TEACHINGS
Keys to Manifesting Your Desires Through Faith
Introduction: Are You Too Comfortable to Change?
Once a person
experiences extreme seasons of drought and despair, they are never
quite the same again. "Extreme" is the operative word here.
I'm not talking about the fallout from a boyfriend who didn't work
out, or problems with your boss or a co-worker on the job. Although
these can be as difficult and hurtful to handle as many other
problems, nothing can alter your existence in the way that fighting
for survival can. I'm talking about being on the brink of utter
disaster...about ketchup sandwiches and water, and savaging through
drawers for loose change to make it through the day. You may not
realize it, but a great many individuals are living this way, and
yes, quite a few of them are Christians.
"How can this be?"
you might ask. This is a question Christian's have asked themselves
for years. How is it possible for a person of faith to live so far
beneath the abundant life that Jesus Christ made available, and in
many instances die in this state? Nothing is sadder, but the truth
of the matter is that this doesn't have to be the case.
What is the difference between one Christian who
lives life to the fullest, having their needs and wants met, and a
Christian who lives way beneath their privilege? The difference,
forever and always, can be found in the thought-life of both
individuals. The transformative nature of thinking in the right way
is not a new concept. It's been around for ages. Ephesians 4:22-24
tells us to put off the old self that was entrenched in our former
way of thinking, speaking, acting, and living; and put on a "new
man" attitude and mindset. God tells us very plainly that the
way to operate by faith is "to be made new in the attitude of
your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness." (NIV)
If you've been with me
for a while, then you know that one of the things I write and say
constantly is that we cannot be the same person we were two years
ago, two weeks ago, or two days ago. We have to be better today than
we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today. You cannot
afford to settle into thoughts of victimization. I mean to tell you
that you cannot allow yourself to be tricked into believing that
someone else is to blame for your current condition, circumstances,
and state of affairs.
An un-renewed mind will
always look to access blame in this way. The reason for that is
simple; a person who fears change will often resist it. Resisting
change creates a barrier between us and the blessings we seek. It
becomes easier then to point the finger than to face the reality
that something within us—some thought or emotion—is causing us to go
against the grain of faith.
The definition of
"change" takes on a slightly different meaning for the Christian
who is interested in pleasing God; when fully embraced it gains a
spiritual context that equates to joy, growth, and well-being. You
see to change in the spiritual sense means that we have to give up
something that we've grown comfortable having in our possession. We
have to give it up in order to gain something better in its place.
This isn't a new concept either. You've read it numerous times in my
teachings, however it is so awesomely relevant that even if you
heard it a million times it still would not be enough. You have to
get this way down in the innermost part of your being. Whether it's
toxic emotions, bad habits, harmful relationships, or wrong beliefs,
before we move to the next level of spiritual growth and blessings,
we have to release some aspect of the baggage that has weighted us
down.
This is a piece of
information that simply must be in your arsenal. You must give up
something to gain something better. As you ready yourself to journey
forward in faith, this knowledge is essential to manifesting the
blessings you seek.
Right now, most of us are
desperately holding on to where we are. We are afraid to release.
We're holding on to the habits, holding on to the pain, holding on
to unforgiveness, holding on to jealousy, holding on to the
addiction, holding on to the bad attitude, holding on to the sin.
Understand that if you
are not actively and vigorously seeking, examining, and questioning
yourself to see where you're out of synch; if you are not pursuing
ways in which you yourself can change by getting rid of the old and
embracing the new, then you must recognize that your failure to do
anything about releasing your stuff is a signal to the heavens. It
signifies your intent to stay where you are.
Most of us have trouble
facing this truth. We want to hold on to the stuff that makes us
comfortable. Then, when we see the season of blessings and abundance
pass us by, we say it must be that God didn't see fit to bless us
yet. This is wrong believing at its worse. We have to get it through
our brain cells once and for all that God created the universe to
run on automatic pilot. He doesn't have to reach down and reroute
blessings to come your way. It is you who must reposition yourself
to run smack dab in the middle of His infinite overflow.
God designed the universe
to operate off of faith. That's why it is so awesomely important
that we learn to step into the spiritual dimension of faith and keep
our minds and hearts dialed into it at all times.
Genesis 2:2 says "And
on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He
rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."
God ended His work on the seventh day; that's why we celebrate the
Sabbath. He completed His creation and said "Here it is! It's
yours. Go play and use My Word to figure things out and make the
most of yourselves by following the example of my son, Jesus
Christ." The Father doesn't have to do redo's, do-over's, or
backtracks. He did everything perfect from the beginning. He placed
laws in effect to govern life and living, and He helps us when we
need Him, but God is looking to us to produce something magnificent
with our lives. He has given us every single thing we would possibly
need to make our lives a thing of beauty and now He is looking to us
to utilize our faith to get things done.
Again, God has given you
and I this tremendously potent substance called faith because He
loves us and wants us to use it. He gave it to us because it's the
best stuff that could be given, so if you sit on your gift of faith,
and I use mine to become the woman I always wanted to be, can you
blame God because you failed to produce results? Absolutely not. The
most that you can do is admit that you did not discipline your mind
and put it in alignment with the mind of Christ. You cannot blame
anyone for your failure to use the gift of faith to move from one
dimension of blessings and growth to the next.
Someone might think
"Well I feel mighty poorly that I didn't or don't utilize my faith
to do more. I'm just a lowly Christian and I'll never be more than
what I am now." WHAT? Are you kidding me?!!! This is the trick
of the un-renewed mind. An un-renewed mind will seek to keep you
comfortable with living beneath your privilege. It doesn't want you
to be excited about the possibilities of life and to be enthused
about God's plan and the blessings that He wants to send your way.
Therefore, your task as a born-again believer is to recognize when
your mind is going in the opposite direction of what God says you
can be, what He says you can do, and what He says you can have.
You are to trust God with
all your heart, mind, and soul. His plan and purpose for your
existence is the umbrella under which all the details of your
success and happiness will flow together. Don't be seducible, taken
in by the adversary and all his ways to keep you down. Rise up in
your mind and begin to think like Christ.
Ask yourself if you are
really doing what God has called you to do, because that is truly
the only way to walk by faith. His plan will beautifully unfold as
you boldly move in love and obedience. So as we begin this series on
the keys to manifesting faith, examine your own life with brazen
honesty. Understand that your thoughts, words, deeds, and behaviors
may be hindering your faith walk; and then pray that you will be
wise and flexible enough to change.●
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