Getting Ready for Freedom - Our Need for a Transformed Mind:
In the Bible (Romans 12:1-2) it says "do not be conformed to the pattern of this world". What is the pattern of this world? It says, "be transformed by the renewing of your MIND." So, the pattern of this world has to do with the mind.
We are all influenced by our upbringing and the culture around us. We are all trained to live according to the "pattern of this world." We can see in our own beliefs, habits, and attitudes that we usually react and respond to the world around us in the typical way the world does. Most of us have a similar way of dealing with people, problems, situations, and decisions. These universal approaches show us we really do have a "pattern of this world" we are following. However, until now we didn't realize we had any need to totally revamp our life-approach and our thought life.
Jesus Christ changes our hearts on the inside at the moment of salvation but that is just the beginning. What the seeking and growing Christian experiences next is a gradual shift in the way they think. Isaiah 55:8-9 says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." So, we see from this God has a different way of thinking and living. As we make the shift from thinking and living according to the natural pattern we are used to and begin thinking and living according to the training we find in the Bible and through the experience of walking with the Lord we find our lives are transformed.
If you notice in the verse above it is not just that God's way of thinking and living is different. His thoughts and ways are far better. His thoughts and ways are so much better than the "pattern of this world" he compares the distance between them as the distance between heaven and earth!
Every day of our lives we are working on conforming ourselves to a "mental life pattern" whether we realize it or not. This is a big deal because our thoughts and beliefs drive our actions- and our actions determine the outcome of our lives.
The Bible is teaching us in Romans 12 that the "pattern of this world's thinking" does not lead to a transformed life and it does not lead to a life of growing in the Lord.
When we want to have a transformed life and mind we don't need to focus on trying to somehow destroy old mental thought patterns. We need to establish new ones. We need to create replacement behaviors, thoughts, beliefs, reactions, and attitudes.
I am offering to you, through the plan below and through free email counseling (if desired) to work with the Lord and with you to help you establish new thought and life patterns that will allow God to transform your life over time. These same steps have worked in my very own life and in the lives of others.
So, now is your moment of decision and action. If you would like to be free from failure, sin, and the bondages of your old life pattern the Freedom Plan will help you.
The Freedom Plan:
1.) In prayer, dedicate yourself to total lifestyle obedience to God through Jesus Christ. Turn your heart and your life over to him, asking him to forgive your sins, save you, and transform you. Turn to him completely in prayer- do this now.
2.) In the navigation at the left called "Growing in the Lord" begin reading 1 "Agreement" per day for the next 12 days, repeat if desired. I wrote those myself and they give a majority of the lessons the Lord has taught me about growing in him, walking with him, and being set free.
3.) Begin a 30-day "media fast" - do not turn on television, non-Christian radio, get off of the Internet except for clean emails, do not read any magazines at all, and do not read any non-Christian books for 30 days. This "media fast" will allow you to start getting free and re-programming your mind. People I have counseled through this ministry have had remarkable and life-changing results through doing a media fast.
4.) Commit to a daily devotional time with the Lord. You desperately need to talk to God in prayer every day and he desires this fellowship with you as well. During this time you need to read at least 1 chapter in Psalms, 1 chapter in Proverbs, 1 chapter in the Book of John and 1 chapter in the Epistles such as Corinthians, Phillippians, 1st John, etc per day. That is 4 chapters in the Bible per day. Also during this time each day also spend at least 14-16 minutes in prayer. Spend 6-8 minutes thanking the Lord for everything, praising him for who he is, and then 6-8 minutes talking to him about your areas of concern, need, temptation, etc - whatever is facing you that day. You will have time for this because the media fast bought you a lot of extra time. This may seem difficult and slightly forced at first but tell the Lord you are going to stick to it anyway. Trust him that it will work.
5.) This is optional but feel free to avail yourself. Feel free to email me a couple of times a week to check-in so I can help you stay accountable to all of this. I will need you to primarily initiate the email communication because I have multiple people to counsel. Its a lot easier for me if you initiate these check-in times and then I will prayerfully respond with counsel and guidance.
6.) Find a good Christian church in your area and begin attending faithfully. If the church uses a lot of Scripture and the messages challenge you and speak to you then that is great. Also, contemporary/cool worship music will help you stay engaged as well if you can find a church like that. (feel free to run church ideas by me, I will check them out and give you my opinion)
If you are serious about this then you have to stop the things you were doing that were harmful. You must drop things like pornography, sex outside of marriage, drugs, etc immediately. As part of this transformation we have to get rid of the big harmful stuff from the very start. The plan I set forth above will work and I want to work with you for your success and be a friend to you.
Now, I will pray for you. "Lord, I pray for this reader, that you would set them free from these things that have them bound. I pray that they would get free of these things by meditating on your Word and renewing their mind. Give them success, heal and renew their mind, bless their relationships, and bless their life. In Jesus' name, amen!
Let me know if you will commit to each of these items. Email me at: christianbusinessguy@yahoo.com to let me know you are starting the Plan.
