Category Archives: Transformation

The Devil is a Liar!

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From Genesis 3, back at the beginning of creation, the devil has been lying and casting doubt on the truth of God’s Word in our lives. His strategy hasn’t changed and he’s still undermining people’s faith with his constant condemnation, negativity and hopelessness.

Satan’s whole agenda is to steal, kill and destroy anything that resembles the life of God’s Spirit in you and at work in our world. Never has there been a more important era of human history than now to know, think and speak God’s truth about ourselves. We are bombarded daily with hundreds of mixed messages. Deciphering God’s truth can be a challenge without being intentional.

Satan is an anchor that is always pulling you back down from heading out into the adventure that God invites all of us onto. If you entertain the negative thoughts, words and opinions that weigh you down too long, it will become your new norm and limit your capacity to believe for God’s impossible to work in your world.

The challenge is if we haven’t undergone a renewed mindset then we don’t so easily distinguish between the lies of the enemy and our own thoughts. The truth of God’s Word really does set us free and we need to immerse ourselves in a daily diet of God’s truth so that we will not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Pay attention to the messages you entertain in your brain and heart on a daily basis. As you think, so you are. What negative self-limiting ideas have you allowed to preoccupy your thinking? It’s time to uproot and replace with God’s truth!

The Oracle!

Intimacy and Identity!

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identity-manGrowing up I based my identity on what I achieved not on whom I was in relationship with. Whether it be in the sporting arena, the police academy or in the early years of my ministry, I valued myself on how I performed rather than who Christ said I was.

We live in a culture that’s obsessed with accomplishment and image because western society works on a functional paradigm rather than a relational paradigm. A functional paradigm is task oriented and purpose driven. We function together and what little time we have left over we connect and often very surface level.

Living in this functional paradigm can lead to tension and frustration. When we make life about something other than what God intended it to be, chaos is the end result. God intended us to live from a relational paradigm first, a functional paradigm second.

The kingdom of God operates on a relational paradigm. When Jesus was tested as to what the greatest commandment in the law was, he pointed to a relational paradigm, not a functional one (Matt 22:34-40). He said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and… love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ God’s will is first relational, second functional. We get saved through a person, not a task. Jesus said, ‘I am the way’, not ‘This is the way’. Everything God teaches us about life begins and ends with relationship.

Our identity flows out of our intimacy. Jesus is so attractive because he’s so secure in his relationship with his Father. Before Jesus ever healed the sick, preached a sermon, raised the dead or cast out a demon, he had his Fathers approval over his life (Matthew 3). Father God said, ‘This is my son, in whom I’m well pleased.’

We don’t attract God’s presence through performance, we are already attractive to him and he calls us into deeper levels of relationship with him. Intimacy is not an event, it’s a lifestyle. Out of intimacy God shapes our identity and it’s through our identity, that God shapes our destiny. What we ultimately possess in life is determined by who we become.

The more rooted our identity in Christ is, the healthier our relationships will be. The vertical relationship with God precedes the horizontal relationship with others. If there is conflict in our relationships with others, its possibly because there’s conflict within our own identity.

Your identity is inextricably connected to your identity. What do you value yourself by, achievement or relationship?

The Oracle!

Think Another Thought!

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medium_349496270Philippians 4:8 “… think on these things.”

As you think, so you are! What you focus your mind upon determines who you ultimately become. I think we have under-estimated how pivotal our thinking is to our quality of life and contribution to the world around us.

Fleeting thoughts that are out of alignment with the truth of God’s Word can too easily become a mindset that negatively affects our lives. A stronghold is a mindset, embedded in our un-conscious mind that is based on anti-truth and needs to be broken by the power of God’s Word.

If all of your thinking has brought you to a place you don’t like, have another thought.

Having thoughts in your head that don’t take you anywhere, aren’t of God. We have to confront negative patterns of thinking because they are not going to go away all by themselves. We have to decide to think another thought and then feed our minds God’s thoughts that will reprogram the way we live our lives.

We have to make our mind up about our story. Transformation after the new birth is primarily through the renewal of our mind. Our mind’s didn’t get saved when we were born again, our spirits did. After the new birth our minds are still conformed to the pattern of this world and needs to be reprogrammed to God’s way of thinking. His thoughts aren’t our thoughts and his ways aren’t our ways (Isa 55:8-9).

What are you feeding your mind? What thoughts are constantly traveling through your head? What are you permitting in your personal world? Are you discerning and intentional about what thoughts you tolerate or do you just leave the gate of your mind open to any fleeting thought that comes your way?

It’s time to get another thought and think upon those things that will build you up and not tear you down.

The Oracle!

Just 1 Moment!

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Life is a collection of defining moments. If I was to ask you what is a moment? I’m not sure you’d be able to define it by a certain period of time (a second, a minute, an hour or a day) but you would be able to define it by the significance of the experience you had in that moment. Life defining moments aren’t always what you’d expect them to be. Graduations, anniversaries and award ceremonies are significant but I would suggest the truly defining moments in life are often those behind the scenes that seem very ordinary at the time.

Jesus Christ had moments in life just like we do. In John 4:1-42 we read of Jesus stopping on his journey at Jacobs well because of fatigue. What appeared to be a very ordinary moment turned into an extraordinary encounter with a woman who got more than she bargained for. Jesus is more accessible to you than you think. Sometimes we get these unhelpful ideas about God that portray him as very distant and very angry with us and yet He is more accessible and more tangible than most of us realise.

The moments that appear most ordinary can be the most extraordinary. A well in ancient times was a place of encounter, similar to what cafes are for us today. The Samaritan woman in this story was engaged in a routine task that turned into an extraordinary encounter with Jesus. Your place of encounter might be on the train into work or in a lecture theatre, on Facebook, a storefront or in a hair salon. I want to encourage you to be faithful with your present moment because with God a 10c moment can turn into a $100 opportunity.

Just 1 moment with Jesus can change your life forever! The Samaritan woman had a thirst that multiple relationships with men and illicit sex couldn’t satisfy. Her thirst was spiritual, not physical. She had a thirst that could only be satisfied by living water (metaphor for relationship with Jesus). The culture around us anaesthetises us with distraction (entertainment, $, sport, career) but all it takes is one moment to reveal what’s truly missing in your life. This woman had one encounter with Jesus and her life was never the same.

I think one of the reasons we see little life change in people’s lives is because we are trying to introduce people to an idea of Jesus rather than the living breathing reality of Jesus alive inside of us. Colossians 1:27 says, ‘Christ in me, the hope of glory.’ When I meet people, I don’t want them to get an idea of Jesus, isolated from me, I want them to meet him by meeting me. Jesus lives in me and acts through me.

The amazing thing about having an encounter with Jesus is that your moment can become someone else’s defining moment. 1 person’s testimony can affect many people’s destiny. The Samaritan woman couldn’t keep her moment to herself. She got her whole town in on the action and in one moment revival came to an entire city.

I encourage you to approach life from a different perspective. Just one moment with Jesus can change everything. Today could very well be your one moment!

The Oracle!

Its all in the Mind!

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Extreme Makeover was the highest rated TV show in the USA just a few years ago and highlights our culture’s obsession with image. There’s no problem with people looking after themselves through exercise and nutrition or having great fashion sense but unfortunately too many of us are trying to change external symptoms rather than deal with root issues. We are so enamored with the external that we are missing where true change comes from.

God is into extreme makeover, it’s just that he works from the inside out, not the outside in. With God, what is without is what is within. When you get saved your spirit is born again and your sinful nature is erased. Your old self is crucified (Rom 6:6), your sinful nature no longer lives but Christ lives in your spirit (Gal 2:20) and you are now a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).

Once saved, you have a divine nature, however, your mind has memory patterns of the sinful nature and must be renewed. Thus the mind becomes the central battlefield of your life because the mind is still conformed to the patterns of the sinful nature and must be transformed to be aligned with your spirit nature in Christ.

Romans 12:2 says, ‘Don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.’

‘Stinkin-thinkin’ doesn’t just disappear when you become a believer, it must be actively confronted. If we don’t continually renew our thinking, our minds default to the old program. The pattern of this world is alienated from the patterns of God’s kingdom. To repent is to change your mind and think differently.

In Isaiah 55:8-9 God says, ‘My thoughts aren’t your thoughts and my ways aren’t your ways.’ If our ways are going to become his ways, our thoughts must be renewed by his truth. It’s all in the mind!

The Oracle!

What got you here, won’t get you there!

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Too many of us think we have what we need to get us where we need to go. I think that the person who is really committed to growth in any area of their lives needs to adopt the posture of a learner. Leaders are learners. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading.

The information you are currently operating out of might be satisfactory for your past but what about for your future? Do you think you’ve arrived or are you still hungry to learn something new? When was the last time you learnt something for the first time? Some of us are so familiar with the ruts of our past that we have become content to live in them. It’s time to get out of the rut.

Change is challenging for all of us but God deals in the business of change. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. To go from here to there requires change, adjustment and flexibility. Growth of any kind is a stretch but the rewards are significant. Growth is a process, not an event.

Just because you’ve got the degree, had the experience and bought the T-shirt doesn’t mean you are equipped to travel the next leg of your journey. There are times and places ahead that demand your preparation. Position yourself now for your tomorrow and you will have the peace, strength and faith you need to step into it.

The Oracle!

Gods Waiting Room!

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Once upon a time there was a young man named Joseph… (Read Genesis 37-41 for context). Joseph was his fathers favourite son who made Joe a coat of many colours. His brothers despised him for his favour, even more so, when God gave Joseph two prophetic dreams of influence and power. They decided to throw him into a pit, sold him to Ishmaelite traders, who sold him into slavery in Egypt. Joseph while favoured by God was falsely accused of rape and sentenced to prison in Pharaohs jail. Two servants of Pharaoh were sent to prison for committing offences against the king and they both received two prophetic dreams, which Joseph interpreted by God’s gracious gifting in his life. Joseph was forgotten by the cupbearer whose prophetic dream saw him established back to his original position and Joe was left in prison for another two years.

Joseph was in God’s waiting room where you get prepared by God to fulfil your calling. Joseph is often characterised as a perfect individual but even he needed to be refined and prepared by God for his ultimate calling. All of us know what it’s like to wait in a waiting room. It can sometimes be very painful. Just as there are waiting rooms in the natural, so too are they in the spiritual and every persons waiting room is unique and looks different to anybody else’s. If we don’t recognise our waiting room, we will respond inappropriately to the season God has us in.

In God’s waiting room you watch other people’s dreams come to pass while yours is at a standstill. In God’s waiting room, you find it easier to interpret other people’s dreams, than you do your own. In God’s waiting room, no one who enters your life does so by accident. In God’s waiting room, you grope for mans attention rather than waiting for God’s timing. In God’s waiting room, you will want to complain about your hardships. In God’s waiting room, you will feel forgotten. In God’s waiting room, you are being prepared for your calling.

All of the above happened to Joseph and will most probably happen to you if you accept the invitation to the school of the Spirit = Gods waiting room. But the good news is that God will only keep you waiting in his room as long as is necessary to prepare you for what he has for you to walk in. Many are called but few are chosen. The few who get chosen to walk in a higher calling do so because they postured themselves for growth while in Gods waiting room. Will you accept the invitation?

Transformation as Conflict!

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Have you ever thought of personal transformation as engaging in conflict?

Often we think of change as being only a positive process but in fact to enter the transformation spiral is to prepare yourself for a bloody battle with your sinful nature. Preaching is spiritual warfare, not just with cosmic powers but with our flesh. The flesh will oppose anything of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God stands in direct opposition to your flesh. This conflict is not dualistic, meaning between equal adversaries. God is supreme over every cosmic power and our flesh but nevertheless, there will be blood on the floor of your heart, one way or the other. By God’s grace and your faith, it will be your flesh and the enemy, needing trauma treatment, not your spirit and God’s purpose for you.

Personal Transformation

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Read 2 Corinthians 3:18

How does transformation actually occur? Many of us long for it but do we actually know how it happens. After years of discipling and counselling people through the process of transformation, I believe it happens best in 3 spheres.

Call to Personal Obedience – Often we are quick to try and resolve external circumstances rather than dealing with root causes. This is merely a band-aid attempt to deal with symptoms rather than the underlying issue in our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Guard your heart, for out of it flow the springs of life.’ Change is more than a white-knuckled attempt to take responsibility for external circumstances. A complete change of heart is required. One of the first steps to a change of heart is answering the call to obey the Scriptures and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our personal relationship with God.

Call to living in a community of grace and truth – This is where the church comes in. A healthy church isn’t just marked by acceptance and affirmation but accountability. Jesus came not just in grace but in truth (Jn 1:14). Grace only isn’t complete without truth. We must speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). It’s only when we confront the truth about ourselves in a grace filled environment that change is made possible.

Call to a lifestyle of reflection – This third sphere is characterised by daily spiritual disciplines. These include prayer, fasting, solitude, worship, bible study, reading, silence and journalling. Guard against compartmentalising your spiritual life from the rest of your life. A Grecian mechanistic worldview isolates reflection to a ‘quiet time’ but God is central to everything in life, not peripheral to the busyness of our lives. Do you have a prayer time or a life of prayer? There’s a big difference.

All 3 of these transformation spheres need to be held in tension with each other for deep personal change to occur. To the degree we are personally transformed will be the degree to which those we serve are transformed.

Grace!

Rethinking Christian Progress!

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The one thing the bible promises us regarding life in this world is that it will be hard and filled with trials, temptations and tribulations. Nowhere does the bible promise that we’ll have our best life now (as popularized by Joel Osteen). in 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul tells Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

This morning I tweeted an important phrase from pastor Tullian Tchividjian’s book Jesus + Nothing = Everything and it is the idea of an “over-realized eschatology”. I want to use this term to say, too many Christians live with an “over-realized eschatology” expecting  now on earth what God has promised only later for eternity. This causes us to live with unrealistic expectations for what we will and won’t face in this world.

In light of this how do we approach growth and progress in our faith?

The Gospel didn’t just ignite my faith but it’s the fuel that keeps it going and growing me everyday. The Gospel has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). Progress begins with understanding that in Christ, we’ve already been qualified, delivered, transferred, redeemed and forgiven. Working out your salvation with fear and trembling is focusing on working out what Christ has already given to us and worked into us by his will and for his pleasure.

Our natural instinct as believers is to almost exclusively measure Christian growth around behavioural improvement but the greater issue is what is behind the good or bad fruit of our behaviour? Bad behaviour happens when we fail to believe that everything we need, in Christ, we already have. On the other hand, good behaviour happens when we daily rest in and receive the finished work of Jesus in deeper and deeper ways, destroying any need to secure for ourselves anything beyond what Christ has already secured for us.

The hard work of growth we are called to is to believe again and again the gospel of God’s free justifying grace everyday and resting in what Christ has finished on our behalf. I think real spiritual progress happens when our natural understanding of progress is rooted out and it’s not about first behaving better but believing more fully what Jesus has already accomplished.

Gerhard Forde, in his work, Justification by Faith, once said, “It’s not our movement toward the goal but the movement of the goal on us” that helps us progress in the Christian life. Pastor Tullian (Pg173) says, “Sanctification involves God’s daily attack on our unbelief – our self-centered refusal to believe that God’s approval of us in Christ is full and final.”

When we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better, that is what it means to get better. The more we focus on our need to get better, the more neurotic and self-absorbed and worse we actually get. I have to admit that I’ve been too pre-occupied with myself for most of my life and my pre-occupation with my performance over Christ’s performance makes me increasingly self-centered and distant from God and others.

Christian progress is forgetting about yourself! So, aim for progress but remember what it isn’t, your personal improvement and moral progress. Progress is washing your hands of you and resting in Christ’s finished work for you, which will inevitably produce personal improvement and spiritual growth.

Grace!