Dying to Behold A New Thing

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." (Isa 43:18-19)

GOD wants to do a new thing, so why are we stuck in the past?  He has already purposed to do what He's never done before.  And yes, while we want to behold the new thing...we want the outcome without the process.  You see, our inability to embrace this new move of GOD eminates from our hesitance to let go of the former things.  Therefore, there's no time better than the present to really check our hearts and evaluate our minds to see what's gotten hold of us.

It doesn't matter who did or said what, or how things were before.  As long as our eyes are only focused on the past, we'll never behold the new thing.  If our hearing continues to be attuned to what we've always heard, then the new thing remains inaudible to our ears.  Craving only the flavors we've enjoyed before will surely keep us from tasting the new thing.  Being captivated by familiar fragrances will prevent us from being enraptured by the new aroma. And our longing for that old, familiar sensation will create wariness of how something new might make us feel.

But in order for us to experience the new thing, we've got to do more than MOVE BEYOND the former things.  What?  You thought moving beyond them was enough?  Not so, my friends.  We've got to DIE to them because, if you only move beyond them, you can always go back to them.  If you're dead, you can't remember or consider ANYTHING prior to your dying because death has transitioned you into a whole new realm.  What worked in the old realm is null and void in the new one.  As a matter of fact, the paradigm has so drastically shifted in the new realm that its environment will not even support the old things--they're rendered obsolete.  Furthermore, you can't even experience GOD in the new realm in the same old, familiar way as before.  Transitioning into the new realm completely redefines our experiences with GOD, thereby radically changing both our concepts and perceptions of Him and how He works.

So if you're ready to experience GOD making a way in the wilderness and carving rivers in the desert, then it's time for you to die.  The time has come for you to transition into a new realm of GOD, a new paradigm of living.  Don't miss the move of GOD in your life because you've chosen to remain in the past.  Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  Don't let the enemy take your life.  Just like Jesus, you've got the power to lay it down and the Father will raise you up to a whole new way of living so you can behold the new thing--the UNPRECEDENTED thing--He's already planned just for you.

7 Steps to Renewing Your Mind

"You've got to commit in your mind to commit your mind to GOD."

Yesterday morning, as I was working out, I turned on the television and was trememdously helped by a Rhema Word delivered by Pastor Creflo Dollar. (I've recently been wrestling with some decisions that I made over the past year, and this message ministered life to me and confirmed some things for me.)

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an application teacher. I love taking the Word of GOD and making it applicable to life. So what REALLY hit home were the practical steps Pastor Dollar gave for renewing the mind. As he mentioned, we have all the right answers and processes to accomplish so much, but we never get around to doing what's necessary to reach our goals. Yes, our intentions are good, but good intentions simply aren't enough. Only diligent doing in carrying out our plans realizes our goals. And if we find ourselves always intending to do things that never get done, then it's time to question our character (i.e. doing what's right because it's right and doing it right).

So here are the "7 Steps to Renewing Your Mind", as taught by Pastor Creflo Dollar:

1. Accept the part YOU played in the sin (or fall). Don't blame someone else (including the enemy) for your actions, but take responsibility for the role you played matter. What someone else did is none of your business. Just focus on what you did.
2. You MUST judge the fall (or sin) as wrong. Simply put: you can't come out of something saying that you weren't wrong. You must agree with GOD's view of your actions because this is a heart matter, not just one of wrongdoing.
3. Ask GOD for forgiveness. Don't allow selfishness and self-pity to keep you in parlysis. Narcissism will have you so caught up in how you feel that you'll never approach the Father and seek forgiveness, which is far more important than your feelings.
4. Recognize what plans or adjustments must be made. Make a clear, concise plan of action as to how you will avoid falling into the same trap again. As I heard Minister Steve Lawrence once say, you've got to know how the enemy attacks...YOU! Take the tools you've been given and develop your plan of exactly how you will combat future attacks.
5. WORK the plan. Don't be guilty of knowing what to do and then found guilty of not doing it. The roads to failure, sin and wrongdoing are all paved with good intentions. So, don't plan on those good intentions getting you out of hot water again. Just do what you've got to do to move from good intentions to reality.
6. Continue to renew your mind and grow. Don't stop because you missed the mark, and never get satisfied in your development and maturation as a Kingdom citizen. Remember: the greater the assignment, the greater the plan of development, and the greater the attack. When GOD's called you to do a great thing, you must be developed to perform that great thing for the Kingdom.
7. Guard against guilt and condemnation. When you fall, that's when the spirits of darkness come to paralyze you. In Isaiah 26:3, GOD commits Himself to us to guard, protect and secure us, if we commit our minds to Him, His Word, His way of thinking, His ideas. If our minds aren't committed to His Word, it's difficult for GOD's resources to be committed to our lives. Even in darkness and when we miss the mark, the commitment of our mind to His Word will release the Spirit of GOD within us to take us through whatever attack we face.

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Hopefully, this practical exhortation blessed you and will serve you well in the days to come. We all experience crises and have had the mispleasure of falling; but even in the midst of our failures, we are still more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37). Furthermore, not to be harsh (but to express the seriousness of the matter), "if you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place" (Proverbs 24:10 The Message Remix). So now waivering: you've got to commit in your mind to commit your mind to GOD (James 1:8).

Below is yesterday's broadcast of Pastor Dollar's teaching ("Freeing Your Mind from Darkness Part 2"), which inspired this blog post, if you wish to view it. You can also obtain a copy for your personal library by visiting the CDM website.

Once and For All | Part Four

"GOD's reputation for abiding faithful over His Word is more important than anything else."

As we saw in the last edition, we have been made righteous by Christ's sacrifice and should, in turn, live righteously. A lifestyle of holiness is not the means to an end (i.e. salvation), but rather a result of that end. We should desire to live holy simply out of appreciation for the redemptive work of Christ--not to be blessed, have our territories enlarged or to experience breakthroughs. Why? Because those things are natural byproducts of our fellowship with GOD: we're entitled to them simply out of obedience to Him (Isaiah 1:19).

Therefore, what we must understand is that there's a difference between relationship and fellowship. And, might I add, we must be careful as believers not to twist the two. I've heard too many brothers and sisters mistakedly use these terms interchangeably. (Doing so only creates confusion in the minds of the saved and unsaved alike, and our hands are already full with correcting the plethora of existing mistaught doctrine.)

So let's start with this key principle: Relationships are BINDING connections. For example, no matter what happens, I will ALWAYS be my father's son. There's nothing I can do to destroy that binding connection because I came from him. He and my mother birthed me into the earth realm. Fellowship, however, is the state of being an associate. When fellowship occurs, there exists a connection of ideas, sensations, even memories that's more loosely held than the binding connection of a relationship (1 Corinthians 1:10). (As a side note, I encourage you to adopt this principle and apply it to your life, as it will ensure you maintain the proper perspective concerning the various people to which you are connected.)

When we accepted Christ and were adopted into the beloved (Ephesians 1:5-7), we became the sons (and daughters) of GOD (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). We were birthed by the Spirit of GOD into GOD's family, thereby becoming heirs of GOD and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17). That's a relationship that CAN'T be destroyed because we can not with our own hands mess up what we couldn't create. After all, it's Christ who adds to the church, not man (Acts 2:47).

However, fellowship can be broken. When we're no longer connected to GOD's ideas, His way of doing things, etc., then we're no longer associated with Him. It doesn't mean that our relationship is broken, only the fellowship. He will always be our Father, even when we go astray and turn to our own way; and we'll always be His children. Why? Because He's a covenant-keeping GOD--His reputation for abiding faithful over His Word is more important than anything else. For His name's sake, GOD will not save someone and change His mind about their salvation when s/he sins. 

We must come to an understanding that relationship carries more weight than fellowship with Him. (Sidenote: When it comes to eternal life, too many believers have flipped the script and prioritized fellowship with GOD over a relationship with Him.) If relationship didn't carry more weight than fellowship, then GOD would have thrown Israel away a long time ago...but His arms--even at this very moment--are still outstretched to His chosen people, just as they are to us when we misalign ourselves with His righteousness. It's the relationship that makes fellowship possible, necessary and desirable.

So, by all means, know this: when GOD adopts you, you're in the family for good. Yes, the two of you are going to fall out, disagree and even get upset with each other at times; however, that doesn't get you excommunicated from the family. Thanks be to GOD!!! Even if the two of you don't talk for a while or maybe go some length of time without enjoying each other's presence, the fact can't be denied that He's your daddy. Although you're not perfect, other people (even the unsaved) can see the familial resemblance as they catch glimpses of His likeness in you simply because you carry His spiritual DNA. And that's the power of relationship: it establishes a deeply embedded, lasting connection once and for all.