Renewing our mind is deeper than daily affirmations and meditation. It starts with Redemption, which is easy and free.
REDEMPTION
After the fall of man, God soon (thousands of years) realized that humans are imperfect, sinful, and forgetful people. In the time of Moses, the Israelites quickly forgot all the miracles God did to get them out of Egyptian Slavery.
No matter how many miracles God did, the people would eventually fall back to bad habits, idolatry, prostitution, gluttonous behavior etc., then they would become slaves or worse… lose their lives.
God recognized that an imperfect people would never be free from their sin so He gave us His only son, Jesus. Through Him we are FORGIVEN and SAVED even from our worse selves.
A STORY OF REDEMPTION
Let me tell you about my friend Steven.
Steven was a troubled young man from New York City who got involved with bad influences. Right up to his early 20’s he was what you would call a bad man. Beating up people, using women, respecting no one. He shared with me what a typical night might be going out and beating someone, picking up a girl at a bar, hooking up, then stealing money from her wallet, and then deliberately peeing on the inside of her purse or car. Nasty huh? He lived at home with his parents then.
One day he looked up in the mirror and scared himself because he didn’t even recognize the man staring back at him. He knew he needed help. All of sudden he remembered this church his mother talked about down the road. He asked her about it and she said they were having a service right now. He went into this church that was foreign to him and listened to the worship music and then the pastor preach.
When the pastor gave a call for those who needed Jesus in their hearts to come and kneel at the altar, Stephen felt a strong desire to go up front. He walked up with dozens of people and kneeled at the altar and then he broke. Without understanding why, he just began to sob and sob and sob. He gave his heart and life to Jesus that night. Although he thought it was just minutes, when he finally looked up everyone was gone but Him and the pastor.
The heaviness he carried for so long was gone. His shoulders and body felt lighter. He was a FREE man. Today Stephen is the father to 5 amazing children and a beautiful Godly wife. He is a hard worker and awesome provider and leader for his family. He is Redeemed.
DELIVERANCE
Now if Deliverance was that easy you would think we would have a world free of Drug Abuse, Prostitution, Adultery, Greed, Murder, Theft, Alcoholism, Pornography, Child Abuse etc.
Sadly this is not the case. See our REDEMPTION or Salvation is easy… you can give your heart to Jesus at anytime and anywhere and you are a NEW person in Christ… but now the hard part comes in.
RENEWING OUR MIND
For years I understood that renewing my mind was the key to renewing my life. I used to say Affirmations Daily, listen to Spiritual People, get Life Coaching, do Treasure Maps, go for Meditative Breath Walks, and get rid of bad MoJo by Burning Sage or wearing White Angelica. But even with all that I was still a mess living in strife and conflict.
Renewing your life starts with salvation. Don’t get me wrong. Jesus can work miracles and deliver someone from bad things in a second when they are redeemed… others will take time, but He gives us the tools.
Tools for Renewing our Mind, Body and Spirit
1) The Bible – It is living Word and if read, heard, listened to, and meditated on consistently it can give you Wisdom beyond anything you have ever known.
2) The Holy Spirit – Most people miss this amazing Helper, Healer, Comforter, Deliverer. When Jesus was resurrected to Heaven, He left with us the Holy Spirit to do all these things and more.
3) Prayer – Is more than a morning or nighttime ritual. Prayer can be an all the time ritual. It can be seconds of silent words to God or it can be on the floor prostrate intense prayer sessions and then everything in between.
4) The Gifts of the Spirit – Most people will miss this too unless they go to a church who teaches this or finds resources like Kris Vallottone.
It’s my prayer that you not only are saved but that you live in the full blessing that God has given you for redeemed life, body, mind and spirit.
Mary Starr Carter
The Total Wellness Doc and Mom
Disclaimer: This information is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat or cure any illness or disease. It’s strictly for informational, educational, or entertainment purposes ONLY. The products I talk about are not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat or cure any illness or disease. Any information I give you about them is for informational or entertainment purposes only. They have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. Please seek the qualified health professional of your choice when making health decisions for yourself, your family and your pets.
