CHANGE.

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Cherri

Guest
#1
"Do you no know that in a race all the runners run, but only the one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will no last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified from the Prize."
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27


Change is something that is easy to say, but much more difficult to do. I recently have been doing some studying on the subject and would like to share my thoughts and perhaps hear others thoughts on the subject!

Change is not an overnight miracle, not an "easy" button process. Change requires training and work. But, the first and most important step in changing is mental. Below is my summary of the first step, changing your mind. later on I will post a blog about Changing your Habbits and changing your Attitude.

Change Your Mind:

Changing your mind is the first crucial step to sucess. For example you cant go on a diet still believeing that twinkies and icecream are good for you, you have to CHANGE your thinking. Twinkies and icecream are killing you. If you change your habbits, but not your thinking you will only fall back into the same rut.

In hewbrew repentance is "Meta" "Noeo" which in translation means 'change of thinking or mind".
So many people believe that repentance is feeling guilty or feeling sorry for what you have done, but repentance is admitting you were wrong and deciding to CHANGE your mind. Realizing that the road you were on, or the decisions you made were not the right godly decsions. An example of this would be someone who drank to much and was hugging the toilet all night, and saying lord if you please just make this pain go away ill never drink again....only to be found in the same exact situation in a few days. They did not change their thinking.

The reason this is so important is because we have to change our thinking to reflect God, so that we can please him, and we have to do it before its too late. In Luke chapter 16 there is a story about a rich man who lived a blessed and plentiful life. One day Lazarus, who was poor hungary and covered in wounds was at his door step begging for the mans scraps. But the rich man turned away from him. Later on, they both passed away and the rich man found himself being tortured in Hell. Lazarus, however, was with Abraham in paradise. The rich man sees them and asks for forginess...but Abraham basically tells him it is too late. There is no way for him to leave the place he is in and get to the place of God. and follows with this verse:

"But Abraham replied, Son, remember that in your lifetime you recieved good things, while lazarus recieved bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony."
-Luke 16:25

We musnt be like the rich man! He was too late, he changed his mind TOO LATE! Ive heard it said, that for non believers, this life on earth is the closest they will ever get to heavan, and for believers this is the closest we'll ever get to hell...and as awesome as that is for me to know, it makes my heart sadden for others.

"In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere REPENT (change your thinking). For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
-Acts 17:30-31

You dont know when your life will be over, it could be today, tommorrow or in 50 years, so dont waste your time here on earth, if you are ready to change your life, your habbits your attitude....then start NOW...and change your mind.



 

QuestionTime

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2010
1,435
20
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#2
I'd just like to add my thoughts:

Ezek 18:
30Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.


Clearly, changing the direction of our affections is up to us. However, it's not so easily done. So many people - me included for many years - have only known worldly sorrow for sins, and that's why people - me included - find themselves still struggling with sin.


Repenting because our sins are grievous to us will not bring about a change of heart. But repenting because our sins are grievous to God will bring about a change of heart. The first repentance is still tied to selfishness and love of self supremely. The second repentance is tied to the realization that we have treated a loving God horribly, and feeling sorry for hurting Him instead of hurting self.
 

VW

Banned
Dec 22, 2009
4,579
9
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#3
I have come to see change as coming from being in the presence of the living God. As we enter the holy place which is possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus, to come face to face with the living Father, we see His glory and are changed by this into His glory. It is written that when we see Him, that is, when we see Jesus with these eyes, we will become like Him. And it is also written that everyone who has this hope fixed upon Him purifies themselves just as He is pure.

I quit smoking after 32 years, because I wanted to. But I know that He is the one who changed my heart. I have never once found the power to change my own heart. I have reconciled myself to the understanding that my heart is His, to do with as He pleases. Therefore, I have given over to Him all rights to my heart.

As to my mind, I remember that it is written that my mind is to be renewed from the inner man, that is, from the heart where the Spirit dwells. The Spirit is the power of God in us, and as I renew my mind from Him, I find my darkened mind becoming light with His truth, which is Jesus.

In His love,
vic
 

VW

Banned
Dec 22, 2009
4,579
9
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#4
But the real change comes by coming into the light, Jesus is the light. For in the light, all things are revealed for what they are. Everyone who loves the light comes to the light, that their deeds might be revealed as having been wrought in God. All of the darkness which is in us is only dispelled by the light of God which is Jesus Christ. As the darkness is dispelled, love can flow from God through us into the world, and Jesus' ministry will be fulfilled in us and through us. True change indeed.
 

VW

Banned
Dec 22, 2009
4,579
9
0
#5
I just can't seem to leave it alone.

In the last day, the light will be shinning into all things, and all things will be revealed for what they are. Not one thing will be hidden from the light of the judgment of God in the last day. But, if we come to the light, in love for God, to see what we are and what we are becoming, then we will be in the light on that day, and as it says, we will be written in the book of life, Jesus, and we will pass into eternity with Him and our Father.
 
C

Cherri

Guest
#6
In response to VW -

I totally agree with you, there is not a single thing that I do without the Lords help. In my weakness's his power is made strong! God is made happy by our humblness, and he is overjoyed when we cry for help. He wants us to need him, he desires for us to lean on him.

"My Grace is sufficeient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, therefor I will boast all the more gladley about my weakneses so that Christs power may res on me." -2 Corinthians 12:9

Im simply trying to give advice to those who feel the need to change something in their life. For example, get healthy, change attitudes, change relationship patters, quite harmful substances. I myself struggled with change, not in the beginning. For in the beginning the joy of my salvation kept me high in spirits and overjoyous....but after many trials, my attitude began to slowly fade into a state of discontentmant. There were things I wanted to change...and I tried. And I failed. Because I did not ask for the Lords help, and I know now I need his help. But also I failed because I had not changed my mind. I had not truely changed my thinking process.

For example someone may go to work and their boss critizes their work ethic. When they leave they are most likely to complain about their boss and what a jerk he/she is instead of facing the fact that they themselves may be slacking in their work. Chainging your mind in volves breaking down the wall of denial that is around you. Satan tries to convince us that we just have to accept ourselves for who we are. That we were born stubborn or sarcastic, that thats just the way it is. BUT we can change. And it all starts with changing your mind. AND asking and humbling yourself before God to help you make the change. He is ABLE, but not likeley to sprinkle dust on you and miraciously change your over night, he expects you to beat your flesh and train your body and tounge to live as Christ did.

"You are NOT your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your flesh." - 1 corinthians 6:19
 
May 21, 2009
3,955
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#7
Aman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
C

Cherri

Guest
#8
Sorry but I must correct myself, Metaneo is Greek NOT hebrew!
Im sorry for my mistake.
 

pickles

Senior Member
Apr 20, 2009
14,479
182
63
#9
A good post, lots of good things to consider.
Thankyou and God bless, pickles
 

QuestionTime

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2010
1,435
20
38
#10
In response to VW -

I totally agree with you, there is not a single thing that I do without the Lords help. In my weakness's his power is made strong! God is made happy by our humblness, and he is overjoyed when we cry for help. He wants us to need him, he desires for us to lean on him.

"My Grace is sufficeient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, therefor I will boast all the more gladley about my weakneses so that Christs power may res on me." -2 Corinthians 12:9

Im simply trying to give advice to those who feel the need to change something in their life. For example, get healthy, change attitudes, change relationship patters, quite harmful substances. I myself struggled with change, not in the beginning. For in the beginning the joy of my salvation kept me high in spirits and overjoyous....but after many trials, my attitude began to slowly fade into a state of discontentmant. There were things I wanted to change...and I tried. And I failed. Because I did not ask for the Lords help, and I know now I need his help. But also I failed because I had not changed my mind. I had not truely changed my thinking process.

I use to agree with these kinds of sentiments, but my opinion has changed recently, especially with all of the Bible verses that order us to make the change. Here's an example:

Heb 12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,


The problem with us is not that we can't do anything, so much as that we go about everything the wrong way. The Bible instructs us:

Col 3:2
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.


The issue is where our affections lie. If our affections are upon ourselves, our repentance will be ineffective, because we are still serving ourselves. Worldly sorrow leads to death according to the scripture, because worldly sorrow pities what sin does to us, not what it does to God.

Therefore, we need to spend our time focusing on God's greatness and love for us, rather than by focusing on the commands that we are totally unable to keep (Then feeling condemned all the time). What will happen - if we focus on God - is that our affections will be turned toward God, and we will start to obey Him as a delight rather than as a burden. This is a very simple concept, and we use this concept on a daily basis. We direct our affections toward different people, objects and concepts continually, based on how wonderful we believe these people, objects and concepts to be.

It is natural for us - having our affections set upon ourselves - to want to preserve ourselves from facing eternal condemnation. When we first learn that God is just and sends sinners to burn, we decide that we don't want to go to the lake of fire and therefore we play religion with God. Our hearts aren't full of love to God, only for ourselves, and that's why we can't perform more than a hypocritical obedience to God:

Matt 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

But once we take our affections off of ourselves and place them upon God, we fall in love with Jesus and we want to follow in His footsteps, wherever they lead, whether joy or pain, happiness or sorrow.

Quest
 
May 10, 2010
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#11
I learned from Tony Robbins that change can be most successful when we think about pain. I like to call it "pain & gain." What will you gain from changing? What pain will you feel if you don't change? Thinking about the pain is life changing. If you sit and write everything that you have to lose this week, this year, and in five years if you do not change, then you'll find yourself propelled toward your goal of changing. I've tried it and it works!
 

QuestionTime

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2010
1,435
20
38
#12
I learned from Tony Robbins that change can be most successful when we think about pain. I like to call it "pain & gain." What will you gain from changing? What pain will you feel if you don't change? Thinking about the pain is life changing. If you sit and write everything that you have to lose this week, this year, and in five years if you do not change, then you'll find yourself propelled toward your goal of changing. I've tried it and it works!

Tony's ideas will work to some extent, but where he sets the focus is upon our sorrow, rather than upon God's love and immensity. I don't believe that this can change us from sin to light, because people fear the wrath of God, and therefore they comfort themselves with sin, rather than trust in Him. Fear of death prompts people who live for self to renounce Christ. But for those who are made perfect in love, "death is gain."

Quest
 

VW

Banned
Dec 22, 2009
4,579
9
0
#13

Tony's ideas will work to some extent, but where he sets the focus is upon our sorrow, rather than upon God's love and immensity. I don't believe that this can change us from sin to light, because people fear the wrath of God, and therefore they comfort themselves with sin, rather than trust in Him. Fear of death prompts people who live for self to renounce Christ. But for those who are made perfect in love, "death is gain."

Quest
The Spirit tells us what changes us. As we gaze upon Him, even though it be as in a mirror darkly, we behold His glory, and are changed into the same glory.

It is proximity to God that changes us. Look in scripture at any person who was in close proximity with God and you will see the change.

In His love,
vic
 
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BestBeWishing

Guest
#14
I'm glad to read these post,Good reading thanks!!

"In his Service"