Part 1: If I'm Saved, Why Am I Stuck? 3 Mindsets You Need to Thrive & Overcome!
This blog post is a transcript of Episode 6 from the Day One of Sobriety Podcast
Do you sometimes feel stuck as a Christian? Is the “Sweet Life” with Jesus more sour than you’d like to admit? Are you “talking the talk” on Sundays, but not able to “walk the walk” Monday through Saturday - desperately hoping no one finds out? You’re not alone.
I committed my life to Christ 16 years ago. Salvation was instantaneous, but becoming Cristlike has been a journey. I had a LOT of mess to clean up! It’s been a wild ride with God, and I’ve made so many mistakes along the way.
By renewing my mind, I’ve been set free from destructive choices and habits. #GOD’SGRACE&MERCY The journey is far from over and like you, I get stuck every now and then. I’ve developed 3 powerful mind renewal mindsets that will break you out of the rut and propel you forward. This blog post is sure to help you come unglued – the God way!
It’s a Journey, Not a Destination
I grew up only knowing “of” God. My parents didn’t go to church and our home didn’t bubble with the Gospel or talk of Jesus, but my parents thought it was important to give us this moral foundation, so they sent me and my two siblings to Sunday School at the Presbyterian church across the street from our house. It wasn’t a choice – you went – it was an expectation on Sunday mornings.
As I became a teenager I added Wednesday night “Youth Group” to my Christian mix and claimed to be “saved.” By the time I left home, I had a foundation, but I didn’t know it was full of cracks and holes.
As a young adult I dabbled with God – I attended a variety of denominational churches – mostly Baptist & Methodist, but eventually stopped going. I didn’t turn my back on God, but He wasn’t a priority or choice I pursued.
In EP1 - The Story Behind Day One of Sobriety Podcast, I share my testimony of how God intervened in my life, miraculously stopped me from committing suicide, and brought me to a church where my mindset shifted from knowing “of” God, to encountering a real and personal relationship with Jesus.
The Christian life is a process; a progression of moving forward and transforming our lives through a relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls this sanctification - which is the process by which believers are set apart for God’s purposes and become more like Christ.
In simpler words, it’s living a life that brings glory to God.
Bottom line – it’s a process – an action. Like when the homely brown caterpillar becomes a beautifully vibrant butterfly. For this metamorphosis to occur, the caterpillar encloses itself in a cocoon and begins to transform. Far too many Christians are still in their cocoons. They’re stuck in the process.
You Need to Shift Your Mindsets
We’re uncovering three mind renewal mindsets that keep believers on a forward path of healing, restoration, and transformation. We’ll review all three, and then we’ll dig deeper into Mindset #1. I want you to apply what you learn in this post and be ready to tackle Mindset #2 in Part 2, and Mindset #3 in Part 3.
Take stock of your life and take inventory of the changes you need to make in order to adopt each mindset. Without application, you’ll be just like the caterpillar who built its cocoon but failed to emerge as a butterfly.
Mindset #1: Embrace Change & Commit to the Process : We’ve all failed in one way or another, and the Good News of Jesus Christ delivered us out of the bondage of sin and into freedom. Salvation was instantaneous, but the transformation will be a lifelong journey. And truthfully, our souls (our minds, wills, and emotions) aren’t always eager to jump on the transformation train. When we fully embrace change and commit to the process, God hops aboard and teaches us how to subdue our stubborn souls and train our spirits to lead this journey of transformation.
Mindset #2: Nurture & Grow Your Relationship: Building a relationship with God is critical to your growth and transformation in Christ.
In elementary school science, most of us learned that plants need 3 things to grow: water, light, and air. Imagine planting a seed in a pot, then putting the pot in a closet. The plant has air, you water it each week, but it fails to grow. Why? It’s not getting any light.
Sunlight is a life giving force to plants, and SONlight is a life giving force to believers. Building your relationship, immersing yourself in scriptures, and ongoing daily communication with God will keep you steadily transforming and improving. Without it, you won’t grow. It’s not about religion, it’s all about the relationship.
Mindset #3: Faith is Not a Feeling - It’s a Choice: This mindset moves you from thinking naturally to thinking supernaturally. A renewed mind has the ability to think like God, taking on God’s thoughts and seeing your daily life and circumstances through a faith lens. When storms blow, your boat doesn’t capsize. You learn how to ride the waves and calm the storms!
When you learn to apply all three mindsets, you’ll go from striving to be a Christian, to thriving as a child of God; walking a life of truth, freedom, and joy.
Deeper Dive into Mindset #1 - Embracing Change & Committing to the Process
Throughout this world humankind is raised under a vast number of different systems; different types of family structures, governments, cultures, and religions, with an expansive variety of morals, values, and standards.
C.S. Lewis, author of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, said, “There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan. There is no middle ground. It’s only a matter of time before you must join one side or another.”
When we accept Salvation through Jesus Christ, we come under God’s system, and it’s called The Kingdom of Light. We are adopted into the family of God and He renews our spirit. We join the ranks of the “good guys.” It’s all part of God’s plan for humankind.
The Scriptures say in Ephesians 1:4-5, 11 NLT, 4 ”Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 11Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
This means God has chosen you to fulfill a certain purpose, He has a specific plan for your life, and He is making everything work according to that plan. Satan also knows this, and that’s why his attacks on you seem to increase after you become a Christian. Prior to salvation, you weren’t a threat to him; you were already on his team. Now that you’re a “new creature in Christ” with a purpose and destiny, you’re considered a menace to the Kingdom of Darkness. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.” His attacks are always about stealing your future.
For some of you, this is the first time you’re realizing how incredibly important you are to God and how much He has planned for your life. You’re also realizing that He’s been pursuing YOU your entire life. When you received salvation through His son, Jesus Christ, He threw a party in heaven to welcome you home.
You need a mindset that embraces change and commits to the process. God needs you to change and grow so He can train and equip you for your Kingdom destiny! The word Christ means “the Anointed One.” So as a Christian, you are anointed by the same Spirit that rested upon Christ. Satan tempted Christ, and he will tempt you. Satan targeted Christ because he feared His destiny; likewise, Satan knows your destiny, and he’s out to stop you from reaching it. When he reminds you of the failures in your past, it’s to discourage you and keep you from reaching for the future God has in mind for you.
Soul Led Living vs. Spirit Led Living
Salvation is a transaction – an exchange between you and God. When you asked Jesus to come into your heart, He renewed your spirit. He gave you a gift, His Holy Spirit, a supernatural counselor and friend, to help guide you and teach you this new way of life. He took the sins of your past, and wiped the slate clean. You experienced a deep, transformative work of God, resulting in new perspectives, new desires, and a new ability to live according to God’s plan.
When you embrace the change and stay committed to the process, you begin to renew your soul (mind, will, and emotions). You focus your thoughts and attention on God’s truth, His character, and His teachings. It’s a scientific principle that whatever you think about most grows! These new thoughts produce a change in your character, behaviors, emotions, and perspectives. It’s like fuel that powers your spirit.
If you fail to renew your soul (mind, will, and emotions), you can easily return to old patterns of behavior and destructive choices. Sometimes the guilt and shame of “backsliding” causes you to stop going to church, and pull away from the very people who could help you get back on track. The devil not only watches this, he steps in and is more than happy to lend a hand.
For some Christians, this is their version of stuck. How is this possible? Two words. . . . Free Will
This happened to me more times than I’d like to admit. It’s why I can speak to it and hopefully help you from getting stuck.
The human condition does not like to be powerless. We refuse to admit our powerlessness and hold on to self-sufficiency. It can look like pride, perfectionism, or independence. It might even look like shame or rejection.
My turbulent and unpredictable childhood developed a deeply seeded self-reliance and need to control. I found it nearly impossible to “Let go, and Let God,” the underlying message of both Philippians 4:6-7 and Proverbs 3:5-6. I was willful and controlling.
God had delivered me, but I resisted the change. The lack of transformation didn’t cancel my precious gift of eternal life, but it prevented me from walking in peace and joy, and receiving the full abundance of God’s blessings we’re all meant to enjoy on earth.
My soul (mind, will, and emotions) had been deeply wounded and it was difficult for me to receive the unmerited, unconditional love of God. I had spent a lifetime earning my approval and love, people pleasing and trying to be perfect.
I was hearing and reading God’s truth, but I wasn’t fully receiving it. It couldn't penetrate my thick emotional scars or overwrite the lies Satan had programmed into my thoughts. Not because it didn’t have the power to, but because I wouldn’t let it. I was living a soul-led life.
The same free will that delivered me, kept me stuck. Cycles of returning to sinful habits and destructive choices took me around the recovery mountain again and again. I was serving two masters. I’d given my life to Christ but continued to live as a slave to sin, giving Satan power to speak lies and rob my life of peace.
I found breakthrough and moved forward only when I admitted my powerlessness and fully turned my life over to God. I had to embrace the change and stay committed to the process. I had to let God be God, and He had to teach my spirit to lead.
Take a Personal Inventory
I’ll share a story that will connect this together for you. In 1978, the first hot air balloon crossed the Atlantic Ocean, starting its voyage off the coast of Maine. The men piloting the balloon, the Double Eagle II, caught an air corridor that carried them all the way across the Atlantic. But when they were just off the coast of Ireland, they flew into heavy cloud cover and ice began to form on the balloon’s outer shell.
They lost altitude, dropping from 20,000 to 10,000 feet in a matter of hours. They did everything they could to save the balloon. They threw out video cameras, food rations, and even a glider with which they had planned to land, but the added weight of the ice continued to drop their altitude. At about 4,000 feet they transmitted their location and then threw the radio overboard. Finally, at 3,000 feet they broke through into sunlight. The ice came off in sheets, and the great balloon soared all the way into France.
The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1, that in order to run and win your life’s race, you must “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares.” And it’s a lot easier to identify the sin you need to drop than the weight you need to drop.
Why? Because often the weight is legitimate. It can include past hurts and regrets, false responsibilities, lies, pressures, and expectations. My sin of abusing alcohol was caused by the weights of shame and rejection. I felt unlovable because of past hurts and the weight of unforgiveness kept me from fully receiving God’s love.
It’s my prayer that you'll stop and take an inventory of the weights you’re carrying. You need to face each one and ask yourself, “Did God give me this to carry, did someone else give it to me, or did I decide on my own to pick it up?” Whatever is weighing you down – use your free will to lay it aside!
The incredible weight of ice almost brought the Double Eagle II down before it could finish its transatlantic journey. The warm sunlight at 3,000 feet melted the ice and saved the lives of the pilots.
Let the sonlight of Jesus shine boldly into your life and melt away any unnecessary burdens that have you stuck. Renew your mind in Christ, accept His gift of love, and let His truth rewire your mind, will, and emotions. Emerge from your cocoon healed, restored, and transformed.
Say this prayer aloud:
Dear Father, your Word in Matthew 11 gives me this invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Father, I accept your invitation to give you my burdens, the weights that have me stuck. Speak to my heart and show me the things of life that are holding me back. I thank you that just as your word promises, you’ll show me how to partner with you to find the rest and peace I need for my soul. In Jesus’ Mighty name, Amen!
Next Steps
I encourage you to listen to EP 2: Is Your Mind a Mental Mess? The Four Warning Signals You Need to Know, EP 3: You Were Created for Mind Renewal - Discover the Truth About Your Amazing Brain! and EP 4: How Do I Begin to Change? The Triple AAA Plan! These episodes will provide a deeper explanation of the scientific and biblical principles of mind renewal.
In Part 2 we’ll take a deep dive into Mindset #2: Nurture & Grow Your Relationship. You’ll learn how to build an intimate relationship with God, and understand why it’s critical to your growth and transformation in Christ.
I invite you to head over now to our Mind Renewal Solution Made Simple private Facebook group where you’ll find resources geared at helping you apply the first mindset. I’ve linked a list of spiritual and practical burdens common to many Christians. This list will help you begin to identify weights you need to lay aside. Don’t stay stuck! Remember, you can wire out whatever you’ve wired in.
DISCLAIMER: The Day One of Sobriety podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult your physician or doctor for all medical advice and counsel.
