Ah-Hah Moment

Awwww...Revelation - light bulb moments - love these times of clarity in life...

God is bringing something together for me, forming it into something very life-changing.  He's been at it now for the last year or more as I've spent my quiet time with Him each morning...a quiet time that just keeps getting longer and longer due to the fact that He is pouring so much into me that I need more time to listen!  I will try and put this in words that make sense and I do so because I believe it's a significant truth that all of us need as we are all dealing with bondages and negative cycles that are on-going...this will get a bit lengthy, but bear with me as I will need some room to get it all down...

We all carry with us what I think of now as our "slave mentality."  This is our CORE BELIEF about ourselves. As Christians, most of us are not living out the freedom & joy that Christ died to give us because I believe we are operating out of our core beliefs and not out of the TRUTH of who we are in Christ.  I know this is true for me.  I have struggled for years with my health and done everything I know to do, doctors, specialists, surgery, medications, praying, diet change, praying & more praying, to no avail.  Don't get me wrong, there have been many good improvements as a result of taking out allergenic/intolerant foods with the most significant being that I don't live in a constant haze of nausea any longer!  Praise God for that!  But I still wake up every day with the ever present yuck of not feeling well and having it limit my life to the size of a box.  I truly hate that. 

In my times with God recently, He has shown me that my core belief is that I am still "Sickie Sue."  As a child, due to always being sick, I was branded with the name "Sickie Sue" by my friends fathers.  (I know...real mature huh?!)  In my mind, this was the way I came to think of myself...not as a person with talents & abilities, etc, but just as being S I C K.  It so permeated everything I did and was.  I am now questioning how much this mind-set has contributed to the on-going battle of sickness I still struggle with as an adult?  God is showing me that it has significantly.  I do see that it is hindering my ability to move forward.  In order to truly overcome this sickness of my body, I believe God is showing me that I need to REPLACE this belief of "Sickie Sue" with His TRUTH that I am FULLY WHOLE & COMPLETE in Christ.  Ahhh...it's not about the "doing" but about "believing."  

This is how God explained it all to me...  

When we receive Jesus as our Savior and LORD, we receive a new Spirit and heart, but we don't receive a new mind.  (We couldn't, otherwise we would not have our freedom of choice).  This is why the bible tells us over and over that we must RE-NEW our minds through Christ...to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.  The mind is the BATTLEFIELD!  Satan has full access if we allow it and he uses it to his complete advantage!  It is OUR responsibility to align our minds, daily, with God's truth, His Word.  Otherwise we end up living our lives through our slave mentality based on what we feel rather than God's truth.  

God's truth for us is summed up perfectly in Romans 6:1-11  Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ!  (Too much to add here, but please read before going on any further - this is KEY to understanding what I'm sharing 

www.biblegateway.com

I have struggled so much with the battle of my flesh.  I have found what particular foods that cause my symptoms to increase, but I can't seem to stay away from them.  I have battled with this over the last 7 years or so and KNOW this is a big piece of my not getting well.  Why can't I just say no and not eat them when it could mean something so crucial in my quest for healing??  Well, this new revelation has shown me that it's because I've been trying to do something for myself that has already been done by God!  

The following is an analogy that drove this truth home for me like never before, it was taken from Neil Anderson's book - "Overcoming Addictive Behaviors." 

"Slavery in the U.S. was abolished by the 13th amendment on Dec. 18, 1865.  How many slaves were there on Dec. 19th?  In reality, none, but many still lived like slaves.  Many did because they never learned the truth and others knew and even believed that they were free but chose to live as they had been taught.  Several plantation owners were devastated by this proclamation of emancipation.  "We're ruined.  Slavery has been abolished, we've lost the battle to keep our slaves."  But their chief spokesman slyly responded, "Not necessarily; as long as these people think they're still slaves, this proclamation will have no effect.  We don't have a legal right over them any anymore, but many of them don't know it.  Keep your slaves from learning the truth and your control over them will not even be challenged.  If the news spreads about this proclamation, we can still keep them from understanding it.  They don't call me the father of lies for nothing!  Regardless of the truth, we still have the potential to deceive them all.  Just tell them they are going to be free, not that they are free already.  Tell them they may receive the benefits someday, but not now.  Pick out a few persuasive ones who are convinced that they are still slaves and let them do the talking for you.  Remember, most of these free people were born as slaves and have lived like slaves all of their lives.  All we have to do is deceive them so they still THINK likes slaves.  As long as they continue to do what slaves do, it will not be hard to convince them that they must still be slaves.  They will maintain their slave identity because of the things they do.  The moment they try to profess that they are no longer slaves, just whisper in their ear, "How can you even think you are no longer a slave when you are still doing things that slaves do?" 

     Years later, many had still not heard the wonderful news that they had been freed, so naturally they continued to live the way they had always lived.  Some had heard the good news, but they evaluated it by what they were doing and feeling.  They reasoned, "I'm still living in bondage, doing the same things I have always done.  My experience tells me that I must not be free.  I'm feeling the same way I did before the proclamation, so it must not really be true.  After all, my feelings always tell me the truth."  So they continued to live according to how they felt. 

     One former slave heard the good news and received it with great joy.  He checked out the validity of the proclamation and found out that the highest of all authorities had originated the decree.  Not only that, but it personally cost the authority a tremendous price, which He willingly paid, so that he could be free.  His life was transformed.  He correctly reasoned that it would be hypocritical to believe his feelings and not believe the truth.  Determined to live by what he KNEW to be TRUE, his experiences began to change based on this truth.  He realized that his old master had no more authority over him and did not need to be obeyed.  He gladly served the One who set him free."

TO LIVE FREE IN CHRIST, WE MUST KNOW THE CHRISTIAN EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION FOUND IN ROMANS 6:1-11!!!!  

Romans 6:1-2 says, What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?"  No!  I died to sin, how can I live in it any longer?  We may be tempted to ask, as I have done many times...How do I do that?  How do I die to this constant craving of my flesh for these foods that make me sick?  I can't because when I received Christ, I have already died to sin.  The verb is past tense.  I cannot do what has already been done for me by Jesus!  But I don't feel dead to sin, and frankly I'm still giving into the cravings!  It's not what I do that determines who I am.  I have to set my feeeeeeeelings aside.  It's what I BELIEVE that's going to set me free, not what I feel or do.  

     God's Word is true whether I choose to believe it or not.  Believing the Word of God doesn't make it true.  His Word IS true;  therefore I believe it.  I have realized that I've been trying desperately to do something that has already been done for me and be something that I already am!   FREE.  My old self has been crucified with Him.  This is not something I can do for me.  This is only something I can KNOW & BELIEVE.  This is a question of knowledge, not experience.  I have tried to put the old self (my flesh & cravings) to death, yet I keep failing.  Why?  Because I've been living a lie.  I have been living with the core belief that I am still sick and that is not truth.  That old self was already put to death.  I cannot do for myself what God has already done.    

     So many Christians who fail in their Christian experience begin to reason, what experience must I have in order for this to be true for me??   With this kind of thinking, we will never see victory!  The only experience that has to happen in order for this verse to be true occurred already, nearly 2000 years ago on the Cross and the only way we can enter into that experience today is by FAITH, by BELIEVING!  By replacing our core belief, our "slave mentality" with God's truth of who we are in Christ.  We can't save ourselves and we can't use our human effort to overcome the penalty of death and the power of sin.  Only God can do that for us and HE DID.

Galatians 3:1-3  "You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you?  Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"  Christians living in bondage to sin are believing the Galatian heresy."

My new job each day is to proclaim the truth of who I am through Christ and the Cross.  I no longer have to fight this battle to try and overcome.  I just have to change my core belief (the lies that satan has placed that have become bondage) over to the truth.  This will take monumental effort, due to the fact that I have lived out this lie for over 40 years.   But I have HOPE & GREAT expectation to see what will change in my life and health as a result of this changed thinking.  I will no longer allow what I feel to dictate who I am and what I can or cannot do.  

I encourage you to go to God, ask His help to uncover your core belief about yourself and help you exchange it for HIS truth.  The good news is that we have that choice.  If we continue to believe the lie that I am stupid, I am ugly, I am alone, I am not lovable, I have no talents or gifts, my life will never change, I will never overcome this addiction because I'm weak & worthless, etc then we will live out that lie, but if we choose to believe God's truth of who we are in Christ, REGARDLESS of how we are feeling, then we can live a fruitful life in the POWER of the Holy Spirit. 

My Father God, new growth in the midst of decay - step by little step.  Thank you Father for loving me so much and caring enough about me to show me these important revelations.  I pray that I can take this on and experience You on a whole new level.  I know that you are using this time of waiting to prepare & equip me to be all that You need me to be for Your calling.  I am Your child and I am complete in You.  Amen 

I have a great paper on "Who We Are In Christ" that I would love to share with you - it's great to keep with you so you can refer to it daily to renew your mind.  Let me know if you want it and I can email it to you.  My email is Thehealingpath40@aol.com.

Would love to have you share with me some of your experiences and journeys in this area or anything else that God is showing you in the comments section.  Loves & hugs to you all and praying for God's great covering and grace in your lives.

NOTE:  Just a quick note about the comments section - know people have had a hard time posting a comment - if you don't already have a google account, no worry.  After you type in the comment box, just click anonymous below it and it will post.  (Be sure to put your name in the comment box so I will know who you are!)  You can also set up an account with Google and then can post through that account as well.

Blessings,

Sue