Shortly after publishing Trusting God for a New Voice, I wrestled with the meaning of Romans 12:1, 2.
The wrestling match
I went about my day, had coffee with a friend, supped with my family, but still I was not able to shrug the clinging nature of an UN-renewed mind. I wanted transformation. I wanted renewal. But how?
On my pillow, my mind raced with thoughts--fully strung out from the caffeine--and I cried out to the Lord.
What is it that I have been believing? What is the pestering message I hear that hinders me from transformation? Show me how to be renewed, and remove false beliefs from me!
Then He answered.
As soon as the false belief was brought to mind, I literally said aloud, "That's not true!"
Getting the pin
Maybe it sounds hokey-pokey, but I can't explain what happened next any other way. I had felt like there was something pressing or pushing against my body as I stretched out in my bed, and, instantly, as I professed the false nature of the lie, the physical pressure was gone! There was relief. My body felt light, and my heart jumped with joy.
In that moment, I knew that renewal was taking place. Transformation is and will take place in me; the Lord has promised that.
Lord Jesus, Your word promises to the weary and the heavy-laden that You will give them rest. Thank you for allowing me to rest in Your care for me. Continue to transform my heart, my mind, my body, and my love to be more like yours. Amen.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Emphasis mine.)Depression rests mainly in the mind, impacting the emotions. So what does it mean to "be transformed," and how does one "renew" the mind while trying to throw off depression? As I prayed through these questions and thoughts, I felt like the answer was to get at the root of the sadness and face it.
The wrestling match
I went about my day, had coffee with a friend, supped with my family, but still I was not able to shrug the clinging nature of an UN-renewed mind. I wanted transformation. I wanted renewal. But how?
On my pillow, my mind raced with thoughts--fully strung out from the caffeine--and I cried out to the Lord.
What is it that I have been believing? What is the pestering message I hear that hinders me from transformation? Show me how to be renewed, and remove false beliefs from me!
Then He answered.
As soon as the false belief was brought to mind, I literally said aloud, "That's not true!"
Getting the pin
Maybe it sounds hokey-pokey, but I can't explain what happened next any other way. I had felt like there was something pressing or pushing against my body as I stretched out in my bed, and, instantly, as I professed the false nature of the lie, the physical pressure was gone! There was relief. My body felt light, and my heart jumped with joy.
In that moment, I knew that renewal was taking place. Transformation is and will take place in me; the Lord has promised that.
Since that moment, the Lord has allowed me to walk afresh in peace and untangled thought. O, what joy unspeakable swells within when the Holy One answers the heart.Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Cor. 5.17 (AMP)
Lord Jesus, Your word promises to the weary and the heavy-laden that You will give them rest. Thank you for allowing me to rest in Your care for me. Continue to transform my heart, my mind, my body, and my love to be more like yours. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Blessings,
Krista