Where you are today is not who you are. You are not defined by your limitations.

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Derick Jacobs
5 years ago
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2 Where you are today is not who you are. You are not defined by your limitations. Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2, NLT For years medical science taught us that our brains were hard-wired and unable to change once we reached a certain age. It was thought that some people were predestined to be positive, and others negative. Some were destined to succeed; others were destined to fail and there wasn t much they could do about it. Scientists are discovering what God s Word has taught us all along: that our brains are adaptable and changeable. They are finding that the thoughts we think about ourselves and our lives are powerful and can actually cause structural changes to take place within our brains. Essentially, by changing what we believe and therefore what we think, we can rewire our brains to function differently, and this causes us to live differently. This news shouldn t surprise us because God s Word tells us how important our thinking is. In fact, if you want to fulfill God s perfect will for your life, you re going to have to renew your mind. The problem is that many people don t know how to renew their minds and they aren t sure what to renew their minds with. Renewing your mind involves changing the way you think, but it goes beyond just forming new thought habits. Today, think about the fact that you can change the following things just by renewing your mind: 1. Your thoughts 2. Your attitudes 3. Your disposition 4. Even how your body functions It s worth the effort!

3 What does renewing the mind even mean? When people become Christians, they are taught to clean up their behaviour and become better moral citizens. While there s nothing wrong with that goal, we aren t always taught how to make these life changes. Ephesians 4:23-24, NKJV Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. We may even be taught that renewing our minds is the key to change, but do we really know what that means? Some think that renewing the mind is just another term for behaviour modification or learning to be good. Renewing your mind is not just about being good. Others think that renewing your mind is about getting to know God better. That may be true, but what does that look like? Does knowing God better mean you ll sit in the lotus position all day, humming to yourself? Does it involve knowing God s Word so well that you can point out all the sin in everyone else? Does it mean that you become so lovey-dovey that nothing fazes you to the point where you re indifferent to all kinds of injustice? Is that what it means to arrive spiritually? The reason I ask these questions is because I want you to really think about it. What does renewing your mind mean to you? Renewing your mind is the life-long process of discovering the truth of who God is, who you really are and what you can have because of Jesus. It s about changing your deep-down beliefs. It s not complicated or difficult. Just keep studying God s Word and listen to great teaching. As you notice areas where your beliefs don t line up, your beliefs will begin to change, and your world will naturally change for the better. Meditation is the missing link for many Christians. One of the most powerful tools you can use to renew your mind is: meditation on God s Word. Establish your heart in grace. Speak from your mouth the future that you desire. Learn valuable heart priniciples in our 3 message series, Live in a New Dimension.

4 You see, we can: read our Bibles, pray, and go to church, but without meditation, nothing much changes. Let s pretend you struggle with insecurity. Naturally, you ll look for evidence to justify your feelings. You ll ask yourself why you re so insecure, and then your brain will answer that question. You might think that you re too short, too fat, too thin, not smart enough or people don t like you, and that s why you re justified in feeling insecure. This creates a repetitive cycle. You feel insecure, focus on things that make you feel insecure, then feel more insecure. As a result, you begin to live in a state of insecurity. You may pray for God to take the insecurity away, but if you still struggle, you ll wonder why. Meanwhile, God hasn t let you down. You just haven t renewed your mind. Next we ll walk through a practical example to demonstrate how to meditate. I want you to think about an area in your life that causes you to struggle. Have you accepted that struggle as a part of who you are? Has living in that state become normal to you? If so, it s time to renew your mind! Change your world improve it from the inside out! Did you know that you bring glory to God? You may not be perfect, but He is thrilled that you love and serve Him. He also has more for you in this life. He wants you to begin to renew your mind what you believe and think so your world changes and improves from the inside out. Through meditation, God s Word can go to work to change you. Here s how: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, MSG smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

5 Find a Bible promise that addresses an issue you re struggling with. Using the example of insecurity, you might use the verse, I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me. This may be a verse you know well, but God s Word doesn t change you just because you know it mentally. You need to meditate on it so it can change the beliefs of your heart. To meditate, imagine what this promise looks like. Close your eyes and see yourself doing all things through Christ who strengthens you. If you ve felt held back by insecurity, see yourself confidently doing what you don t think you can do and envision Jesus helping and guiding you. Maybe you ve always wanted to teach. See yourself teaching; maybe you have a Bible in your hand or a kids book, and the kids are smiling, listening attentively and enjoying every minute. Imagine one saying, You re awesome! You re my favourite teacher! Get excited! This process is so simple and yet so powerful. What will you meditate on? Truth only sets you free when you know it deep down. If you only know truth cerebrally and don t trust in that truth deep in your heart, you re going to be one frustrated Christian. You ll know the truth mentally, but the truth won t set you free. Truth only sets you free when you know it deep down in your heart and you make it a part of you. How do you get this truth to impact your heartbeliefs? You meditate on it! Let s say you re a businessperson who has a dream to give more toward reaching people for Jesus. You want to be able to give ninety percent of your income and live comfortably off ten percent. Your brain will analyze the situation and think, How s that ever going to happen?

6 Ignore that question for now and move into the language of your heart: pictures. Envision a promise such as Deuteronomy 8:18 which says that you have the power to make wealth. What does that look like? Faith always sees the end from the beginning, whereas your reasoning mind focuses on the steps involved. Forget the steps for now. Don t worry about how you re going to get from where you are today to this picture that God is painting within you through His promises. Just focus on that picture. Close your eyes and see yourself paying all your bills and having money left over at the end of the month. See your business expanding and people saying, Wow, look what God is doing! See the promise done. This is the power of meditating on God s Word: When God s promises begin to change how you look at your future, they become attainable. You begin to believe that His promises are for you! It s time to take a new approach. Holy Spirit s job is to show you things to come. He helps you to dream about your future. Let s say you struggle with anger. You re so disappointed with yourself as a parent because you ve lost your temper with your kids so many times that now they shrink back from you. You know it s God s will for you to have peace and patience, but you just can t seem to change. Meditate on Galatians 5:22. This promise tells you that peace, long-suffering and patience are fruit of the Spirit. Really think about the fact that these are yours. Remind yourself that the ability to be patient and to have peace are not functions of your rational mind. They come from God. It s by His grace that you have the power to be patient.

7 His grace gives you the ability to be at peace even when everything is going wrong. Let these words begin to change the way you see yourself. Imagine yourself reacting with patience. See yourself calm in situations that usually set you off. This is how powerful change can take place within you step by step, day by day. It s not simply by asking God to take away your anger and give you peace. He s already given you peace and patience and the ability to learn how to walk in them! Meditate on God s Word and picture the fulfillment of His promises in your life. This will change the beliefs in your heart and your emotions and actions will follow. See yourself as the new you the person Jesus has already made you to be and nothing you imagine from God s Word will be impossible for you! The deepest thoughts of your heart are leading you into your future. If you think of yourself as a loser, a failure or a person who can t control their anger, those are the thoughts of your heart. These underlying beliefs you hold about yourself are determining your future. This Christian life isn t about begging God to take away our struggles. The good news is as you meditate on God s Word and spend time in prayer, Holy Spirit works with you to change how you see yourself. A great deal of our freedom lies with realizing who we are and what we already have access to because of Jesus. God s Word says that you ride upon the high places in the earth (Isaiah 58:14), and although walking in that promise is a process, you need to know that you can expect great things. God has also given you the ability to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18), so you can see yourself living with the kind of finances that allow you to be generous everywhere you go. God is limitless and he is in us. What limits us is the training of our mind. Learn how to harness your thoughts get Live in a New Dimension today with your minimum donation of $30.

8 The Word says that your home can be happy (Psalm 128), so you can picture your home filled with love and laughter. As you meditate and pray, you can thank God that you have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). You can live your life full of joy and peace, so see yourself laughing and hugging your spouse and family. Create a plan to have quiet time meditation time with Holy Spirit. You may think that your life is busy and you can t afford the time it takes to dream, but these dreams are helping to create your future. You can t afford not to meditate on God s promises! What kind of life has God prepared for us? According to Matthew 11:28 30, it s not a life of burden, strain and exhaustion. Jesus invites those of us who are tired, worn out and burned out on religion to get away with Him to recover. He says: I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28-30, NIV Religion tries to make people behave perfectly by heaping on rules, fear, control and manipulation. But Jesus wants us to learn the unforced rhythms of grace. He wants us to have a real relationship with God, and healthy relationships that are unforced. If you ve ever tried to force someone to do something, you know that there s no place for manipulation or control in healthy relationships. Even if you can get someone to do what you want them to do through manipulation, it will never be as enjoyable as having a relationship that is based on love, trust and mutual respect. Life is the most enjoyable when it s unforced as well. We need to learn how to live our lives in this unforced rhythm of grace. Your life can be blessed, your relationships can grow and your career can succeed in an unforced way. Matthew 11:28-30, MSG Walk with me and work with me watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

9 You see, Christianity is not just about being good. Jesus wants to lead you into an abundant life (John 10:10)! You can rest in knowing that He s already made available everything you need to have this kind of life. You don t have to wear yourself out trying to earn it. Take a real rest by spending time with God and by trusting in His ability to lead you. He has your best interests in mind. When life gets tough, remember that it s only a season! Chances are you know the pain of losing someone in your life or you ve been betrayed by someone. Life has its share of difficulties, so how can Jesus say it could be easy? Actually, Jesus wasn t saying that our lives with Him would be problem-free. He was talking about a decision we have to make. We can choose to live in stress and worry, or we can trust in Him and feel the burden lift. Will you still feel pain, disappointment, anger and frustration? Yes. Will you still grieve losses and feel lonely at times? Yes. No matter who you are, life has stuff. With Jesus, life still includes the full range of emotions, but it s built on a solid foundation of relationships and trust. It s a life made rich and rewarding because you believe what God says is true. Jesus said, I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows) (John 10:10, AMP). When you re going through tough times, remember that it s only a season. Through Jesus, you can and will enjoy life again! He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4, NKJV You have the greatest secret weapon of all time Christ in you. No problem is bigger than He is!

10 Stand on promises such as, I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth (Isaiah 58:14, NKJV) and The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13, NKJV). The burden will lift! You have God s favour without ever earning it. I have a pretty strong personality, and I m good at getting things done. It can be easy to fall into the habit of doing things on my own strength, but I discovered years ago that this just leads to stress, worry, anxiety and dis-ease. I know how much I need God s presence in my everyday life. I ve had really difficult moments, but I ve also experienced the power of God s presence. The truth is that the God that created the universe and spoke it into existence lives inside me. If you ve made the decision to follow Jesus, He s also inside you, and He s greater than anything in this world. Hebrews 4:16, NKJV we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. God helps us to live life in a way that s effortless. This is where grace comes in. God s grace is His unmerited, undeserved favour. It refers to every kind of blessing, power and ability He makes available to you as a believer. But to enjoy this grace, you have to believe. You gain access to His grace through faith, according to our verse today. God promises to bless you and fill you with His power for everyday life, but you won t sense it if you don t believe it s there. You won t experience the strength He has for you if you don t first believe it s yours. Bring your awareness to God s grace today. As a believer, you have access to God s grace. You have God s favour without earning it. Believe that He has brought good things into your life and that He loves you beyond what you can comprehend.

11 Come boldly to God when you need help. When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you became a member of God s family. As a result, you have access to His power to live a great life. But to walk out the incredible kind of life He s planned for you, you need to spend time in His presence and believe that you have access to His power in your life. I need to make something completely clear. I m not saying that you have to earn God s blessings by spending time with Him. It also isn t necessary to clean up your behaviour before you can expect to experience His love and favour. It s yours as a gift. You still will want to stay away from sin because of its incredibly destructive effects on your life, but perfection isn t required to earn God s help. In fact, it s the other way around. You need God s help to overcome! You need to access the strength and power He has placed within you to break free from bad habits, addiction, anger, jealousy, hopelessness or any other problem that plagues you. You need to access the help God has for you. You can come boldly to God for help in time of need. He freely gives it! He s not looking at your track record before deciding if He will empower you to overcome what you re facing. He won t hold back blessings if you mess up. We all make mistakes but God still welcomes us with open arms. Spend time with Him today and remember that His power to change is yours. Forgiving others cleanses you. Forgiveness is powerful. It can cause your relationships to grow to an entirely new level. But we have to really forgive, not just say that we have. If you re like most Christians, you ll say that you ve forgiven everyone who has hurt you because you know you re supposed to. But if you re still focused on the anger, resentment or bitterness, you haven t yet fully forgiven. Determine to get into faith. Begin to speak the Word, change your circumstances. For your generous donation of $30 or more, we ll send you Live in a New Dimension.

12 Experiencing these strong feelings every time you think about that person may also be a sign that you re still walking through the process, which is okay as long as you keep going! You see, forgiveness is not a split-second decision. It s something you walk out day by day. It starts with a choice, but then it s a daily decision after that. Every time you choose to forgive instead of focusing on the hurt and pain, it gets a little easier. As you walk through this process, you will begin to let go of the pain that you ve associated with that person. Eventually you will be able to think about the person or talk about the event without any emotional reaction. Through the process of forgiveness, you can get to a place of healing in your relationships. Every time we mess up and ask God for forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9, NLT Because you follow Jesus, you also have what you need within you to forgive like He forgives. Start the process today by telling God that you choose to forgive the person who s hurt you, and you will begin to activate His power in your life to forgive. Make a clean start. God is always faithful to forgive us when we do wrong. But He doesn t stop there, he cleanses us. Asking for forgiveness always brings a type of cleansing to the relationship. Even though you can be sure that God will forgive you when you ask, there is power in asking for that forgiveness. It brings a type of cleanness to your life. It s much like the healing of any wound. It can t heal properly if it s full of dirt. When you were a child and you scraped your knee, the first thing your mom or dad did was When you feed on the Word of God, faith just comes. Faith rises up on the inside of you. With a gift of $30 or more, we ll send you 3 messages that will help you dig deeper!

clean out the wound. It was sometimes painful, but this temporary discomfort prevented the long-term suffering infection can bring. When a wound is clean, it heals up beautifully.

Of course, it s not a good idea to ask for forgiveness and then spend the next ten minutes justifying why you did what you did. That will just start an argument! Instead, simply ask for forgiveness.

When you ask God to forgive you, He always forgives you and allows you to make a clean start.

things right. Live your life in this new dimension. 1 John 1:19, NIV he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

13 clean out the wound. It was sometimes painful, but this temporary discomfort prevented the long-term suffering infection can bring. When a wound is clean, it heals up beautifully. The same is true of the emotional wounds we inflict on each other. When we ask for forgiveness after hurting someone, we wash the wound clean. Of course, it s not a good idea to ask for forgiveness and then spend the next ten minutes justifying why you did what you did. That will just start an argument! Instead, simply ask for forgiveness. Although healing still may take some time if the wound is deep, we give it the best chance of healing fully and beautifully. When you ask God to forgive you, He always forgives you and allows you to make a clean start. If you ve hurt someone, you can t control whether or not they will forgive you, but you can encourage a clean start in the relationship by asking for forgiveness and by doing what you can to make things right. Live your life in this new dimension. 1 John 1:19, NIV he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. God has given you incredible power over your life! YOU have the power to renew your mind, make deep-rooted heart changes, learn more about God s spectacular promises and access His incredible help. Take these thoughts and apply them to your life today. Imagine a future your future filled with God s promises for health, great relationships, prosperity and success! Live your life in this new dimension starting today and experience true freedom that can only be found in Jesus. For your gift of $30 or more, we ll send you Live in a New Dimension, a 3 message audio series! Get this offer

Leon Fontaine Leon is the CEO of Miracle Channel, host of The Spirit Contemporary Life, and the Senior Pastor of Springs Church, one of the largest

Leon s daily devotional, Devoted with Leon, is sent by mail and email to thousands of readers.

It is reaching people with the hope of Christ through contemporary, life-changing programs.

14 Leon Fontaine Leon is the CEO of Miracle Channel, host of The Spirit Contemporary Life, and the Senior Pastor of Springs Church, one of the largest churches in Canada. His weekly messages broadcast across North and South America, Asia, Africa and other far reaching parts of the world. Leon s daily devotional, Devoted with Leon, is sent by mail and to thousands of readers. Miracle Channel Miracle Channel is television with purpose. It is reaching people with the hope of Christ through contemporary, life-changing programs. In addition to airing programming from popular ministries such as Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen and Joseph Prince, the channel airs documentaries, talk shows, movies, news, live programs and children s shows. Miracle Channel has been leading the Christian television industry in Canada since 1996 as the first and still the only all Christian broadcaster.

The fact that Adam sold us out really ticks me off.

The fact that Adam sold us out really ticks me off. I m not saying I could have done any better, but it s mind-boggling to think that one man s choice to choose Satan over God ushered in all sickness,