Christian Growth – See you in Heaven

How can I restore my joy?

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’” John 2:5

We learned in John 2:1-3 that releasing our problems to Jesus can restore our joy. Another way to restore our joy is seen in the next few verses.

While Jesus and His disciples attended a wedding banquet in Cana of Galilee, the unthinkable happened – the hosts ran out of wine (John 2:1-3). To the Jews, wine symbolized joy. Running out of wine at a wedding banquet in the first century was so serious that lawsuits could be brought against you by the offended guests. The presence of wine stated that this was a special day and that all the guests were special guests.

Jesus’ mother informed Christ of the problem and He let her know that she was no longer in control (John 2:4). He was no longer under obligation to do what she wanted when she wanted it. He was now obligated to fully obey His heavenly Father not His earthly mother.

Inviting Jesus to the wedding banquet made it possible for the supply of joy to be renewed and refreshed. But the simple fact that Jesus was there did not bring the joy. It did not replenish the wine. To have your joy restored, you must be willing to do whatever Jesus tells you to do.

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’” (John 2:5). At that moment, Jesus ceased to be a guest and became the One who was in control of the whole wedding. And at that moment, a miracle began to happen. It is easy for us to be willing to have Jesus as a guest in our lives, but are we willing to turn over the controls and “do whatever Jesus tells” us to do? Only then will we see Christ do miracles in our lives.

I greatly admire Mary because she is the mother of the Messiah. For those of us who respect her, it is important to listen to what she told the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

What does Jesus say to do to have everlasting life? He says, “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Have you made this decision to believe or trust in Christ alone to give you never-ending life? The moment you do, Christ gives you everlasting life and He comes to live inside of you through His Holy Spirit (cf. 7:37-39) so that His joy can fill your life to the brim!

“Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.” (John 2:6). The Jews would use the water in these stone water pots for purification. They would come to the pots and let water run over their hands. It wasn’t a matter of sanitation but of ceremony. It did nothing to clean them physically or to wash them spiritually. It was simply an outward show.

An outward show, then or now, has never been able to produce joy. Simply coming to church and going through the motions will not produce joy in your life. They will put you in the place where you can find joy and put you around the people who will help to enhance your joy. But if you hear God’s Word without doing His Word, you will become even more miserable than you were to begin with. If we say the prayers but refuse to listen to God’s Spirit as He speaks to us, then our prayers will only produce emotional and spiritual conflict in us. If we read the Bible with no intention of obeying it, then we will only provoke guilt within ourselves.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim.” (John 2:7). The servants heard Jesus speak, and they responded in obedience. They began the process of filling the stone jars with water. Each of these jars held between 20 and 30 gallons of water, and there were six jars. That’s up to 180 gallons of water. It would have taken a lot of time and energy to accomplish this task. Trip after trip to the well to draw water and pour it into the jars. And we don’t know how far it was to the well. It would have been tempting to do a half-hearted job. After all, Jesus only said to “fill” the jars with water. He didn’t say how far to fill them. And “fill” is a word that can be interpreted in many ways depending on how hot it is and how late in the workday it is. Anything over half way is full, isn’t it? That’s what potato chip companies seem to think. But these men didn’t think so. When Jesus told them to fill the jars, they took Jesus’ words quite literally, and they filled them all the way “to the brim,” just shy of overflowing. This was more than enough to meet the need that this newly married couple had encountered.

Do we want God’s joy in our lives? (Pause) To receive that joy, we might even be willing to be obedient to God – to a certain extent, right? But are we willing for our obedience to reach all the way to the brim even when the obedience that Jesus asks for doesn’t make sense to us? Or when it requires more work than we had originally intended on giving? Or when it forces us to rearrange our priorities and our schedules like these servants had to do? You see, the amount of joy that we experience is in direct proportion to the amount of obedience that we give. The greater our obedience, the greater our supply of joy will be. Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love… These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:10-11). When Jesus tells you to do something, never do it halfway because Jesus wants to give you joy to the full.

I don’t know where the brim is for you, but I know that to get there, you must do whatever He tells you to do even when it doesn’t make sense. Even when it is inconvenient or painful. It will require hard work. It won’t be easy. You must ask yourself, “How badly do I want the joy that God has to offer?”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the many times I have treated You like a guest in my life, instead of the Lord of my life. You make it clear that wholehearted obedience to You will give us joy to the full. How easy it is for me to go through the motions without giving You my heart. Lord Jesus, You do nothing halfway and nor should I. The more I know You and what You have done for me, the more I want to serve You as a way of saying “thank You,” even if it does not make sense to me. Please take all that I have, including my obedience, and use it for Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How to be greatly used by God – Part 1

“¹⁹Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ ²⁰He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’” John 1:19-20

Pastor Ray Stedman wrote, “A remarkable religious phenomenon broke out in the United States in the year 1948. It started in a tent near the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, under the preaching of a young evangelist by the name of Billy Graham. The crowds were a little sparse in that tent at first, but as the preaching went on they began to grow. Finally, certain rather prominent Hollywood celebrities came to the meetings and were converted. At first, as often happens with gatherings of that sort, the press totally ignored them. But when some of the well-known names of Hollywood became involved, the media began to take an interest in what was happening. Eventually reporters were sent to investigate and to interview this rather strange young preacher, who dressed in pistachio-colored suits, wore flaming red ties, spoke with a pronounced Southern accent, and yet had incredible appeal to the masses. It was evident that God was doing something there. That was the beginning of Billy Graham’s career. As news of those meetings spread across the country, other cities invited him to come and preach. He went on to Boston, where all of New England seemed to turn out to hear him. Thus began the great Crusades that swept across America in the latter part of the ’40’s and ’50’s under Billy Graham’s ministry.”

“As it was with Billy the Baptist in 1948, so it was with John the Baptist in the late ’20’s of the first century. He, too, was a young man, in his early ’30’s, six months older than Jesus. He, too, dressed rather strangely, even for that day. He did not wear green suits; he wore animal skins, and ate a strange diet of grasshoppers and wild honey. This young man had a very powerful message, which seemed to have great attraction to people. At first, they came out by dozens, then by scores. and finally, hundreds and thousands forsook the cities of Judah and Galilee to hear this remarkable preacher out in desert places. Finally, the response was so tremendous. and this man became so popular, that even the religious establishment of Jerusalem had to take note. They sent a delegation to investigate this remarkable preacher.” (https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/john/call-the-first-witness).

The apostle John records the event for us in his gospel. From this event, we will discover how we too, like John the Baptist, can be used greatly by God.

Drawing such a large following, John the Baptist naturally attracted the attention of the religious leaders of Jerusalem, who sent a delegation to question this desert preacher. They could not ignore someone who attracted such a large gathering. John was an enigma. He did not conform, so they wanted to know more about him. Whenever God begins to use someone greatly for Him, it gets the attention of the religious establishment. They are suspicious and want to control what is going on. They are also threatened.

“Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’” (John 1:19). John responds by vigorously telling him who he is not. “He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’” (John 1:20). In John’s day, everyone was looking for the promised Messiah-God, so naturally John’s actions and message created a lot of speculation as to who he was. “Might he be the promised Messiah-God?” John denounces any speculation regarding these messianic expectations. “I am not the Christ,” he asserts. Whatever John was, he was certainly not the Christ. There was a Christ, but he was not him.

The religious delegation then asked John the Baptist, “What then? Are you Elijah?” (John 1:21a). These men may have thought, “Perhaps John is the reincarnated Elijah. After all, his appearance is similar. His message is similar. Elijah did not die. Was this the great Elijah?” People who believe in reincarnation say here is an example of it. They hold that here is a man who once lived on the earth appearing again as another man — Elijah reincarnated. But if you look closely at this text you will see there is no substance to that claim. John says very plainly, “I am not” (John 1:21b). His was not a reincarnate appearance. The Bible tells us that people die once and then they face God. “As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27). This is the only chance you have on earth to get right with God. While John did fulfill the preliminary ministry of which the prophets spoke (in the form of Elijah, he was not the actual prophet himself).

Not wanting to give up, the religious delegation ask, “Are you the Prophet?” (John 1:21c). In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 18:15-19 speaks of a great prophet like Moses who would come and restore Israel. This promise was taken to refer to a special end-times figure who would fulfill the role of the great Prophet. “Surely John is the great prophet” these men thought. Again, with an emphatic, “No!” (John 1:21d), John denounces this title. As a proper witness, John recognized who he was not. His three-fold denial makes his witness clear. The increasing shortness of John’s successive answers cannot be missed here:

“I am not the Christ.”

“I am not.”

“No.”

John the Baptist seems to have a dislike for answering questions about himself. He had come to bear witness about another. He recognized who he was not. He was not the Messiah. He was not Elijah. He was not the great Prophet.

If we are going to be greatly used by God, we must recognize who we are not. We are not the Messiah-God. We are not the great prophet. We are not Elijah. We cannot think of ourselves as more than what we are. It is not our glory, but His, we are to seek. We need to remember that we are not Jesus. We are not God. Nor can we meet needs that only God can meet. We are only witnesses. God did not call us to be someone else. He called us to be the person He made us to be. Hence, to be greatly used by God we must recognize who we are not. John knew who he was not. Do we?

Like John the Baptist we will discover that the closer we grow to Jesus Christ, the more we will want to talk about Him with others and the less we will want to talk about ourselves. Remember what we learned about Jesus’ relationship to God the Father in John 1:18? Christ had a very intimate relationship with the Father. This is why He was so qualified to explain to us what God the Father is like. Likewise, the more we get to know the Lord Jesus Christ, the more effective we will be at bearing witness to Him in a lost world. Intimacy with Christ leads to making Him known to others. Instead of keeping the gospel to ourselves, we will want to make Jesus known to others who are perishing without Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, my pride often overestimates my own abilities and importance to compensate for my deep feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. So often I am obsessed with myself instead of with You. I find myself talking more about me when visiting with others instead of talking about my relationship with You. Thank You for being so gracious and patient with me when I am this way. I can hear You saying, “Jeff, I love you and I am so proud of you for being you.” Yet, in my heart I do not believe what You are saying. So much of my life I have believed the lie that says, “I am what I do.” By Your grace, Lord Jesus, please replace that lie with the truth that says, “I am what God says.” I am Your forever child, my Lord (John 1:12; I John 3:1-2). Your love and tender mercies assure me that I am loved and cared for apart from any merit of my own, which makes it easier for me to trust You (Psalm 40:11). I am also Your ambassador or representative here on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). Please help me to see myself as You do so I am freed up to think less of myself and focus more on You. You are worthy of my very best. I want to give you everything I have right now. It is all Yours. Use me, I pray, for Your glory and purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Is viewing porn harmful to one’s body?

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” I Corinthians 6:18

A growing epidemic among evangelical Christians has to do with sexual and porn addiction. A 2017 study indicates that 60-70% of men, 50-58% of pastors, and 20-30% of women in evangelical churches in America are sexually addicted (Conquer Series, Vol. 1 Study Guide, 2017, p. 21).

God wants His children to “flee” from “sexual immorality” because it is harmful (“against”) to their physical bodies (6:18). The word “flee” (pheugō) means “to run away from danger, to seek safety by flight.” Just as I would never think of staying inside of a burning house about to implode on itself, God does not want me to hesitate to run away from sexual sin whether it be on a billboard, a TV show or movie, a computer, on Facebook, or in a hotel.

Like the Corinthian believers, we may think that sexual sin doesn’t harm us physically, but it does. Based on advances in the field of neuroscience, we now know that when you have a sexual release, your brain is flooded with neurochemicals that are as strong as drugs. So when you are sexually acting out, you are restructuring your brain and setting yourself up for sexual bondage.

For example, when a husband and wife have sexual intimacy, bonding hormones are released that bond them to their spouse during sexual release. But outside of God’s will, these hormones will impair our judgment. These same chemicals are released when watching pornography or indulging in sexual fantasies, bonding you to those images. These images become your sexual triggers which actually impair intimacy with your spouse.

Brain scans reveal clear similarities between a cocaine addict’s brain and a porn addict’s brain. Repeated viewing of pornography damages the pleasure centers of the brain, sears one’s conscience, and makes a person attracted to what is synthetic instead of what is real. It physically alters the structure of the brain. The only way to reverse the damage is by going through the process of renewing your mind.

One of the best ways to preserve our physical body is to run from sexuality that is contrary to God’s design. And the best way to avoid sex outside of God’s design is to cultivate a more intimate relationship with the Maker of sex itself – God. The closer we grow to the Lord spiritually, the more satisfied and secure we will be with ourselves and the world around us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me of Your design for sexuality. You never intended for sexual intimacy to take place outside of marriage. When it does, it only causes pain and damages our physical body, especially our brain. Please help me to honor You with my spirit, soul, and body by running away from any form of sexual immorality and cultivating a more intimate relationship with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I am God’s holy temple

“…20b Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephes. 2:20b-22

The apostle Paul sees believers in Jesus as a magnificent temple created by God with Jesus Christ as “the Chief Cornerstone” (2:20-21). At the time Paul wrote these words, the “cornerstone” was the essential part of the foundation of a building. It was the stone with which the builder squared up all the other stones to give the building stability and strength. The “Chief Cornerstone” of this temple is Jesus Christ (2:20b; Matt. 16:18; I Cor. 3:11; I Peter 2:4-7), and all the other stones represent Jewish and Gentile believers who are “being fitted together” much like a building under construction (2:21a; I Peter 2:5), with God continuing to add (“grows”) new believers as the gospel is preached (2:21b).

Today God does not inhabit a physical temple like He did in Old Testament times (I Kings 8:10-13; 2 Chron. 7:1-2). He now indwells His church which is a spiritual and “holy temple in the Lord” spreading all over the earth (2:21b). The church began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and it will continue until the day of the Rapture when it is removed from the earth (cf. Matt. 24:36-51; I Thess. 4:13-5:11).

The moment a person believes in Jesus for His gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit seals him and places him in the Church through the baptism of the Holy Spirit (2:22; cf. 1:13-14; 2:8-9; Acts 10:43-48; I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-27). God’s Spirit lives inside us now and our purpose is to reflect the glory of God (I Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20), not to draw attention to ourselves or to other Christians. We can reflect God’s glory by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us to live a holy life; a life that pleases the Lord Jesus.

But when we choose to sin, we are acting in a way that is contrary to who we are in Christ. For example, if we see ourselves as an alcoholic at the core of our being, what will be the most natural thing for us to do – stay sober or get drunk? Get drunk. What will be the most unnatural thing to do? Stay sober. But if we see ourselves as a holy temple of God, what is the most natural thing for us to do – stay sober or get drunk? Stay sober.

Satan wants to convince us that we are sinners at the core of our being. Why? Because sinning is accepted as a natural expression of our true selves. But if we realize that at the core of our being we are a holy temple of God, we will come to the conclusion that sinning compromises who we are. Sin hides who we truly are in Christ.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I praise You because I am not alone. You live inside me now and promise never to leave me nor abandon me. I am no longer a piece of trash or a dirty vessel because You indwell me, and that makes me holy. You are my Comforter and Teacher Who heals me and instructs me. I am now a part of a spiritual temple that continues to grow exponentially all over the earth as the gospel is preached. I now have many brothers and sisters in Christ who love me and whom I can love. Lord Jesus, You are the Chief Cornerstone of this expanding spiritual temple, and I can look to You for the stability, security, and strength I need to live a holy life which reflects Your glory to a lost and perishing world. Thank You, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit, for healing my broken and wounded heart so I can experience the fullness of Your love. Help me to see myself as Your holy temple so I may be and live holy for You. In Jesus’ powerful name I pray. Amen.

Developing an appetite for God

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Psalm 34:8

Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve, people have struggled with shame. Just as Adam’s and Eve’s shame distorted their view of God (Genesis 3:1-10), many people today have many shame-based concepts about God. According to Sandra D. Wilson, in her book Released from Shame (pp. 142-143), these misconceptions about God often originate from our family of origin. We think that God will resemble our parents or authority figures from our childhood (cf. Psalm 50:21).

For example, those whose parents were rigid and perfectionistic may perceive God to be very demanding and unforgiving. No matter how hard they try, they can never measure up to this distorted view of God who does not forgive nor forget their sins. When they fail, watch out! His cruel side is manifested. He seems to delight in sending financial disaster or physical disease to emphasize His intolerance of their spiritual failures. Understandably, it is difficult for them to approach this kind of deity and experience His forgiveness and love.

God wants to replace our distorted views of Him with the truth. For example, in Psalm 34:8, the Psalmist invites his readers to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” The word “taste” refers to examining something by tasting it. We are to examine who God is and perceive (“see”) that He is “good.” The word “good” in this context refers to something that is pleasant or agreeable to the senses like a freshly baked pie or the warmth of a fireplace on a cold winter day.

The more we know the God of the Bible and experience that He is good, the more “blessed” or fortunate we will be as we learn to “trust” or seek refuge in Him. The Lord wants us to experience that He is a God who pardons, not punishes (Psalm 103:8-10). He is merciful, not merciless (Psalm 103:11-14). He is a God of compassion, not condemnation (John 3:17). He is gentle, not harsh (Matthew 11:29). He loves us as we are (Romans 5:6, 8).

When we begin to perceive who God truly is, our appetite for Him will increase exponentially. Like the apostle Peter says, “²As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (I Peter 2:2-3). Our appetite for God and His Word will greatly increase “if” we have “tasted” or experienced “that the Lord is gracious.” If we have lost our appetite for God and His Word, it is probably because we have lost sight of the goodness and graciousness of Jesus Christ. God’s goodness and grace can be seen in His sacrifice on the cross. God gave Himself for you and me, so He could have a love relationship with us. God’s grace means giving your absolute best to someone who deserves your absolute worst. Christ forgives us of things that other people will hold against us until they go to their graves. That is goodness and grace!

Our appetite for God and His Word hinges on our taste of His goodness to us in Christ. If you perceive God to be a harsh, critical, and angry God, you are not going to want to hear what He has to say. You will not want to open His Word. It is easy for us to see God as an unkind Person when we experience suffering. But God is not to blame for the bad things that happen to us. God’s creation was completely “good” when He made it (Genesis 1), but it became contaminated by sin when people disobeyed Him (Genesis 3). Therefore, much of the world is not good because people are not good.

But the goodness and grace of God can be seen when He takes the bad things that happen to us and brings eternal good out of them. For example, I have been ministering at a provincial jail for the last five years in the Philippines. Many of the inmates there have testified how thankful they are for their incarceration because God used those tough times to expose them to the gospel and eventually opened their hearts to believe in Jesus.

Have you lost your appetite for God and His Word? Activate it by laying aside misconceptions of God and then focus on the unlimited goodness and grace of God through Jesus Christ! When we experience that “the Lord is good” and “gracious,” our appetite for Him and His Word will resemble that of a newborn baby who longs for its milk.

What we focus on influences how we live

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1

The Psalmist describes two paths of life in this Psalm: the path of the godly and the path of the ungodly or wicked. “Blessed” or “happy” is the godly person who avoids the way of the wicked or ungodly person (1:1). Notice the progression of verbs in this first verse: “walks…stands…sits.” Departing from the Lord begins with casually listening (“walks”) to “the counsel” or wisdom “of the ungodly.” As they are influenced by that counsel, they begin to slow down (“stands”) enough to pay attention to “the path of sinners” who are separated from God. While spending time in the company of sinners (“sits”), they become more deeply involved with “the scornful” who mock God and ridicule what is godly.

“Blessed” is the godly person who avoids every form of wickedness in every place the Psalmist says (1:1). Instead of focusing on the way of the wicked person, the godly person focuses (“meditates”) on “the law of the Lord” (God’s Word) throughout all his waking hours (“day and night”) which produces a healthy root system or stability (“planted”) that nourishes (“by the rivers of water”) his spiritual life so that it “brings forth its fruit” at the proper time (“in its season”) and endures (“whose leaf also shall not wither”) times of spiritual dryness (1:2-3a). What we focus on will influence how we live our lives. We can focus on God’s ways and Word which benefits us and others (“whatever he does shall prosper”- 1:3b), or we can focus on the way of the wicked which embraces evil (1:1) and provides temporary pleasure only to be destroyed in judgment (1:4-5, 6).

How can We Overcome Satan’s Lies?

The Bible tells us that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). His goal is to make believers focus on their sin and shame so they will forget their true identity in Christ and behave in a way that is inconsistent with who they really are. As a deceiver Satan seeks to trick believers into believing his lies in order to rob them of the abundant life that Christ wants them to have. But God has provided a way for His children to overcome Satan’s lies.

“3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

1. Realize you cannot overcome Satan’s lies in your own strength. This battle is not “according to the flesh” (v. 3). Nothing in our own flesh will help us to live victoriously or draw us closer to the Lord. Since the weapons of our warfare are “mighty in God,” then we must rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome Satan’s lies (v. 4).

2. Recognize the erroneous thoughts.This battle is located in our minds because it involves “strongholds,” “arguments,” “knowledge,” and “every thought” (vv. 4-5). The word “strongholds” pictures a fortress with high walls and towers surrounded by a moat. God says these strongholds must be destroyed which means that God did not build them. A “stronghold” then, is a negative, destructive pattern of thinking that Satan has built in our minds through repetition, trauma, or circumstances. Satan does not put thoughts in our minds. He uses other people’s voices to insert thoughts in our mind. Ungodly thoughts come from us. Christ lives inside us and He does not give us these ungodly thoughts. We will not get very far in this battle for our minds until we acknowledge these satanic strongholds.

For example, a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol has believed Satan’s lie that he is a drug addict or an alcoholic by nature and will never be anything else. When a person begins to believe that lie, he will act in a way that is consistent with who he believes he is. Often times Satan uses hopelessness to build his strongholds in our minds. When you come to the point of believing the battle is hopeless, you will stop trying to overcome the wrong way of thinking. But as long as you believe there is hope to overcome the stronghold in your mind, you will keep fighting to overcome it.

You can tell when an individual is being ruled by a satanic stronghold. He or she says things like, “I can’t help myself,” “It’s not my fault,” “I was born this way,” “I’m just a victim,” or “This is hopeless.” When these intrusive thoughts occur acknowledge them and say, “This is what I am telling myself and I do not need these thoughts.”

3. Release the lie.“casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (v. 5a). Dismiss the lie and say, “This is not true, therefore, it is a lie and I am not going to pay attention to this. I am not going to entertain these thoughts.”

4. Reprogram your mind with the truth.“bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”(v. 5b). How do we bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ? Jesus told us: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). The devil is a liar by nature and he cannot handle the truth. This is why the devil tries to distract us from the truth so that it never gets deep down into the areas where he has a stronghold in our lives. True reality for us is located in the heavenly places, not on the earth. This is why the Bible says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).

The solution to our problems is not on this earth, but in heaven. Once we change the location of our thinking from earth to heaven, we will start experiencing freedom from Satan’s lies which have enslaved us to sin.

For example, you may battle a lie that says, “You are an angry person who cannot help exploding when someone crosses you.” The first thing you do is realize you cannot overcome this lie in your own strength. Ask the Lord to help you overcome this. Secondly, admit that you are struggling with this lie. Do not fight it or deny it. Acknowledge this stronghold in your life, and then release it. Tell your subconscious the truth, “This is not true, therefore, it is a lie and I am not going to pay attention to this.” Then reprogram your mind with the truth: “As a child of God I no longer have to be enslaved by my anger.”

Dr. Don Gilbert has observed that it takes six weeks to develop a new habit. But it takes three years for the brain to create a new pathway physiologically (see diagram above). Old physiological pathways in our brain were established by childhood teachings. The more we told ourselves lies, the stronger the pathway became between brain cells. But, now as believers, we can block the old pathways by telling ourselves, “This is not true. I am not going to pay attention to these lies.” We can then build a new pathway by telling ourselves the truth. This process of building a new pathway in the brain takes about three years. So even if we do not believe or feel the truth, we are to keep persevering in the truth. Keep telling yourself the truth even when you don’t feel or see it so you can create and strengthen the new pathway in your brain. Our bodies create new brain cells the more we tell ourselves the truth. The more we tell ourselves the truth, the stronger the pathway becomes between brain cells. When we ignore the lie, the old pathway weakens – those brain cells containing Satan’s lies have less power and strength. You can continue to create new brain cells throughout your life by speaking the truth to yourself. When Paul said, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2), perhaps he not only had a spiritual transformation in mind, but a physiological transformation in mind as well.

Consider these observations:

1. Christ spent over three years preparing His disciples to carry on His mission.

2. The Apostle Paul spent three years in Arabia and Damascus alone with the Lord before beginning his ministry (Galatians 1:17-18).

3. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, reeducated Daniel and his friends for three years before they could serve in his kingdom (Daniel 1:4-5).

Could it be that these observations confirm that it takes approximately three years to create new physiological pathways in the brain to replace deeply seeded patterns of thinking with new ones?

The church would be wise to train new believers for three years to overcome deeply ingrained lies so they can be all that God created them to be. Is it any wonder that Jesus says, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)?!!