The word "mindset" conjurs up an image of something locked in place. Something immoveable or unchangeable. Mindsets can work for or against us. In some cases, we can purposely set our mind to do something good. For example, having a mind-set focused on God and His kingdom, and on doing His will would be beneficial to our lives, and to the lives of those around us. But sometimes mindsets are fortresses of evil. Like the strongholds described in 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5. Mind fortresses have walls-thick walls, that can keep your nasty thoughts locked in and God locked out. If our mindset involves thoughts that are exalted in our thinking above what God says is true-we are in trouble. I speak from experience.
As a victim of sexual assualt I became enslaved to mindsets that, had they not encountered the truth of God's Word, would have imprisoned me forever. The strongholds in my mind were effectively tearing away at the fabric of my marriage and corrupting my thoughts in such a way that I had a skewed perspective about myself, men and about life in general.
Until....
Until my mindset met truth in all of its two-edged power! God's Word began to pierce through the darkness of those fortified lies and tear them down one by one.
But before that could happen, a desperation to be healed had to grip my heart and compel me to get to Jesus any way I could. I'd like to pause here to say that sometimes desperation doesn't look pretty or graceful. But desperate situations demand desperate measures. Remember the man who wasn't able to get to Jesus because of the crowds, and so they climbed on the roof-cut a hole in the tiles and lowered that man to the Lord. Now, pride could have deterred him from doing this. He could have been unwilling to draw attention to himself as they lowered him down in front of the multitudes. You and I can be the same way. That man was lame-he was unable to walk physically-but we, when we are in the grip of crippling mindsets are also unable to walk spiritually and emotionally.
How many of us are willing to push through until we get to Jesus in a way that those mindsets are totally healed and freed by the truth of God's Word? How many times will we climb out of our pew and walk up the aisle to an altar? And when we get there will we allow ourselves to cry out in desperate faith-not caring what the people around us think? How much time will we devote to lowering ourselves to our knees and praying? To picking up God's Word and reading with expectancy? To letting its truth penetrate through the walls of our mind fortress? And to diligently obey the truths that God reveals to us?
Crippling mindsets require desperate measures.
You do not have to remain a prisoner of your thoughts forever!
"You shall KNOW the truth and the truth SHALL make you free." I want to talk more about the 'knowing' a little later....but I promise you....it works! Don't give up!
Oh....and when you get desperate.... and you get to Jesus...and you experience healing...guess what happens then?
"And the whole multitude sought to touch Him." Luke 6:19
Don't be afraid to do whatever it takes! Cast off your pride and get real with God! And remember that the people who may be looking on will also be compelled to touch Him and find healing for themselves!
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