How to break mental habits?

[pottersclay]

Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee.

It's not that we don't sin but to earnestly try not to.
God is concerned with our motives over all. We are to present ourselves blameless. I encourage everyone who has a ear to understand as we examine ourselves, what are our motives.
Would we deny God to make are owns selves righteous?
If you find yourself lacking let him ask and believe you have received.
Out of a pure heart flows rivers of living water. Our hearts are deceitfully wicked who can know it?
Let our desire be in the spirit always ....in and out of season.

God's word is always challenged remember that. Do not take it personally when you are rebuked and reviled. Let the Holy Spirit do his work as you spread the good news of the kingdom.
Empty yourself that you may be filled.

 

[Combanitorics]

Romans 12:2 says: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and well pleasing and perfect will of God."

To me, this means is we need to change old mental habits. Changing mental habits can be accomplished through certain mind training techniques; but it's impossible to change mental habits into those which please God without help from the Holy Spirit.

Usually the Holy Spirit will help us by giving us a new direction: Bible study, fellowship, new environment, etc. But what if this isn't enough? What things has the Holy Spirit directed you to do to change those stubborn mental habits that are seemingly impossible to change?

No doubt Paul was being perfectly serious. However, that does seem in many ways to actually defeat the point of religious faith. If it's just all in your head, and you can change your life by changing how you think, why be religious? Religion is all about transcendent beings, God, angels, and so forth.

 

[Blik]

The Lord showed me awhile back I had to stop watching television, movies, unChristian things online and listening to worldly music. These are all things that contribute to sinful thought patterns. I'm sure some will say this is extreme and unnecessary; and maybe it is for some people. However, I never really understood the extent to which these things controlled my mind until I unplugged.

It was rough at first. For the first couple of years I left the internet alone except occasionally on public networks in the library, etc. It's been almost three years and now I'm comfortable using the internet without temptation. But I still primarily use public networks.

I feel like I have my life back, thanks to Him. "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." All these things are how the world (ruled by Satan) teaches people to sin. "No one can serve two masters." Recently I spent a couple of weeks in a situation where there was a TV. I watched, but I didn't have the same need to watch like I used to. When the two weeks was over I was thinking, this stuff is really stupid. I was glad to get outta there.

I'm not telling anyone they should follow in my footsteps; but it is critical to follow His footsteps. If you're being dragged down by something it won't get better by doing what you've been doing.

If you make a study of the subconscious mind, how it is programmed, and its power in our lives you will bless the day you stopped watching TV and movies. The world uses these to train us in ways of the world and demons run the world.

History has shown us that when the majority of people of a nation turns to Christianity that nation prospers and becomes a good country to live in. A study of the development of the western part of the US is an example. It was rightly called the wild west until Christianity moved in. Now our Christians are being programmed by the media and our world becomes wilder and wilder.

Just look at the number of children in one parent homes, the result of our sexual
revolution. It is unusual, now, for a school child to live with two of their biological parents. We have statistics that give the alarming results.

You cannot feed the mind garage and expect a healthy mind.

 

[ResidentAlien]

No doubt Paul was being perfectly serious. However, that does seem in many ways to actually defeat the point of religious faith. If it's just all in your head, and you can change your life by changing how you think, why be religious? Religion is all about transcendent beings, God, angels, and so forth.

As I said in my original post, there are many ways to change mental habits that don't necessarily lead to a righteousness that pleases God. We need the Holy Spirit's help to renew our minds to be Christ centered.

He wants us to have the right knowledge, the right understanding, the right wisdom; this requires using our minds. Yes, it's spiritual, but if our spirituality doesn't change our heart and mind it's useless, it's just airy fairy mysticism.