day 55- the means to transform my body 3

Do: Properly honor and care for your body

• My body is from God, and since he sent Jesus to set me free from sin and death, my body is not mine. It is claimed by Jesus and he uses it here now.


• Practice the Sabbath. Disciples discover it is a good thing to stop and reflect on what God is doing. Celebrate how good God is. You can do this daily, weekly, and yearly. Take silence and solitude time each day to break from whatever is going on around you. Once a week, spend a day in reflection of God and enjoy him through those around you. For many, Sunday is this time of connecting to God, family, and friends. Once a year spend several days away from the “rat race,” not to cram in as many activities as possible on a vacation, but to just do “nothing.” There is more than sleep to rest. God rested (Genesis 2:2). Jesus rested (Matthew 14:13). We can rest.


• Dedicate the proper care of your body to Jesus. When you diet, exercise, and get enough sleep, your physical health improves. It is good for your emotional well-being. It is good for your soul. When you do these things with Jesus in mind, he can choose to be part of the process. You are inviting him to be a partner. Use VIM with your dieting, exercise and sleep. This can be very helpful without getting obsessive.

All day today, think of your body as God’s body.

day 54- the means to transform my body 2

The first “do” to transform my body.

1. Do release your body to God.

Romans 12:1 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

You have to be absolutely clear why you owe your body life to God. I am afraid that when Paul asks the question, “Is this too much to ask?” most of us are saying, “Yes it is.” Do you really understand that God is in charge of your desires and your pleasures? Then release them to him.

One way you can accomplish this, with the partnership of the Holy Spirit, is to join God in an experiment. What is a body sin that is ruining you? Is it anger, gossip, pornography? Whatever it is, don’t do it for one day.

It will look something like this. Get up in the morning. Realize how good God is and thank him for this. Tell God, “I dedicate this day to you.” Think specifically what is one body sin you want to get rid of. Give this to Jesus for the day. Make a commitment to him. For example, “Jesus, today I will not gossip.” This means your “My Page” or IM action may be a little boring. It doesn’t matter. You are following old advice. “Unless you have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” Quaint, but effective.

When you are tempted to gossip, you will think of Jesus instead. You can’t imagine him going,

“Hey John, did you hear Peter last night? ‘Lord, I will never leave you.’ What a loser. That Peter is so full of himself.”

Think of there being a reporter following you everywhere you go this day. Taping your every word. Now realize this is exactly what is happening. The reporter is Jesus and he is right next to you. Now. Really. One day. Then go to bed.

Wake up and start over.

What is one body sin you wish to get rid of? Start today.

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day 53- the means to transform my body 1

Let’s consider two don’ts and two do’s.

Don’t:

1. Idolize your body- Here is where I draw such a fine line. On the one hand, having a healthy body is very helpful in giving me energy, focus, and longevity in serving God and others. On the other hand, if I get too obsessive about my body, which includes my health, I may be too anxious about death and aging and how my body may fail me. This anxiety stifles my reliance on Jesus as the One I am secure in no matter what. Do you see the distinction? I am free to give my body over to Jesus, care for it through the wisdom I receive from him, at the same time knowing that I will receive a new glorified body some day that will live with him forever.

1 Cor. 15:43 (NLT)
Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power.

I’m getting pumped already! O, there I go again.

2. Misuse your body- First, let’s all relax. Sometimes Christians get too choosy about this topic. Everyone is throwing this verse around when it is convenient to chastise someone else.

1 Cor. 6:19-20 (NLT)
Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, [20] for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

First of all, when you look at the context, the Bible is talking about sexual immorality here, not whether you have stock in Starbucks. Even so, “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” has been used for everything from drinking coffee (Of course the latest studies show that coffee is one of the best antioxidants there is and extremely helpful in preventing diabetes), smoking (OK, not helpful) and drinking alcoholic beverages (I don’t drink myself but we all know of the studies of health benefits of drinking red wine etc. in moderation, if problem drinking is not a risk.)

It’s interesting that people don’t usually use this same Bible verse for exercise and proper diet. The classic case is preachers talking about the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” when, as someone once said, “Their own temple has a big front porch addition.” The gut hanging over the belt is an occupational hazard for many clergy.

It is important for us to diet and exercise. It is important for us to get enough rest. It is a national past time for us to be overworked and undernourished. Transforming our bodies includes all of this.

The other ways we can misuse our bodies I have already addressed. Trying to be sexually alluring, “power” dressing, body language, verbal manipulation and such. We are to give ourselves over the Jesus, as we are now his body. How?

Where are you most prone to misuse your body?

day 52- the intention to transform my body

God desires what is best for our bodies. We can have the body of Jesus. This doesn’t mean that we all grow beards. That’s a relief for you women out there. To be changed into the likeness of Jesus means our bodies become devoted to serving God and doing what he wants done. We are created to do just this. Our health and happiness are centered on giving our bodies over to God.

Intention is so critical at this point because our bodies are so demanding. So much of what gets in our way becomes an addiction. Addictions of all kinds are our bodies talking, saying they won’t have it any other way.

“There is nothing wrong with that. It’s natural.”

“I was born this way. It’s genetic.”

“What’s so bad about it? Everyone else does it.”

Jesus knows we are going to have a challenge transforming our bodies more than anything. He said,

Matthew 26:41 (NLT)
Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit (our choices) is willing enough, the body is weak!"

God offers another way. We can’t will ourselves to “just say no.” We have to place ourselves before the author and giver of life and work with him changing into our best, true selves. The means to do this come next.

Why is real transformation not a quick process?

day 51- spiritually focused life 3

5. Peace- Loving God and others is my primary purpose in life. With Jesus on the throne of my life I can live this way. I am not trying to establish my kingdom but work in his. What does this look like?

Superstar athletes learn how focus so intently, they screen out everything that brings the possibility of negative thinking. Tiger Woods is an example of this. I spoke with a friend who has the opportunity to play with many pro golfers and he said the thing that sets Tiger apart from everyone else is his incredible intensity of the current situation. He lives directly in the moment and always looks for something positive to tune in on before his next shot.

Hit it in the trees? No problem. There is that one opening there between those two big branches that make a target for the green. It is a perfect visual. Golfers, you get the picture. Non-golfers, it just means the guy absolutely expects good things to happen.

This is how my faith life can look like. No matter what is happening around me, my body and my body language are at peace. I can respond to any situation with the Bible’s tools of positive emotion. My body responds with love, joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. This is the energy I feed off of in my relationships with others. This creates an environment around me that reduces anxiety in others.

6. Win/ Win- When Jesus is on the throne, I am honoring and respectful of others even if they are not following a godly life. I offer myself to God and so I can be completely open to you. I can practice true tolerance.

Tolerance is not approving of everything you do. The definition of tolerance is this: I am respectful and courteous to you and I disagree with you. You cannot be tolerant of people you agree with. My body is living in line with Jesus and so I am relating to you through him. I am his to use as he pleases. I am available.

This kind of life is made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice for me. As he gave his life for me, my life is totally his forever. I am the last person on earth who could ever say, “It’s my body, and I will do with it what I please.”

Now, how do I actually gain this spiritually focused life? Next, intention and means to transform my body.

How are you becoming more available for Jesus?

day 50- spiritually focused life 2

The vision to transform my body rests on a spiritually- focused life. Here are some more characteristics of this life.

3. Your Body, Your Choice- I don’t force my ways on you. Following Jesus’ way, as I am in relationship with you, I will pursue his ways. I will not try to use any forceful methods of persuasion to get you to see his ways. I will not try to gain advantage over you. Like Jesus, I honor your capability to make your own choices without trying to manipulate you or aggressively applying pressure to make you change those choices.

4. Christ’s Choice vs. Your Choice- I will be in relationship with you, but I will also pursue the ways of Jesus. As I am experiencing Christ’s guidance and power in keeping my commitments to him, he is making it possible for me to refuse to follow any other road. It becomes easier to do the right thing.

In my relationship with you, if you choose a path not consistent with that of Jesus, I will respectfully decline to participate. I will do so in a gentle, non-judgmental manner, but it will be clear the path I choose.

I realize this may freak you out. In the past, my decisions would be following my own desires. It is not the past, however. In the present and future, I am committed to following Jesus’ desires. I will not try to force this on you, and neither will I back away from what he is doing in my life.

Have you experienced any difference in the way people have seen you or responded to you as you have been focusing on “inside out?”

day 49- spiritually focused life 1

There is another way.

Not easy.

Not quick.

Out of this world, in fact, but doable. It is His world, after all.

1. Christ's Way- I can surrender to Jesus. My body will cry out bloody murder against this move crossward (toward the “cross”), but this is what I was designed for. The earth and my human ways are not my home.

2. Christ's Body, Christ's Choice- With Jesus on the throne of my life, my body becomes the primary vessel with which I serve him and those he loves. I make a commitment to be a "little Christ," as Martin Luther would say. I become conscious of the lag time between stimulus and response. It is within this gap that I chose to live, always ready to pause before I respond or react. Little tips from grandmothers long ago become realistic "body-tamers."

Take a deep breath.

Count to ten.

Think.

Many scientists would point to a biological factor for all behavior. What does this mean in the thinking that “I am acting out because I am wired to do this?”

day 48- The vision to transform my body pt. 4

Still more characteristics of a human nature- focused life

5. War- Here is where we cross swords. All of the unholy tools I have previously mentioned may come into use. I will gain the advantage at all cost. After a while, it may not be getting my own way I am after, it may be just as important to me that you don't get yours. This is as old as the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). If Cain is not receiving his father's blessing, well then, as a dead man, neither will Abel.

6. Win the Battle, Lose the War
Nothing good comes from this conflict of self-worship vs. self-worship. If the other person gives in or simply quits, your satisfaction will be short-lived. The devastating effects may be permanent. We generally don't engage in these battles with strangers. We match up against those we love; those with whom we can least afford to have fractured relations. Our stupidity in our interpersonal lives is often labeled, "self-destructive," and indeed this is an accurate observation.

A confession: After writing on these characteristics of a human nature- focused life, it was like writing a description for the suspect in a bad case of crime against the abundant life. They put up the "Wanted" poster and there he was-- me.

If you saw yourself in any of this, then join me in searching for the antidote.

A spiritually-focused life.

Think of the topic of “divorce” through the filter of today’s lesson.

day 47- the vision to transform my body pt. 3

3. Your Body, My Choice
I am on the throne of my own little kingdom, but that is not enough. I need to be on the throne of yours, as well. So I go into a body mode.

Tongue- verbal manipulation where I use word games with you to try to gain advantage over you. Politically correct language is an example of this trait gone rampant. It is the language of the modern religion of self-worship. I am always shifting the playing field to suit my purposes; always keeping you off balance.

Verbal attack comes into play here, as well. I don't have the time nor the interest to use principled reason when a good bitter, sarcastic, seething tongue-lashing substitutes for clear thinking so well. Unfortunately, this has substituted for most political discourse currently.

Then there are the tried and true whining, flattery, repetitive requests, etc. Verbal manipulation is a sign that our human creativity and imagination are not always a gift for the good.

"Body Language"- Here is another tool at my disposal to influence your kingdom. I become the master of the frown, scowl, rolled eyes, crossed arms, and chin-in-the chest. I am the man of a thousand looks.

Related are the sounds of body language. The "tsk, tsk's," deep sighs, and "harumph" breaths that I learned along with language itself. Just witness a young child practice these as if he/she were working on a black belt in sound attack.

Another body language tool is how you dress. The effect of provocative dress should not be undersold. Many a head turns and many a head nods “yes” to the request of a hot guy or hot gal who are dressed to kill.

Also, not to be underrated is dressing in an aggressive in-your-face way. A statement of independence can also turn into something else. A plethora of tattoos, piercings, and such may be a helpful tool to get me to see your viewpoint so I don’t appear a bigot. You get your way out of my anxiety of not being open to you.

4. My Choice vs. Your Choice
Remember in all of these attempts to be the master of my own universe, you are working the same program that I am. Here is where we enter into inevitable conflict. I can't be on my throne if I have to deal with you, and you are clinging to yours, as well. Something has to give.

What are some of your “favorite” manipulation techniques? One’s you use personally?

day 46- the vision to transform my body (pt. 2)

Let's look at some of the characteristics of what self-worship looks like in a human nature-focused life.

1. My Way
This is the natural human response to life. As Frank Sinatra reminded us, "My Way." I want what I want when I want it. We are all two year olds who never grow up, left to ourselves. We just get more sophisticated in hiding that we are on the throne of our own lives as we get older. If you want to see this attribute in action, watch how people drive in busy traffic. Cutting off, switching lanes, driving too close, don't think of coming into my lane--- That's just the first five minutes of an LA commute!

2. My Body, My Choice
In order to get what I want, the body is my weapon of choice. The obvious results are a life of physical gratification of some sort. Booze and pills continue to dominate many lives. Serial sexual activity for the young and not so young, pornography for all, modern life is not much different than the fertility religions of ancient times.

The less obvious choices have to do with the "pleasure" of being angry even to the point of rage, or anger turned inward, depression. So often the physical effects of anger and depression are not taken into consideration. My anger feels good because I can blame everyone else for my problems, and depression, while devastating, in some cases may be a strangely comforting choice as a means of not taking personal responsibility.

How would you explain the dangers of “my way” thinking in a secular way?

inside out- talk 9

four disciplines that aid transformation- silence and solitude/ worship/ fasting/ service

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day 44- the means to transform my heart (pt. 4)- service

All Christians are called to service. We serve God by serving others. But this isn’t like volunteering for a local charity. Even though volunteering for a local charity can be part of a discipline of service. If this is confusing, well, welcome to my world.

When is service a discipline, when is it a Christian response, and when is it just doing good for the sake of another person, whether you are Christian or not? Let’s break these down.

Non-Christian service- God is the source of all good and so when non-Christians serve they do so within God’s realm. Human conscience alone will lift up many opportunities to serve.

Christian response- When we follow Jesus and learn from him we become the kind of people who serve others naturally as a response to the love we are given by him.

Service as a discipline- Intentional acts of service, focused areas of service, hidden acts of service, are all specific ways one can expand God’s influence on one’s own life.

When someone joins the armed forces, we say they are “in the service.” When they are discharged or retired, it is called, “getting out.” Well, when we join Jesus in the greatest mission of the galaxies, to do Kingdom work with him, we are “in the service” for eternity. We never “get out.”

suggestions

• volunteer to tutor at a local school
• “adopt” someone at a retirement home whom you visit once a week
• make yourself available for one whole day to do chores at home (ouch!)
• make yourself available for one whole day to work at a church (hurray!)

Choose one of the above or come up with one on your own and do it!

day 43- the means to transform my heart (pt. 3)- worship

According to anthropologists, humans have been worshipping for at least 30,000 years or so. That’s the age of the oldest worship artifacts discovered, so far. Now stars, animals, trees, and such are awesome creations, but we know better than to worship them because God reveals himself even more clearly. We worship the living God directly through Jesus.

Giving yourself over to adoring God and what he does for you is a wonderful opportunity to get your focus off of you. This is the essence of worship. More Jesus…Less me.

* Attend worship- Make sure you worship weekly in a Christian community. This is a time set apart for us to show “whose team we are on,” and to encourage our “teammates.” Jesus found weekly worship absolutely necessary. So should we.

* Music- This is the “heart language” for most of us. Listen to worship and praise music everyday. Matt Redman, Third Day…you choose. Fill your car, room, or I Pod with music that lifts up Jesus and his glory.

* Write down daily praises of your own in a journal. “God, I adore you because…” “Jesus, here are reasons I worship you today…” “Holy Spirit, I am blessed by you because…”

Buy a new Christian music CD.

day 42- the means to transform my heart (pt. 2)- fasting

Like other spiritual disciplines, fasting is shared by many religions. The Christian discipline has an ample biblical witness from Moses to Jesus himself. 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil is a very well known event in Jesus’ life. So, what is the purpose of fasting?

Unlike fasting for political purposes, it is not to draw attention to yourself. Quite the contrary. When Jesus spoke of fasting he said,

Matthew 6:16a
"And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do…”

Fasting is to focus your mind, body, and spirit on Jesus. It isn’t meant to be difficult or painful. In fact, according to Jesus, you may be “eating” anyway (John 4:32). Fasting can be abstaining from different items of food or drink, or a period of time without food or drink, or without food. Throughout the ages Christians have tried a variety of fasts. Sunup to sundown (like Muslim Ramadan), once a week for 24 hours, even strict fasts like twice a week, eating only.

I recommend a fast from dinner one night until dinner the next. During this time I will drink, as it relieves dehydration headaches. When you fast, you might have cravings, and this is a good thing. You fast to show yourself you don’t always get what you want. This focuses your attention on Jesus, the reason for the fast. This can be a spiritually sharp time to tune in to God, and so take advantage of the opportunity.

Try a 24 hour fast this week.

day 41- the means to transform my heart (pt. 1)

The vision to transform my heart is the central vision of renovation because the heart is where all choices are made. When you actually intend to surrender to God’s will in your life, your heart will try to figure out every way possible why you can’t or you don’t need to.

This is why as you begin this heart “transplant,” don’t expect to always follow God’s way. What is necessary is to confess your need for transformation and to continue surrendering to God. He will work with you along the way and will make it more and more possible for you to actually participate with him. Here are the tools God has set up for us to be transformed. This week I will focus on four spiritual disciplines God has given us to be transformed in our surrender.

silence and solitude
“Jesus went out in the desert alone.”

”Lord, where did you go? We couldn’t find you.”

Before every major decision, Jesus spent time alone and prayed. Why? Silence and solitude are related spiritual disciplines that have rich history. Spending time alone and quiet is a refreshment for your very soul.

I asked one of our sons why he thought Jesus was so fond of being alone and he said, “To get away from all the sin for awhile.” We don’t have that advantage as we bring sin with us, but that is a keen observation.

Like soldiers in the time of war pausing to play a football game, it is good to get away. But with silence and solitude, we may get away from all the busyness of business, the ups and downs of our daily lives, but we actually are more “bothered” by someone else. God.

During times of being alone and quiet, God has a chance to really get our attention. In the Orthodox Church tradition before the gospel is read the priest commands the congregation with a simple word, “Attend! ”This is what silence and solitude can do for us. Cause a pause.

How?

• Start with five minutes or so at the end of each day, reviewing what happened. Go in your room or go for a walk and reflect on the people you came into contact with and their needs, review where you need forgiveness from God, and review where you need prayer. Then just spend time thinking of nothing, just being present to God.



• After you have done five minutes for a while, work towards 20 minutes a day.

• Then, consider adding one solid hour a week in silence and solitude.

• Then one day a month.

• Then one weekend every year.

These are achievable goals under the partnership of the Holy Spirit for a disciplined life of transformation.

Start one of these practices now.

day 40- the vision to transform my heart (pt. 2)

God knows every person’s heart. He knows how we deceive ourselves. He sees us as we are and is ready and able to transform us. This is the only way we can be saved from ourselves. God calls us to a life of surrender, abandonment, contentment, and participation.

We “surrender” to God and place our complete confidence in him. If we try to hold anything back, renovation isn’t possible. It’s not that God couldn’t change us on his own, but for the sake of our precious freedom he wouldn’t. It’s time for us to surrender.

“Surrender” is not a term that denotes strength, obviously. Yet, in the case of dying to yourself and your own self-worship into a life of self-denial, the one who surrenders is a giant. For years AA has used a slogan, “Let go; let God.” It is just as meaningful today.

Holding on to the “me” that isn’t really the “me” God designed me to be, well, that’s just plain foolish. (I’m sorry, but whenever I see the word “surrender” I see the Wicked Witch skywriting, “Surrender, Dorothy!”) In the case of transformation, surrendering enhances who you are.

We trust God enough to give up, and now we are ready to go all the way. “Abandonment” means everything. Every part of who we are. We do this in fits and starts, but the more we give God from what holds us back, the more freeing this becomes.

We will then experience “contentment,” where we are satisfied with what we have and live lives knowing we are completely safe, immersed in God’s Kingdom reality. It doesn’t surprise us nor upset us when we don’t get our own way. We know God will carry out his plans. Our destinies are interwoven with those plans.

When we die to ourselves and live for God and others, God can trust us with his power. More and more he will use us to be beacons of hope and assurance in a world in desperate need of this. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have this power beforehand; it’s just that without transformed hearts, power without humility is dangerous. By transforming us, God invites us into this life of “participation.”

Why is spiritual “surrender” so powerful? How might it be misunderstood?

day 39- the vision to transform my heart (pt. 1)

This is the central place for transformation to happen. The renovation of the heart. New life is possible with a change in character itself.

Character= the internal structure of yourself that is revealed by outward patterns of behavior.

Under times of stress and fatigue, our character reveals itself. This is not a widely known fact. We can try to live a positive, gracious image for others when things are going smoothly, but when pressure hits we can’t keep up the defenses. Who we are is exposed by our circumstances.

We have some renovating to do. How often do we say or do something hurtful and then apologize with this kind of line.

“I have been under a lot of pressure lately?”

We also see this line of thinking when someone lashes out violently and wounds or kills someone. In the interview of a family member or neighbor you hear this:

“He seemed like such a nice guy. I wonder what happened to him to cause him to snap like that?”

No, he was not a nice guy. He was someone who was skilled at hiding his dominating self-worship but got caught up in circumstances where his real character was exposed.

Why doesn’t God just force us to do good? Our freedom is what makes us so precious in God’s sight. It is a key part of being created, in “God’s image.” God honors our freedom to choose so much that he allows us to be on the path of radical ruin. He will not force us to love him, instead he sends Jesus as a sacrifice to make our freedom to reject him possible, still maintaining the possibility of our relationship being restored.

We are not a lost cause. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, our true character can change for the good. This takes effort on our part. We cannot change ourselves by the direct approach.

Think of examples of times when you blamed someone or something “out there” for problems you were having.

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Why did God send a flood?
What is so different about Noah?
a sermon based on Genesis 6

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day 38- the means to transform my mind's feelings

Our feelings must be transformed for us to be at our best, true selves. Love, joy, and peace can saturate our minds as we allow them free reign within us. What are the means to accomplish this? Remember we must remove the underlying conditions that create destructive feelings in us and replace these conditions with love, joy, and peace.

1. Remove the underlying conditions that create destructive feelings in us.

First we do an honest assessment of our current feelings. Where do our negative feelings come from? What has happened in our past and is happening now that brings these feelings that seem so hard to let go? We may be carrying baggage for years that we continue to hold on to and we can't think of life without these feelings. They may have become part of who we think we are.

This is the old you. The new you will learn to love from the center of who you are without bitterness or resentment. You can...

- Write a journal about your current feelings. Keep track of them. Discuss your feelings with a trusted friend. Write this down.

- Name your negative feelings. What are they? Discuss them with a friend. As you understand them, you are able to place them before God for healing.

- Choose two people the pray for your change. Discuss what needs to take place. Spend regular times of checkup about how things are going. You could all go through this process and hold each other accountable.

- Keep journaling your progress. What are ideas and images that promote your negative feelings? Offer these over to God.

2. Replace the underlying conditions with love, joy, and peace.

God intends for you to receive this from him and from other people who are being transformed themselves. You have to look for them, but know full well they are there. Here are helpful ways to do this.

- Meditate on these scripture passages for one month and write insights that come to mind.

• Love- Romans 8:28-39
• Joy- John 15:9-17
• Peace- Philippians 4:4-9

- Keep track of your thoughts when God shows you love or when you see him love someone else. What was going on in the situation? What did you learn about God and about ways of showing love?

- Keep track of when family, friends, or strangers show you love or love someone else. What did they do? How? Why? We can begin to see models of giving love freely.

Finally, take what you are learning and receiving and pass it on to others.

This is major “means” work for long-term progress. Today, simply choose a negative feeling that continues to get in your way.

day 37- the vision to transform my mind's feelings (pt. 3)

Here are the Bible’s antidotes to destructive feelings.

Faith and hope
These go hand in hand. Faith is confidence based on reality. Our reality is Jesus. As we trust in him, we are capable of “seeing the future.” This brings us to hope. Hope is the anticipation of good that is coming. When we combine faith and hope we act as if the good God has in store for us is already happening. It is.

Love
Love is to will the good of others.
To desire good for another and to act upon it.
To make choices that bring good in someone else’s life.

Love is not the same as lust, which is to desire for the sake of what we can receive. Love is giving of yourself so that other people receive benefit in their lives. Love produces the healthy feelings we are hoping for. When we are being transformed by Jesus this is what our lives look like. It is a process.

We are loved by God.
We love God.
We love others.
They experience God’s love, and love us.

A life filled with love produces feelings of love. Fear, pride, resentment and such are all dying out because we have the power of Jesus to show us we are completely safe in a life with him.

Joy
Joy is a deep sense of well being. We face life knowing all is well in spite of any circumstances of challenge and hardship. Jesus means for us to have a life of joy (John 15:11). This makes it possible for us to be secure in all circumstances. We aren’t on an emotional roller coaster, where every trouble brings feelings of fear and anxiety.

Peace
This word has two meanings.

1. To be at peace with God is to be reconciled to him through Jesus.
2. Peace is also a sense of well being based on confidence in Jesus.

We live in peace when we know God is in charge. Then destructive feelings of anxiety and fear disappear. Not because there is no trouble and pain, but because we face everything from within the Kingdom perspective and can take the long view.

A transformed life has an environment where faith, hope, love, joy and peace can flourish. Next we will look at practical ways to make this a reality for our own lives.

What are ways today these words are misunderstood? (example: peace means “absence of war”)

inside out- talk 8

transformation is not for the faint hearted/
overcoming who you think you are to become who you really are

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day 36- the vision to transform my mind's feelings (pt. 2)

We continue on the vision to transform my mind’s feelings.

what will work

1. Working on feelings that move us away from sin instead of trying not to sin.

At the very earliest stages, we focus on cultivating revulsion at the feelings we now have that are sinful even if they don’t bother us. Along with this, we focus on being attracted strongly to feelings of good even if we don’t have those feelings to begin with.

Take anger as an example. I don’t simply try to avoid feeling angry. I begin to look at how unattractive I must appear when I am angry. I focus on the sense of uneasiness I have afterwards. At the same time, I have a vision of what it is like for people to be in my presence where they are relaxed and comfortable.

2. Removing the underlying condition, not just the feeling.

Why do I have the destructive feelings in the first place? What are the conditions that lead up to them? Let’s stay on the anger example.

What conditions lead to the anger? Perhaps it is a sense of privilege. If I think I deserve good things in my life and then they don’t go my way, I am offended by my circumstances. I lash out at whoever is around me. I begin to project my disappointment on anyone whom I perceive as a source of my “injustice.” I must move from the sense of privilege I have.

3. Replacing the underlying condition; the feelings will take care of themselves.

It isn’t enough just to remove the underlying condition that fuels the destructive feelings. In the example, it’s not enough to try not to feel like I must always get my own way. I must replace those conditions with healthy alternatives.

There is a universal mindset that the Bible lifts up as an antidote to all destructive feelings. Faith, hope, love, joy and peace are all part of the cure. When I am filled with these, healthy feelings become my reality.

Read Luke 11:24-26 and think about how it relates to today’s topic.

day 35- The vision to transform my mind’s feelings (pt. 1)

Feelings are at the front of the line when it comes to our minds. Sometimes people ask, “How are you feeling today?”

Has anyone ever asked you, “How are you thinking today?”

I was watching a panel discussion on the 9/11 commission report on CSPAN 2 while on treadmill at the health club (The Simpsons wasn’t available) and I was struck by the tone of the questioning and responses.

Why do you think the terrorists feel the way they do? What is causing them to feel that way about Western countries? What more can we do to understand why they feel the way they do?

No one asked the obvious.

What kind of thinking is the source of such diabolical actions? What are the ideas and images the terrorists use as their sources that fuel this type of response?

Feelings are absolutely necessary because they make us come alive and they drive our activities. We accept we have feelings and we learn to channel them in the right places and in the right way. Dallas says,

“Feelings can be good servants but they are a horrible master.”

So how do we work on a vision to transform our mind’s feelings? Today, what doesn’t work, and in the next post, what does work.

what won’t work
1. Trying to take our feelings on directly
We don’t know the power of feelings if we think we can just face them directly with willpower. The direct approach at changing our mind at the spur of the moment is not helpful. If we are being strongly influenced by feelings of anger, fear, sexual attraction, the need for approval, and such, to just say, “Quit it!” to yourself, or to simply give in and allow your feelings to rule, “I can’t help how I feel”, well… There is a better way.

2. Denying our destructive feelings or pouring them out on others
It doesn’t do any good to ignore the fact we do have destructive feelings like anger, greed, jealousy, lust, and the list goes on. The Bible even has these lists in several places (e.g. Colossians 3:5-8). We can’t deny we have these sinful feelings and we can’t try to just keep them inside and then they will naturally go away. There is another way.

The other way is not to act these feelings out. We don’t give in to them and take it out on our others. Like screaming at someone and then thinking, “Now I feel much better.”

The way to transform destructive feelings is to replace them with helpful feelings. This is one of the central keys to living a transformed life. It is only under the partnership of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can become the kind of people who lose these awful feelings, and have feelings that are helpful to others and that build us up.

Wear a rubber band around your wrist and every time you catch yourself feeling something unhelpful, snap it! Try it for a couple of days.

day 34- the means to transform my minds thoughts

You have the vision to transform your mind. Next comes intention. The fact that you are reading is intention enough for me so I will continue. How do you work with the Holy Spirit to transform your thought life?

The Word of God
Memorizing Bible passages is a practice that was simply a necessity for thousands of years. Any writing that was done was so rare that you couldn’t afford it. It wasn’t uncommon for the priests of Israel and the leaders of the early church to memorize the whole Bible!

For us, memorizing and letting the Word “marinate” in our minds is a strong defense against the ideas and images that would lead us down the wrong path. I agree with Dallas that passages like Psalm 23 or Colossians 3:1-17, when they fill our thoughts, are like a good scrubbing down of whatever else is on our minds.

There are a variety of techniques to enhance memorization, but it is pretty much just read a section, let it sit, read, recite it aloud, read… Lectio Divina can be a very helpful tool in this process.

Music and Images
Do you want to fill your mind with that which points to our awesome God? Listen to the music. Everyone knows how easy it is to get hooked to a song where you “can’t get it out of my head.” Well, if that is a praise song/ hymn, an encouraging or contemplative popular song on the radio, what better way to latch on to God’s gift of music to fill your mind?

Musical tastes are about as personal as you can get. Whether it is classical, rap, hip hop, alternative, screamo, hard rock, soft rock, country, or Hassidic Jewish reggae, there are ways that Biblical passages and themes can take flight in your car or mp3 player. Music doesn’t just have to be about how much you hate the world and how much you like a woman’s booty or whatever. God invented it, you know?

Godly images and reminders have been used throughout our faith history to connect us to the living Christ, as well. From stained glass windows and icons to WWJD bracelets, gospel t- shirts, and yes, for some, tattoos, visual reminders are powerful and significant. We absorb so much through sight that keeps us focused on our walk with Jesus.

Mentors
Connecting with someone who is further along on the path of self-denial and being mentored and encouraged by them is a means that has always been central to renovation. Who is your Yoda? If you are fortunate enough to have a parent in this role, that would be amazing. It can be a peer, but there is nothing like the wisdom of the elder who is experiencing the joy and challenge of the transforming life.

How do you find a mentor? Ask the pastor or other church leader from the Christian community you are connected with (get connected with one if you are not) if they have suggestions. You can judge a potential mentor as one who is encouraging, gracious, and confident in Jesus, and who is authentic in their walk of faith.

Memorize 2 Corinthians 1:3-4