To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HILc1NDf1Mo
SHOW NOTES
Welcome to a new week of the Hope Rescue Podcast. If this is your first time here, welcome! We post a new episode every Monday and if you are more of a visual learner, you can always watch the podcast on YouTube. You can view our archive of show notes for each episode on our website or listen to the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. Have a question? Email us at info@hoperescue.org or fill out our contact form on our home page. Let’s get into this week’s topic: can people really change?
Of course change is possible as believers in Jesus Christ, but how do we personally move forward from a past of shame and regret? Many people live their whole lives identifying themselves as their greatest failure or regret. We don’t have to live a life of regret, and we especially don’t have to believe the lie “once a failure, always a failure.” The enemy will tailor this lie to your personal mistakes and try to make you identify yourself this way. Maybe for you it sounds like, “once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic,” or possibly, “once a cheater, always a cheater.” If you believe this lie to be true, it will form your character and affect how you operate in the world.
If you’ve been following along on our series on mental health, you probably understand how important our thoughts and beliefs are. We have reiterated since the first week of this series that our behavior ultimately stems from what we believe to be true about our lives. So if we want to change, it has to start internally: our mind. We are what we think. Every thought we have releases brain chemicals that have different functions depending on the attitude of the thought. Positive thinking generates and reinforces new synapses in the brain which affects our emotions and behaviors. Focused, repetitive thoughts can change our brain's structure, wiring, and capabilities. We can literally retrain and refocus our brains to be more positive.
What does scripture have to say about this topic? Romans 12:1-2 says "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Our whole lives and perspectives can be transformed by renewing our minds. Tim strongly recommends biblical meditation which involves memorizing scripture and meditating on it often. Psalm 1:1-2 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Tim explains that by memorizing and meditating on scripture, when his mind is racing with worry he can refocus his brain to think positively about the truth in God's Word.
Kimberly shares that she, along with probably every other human, struggles sometimes with a negative inner dialogue. Recently she woke up in the night feeling unsettled as her mind raced around questions like, "Am I doing enough?" and “How do I compare to the people around me?” Instead of giving into the anxiety and worry, she took that moment in the middle of the night to meditate on the Lord and the truth she had memorized from scripture. It’s so important to memorize scripture because it allows you the freedom to bring it to your mind at any point in the day, even in the middle of the night. If we don’t have biblical truth memorized, where will we turn in times of despair and worry? It would have been much easier for Kimberly to spiral into deep anxiety that night had she not prepared her mind before with scripture and truth about who God is and what He says about her.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We don’t have to be stuck in a sea of regret, shame, and anxiety. Tim says, “The renewing of your mind occurs when divine given truth enters your thoughts, permeates down into your soul, and changes you from the inside out.”
Join us next week as we continue the conversation on anxiety and mental health. We love you guys!
QUOTES
“Don't define yourself by what others say. Identify yourself by what God says about you. You are a child of God. You are a friend of Jesus. You are a new creature in Christ.” Kimberly
“The renewing of your mind occurs when divine given truth enters your thoughts, permeates down into your soul, and changes you from the inside out.” Tim
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
Romans 12:1-2 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Psalm 1:1-2 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."
Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
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