to choose whether we spend eternity with God or
in hell with Satan.)
There
is also another “death” that we aren’t always aware of
that is just as real as physical and spiritual death. This death
is described in the story of the prodigal son in the 15th chapter of the
book of Luke. The prodigal son asked his father for his inheritance
and then proceeded to “take leave of his senses” and give in
to his carnal flesh. He wasted his possessions in riotous living.
The Bible describes him as being “dead” (“…for this
my son was dead…” verse 24). It was a death that came
about when he took himself out from under the protection and provision
and blessings of his life with his father.
“But
when he spent all, (his inheritance) there arose a severe famine in that
land and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself
to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine
ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself,
he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread
enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and
go to my father…”
(Luke 15:14-17)
So
likewise, when you choose to remove yourself from the spiritual umbrella
of the Father’s mandates (the Word of God) and live a life of carnality,
you are like lost sheep. You are choosing death: death to
God’s provision; death to God’s protection; and death to God’s
blessings. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His redemptive work of
the cross, has provided you with healing, deliverance, prosperity, restoration,
provision and protection. You have a legal right to these things
as born-again believers. But if you choose to live a carnal life,
one more interested in the things of the flesh than of the Spirit, you
will not receive what you have a right to. You will continue to
live a life of failure and defeat. If you choose to operate in envy,
strife and division, you separate yourself from God, thereby creating
a blockage to receiving God’s gifts.
For
example, you desire to have a new home. You pray for God to provide
you with that home. In the meantime, God provides a beautiful new
home to your friend. Instead of rejoicing with that person, you
say, “God, why him and not me?” Because you have not received
your new home right away, doesn’t mean God won’t provide it.
He has a perfect time for you.
You
cannot pray for God’s provision and then be jealous of a brother
or sister that has been blessed by God. You need to rejoice with
those who are blessed. When you are jealous, you bring death or
separation from God’s blessings.
The
Bible tells us that pride goes before destruction.
If you choose to continue in your own carnal thinking, not willing to
submit yourself to God, you will end up in destruction; destruction in
your health, finances, protection and family. But God desires
to bless you and lift you up.
Humility
is the stronghold of the godly. Humility involves surrendering your
soul or mind to God. Whatever you surrender to God makes the devil
tremble; because the very areas he once had access to now belongs to the
Lord. Satan is terrified of Jesus, because Jesus defeated Him at
the cross and took from him the keys to death.
“Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you
in due time, casting your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
(I Peter 5:6)
Are
you willing to humble yourself? Are you willing to “come to
your senses” as the prodigal son did? Or do you want to continue
in death? To rid yourself of that carnal thinking, you need to “reprogram”
yourself with the Word of God. If you want something worthwhile,
it will cost you something. It will cost you discipline, commitment
and time well spent. If you want eternal dividends and blessings,
you must commit yourself daily to spending time in the Word. Daily
commitment to the Word will change the way you think and act, thereby
positioning yourself to receiving God’s best for your life.
It is ultimately up to you.
· Setting your mind on
God.
God wants you to live your life with nothing missing, nothing broken,
complete, whole and prosperous. That is true peace.
“Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee,
because he trusts in Thee.”
(Isaiah 26:3)
You
need to set your mind on the things of God. Too many Christians
are still seeking after the things of the world to bring them peace and
contentment. They seek after entertainment and relationships.
They continue to be “glued” to the television. Many
people are now hooked on the Internet and video games instead of giving
time to God and His Word. If you want prosperity in your life, you
need to focus your thoughts on prosperity. You need to read about
prosperity in God’s Word. You need to associate with prosperous
people. You need to be tenacious about receiving from God, never
giving up, never letting go of the truth.
It’s
time to get “fed up” with where you are at and go after the
things of God. He wants you to move up in Him. He wants to
give you all of His gifts. He wants to give you a greater revelation
of who He is and how much He loves you. He wants you to have a better
life, full of meaning and purpose. God said He would keep you in
perfect wholeness, completeness, prosperity, nothing missing, nothing
broken, if you would just keep your mind on Him.
People
often say, “Well, God will work it all out. God will take care
of everything.” But what they don’t realize is that there
is a “God-part” and there is a “man-part.” God
has provided everything we need through His Son, Jesus. But we have
to do our part. We have to take responsibility for our own peace.
God said, “I will keep him in perfect peace.” But man
must do his part by “keeping his mind stayed” on God.
The Bible also tells us that the Word is God. The Word and God are
one and the same.
“In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.”
(I John 1:1)
How
do you keep your mind stayed on God? You keep your mind on the Word
of God. God and His Word are one. If you determine to keep
the Word of God in your mind and in your mouth, you will have perfect
peace.
“This
Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate
in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that
is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and
then you will have good success.”
(Joshua 1:8)
· Two ways of life contrasted.
You can be saved and live with an unrenewed mind, or you can be saved
and choose to renew your mind. Most people are deceived, not because
they do not know the Word, because they don’t want to do the Word.
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works
is dead also.”
(James 2:26)
If you ask the average person what was preached in church last Sunday,
the majority will have forgotten. They may have heard the Word preached,
but they did not receive it into their spirits. They may sing, or
run around the church, or have an emotional experience, but then when
it comes to the preaching of the Word, they fall asleep. It’s
no wonder there is no understanding about the anointing, about God’s
power, about the benefits of the Word. If you don’t receive
the Word, you will not act upon it. Your mind will remain unrenewed.
When you leave a service, you should ask yourself, “What have I learned?
How can I benefit from the Word that was preached? Am I being built
up to maturity? Do I have a greater understanding of the purpose
for my life? What is my responsibility?
To have a renewed mind means to be accountable to receiving the Word and
acting on it. If you continue to remain sick, broke, depressed and
living in defeat as a Christian, it is because you have not received and
acted on the Word that has been given to you. If you want to receive
that healing or financial blessing that you have been looking for, or
if you want to learn about hearing from God and receiving fresh revelation
for your life, you must receive and act on the Word that has already been
given to you.
The Bible of full of illustrations of people who lived extraordinarily
successful lives for God. Look at the life of David. Read
the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace.
Learn about the prayers that Daniel prayed and the words he proclaimed.
Study about the life of faith of Abraham and about the obedience of Moses.
God put these examples in the Word so that we could learn from them.
“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were
written for our admonition…”
(I Corinthians
10:11)
“All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
(II Timothy 3:16)
If
you need to learn how to walk by faith, how to pray, how to line your
life up with the Word of God, how to sow seed, then you must fill your
heart with the Word of God and act upon it. There is no other way.
Make up your mind that you are not only going to hear what sounds good,
but that you will receive that Word that will help you get to the place
where you can receive the promises of God.
· Control your mind –
Control your destiny.
The two walk hand in hand. You cannot control your destiny until
you first learn how to control your mind.
“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 (vain imaginations)
and every high things that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…”
(II Corinthians 10:3-5)
Regardless
of what God says about you, or what people think and say about you, you
will only get out of life what you believe and practice. The Bible
says we are to cast down everything that goes against the knowledge of
God. We are to bring our thoughts in line with the Word of God.
We are to pull down the strongholds in our mind and any fixed ideas that
we have that don’t agree with the Word. Every thought that
contradicts the Word is to be pulled down. You must say, “I
don’t think this way anymore. My mind has been renewed by the
Word of God. My spirit has been reborn. I am a brand new person.
I choose to think the way God thinks; to act the way God acts, because
I have the “mind of Christ.”
“Let
this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the
form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…”
(Philippians 2:5-6)
Jesus
taught us in the Gospel of Mark that every evil thing that comes out of
you defiles you.
“And
He said, What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders
[him] unhallowed. For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of
men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder,
adultery, coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and
destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil
eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness),
pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness
(folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness). All these
evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean
and render him unhallowed.”
(Mark 7:20-23Amp.)
The
uncleanness, defilement or pollution comes from within. But when
we change our thinking through the process of renewing our mind with the
Word, we will see a transformation in our thoughts, in what comes out
of our mouths, and ultimately our actions.
What
is the key to pulling down strongholds, pulling down polluted thoughts?
The key is in the Book of Joshua.
“This
Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate
in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that
is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and
then you will have good success.”
(Joshua 1:8)
When
you start to meditate on the Word, you push out the old thoughts and put
in the new. To meditate is more than just contemplating what you
are reading. It actually means to “mutter.”
“Death
and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it eat the
fruit thereof.”
(Proverbs 18:21)
Not
only do we need to think about the Word, we need to make sure that the
Word comes out of our mouth. As you meditate on the Word, your behavior
patterns will change and you will become prosperous and have good success.
· Feed your mind.
We live in a day and age where many of us have unlimited resources to
help us learn and grow. There are many ways we can feed on the Word
of God.
1. READ – the Bible (every day) and
good books based on Scripture.
2. LISTEN – to good teaching tapes
and videos by respected Bible teachers who know how to rightly divide
the Word of truth.
3. STUDY – using not only the Bible,
but also good resources such as a Concordance and Bible dictionary.
If you have a computer, there are many excellent Bible software programs
that contain several translations of the Bible.
4. USE YOUR IMAGINATION to picture yourself
as God sees you. Think about the desires God has placed in your
heart. Do you desire to evangelize and win the lost to Christ?
Do you see yourself teaching children, or ministering to the lonely?
Imagine yourself serving God under the anointing. Imagine yourself
operating in the gifts. Imagine winning souls. Imagine being
prosperous and giving great amounts of finances for the Kingdom.
The Bible tells us that as a man thinks so is he.
If
you start to do these things and learn to be diligent in them, soon you
will not even recognize yourself. Your vocabulary will be different.
Your behavior and actions will be different. Your decisions will
be different. You will become honest and open. You will become
stable in all your ways. You will become a person of integrity.
You will become a man of dominion or a woman of excellence.
God wants to move you from:
Barely Surviving
to:
Divine Stability
to:
Godly Success
to:
A Lifestyle of Significance!
Prayer of Commitment…
“Heavenly Father,
I make
a decision to commit my life to you. I decide to present my body
as a living sacrifice to you, holy and acceptable to You. I choose
not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing
of my mind, that I may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God.
I choose
to cast down all evil thoughts and vain imaginations that exalt themselves
against the knowledge of God. I choose to bring every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ and His Word. I choose to let no unwholesome
or corrupt word proceed out of my mouth, but only what is good, not only
for myself, but for all who hear.
I choose
to meditate on Your Book of the Law day and night so that I may do what
it says to do. I will hide Your Word in my heart so that I will
not sin against you.
I ask
You, Father, to fill me with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom
and spiritual understanding; that I may walk worthy of You, pleasing you
in every respect, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in
the knowledge of You.
I give
you thanks, Father, for calling me out of darkness and into Your marvelous
light so that I may proclaim your praises. In Jesus’
Name. Amen *
Life Changing Declaration…
Step #1: For thirty days first thing in the morning, last thing
at night, by yourself, in front of a mirror, stand up straight, square
your shoulders, look yourself in the eye, and quietly, firmly say in the
first person, present tense:
“I,
__________________________, am an honest, intelligent, goal-directed,
responsible individual with integrity, and am sensitive to the needs of
others. I am an enthusiastic, decisive, self-starter with a positive
mental attitude and am focused on the task at hand. I am a disciplined,
persistent, caring, energetic, experienced, competent team player with
the courage to take action and do what is right. I am a dependable,
motivated, hardworking extra-miler.
“I
am a humble, kind, personable, attentive, considerate, resourceful person
who takes pride in my appearance and in what I do. I have a good
sense of humor and a healthy self-image. I am a fair, patient, consistent,
respectful encourager and student. I am a confident, optimistic,
authoritative, creative, adaptable, sober, loyal, punctual, teachable
person with strong convictions. I am an effective communicator with
the vision, wisdom, and faith necessary to realize my dreams.
“I
am an honorable person who is truly grateful for the opportunity life
has given me and am committed to taking full advantage of that opportunity.
These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be, and I am fully
committed to developing these marvelous qualities with which I have been
entrusted. Tonight I’m going to sleep wonderfully well.
I will dream powerful, positive dreams. I will awaken energized
and refreshed. Tomorrow’s going to be magnificent, and my future
is unlimited!”
Repeat
the process the next morning and close by saying:
“These
are the qualities of the winner I was born to be, and I will develop and
use these qualities to achieve my worthy objectives. Today is a
brand new day, and it’s mine to use in a marvelously productive way.”
After thirty days, add the next step:
Choose
your strongest quality and the one you feel needs the most work.
Example: Strongest: Honest. Needs most work: Organized.
On a separate 3 x 5 card, print, “I, ____________________, am a completely
honest person, and every day I am getting better and better organized.”
Do
this first thing in the morning and last thing at night for one week;
then repeat the process with the second strongest quality and the second
one which needs the most work. Do this until you’ve completed
the entire list. This process will change your life for the better.
Two thoughts:
1. Because of some painful experience
in the past (betrayal, abuse, etc.), there might be a word or two, which
brings back unpleasant memories (example: discipline). Eliminate
the word or substitute another word.
2. Use this procedure as long as you
want to get more of the things money and all of the things money won’t
buy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Reference: “Sunday School Times”
* Reference: “Sunday School Times”
* Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 10:5; Ephesians 4:29; Joshua 1:8;
Psalm 119:11; Colossians 1:9-10; I Peter 2:9
1994 The Zig Ziglar Corporation
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The Personality and
Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Breaking Generational Curses
