Thu, Oct 22, 2009
New Beginnings Call For New Mindsets
New Beginnings Call For New Mindsets!
Pastor Kris Belfils
SET THE CAPTIVES FREE!
Christ died and rose again for our salvation. This salvation is a saving from eternal hell for those who have committed sin, or wrong doing. We all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Along with the great news that Christ paid the price for our salvation, this wonderful event opens up so many different areas of our lives that we are set free from.
I believe this is a year of new beginnings. This means God wants to give us new mindsets and mentalities, new gates that will be opened, new revelations and new freedoms for us to enjoy.
John 10:10 (KJV)
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Not only did Christ come to give us life (freedom from death), but He came so that our life will be abundantly more than what we are living right now.
The word abundantly is translated in Thayer's Greek Definitions: “exceeding some number or measure or rank or need, over and above, more than is necessary, superadded, exceeding abundantly, supremely, something further, more, much more than all, more plainly, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon, pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent.”
What this really is saying is Christ came so that we can have abundance, or that which abounds, more, much more than what we have right now. There is more to this Christian life here on earth then what we are settling for. The definition and the word, “abundantly” expresses that which is not absolutely essential to life, but which is superadded to make life happy. We receive GREAT mercy that keeps us from hell and what we deserve, but Jesus gives us much more with eternal joy, hope, peace, love, freedom, success, and new life. The key to having abundant life is to realize there is more for us.
This is a year of new beginnings. New beginnings call for getting rid of the old mindsets or the old ways of looking and thinking at things. God has so much love and newness for us. It is just like the Israelites who limited God with their old slavery mentalities. God wanted to bring them into the Promised Land, but their mindsets were still infused with living in slavery for generations.
LET GO OF ANYTHING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS!
If you want something new, you have to let go of any thing that looks like it was. We have to let go of our past disappointments, failures, and mistakes. If we keep looking at them instead of what God has in store for us, we will never receive the new beginnings He has waiting for us this year. Another series of articles I wrote entitled; "Letting Go Of Your Past (Parts 1 & 2)" speaks on receiving healing from your past and finally getting over it. I like how Joel Olsteen puts it in his newest book, “Become A Better You.” He states; “Quit mourning over something you can't change. God wants to give you a new beginning, but you have to let go of the old before you'll ever see the new. Let that door close behind you and step through the door in front of you.”
We have to let the past go! What happened there is done and over. You past is not at all as important as your future.
OLD MINDSETS CAN LIMIT US!
New means nothing old. It means starting from scratch, or starting over. Our old mindsets can limit us. Let me give you a couple of examples:
When you were young someone killed your father or mother. You feel like you've been wrongfully hurt. You feel like you've been robbed of years of parenting. You even become jealous watching other friends with their parents and resenting the fact that you don't have your father or mother with you to celebrate holidays, or birthdays, or special events. Years go by and you still feel like you've been wrongfully hurt and live your life accordingly to how you feel. In other words, you are full of self-pity and bitterness. You view life constantly through tainted glasses. Because of how you've reacted to this loss you seclude yourself and become more of an introvert. If someone comes and asks why you are so quiet or bitter you express your loss and expect them to understand why you are the way you are. When they don't you break off that relationship and choose to seclude yourself more and more. All this is because you feel you've been wrongfully hurt.
This is just one example of allowing a terrible event in your life to overwhelm and overtake you. It is an example of not living an abundant life. It really is an example of living in bondage to an old mindset. Here is another example:
You were born with both parents. You remember having wonderful family times together at holidays, vacations, and everyday life. Then, when you were 9, Your Dad moves away and he divorces your mom. After that, he re-marries someone else and leaves your mom without business skills or some sort of career to fall back on. You live from hand to mouth most of your childhood life. You begin to resent your Dad, and you tell yourself you will never live in poverty when you grow up. Amazingly when you grow up you go to college and become a Doctor. You build a better life for yourself, but you are afraid to marry and you are only consumed with making money. This is a result of what happened to you and your reaction to it. You think all marriages end in divorce and refuse to even get close to someone of the opposite sex. All your hard work and saving money has left you feeling empty, but you can't help but work harder and harder. All this is because you have never forgiven your Dad, and you allowed resentment to fill your heart.
God wants us to live and have abundant lives. Why do we settle for less? I believe it is because we refuse to totally give our lives to Christ and allow His healing and transformation to touch us. I also believe it is because we don't believe God can take away the pain of our past.
WHAT DOES THE NEW LOOK LIKE?
What does old mindsets look like? What does the new beginning look like? We know one thing about the new is that it won't look like the old. I was thinking about this the other day and it became very clear to me that anything new is just that… new. My husband likes to fix up old cars and trucks, and he also likes to remodel old houses. As for me, I really like a new car and I would love to have a brand new home that doesn't need any remodeling work done to it (We usually by old houses and remodel them to suit our needs). New cars or homes are very different then old ones. Yes the old houses have kitchens and bedrooms and bathrooms, but with new modern houses, they have state of the art appliances in them. You wouldn't find an old washing machine that would wash clothes by cranking them through a press. No, you would find one that is energy efficient, with so many settings on it to meet everyone's needs. You wouldn't find in a new home old sheet rock and wood that is rotting. You wouldn't find a broken down foundation or old carpet and floors. In a new home you will find new walls, new carpet, a new and strong foundation, and everything else new. My point is this; we have to start thinking and looking at things differently then we did in the past. God is doing a new thing. Ask God to open your eyes to see, and your ears to hear what He wants you to hear.
A sure way of trying to see the new is placing the opposite thought in the place of the old mindset. If you are someone who is negative and always looks at things with a critical eye, try looking at the opposite of what you are thinking. If you are thinking that tomorrow will be a bad day, tell yourself; “Tomorrow will be a GREAT day because Christ is already there waiting for me and He is my strength and shield.” Tell yourself; “You are a good person and a new creation. The old has passed away and all things are new!!!”
If you have something challenging ahead of you, don't think your old mindset that you can't accomplish the task and it is too big for you. Instead, tell yourself the opposite. Tell yourself; “I will accomplish the task because God is with me and He has made me the head and not the tail. I will succeed and be a blessing.” Refuse to listen to your old mindset.
If we can grasp this in our lives, we will have a new beginning in 2008. We will look at every event, circumstance, and issue in our life as a wonderful challenge that will be overcome by God's grace. You will start to see yourself differently too. You will be free to be yourself and not someone you never really wanted to be in the first place.
Let us embrace this newness in our lives and reject anything that looks, smells, or even resembles the old. Allow God to bring you into a higher level in Him and conquer your past once and for all.
Blessings,
Your sister in Christ,
Pastor Kris Belfils
www.krisbelfils.com
Pastor Kris Belfils
SET THE CAPTIVES FREE!
Christ died and rose again for our salvation. This salvation is a saving from eternal hell for those who have committed sin, or wrong doing. We all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Along with the great news that Christ paid the price for our salvation, this wonderful event opens up so many different areas of our lives that we are set free from.
I believe this is a year of new beginnings. This means God wants to give us new mindsets and mentalities, new gates that will be opened, new revelations and new freedoms for us to enjoy.
John 10:10 (KJV)
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Not only did Christ come to give us life (freedom from death), but He came so that our life will be abundantly more than what we are living right now.
The word abundantly is translated in Thayer's Greek Definitions: “exceeding some number or measure or rank or need, over and above, more than is necessary, superadded, exceeding abundantly, supremely, something further, more, much more than all, more plainly, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon, pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent.”
What this really is saying is Christ came so that we can have abundance, or that which abounds, more, much more than what we have right now. There is more to this Christian life here on earth then what we are settling for. The definition and the word, “abundantly” expresses that which is not absolutely essential to life, but which is superadded to make life happy. We receive GREAT mercy that keeps us from hell and what we deserve, but Jesus gives us much more with eternal joy, hope, peace, love, freedom, success, and new life. The key to having abundant life is to realize there is more for us.
This is a year of new beginnings. New beginnings call for getting rid of the old mindsets or the old ways of looking and thinking at things. God has so much love and newness for us. It is just like the Israelites who limited God with their old slavery mentalities. God wanted to bring them into the Promised Land, but their mindsets were still infused with living in slavery for generations.
LET GO OF ANYTHING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS!
If you want something new, you have to let go of any thing that looks like it was. We have to let go of our past disappointments, failures, and mistakes. If we keep looking at them instead of what God has in store for us, we will never receive the new beginnings He has waiting for us this year. Another series of articles I wrote entitled; "Letting Go Of Your Past (Parts 1 & 2)" speaks on receiving healing from your past and finally getting over it. I like how Joel Olsteen puts it in his newest book, “Become A Better You.” He states; “Quit mourning over something you can't change. God wants to give you a new beginning, but you have to let go of the old before you'll ever see the new. Let that door close behind you and step through the door in front of you.”
We have to let the past go! What happened there is done and over. You past is not at all as important as your future.
OLD MINDSETS CAN LIMIT US!
New means nothing old. It means starting from scratch, or starting over. Our old mindsets can limit us. Let me give you a couple of examples:
When you were young someone killed your father or mother. You feel like you've been wrongfully hurt. You feel like you've been robbed of years of parenting. You even become jealous watching other friends with their parents and resenting the fact that you don't have your father or mother with you to celebrate holidays, or birthdays, or special events. Years go by and you still feel like you've been wrongfully hurt and live your life accordingly to how you feel. In other words, you are full of self-pity and bitterness. You view life constantly through tainted glasses. Because of how you've reacted to this loss you seclude yourself and become more of an introvert. If someone comes and asks why you are so quiet or bitter you express your loss and expect them to understand why you are the way you are. When they don't you break off that relationship and choose to seclude yourself more and more. All this is because you feel you've been wrongfully hurt.
This is just one example of allowing a terrible event in your life to overwhelm and overtake you. It is an example of not living an abundant life. It really is an example of living in bondage to an old mindset. Here is another example:
You were born with both parents. You remember having wonderful family times together at holidays, vacations, and everyday life. Then, when you were 9, Your Dad moves away and he divorces your mom. After that, he re-marries someone else and leaves your mom without business skills or some sort of career to fall back on. You live from hand to mouth most of your childhood life. You begin to resent your Dad, and you tell yourself you will never live in poverty when you grow up. Amazingly when you grow up you go to college and become a Doctor. You build a better life for yourself, but you are afraid to marry and you are only consumed with making money. This is a result of what happened to you and your reaction to it. You think all marriages end in divorce and refuse to even get close to someone of the opposite sex. All your hard work and saving money has left you feeling empty, but you can't help but work harder and harder. All this is because you have never forgiven your Dad, and you allowed resentment to fill your heart.
God wants us to live and have abundant lives. Why do we settle for less? I believe it is because we refuse to totally give our lives to Christ and allow His healing and transformation to touch us. I also believe it is because we don't believe God can take away the pain of our past.
WHAT DOES THE NEW LOOK LIKE?
What does old mindsets look like? What does the new beginning look like? We know one thing about the new is that it won't look like the old. I was thinking about this the other day and it became very clear to me that anything new is just that… new. My husband likes to fix up old cars and trucks, and he also likes to remodel old houses. As for me, I really like a new car and I would love to have a brand new home that doesn't need any remodeling work done to it (We usually by old houses and remodel them to suit our needs). New cars or homes are very different then old ones. Yes the old houses have kitchens and bedrooms and bathrooms, but with new modern houses, they have state of the art appliances in them. You wouldn't find an old washing machine that would wash clothes by cranking them through a press. No, you would find one that is energy efficient, with so many settings on it to meet everyone's needs. You wouldn't find in a new home old sheet rock and wood that is rotting. You wouldn't find a broken down foundation or old carpet and floors. In a new home you will find new walls, new carpet, a new and strong foundation, and everything else new. My point is this; we have to start thinking and looking at things differently then we did in the past. God is doing a new thing. Ask God to open your eyes to see, and your ears to hear what He wants you to hear.
A sure way of trying to see the new is placing the opposite thought in the place of the old mindset. If you are someone who is negative and always looks at things with a critical eye, try looking at the opposite of what you are thinking. If you are thinking that tomorrow will be a bad day, tell yourself; “Tomorrow will be a GREAT day because Christ is already there waiting for me and He is my strength and shield.” Tell yourself; “You are a good person and a new creation. The old has passed away and all things are new!!!”
If you have something challenging ahead of you, don't think your old mindset that you can't accomplish the task and it is too big for you. Instead, tell yourself the opposite. Tell yourself; “I will accomplish the task because God is with me and He has made me the head and not the tail. I will succeed and be a blessing.” Refuse to listen to your old mindset.
If we can grasp this in our lives, we will have a new beginning in 2008. We will look at every event, circumstance, and issue in our life as a wonderful challenge that will be overcome by God's grace. You will start to see yourself differently too. You will be free to be yourself and not someone you never really wanted to be in the first place.
Let us embrace this newness in our lives and reject anything that looks, smells, or even resembles the old. Allow God to bring you into a higher level in Him and conquer your past once and for all.
Blessings,
Your sister in Christ,
Pastor Kris Belfils
www.krisbelfils.com
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