Chapter 4 - Little By Little
Therefore, there is now no condemnation. . . . .for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. Romans 8:1"Don't receive condemnation when you have setbacks of bad days. Just get back up, dust yourself off and start over again. When a baby is learning to walk, he falls many, many times before he enjoys confidence in walking. He may cry awhile after he has fallen, he always gets right back up and tries again. The devil will try his hardest in this area of renewing your mind. He will attempt to stop you through discouragement and condemnation. When you fail, that doesn't mean that you are a failure. It simply means that you don't do everything right."
Gandhi said: “Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
Do I believe the word of God or those things contrary to His word?
- Thoughts become words
Am I speaking God's word out of my mouth or the negativity that the enemy tells me?
- Our words become our actions.
Are my actions led by the spirit of by my flesh?
- Our actions become habits
What am I practicing daily?
- Our habits become our values
What drives me? Romans 8:5
- Our values become our destiny.
Eternal life of Eternal Damnation?
This has always been one of my biggest struggles. As soon as I make one mistake I begin to condemn myself and beat myself up. And I become so consumed mentally in the mistake that I made that I stop making any progress to become better. My thoughts would be: "You are a failure. You always mess up. You can never be consistent in anything that you do." But after reading this book, I know these are thoughts that the enemy would want me to have. Because when I have these thoughts I am not focused or even trying to do better because I am so engulfed in what I do that was wrong. That one statement: "Don't ever give up, because little by little you are changing" has changed my life in such a powerful way. I have quoted Romans 8:1 but have never looked at it from this perspective. I had been condemning myself after any mistake that I made. But after reading this book and re-reading this scripture I now know that after any mistake or bad day, I don't have to condemn myself. I am not going to make a habit of making the same mistakes over and over again. I am simply going to learn from my mistakes and move forward. And since this book deals with the mind, it is so important for me to rehearse thoughts that emphasizes that making a mistake does not make me a failure.
ReplyDeleteMy sufferings allows me to want better. To realize I can endure with God's help. What I can't do God can do. My path of changing will continue me in encouragings others. Don't think our weakness defines us, it moves me towards the strength of God. Imagine God being there to show you what you really want "VICTORY"!! To believe we are overcomers. In all things I will share "Hope"! Speak to myself loudly "My God is healing me, for my own good." Signed Growing in God...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post Pastor Mike. In all honesty, I still deal with this. I almost always condemn myself when I do something wrong. I feel like a failure most of the time because I think to myself I should have known this and that. I never looked at it the way Joyce Meyer explains it in her book that "When you fail, that doesn't mean that you are a failure. It simply means that you don't do everything right." I have struggled mentally all of my life. And when I tell you that negative thoughts have simply become a part of me......it's like a way of life and the negativity comes so natural. I even feel trapped in my mind at times like the thoughts will never leave me. It's extremely hard to think and keep thinking positive thoughts because I have thought negative for so long. However, I desire to be rid of all of the negative thoughts that I have. I have more negative thoughts about myself than anything. I do pray that this book will be one of the greatest helps to me that I may be freed from Satan's attack on my mind. I desire to think and take on the mind of Christ. Just listening last night in bible study about how it's a sin to think certain thoughts.....rather dwelling on them. I never thought that it was. It was normal to me and I was cool with it. But my eyes have been open as to how negative I've been. There are contributing factors, however, I can't use that as an excuse for my present situations. Most of my misery comes from negative thinking and believing God will do things for other people and not me. I've doubted God and what his word says. I've even doubted his promises to me. I would speak negatively about any and everything that happened to me. But again I have realized that I have been sinning against God all this time and didn't think I was. I actually hadn't thought about it, because I thought it was okay. My prayer is that God will help me on a daily basis to rid myself of negativity and from allowing the enemy to dwell in my mind. I will speak positive thoughts to myself and about my current situations. I will study God's word so that when the enemy comes to attack my mind I will know the word of God and be able to quote what the scripture says against what the enemy says. I don't care to continue to be like this. I do know and believe now that when I fail at something, to get back up, dust myself off, and keep moving. I don't have to condemn myself anymore, because I don't do everything right. It's a process, but I am an overcomer.
ReplyDeletePastor Stevenson wrote "condemnation when you have setbacks"- often times our pride stop us from getting back up. We are so ashame of the bad or wrong one has done, and before we acknowledge the situation we will keep moving like it never happen. Pride causes us to miss our break through and it prevent God from helping us. Then Satan will have us thinking that we are right and the truth is our pride, is keeping us from, renewing our minds and moving forward in life. Pride keeps us from admitting that we don't do everything right, before we admitt that we are wrong; we will lose some of the most valueable people and opportunity that comes in our life.
ReplyDeleteMrs.Rita
As I was reading in chapter 10 I noticed and discovered that this really hit home. Parents or even those without children but can relate to this...How many times have you been riding along or your at home and your child ask you a question because they're "confused"about something you told them, and the 1 question they KEEP asking is WHY! And they ask over and over again! And when it's all said and done, your final answer to them asking why is because I SAID SO!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is how we do God! It doesn't make sense at all, and we ask or second guess God! He'll tell us to do something that at First doesn't make sense, so we say God is this you, and WONT let up with asking Him over and over again. How many times has 1 of us been sitting in service and God will give us a person to go pray for and we'll say God they are just sitting there, they look ok, so we sit there. And later on in the service the Lord will let someone else pray for that person. Then in your mind you feel like you've let God down (I know I do). 1st Corinthians 14:33 says, For God is Not a God of confusion but of peace....so that tells me, God knows what he's doing, but we MUST BELIEVE! I am too guilty of asking God why, and then 2 or 3 weeks later, the light bulb in my mind goes off and I say if I would've done what God said do Long time ago I wouldn't have to go thru all this extra...don't second guess JUST DO IT!!!
Anthony