moving truth from your head to your heart -1-

Transcription

1 moving truth from your head to your heart -1- Heart-training Core classes: Group 2 How to Change and How NOT to Change Share these pages with friends: Barry Hall 2014 Contents Page 2 Page 12 Page 14 Page 18 Page 21 Why Heart-training will work for me (What the Bible Says about How to Change) Turning away from Condemnation and Self-Contempt as ways to grow and change Trusting the Punishment Jesus Took for Us instead of our having to condemn ourselves Turning away from self-sabotage Changing mis-beliefs about God Introduction: What is Heart-training? Heart-training is a collection of statements that when you listen to yourself saying them, it helps you to believe, love, and feed on (receive from) God. Heart-training is to the deeper Christian life as practice drills are to sports and music. Heart-training removes obstacles and builds a highway for God to come to you more easily. Why should I use Heart-training? Rather than receiving from earthly sources, you will learn to receive and enjoy the tangible presence of God because Heart-training aims directly at helping you change deeply rooted ways of thinking from works to grace. God designed all people with needs. And human behavior is driven by these needs. The world calls it a need for self-esteem. The Bible calls it a thirst for God. Over the years we learn habit patterns of thinking about how we believe we can best fill our needs. And much what we have learned to believe is hurtful and damaging. The Bible says...we...receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:14). And,...it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all... (Rom. 4:16). So we have to believe we are receiving the presence of God by His grace or it will be difficult to experience Him tangibly. Jesus explained the problem when He said, How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? (John 5:44). So, how can we correct this problem?...repent and believe... (Mark 1:15). Heart-training helps you repent from having to earn and achieve earthly glory, to receiving the presence of God s glory by faith in His grace. The Bible says,...as he thinks within himself, so he is... (Pro 23:7);...the heart of man reflects man. (Pro. 27:19). And Jesus said,...they were thinking in their heart... (Luke 9:47). Science knows today that our heart has transmitters and receptors that process information similar to our brain only a lot fewer of them. So our heart learns slowly, with much repetition, and best also, where emotion accompanies what is being learned. Your heart can learn new ways of thinking. It MUST. But you have to become the teacher and your own heart has to become your best student. Heart-training is the most effective tool I know for doing that. How should I use the Heart-training? Speak the statements out loud and focus on listening to what you are saying. But please note that the speed of processing thought is MUCH slower with your heart. So when you say these statements you have to go slowly or it won t work. You also have to pause between the statements to give your heart time to agree and receive it as truth. There has to be a lot of repetition because the patterns of thinking you have now, were learned by life experiences over the course of many years. And, to be most effective, it helps greatly if you use joy in your tone of voice as you read the statements. Note that Heart-training is divided into 2 main sections core classes and electives. Like getting a degree at college, the core classes are needed first. The elective section deals with specific areas of sin. (Note: The order you do the core classes may need to be altered. Try to do the sections as they are presented, but if you are having trouble getting your heart to hear it, you may do better to go forward and come back later.)

2 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 2 Barry Hall (Note: Changing how our heart thinks, is a repentance that helps direct our heart toward loving God and faith.)..heart hear it that repentance means to change how we think. So, the focus for true repentance is my heartlevel thinking and NOT my outer behavior. Behavior is the result, not the cause... For as he thinks within himself, so he is... (Pro 23:7)....they were thinking in their heart... (Luke 9:47)....the heart of man reflects man. (Pro. 27:19). For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the...evil things... (Mark 7:21-23a). They always go astray in their heart... (Heb. 3:10). ;...rend your heart and not your garments... (Joel 2:13);...the obedience of faith... (Rom. 1:5)....repentance requires that I change how I think. Most specifically, repentance is a zealous process of aligning my heart-level thinking with the kingdom of God. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat 3:2);...be zealous and repent. (Rev. 3:19)...It changes me best when I speak truth and listen to myself. Being more specific, it changes me best when I tell myself what to believe and love about where I can best find confidence, hope, courage, and security... My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God (Psa. 62:5-7). Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God (Psa. 43:5). Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you (Psa. 116:7). My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice (Psa 34:2)....I CAN change and grow by responding to my thoughts with reassurance and reminders about the truth... We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)....and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:19-21). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...real change happens by changing the beliefs, loves, and fears of my heart. When my heart hears, believes, and loves the truth, that is what changes me best...(pause & let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)...confess with your mouth...and believe in your heart... (Rom. 10:9) for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness... (Rom. 10:10). (pause to hear it)...faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Rom. 10:17). (pause to hear it) return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods...and direct your hearts to the Lord...and He will deliver you... (1 Sam. 7:3). So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God... (Jos. 23:11). (pause to hear it) Delight yourself in the Lord... (Psa. 37:4). for where your treasure is, there will your heart be... (Mat. 6:21).

3 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 3...Heart, rejoice that I can change. The truth gets planted in my heart by my hearing it with my heart... And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance (Luke 8:15). (pause to believe and love it)...jesus said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mark 4:9). (pause to believe and love it)...heart, rejoice that I can direct my heart toward God by reassuring myself with the truth. It worked for David, it will work for me... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)...david was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered...but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God (1 Sam. 30:6). (pause to hear it)...heart, rejoice that I can glorify God by declaring truth with thanks and praise. In context with other verses about growth and change, it changes me, when I listen and really hear what I am thanking Him for!...the truth of God abounded to His glory... (Rom. 3:7)...the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. (2 Cor. 4:15)...Heart, rejoice that I can change, by zealously directing the beliefs, cravings, and the treasures of my heart toward God......we [should] not crave evil things... (1Cor. 10:6) So,...confess with your mouth...and believe in your heart... (Rom. 10:9)...take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely. (Eze. 3:10). for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness... (Rom. 10:10). (pause to hear it) Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters...delight yourself in abundance. (Isa. 55:1,2)...be zealous and repent. (Rev. 3:19) for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Mat. 6:21). (pause to hear it) Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire (Psa. 52:7)....direct your [heart] to the Lord...and He will deliver you... (1 Sam. 7:3). (pause to hear and believe it)...applying...building yourselves up on your most holy faith (Jude 1:20). (pause to believe and love it)...my heart has LEARNED what to believe, love, and what to be afraid of. My heart CAN be re-trained! But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart... (Luke 9:47)....having a heart trained in greed... (2Pet 2:14)....it helps me to hear and believe better when I humble myself and diligent to submit into believing......in humility receive the word... (James 1:21); Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith (Hab. 2:4). For the one who has entered [God s] rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest... (Heb. 4:10,11). (pause to believe and love it)

4 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 4...the more I repent of feeding on earthly things, the easier it will be to believe and to receive from God......receive the Spirit...by hearing with faith (Gal. 3:2 implied). (pause to believe and love it) How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? (John 5:44). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...repent and believe... (Mark 1:15). (pause to believe and love it)...training my beliefs and loves so that my heart is free to make God my God, removes the idolatry in my heart even before I sin. return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods...and direct your hearts to the Lord...and He will deliver you... (1 Sam. 7:3). And it will be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle out of the way of My people (Isa. 57:14);...turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. (Deu 30:10)....heart, hear this. Experiencing God requires that I let myself hear, believe, and apply the truth about experiencing Him. So heart, believe it strongly! (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)...receive the Spirit...by hearing with faith (Gal. 3:2 implied). (pause to believe and love it) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom 10:17)....he who comes to God must believe that...he is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb. 11:6)....it is right that I set my heart on dying to earthly sources. He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord (2Ch 12:14). always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Cor. 4:10). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses...i am God (Isa. 43:12)....be zealous and repent. (Rev. 3:19); When the days were approaching for His ascension, [Jesus] was determined to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51);...being assertive in my tone of voice will help my heart to hear......you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exo. 34:13,14) And [Jesus] made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables (John 2:15) Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskins of your heart... (Jer 4:4)...turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. (Deut. 30:10)...be zealous and repent. (Rev. 3:19). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)

5 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 5...heart, love the truth! Over and over, I will impress the truth on my heart. Repetition helps me to repent. I will speak the truth over and over until my heart softens enough for me to believe it... You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Deut. 11:18,19). Bind them continually on your heart... (Pro. 6:21)....I will be confident about being able to change by repentance that directs my heart toward God! My behavior will change because obedience and right living flow from what I believe... (pause to believe it!)...the obedience of faith... (Rom. 1:5). For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness... (Rom. 10:10)....repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance (Acts 26:20). (pause to hear it)...heart, let yourself believe and love that I can change my mind by giving my heart reasons to treasure God with the joy and freedom of a child. By this, I CAN receive the presence of God and His kingdom....whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all. (Mark 10:15). for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Mat. 6:21). (pause to hear it)...repentance that removes obstacles, breaks up the hardness, and frees me to love God more, prepares me for freely receiving God s tangible presence and His kingdom like a child... And it will be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle out of the way of My people (Isa. 57:14)....Clear the way for the Lord...Make...a highway for our God...Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed..." (Isa. 40:3-5)....clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple... (Mal....repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you... (James 4:8)....receive the kingdom of God like a child... (Mark 10:15)....Break up your fallow ground...seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you. (Hos. 10:12)...building yourselves up on your most holy faith (Jude 1:20). (pause to believe and love it)...faith is not something that I can achieve! It is more like falling into an over-stuffed chair after being hard at work I have to rest into believing. I repent of trying to work myself into faith. I submit and I rest into believing the truth... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!) Instead of that for me it is changing my mind because IT IS WRITTEN,...In repentance and rest you will be saved... (Isa. 30:15). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!) For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength...the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him (Isa. 30:15-18).

6 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 6...Heart, I am saying this again because I want to hear and believe it! I repent of trying to work myself into faith because faith is not something that I can achieve! It is more like falling into an over-stuffed chair after being hard at work I have to rest into believing. I rest into faith... (pause to hear and believe it!) Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...and you will find rest for your souls (Matt. 11:28,29). (pause to hear it) For the one who has entered [God s] rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest... (Heb. 4:10,11). (pause to believe and love it)...in repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength. (Isa. 30:15)....applying all diligence, in your faith... (2 Pet. 1:5). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)....I don t have to be afraid to look at the sin of my heart because I CAN change. I love the truth that repentance will work for me! I turn from helplessness about repentance that changes the way I think. I AM changing to kingdom of God thinking... But a man must examine himself... (1 Cor. 11:28). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!) Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them...is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation... (Luke 6:47,48). (pause to believe and love it) After leaving slavery and bondage in Egypt the people wanted to go back to their old ways. To this God said that,...if you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there, then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. (Jer 42:15b,16). (pause to hear it) He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord (2Ch 12:14)....I am turning my affections away from the other gods of this world. I grab my soul and I turn it to loving You Lord... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!) So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God. For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you (Jos. 23:11-13). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)...heart, rejoice that the obstacles between me and God can and will be removed. My heart will be built up into abiding and loving God... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!) And it will be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle out of the way of My people (Isa. 57:14). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!) Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me (John 15:4). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)

7 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 7...I am setting my desires on God Himself to be what quenches my thirsty desires and nothing else... If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. (Psa. 62:10b). (pause to feel reassured by it!)...set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God... (1 Chron. 22:19). (pause to hear it) He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord (2Ch 12:14). It is an...everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants... (Gen. 17:7; and also Gal. 3:29). Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters...delight yourself in abundance. (Isa. 55:1,2) for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Mat. 6:21)...Heart, rejoice that I can be a doer of the truth by focusing my effort to hear, believe, and love the truth in the deepest part of my heart:...prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers... (James 1:22)....the obedience of faith... (Rom. 1:5). Draw near to God and He will draw near to you... (James 4:8). (pause to feel confidence from it!)...receive the Spirit...by hearing with faith (Gal. 3:2 implied). (pause to feel confidence from it!)...heart, let yourself believe and love that I can change my mind by giving my heart reasons to treasure God with the joy and freedom of a child. By this, I CAN receive the presence of God and His kingdom....whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all. (Mark 10:15). (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!) for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Mat. 6:21). (pause to hear it)...i love that God s way of repentance works, the benefits are great, and the payout is guaranteed... always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Cor. 4:10). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...god said, I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (2 Cor. 6:16). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)...god is good! I rest into confidently believing that what God offers, is also offered to me... Heart hear this! O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psa. 34:8). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!) All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. (John 6:37). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)...heart, rejoice that I can and will direct the beliefs, cravings, and the treasures of my heart toward God......we [should] not crave evil things... (1Cor. 10:6)...confess with your mouth...and believe in your heart... (Rom. 10:9) for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness... (Rom. 10:10). (pause to hear it) Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire (Psa. 52:7). Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters...delight yourself in abundance. (Isa. 55:1,2) for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Mat. 6:21). (pause to hear it)

8 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 8...Heart, it is right and good for us to do what the Bible says! So, Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord (Lam. 3:40). And, even though it hurts to expose the sin in our heart, the Bible says that our sin is...exposed...so as to restore you from captivity... (Lam. 2:14)....I will turn my love toward God. I will let my heart believe and I won t hold back. I will not settle for less than the fountain of God. I will not turn away. O Lord...All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord. (Jer. 17:13). Has a nation changed gods when they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jer. 2:11-13). (pause to hear it)...i love that God so freely clothes me with His presence. I love the truth I can worship Him in holiness. His presence makes me holy! (Your name), Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name...come before Him; worship the Lord in holy array. (1 Chron. 16:29) (When I come before the Lord, He clothes me in holy array by cleansing me with His righteous presence. He clothes me with His own presence.)...i can and I will be honest about what is in my heart. I love the truth so much that I can and will become good ground for the truth... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!) But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance (Luke 8:15). (pause to hear it) So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent... (Rev. 3:3)...listen obediently...love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul (Deut. 11:13). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)...receive the Spirit...by hearing with faith (Gal. 3:2 implied)...heart, rejoice that I can change! I repent of agreeing with demonic pressures to harden my heart to the truth:...the Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...heart hear this! It is thrilling that I don t have to live in hopelessness about being able to change. I will not be afraid to be honest about my heart. I can be zealous about changing how my heart thinks. Strong delight in my tone of voice helps me to hear the truth and believe it in my heart... Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them...is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation... (Luke 6:47,48). (pause to feel reassured by it!)...be zealous and repent. (Rev. 3:19)

9 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 9...I love that I can repent by loving the refuge of strength and beauty that I can find in God... How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. (Psa. 36:7-9)...heart, rejoice that I can repent because I can hear and believe the truth by taking it into me......take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely. (Eze. 3:10)....Jesus said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mark 4:9). (pause to believe and love it)...building yourselves up on your most holy faith (Jude 1:20). (pause to believe and love it)...prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers... (James 1:22)....Lord it is only by Your presence here with me that I can honestly say, You are my hiding place and my shield... (Psa. 119:114) (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!) On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. (Psa. 62:7) I love You, O Lord, my strength. (Psa. 18:1) How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength... (Psa. 89:15-17)...I can turn my heart toward God and I love that the payout for repentance is guaranteed....repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!) always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Cor. 4:10). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses...i am God (Isa. 43:12)....Heart, God designed me so needy and that I am drinking from something all the time. And if I am not experiencing the presence of God, I must be drinking in some other way. So heart, rejoice that I can repent by a simple trade. My earthly sources for the presence of God. What God offers by grace pulls me forward... Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance (Isa. 55:1,2). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)...i can change from idolatry of the heart because I can depend on God to be God to me! I don t have to depend on the little gods of this world because, God has promised with an...everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants... (Gen. 17:7; and also Gal. 3:29). God CAN quench my thirsty need! I, the Lord, am your God...Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. (Psa. 81:10). (pause to hear it)

10 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 10..I love the truth that God tells me to turn to Him therefore, HE is the one who also gives me the ability to do it... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!) repent and turn to God (Acts 26:20b)....turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. (Deut. 30:10) Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations. (Eze. 14:6)....taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)....applying all diligence, in your faith... (2 Pet. 1:5). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...i love that the repentance that works best, is that which reassures my heart until I find freedom to put on and wear the presence of God all around me here......put on the armor of light...put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Rom. 13:12 and 14)...and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:19-21)...I turn my heart from trying to feel religious by putting myself down. Self-hate won t prevent fleshly indulgence... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)...the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body...are of no value against fleshly indulgence. (Col 2:23) Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement... (Col. 2:18)... (Your name), I am turning away from believing I can t change. I CAN change because God tells us how to do it... return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods...and direct your hearts to the Lord (1 Sam. 7:3). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!) Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskins of your heart... (Jer 4:4). (pause to hear it)...sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts (1 Pet. 3:15a). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...rend your heart and not your garments... (Joel 2:13).... (Your name), I can and I will plow up the hard ground of my heart so that I can believe and love God. By this I can stay before Him. Heart, believe that the kingdom is here with power, love, and with the righteousness of God;...Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you. (Hos. 10:12) (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name), I delight that abiding in God s presence is not hopeless for me. I repent of looking for refuge in despair or sadness. I turn from disappointment as a place of refuge... Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. (1 Chron. 16:10)...the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory. (Jer. 4:2)

11 Why Heart-training Will Work for Me what the Bible says about how to change 11...I can turn from earthly distractions. And, I love the truth that God is far greater than anything else I could ever see, touch, taste, or want... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!) For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. (2 Cor. 3:10)...I love that God has promised to be God to me! It is an...everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants... (Gen. 17:7; and also Gal. 3:29)....God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (2Cor 6:16)....I love the truth that God is so good! His promise to quench our thirst includes me! I love that God is a radiant fountain that floods me with an abundant presence of the Holy Spirit......on...the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit... (John 7:37-39). (pause to hear and love it) Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters...delight yourself in abundance. (Isa. 55:1a and 2b). I, the Lord, am your God...Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. (Psa. 81:10). (pause to hear it)...the fountain of living water, even the Lord. (Jer. 17:13). (pause to feel confidence from it!) So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent... (Rev. 3:3)....direct your [heart] to the Lord...and He will deliver you... (1 Sam. 7:3). (pause to hear and love it)...all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. (Mark 11:24). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)....applying all diligence, in your faith... (2 Pet. 1:5). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...your heavenly Father [will] give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13, implied)

12 How NOT to Repent! Ineffective and Sinful Ways of Trying to Change 12 Barry Hall (Note: Use this section with the next. Self-contempt prevents us from being able to open up and drink from the Lord. Therefore, it is vital that you train your heart away from self-condemnation! If not, you won t grow past this). God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!) It says to "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat 3:2). And, repentance means to change how we think. Yet in context with other verses, our repentance has to change how our heart thinks because it says, They always go astray in their heart... (Heb. 3:10);...they were thinking in their heart... (Luke 9:47). And,...as he thinks within himself, so he is... (Pro 23:7). Heart, God says to me to...be zealous and repent. (Rev. 3:19). So, it is God s will for me to repent, but I am training my heart to think about repentance as God desires. Heart, it is right to feel sorrow for sin but it is NOT God s will for me to repent by how bad I make myself feel!...the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret. (2 Cor. 7:10). Regret means to feel disappointed or distressed about something. Heart, hear this! I must change! But God s will for how I change is to do it WITHOUT regret. Using regret as a tool for change is against God s will and I should consider it sin. (pause to hear, believe and love God being close!)...trying to change by anger or self-hate only gives me a false sense of goodness before God......the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1:20). Getting angry about my bad behavior does not achieve the righteousness that I desire. (pause to believe and love the truth!)...trying to repent by anger and self-contempt makes me feel religious, but it does nothing to change my behavior! I repent of pride from how much pain I cause because of wanting to do better next time: "...the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement...are of no value against fleshly indulgence." (Col. 2:23). Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement... (Col. 2:18)....self-abasement and self-condemnation is self-made religion because it eases my sense of guilt for sin, just enough so that I don t feel the need to trust the power of the cross of Christ. But no amount of feeling bad will ever make the payment or justify what I have done wrong. Self-inflicted pain doesn't justify us before God because,...god is the one who justifies (Rom. 8:33b)! (pause to believe and love the truth!) Self-abasement or self-contempt may punish me into a temporary appearance of doing better, but it does nothing to change my behavior long term. Heart hear this! Beating myself up won t help me to stop doing the wrong things. I repent of using self-abasement as a tool for trying to produce change! Repentance by anger and self-abasement is sin. (pause to hear, believe and love the truth!)...i repent of trying to help myself and others by a ministry of condemnation (2 Cor. 3:9). Condemnation is attractive because it controls surface sins just enough to have the appearance of glory. Yes, the ministry of condemnation has glory... (2 Cor. 3:9), but all it produces is death in myself and others (2 Cor. 3:7).

13 How NOT to Repent! Ineffective and Sinful Ways of Trying to Change 13 God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!)...i repent of trying to improve by condemnation for poor performance. I repent of condemning others when they don t perform. Condemnation feels religious but it only shuts myself and others, off from being able to experience God:...woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people... (Mat. 23:13). And, I repent of trying to control bad behavior in myself and others by a ministry of condemnation. Condemnation prevents us from drawing near and, it closes us off from receiving the kingdom!...if I demand repentance by self-condemnation I am trying to change in a way that is according to the law and the works of the flesh. The freedom I desire comes from getting my heart to believe the truth... and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses (Acts 13:39). (pause to hear, believe and love the truth)

14 Trusting the Punishment of Christ 14 Barry Hall Heart hear this: God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!)...i CAN stop putting my faith in self-inflicted punishment. No matter how bad I make myself feel it won t ever pay the price for my sin I love that I can trust the power of the cross of Christ. Jesus paid with His blood so I wouldn t have to... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)...heart, rejoice that the power of the cross is stronger than my sin. Anger and condemnation won t help me instead of that, I will trust God. Heart, it is right and good for me to trust that the Lord Jesus is my righteousness; I am confident that...the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1:20). (pause to let yourself feel confident and secure because of the truth!)...heart, rejoice that it does not pay the price for my human weakness to just go along and live in dullness! I will trust the power of the blood of Christ to cover my human imperfections. The condemnation and pain that Jesus suffered is enough for me. I love You Lord...(pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)... (Your name), I grab my soul and I turn it away from having to make the payment for what I do wrong! The pain Christ suffered and His death was enough for my sin I love YOU God. I CAN draw near because YOU paid it all... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name), IT IS WRITTEN:...He loved us and sent His Son to be the [payment] for our sins. (1 John 4:10; propitiation = payment). Jesus Christ paid for my sin my faith is in the payment that He made for me, NOT in any payment that I could make... (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)... (Your name), I CAN stop trying to change by making myself feel regret (or remorse):...the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Cor. 7:10). (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)... (Your name), it is right and good for me to be confident and secure about my relationship to God because I am God s and God is mine (2 Cor. 6:16). God has bought and paid for me with the blood of Christ I turn my heart to enjoy and be thankful that Jesus was punished enough for my sins (1 Cor. 6:20; Rom. 3:24,25). (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)... (Your name), I am confident and secure because, God is not a man, that He should lie... (Num. 23:19)....having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).... (Your name), you believe in your head already, it is your heart that doesn t get it. So, I am commanding my heart to hear, believe, and love that the power of the cross of Christ is far greater than my sin :...and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:19-21). (pause to let yourself feel relieved and reassured because of the truth!)

15 Trusting the Punishment of Christ 15 Heart hear this: God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!)... (Your name), I repent of feeding on religious pride from how well I put myself down:...the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement...are of no value against fleshly indulgence. (Col. 2:23). (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)... (Your name), I repent of trying to change by how well I perform and then condemning others when they don t. It feels religious but it only shuts myself and others, off from being able to experience God:...woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people... (Mat. 23:13). (pause to let yourself feel relieved and reassured because of the truth!)... (Your name), I repent of condemning and making myself feel guilty for sin because...the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin (1John 1:7). (pause to hear, believe and love the truth)...i humble myself from loving how well I punish myself. I repent of punishing myself even where I sense that my humanity is not enough I don t have to be! God designed me inadequate so that I could depend on Him. Lord, I love Your nearness as my adequacy You are what makes me enough... (pause to let yourself feel confidence and be reassured by God s presence!)...heart, rejoice in the truth that I don t have to hurt myself even when I know that something is wrong with me. No amount of self-inflicted pain will ever earn justice for what I do wrong Jesus You paid the price. It is safe and right for me to trust God and not myself... (pause to feel confidence from it!)...it doesn t hide me from God to harden my heart by self-condemnation that will never justify what I do wrong. Jesus You took the punishment for my sin You died so that I wouldn t have to. Lord, I love the power of the cross... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)...i grab my soul and I turn it away from trying to feel bad in order to earn forgiveness for what I do wrong. The death of Christ is more powerful than my sin. I repent from trying to improve by selfcondemnation... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name), it is right and good for me to be confident about being justified. Being justified by God is far greater than anything I could ever earn. I am justified as a gift from God (Rom. 3:24,25). I don t have to work at justifying myself to God because God has done it all.... (Your name) hear this: Jesus took the punishment for my sin so that He could bring me to the Father... For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God... (1 Peter 3:18). (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!) Jesus said...no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6). (pause to feel reassured by it!)... (Your name), it is right and good for me to be confident about God forgiving me because it says of Jesus that...he Himself is the [payment] for our sin... (1 John 2:2).

16 Trusting the Punishment of Christ 16 Heart hear this: God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!)... (Your name), the pain that Jesus took on Himself is payment and justice enough for my sin... Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried...he was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. (Isa. 53:4,5)...we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. (Gal. 2:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... (Rom. 1:16). But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, (Rom. 4:5) Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:21). And, I love You Lord. I love Your presence and, I set my heart to love You with more and more freedom and delight all the time.... (Your name), I am confident and I am secure because...having forgiven us all our transgressions...[he] canceled out the certificate of debt...against us...having nailed it to the cross. (Col. 2:13,14). I love my God who is close:...he Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness... (1 Peter 2:24). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...heart, rejoice that I can humble myself from loving pride because of how much I hurt people. I CAN stop punishing other people in order to make them pay the price for what they do wrong Jesus paid the price for their sin too...(pause to hear and love it)...heart, rejoice in the truth that I don t have to punish myself for my human inadequacies. I rest in the truth that my humanity will never be enough it doesn t have to be because God is my adequacy (2 Cor. 3:5). Lord, I love that You want to be my God... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)...i grab my soul and I turn it from trying to feel bad in order to earn justice and forgiveness for what I do wrong. The death of Christ is more powerful than my sin. I repent and turn from trying to improve by self-condemnation... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name), I am confident and secure in the truth that my God is...a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Psa. 86:15 NIV). (pause to enjoy it!)... (Your name) IT IS WRITTEN: Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:21). (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name), it is right and good for me to be confident and secure because...i trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (Psa. 13:5 NIV)....soul...my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. (Psa. 62:5-7). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close)

17 Trusting the Punishment of Christ 17 Heart hear this: God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!)... (Your name), I repent of trying to achieve my own righteousness. I repent of trying to improve by anger toward myself:...the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God (James 1:20).... (Your name), I am turning away from a hard heart and I am letting my heart hear, believe, and love that the power of the cross of Christ is far greater than my sin :...and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:19-21).... (Your name), I grab my soul and I turn it away from trying to earn justice and forgiveness for what I do wrong. The death of Christ is more powerful than my sin. I repent and turn from trying to improve by selfcondemnation (Your name), I set my faith in the death of Christ as payment for me because...he Himself is the [payment] for our sin... (1 John 2:2). I am confident and secure because God has given me His righteous. I am not sin any longer. God has made me to be the righteousness of God because of my faith in Jesus Christ God has done it! (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:22).). (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)... (Your name), if I do sin, I can still be confident because Jesus Christ is speaking to the Father in my defense (1 John 2:1 NIV). (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name), I am confident and secure because, God is not a man, that He should lie... (Num. 23:19)....having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). (pause to let yourself feel confidence from it!)... (Your name), I grab my soul and I turn it away from having to make the payment for what I do wrong! The pain Christ suffered and His death was enough for my sin I love YOU God. I CAN draw near because YOU paid it all... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name) IT IS WRITTEN: The Lord s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. (Lam. 3:22). And, Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate. (Psa. 116:5)....His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime... (Psa. 30:5). Thank You God that Your favor toward me last my entire lifetime! (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!)... (Your name), the pain Jesus suffered was enough so that I CAN draw near to God without fear: For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God... (1 Peter 3:18).... (Your name), determine to be joyous about God: How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God... (Psa. 36:7). Thank You God for this wonderful truth. (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of it!)

18 Turning Away from Self-Sabotage 18 (One of these...) Barry Hall (Your name), let your heart find joy and delight that the protection I need......is not by escaping through self-induced and self-controlled failure. I can keep doing good because even if there is failure outside my control, I can be confident that God will be right there to soothe me and love me through it... (pause to let yourself feel confidence and be reassured by God s presence!)...is not to make myself fail now in order to avoid uncontrolled failure in the future. Lord God, it is Your presence that is my security, my refuge of power and strength. You are the One who soothes my fears......is not from self-sabotage because of fear that I might not be able to keep doing the right things. It is God who is my righteousness and my perfection... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)...is not to use sin as a way to sabotage myself with the hard shell of depression that results I don t have to be afraid to draw near to God. I rejoice about NOT having to fear success. It is safe and right and good to stand open before God and enjoy receiving the Holy Spirit being radiated into me and onto other people around me......is not to force myself to fail by because of insecurity or fear God is always gracious and giving. He never stops radiating the Holy Spirit upon those who draw near......i grab my soul and turn it from having to damage myself in order to feel protected from failure. My hope is in God not in how well I achieve and then maintain human success. I am turning my heart to enjoy confidently trusting God s grace to draw near to me intensely. And heart, rejoice about the truth that I don t have to be afraid to succeed spiritually... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of it!) My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. (Psa. 121:2)... The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? (Psa. 27:1) (let yourself feel confidence from the closeness of God s power and glory!) Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. (Psa. 54:4)... You are my hiding place and my shield... (Psa. 119:114) O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You... (Isa. 25:1)...Lord, You are my hiding place and my shield... (Psa. 119:114)... I have set the Lord continually before me...therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely. (Psa. 16:8,9) (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!) God is my protection:...my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped... (Psa. 28:7) When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? (Psa. 56:3,4)

19 Turning Away from Self-Sabotage (Your name), let your heart find joy and delight that the protection I need......is not by sabotaging myself with distractions that keep me away from God or, that keep me from doing God s will... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)...is not to sabotage myself with sin or with failure because of fear that I might not be enough somehow. It is God who is my adequacy. Lord God I love that I can turn to You and don t have to depend on myself......is not to sabotage myself by holding firmly to disbelief God is a better fortress for protection......is not to use sin as a way to prevent my willingness to stand before God, or my willingness to open up and welcome His presence... (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)...is not by escaping through self-induced or self-controlled failure......i grab my soul and turn it from fear about not having enough discipline to be faithful at drinking from God. I will open up to the fountain of God that I am trusting is before me here, and I will drink like a branch drinks from the trunk of the tree and like it s leaves drink from the rain. God is here... (Your name), I love that I can receive from the radiance of God like a sponge. I CAN draw near to God and my need is so great, that the more I love and enjoy being secure and strong in God s presence, the more it helps motivate me to keep the drinking straw of my inner being, pointed toward the closeness of Lord and His kingdom 24 hours-a-day. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psa. 73:26 NIV). I don t have to escape by forcing myself to fail because,...you are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence... (Psa. 71:5);...My soul clings to You... (Psa. 63:8) I...have boldness and confident access through faith in Him (Eph. 3:12)....Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. (Psa. 42:5)......as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. (Psa. 71:14) (Your name), let yourself be strongly hopeful because God gives me reason to have hope God s plans are to give me a good future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of the truth!) God has promised with an...everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants... (Gen. 17:7; and also Gal. 3:29) Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord. (Psa. 31:24)... The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psa. 34:18)

20 Turning Away from Self-Sabotage (Your name), let your heart find joy and delight that the protection I need......is not by forcing myself to fail because of fear that God might not like me back. I don t have to agree with demonic lies. God is kind. He loves me and wants to draw near to me......is not to sabotage or distract myself from entering into the throne room and confidently receiving heaven all around me here. I turn my heart to trust that my eyes are on You Lord. The safest thing for me to trust that the glorified Jesus and the Father are right here with me right now... (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)...i grab my soul and turn it from having to damage myself in order to feel protected from failure. My hope is in God not in how well I achieve and then maintain human success. I am turning my heart to enjoy confidently trusting God s grace to draw near to me intensely. And heart, rejoice about the truth that I don t have to be afraid to succeed spiritually... (pause to let yourself feel confidence because of it!)...i have access to enter and draw near to God by faith in the Holy Spirit to make it happen. for through Him we...have our access in one Spirit to the Father. (Eph. 2:18)....have boldness and confident access through faith in Him (Eph. 3:12)....O Lord God, You are my confidence... (Psa. 71:5)... My...confidence...is...through Christ before God...competence comes from God (2 Cor. 3:4,5 NIV)....You, O Lord, are...the lifter of my head. (Psa. 3:3 TAB). The Lord is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I have hope in Him. (Lam. 3:24)... Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places. (Hab. 3:17-19). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!) And, I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust! (Psa. 91:2)......the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His... (2 Chron. 16:9)... (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!) My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. (Psa. 121:2)... I love You, O Lord... (Psa. 18:1);...My soul clings to You... (Psa. 63:8)

21 Changing Misbeliefs About God 21 Changing Misbeliefs About God Barry Hall One of the most common unsafe reactions to pain is that we hold back from God because of fear. The solution requires that we plow up the hard ground of our heart by giving ourselves reasons why it is far safer to hear and believe the truth about God than to keep on believing lies. Note: If this section is especially painful, you may find it helpful to do this page with a friend. Others find it is better to do heart-training in other sections, and then come back to this at a later time. Heart hear this: God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!) Heart, rejoice in the truth that I can be confident that I don t have to stay away when I am hurting because God comforts His people. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psa. 34:18). (pause to feel reassured and to love the God who is right up close and all around you!)...heart, rejoice that I am free to be fully confident about the Lord because IT IS WRITTEN that...god...comforts the depressed... (2 Cor. 7:6). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)...i am confident about God because He is...the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!) I am confident that I don t have to stay away from God when I feel oppressed and want to hide....heart, rejoice that I can be completely confident that God is very good to me because The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (Psa. 9:9 NIV)...Heart, rejoice that God cares for me: It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. (Psa. 118:8). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth! And read it again if you need to!)...heart, rejoice that it is right and good for me to completely rest in my trust toward God because He is...the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!) I grab my soul and I turn it to You Lord because You are so very good. God s heart is to be kind to me! Lord right now, I am trusting that Your radiant presence is all around me. And, instead of believing the devil s lies about You, I am trusting that You are being very good and kind toward me... (pause to believe and love it)

22 Changing Misbeliefs About God 22 My God is not like other people who have hurt me. And, my God is NOT the evil that tries to hurt me. Heart believe and love the truth that my God is NOT (something from the diagram) (pause to believe and love the truth!) Lord right now, I am remembering that it is the devil who lies to me about what You are like. Lord, I am trusting that Your radiant presence is all around me and that the truth about You is that You are cleansing me, You ARE being good and compassionate toward me. Heart, let yourself believe the truth that God is NOT a God who abandons or betrays His people. And, even though evil might lie to me, God will NOT abandon or betray me... (pause to believe and love it)... (Your name), even though I may not understand it yet, I love that I CAN receive from the radiance of God like a sponge. I CAN draw near to God and my need is so great, that the more I love and enjoy being secure and strong in God s presence, the more of Him I can receive. And heart, the more I trust the glory of God with me as what makes me special, the more it helps motivate me to keep the drinking straw of my inner being, pointed toward the closeness of the Lord and His kingdom 24 hours-a-day. (pause to feel reassured and to love the God who is right up close and all around you!)