Monday, July 26, 2010

Be and Agree, Pt. 4

Thanks for the good feedback on this series...glad it's making a difference...if you weren't at CITN yesterday, or didn't get a chance to stream the service, and you're receiving some insights and confirmation on this subject, you may want to get the CD or DVD of the sermon (title: Once Upon a Time: Re-writing the Story of Your Life)...

We've been discussing the power of agreement here and in church for a few weeks now, and have explored the concept of external agreement beginning with internal agreement...for those who are walking out this word, it means that we are all, on some level, in a process of learning to think in a new way...

Changing your thoughts and attitudes really can lead to making your most impossible dreams come true..."I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing...therefore CHOOSE LIFE!"...life is a choice...blessing is a choice...choose your thoughts...create a new contract with yourself that will enable you to make of your life everything you want it to be...

Disharmony causes scarcity to become a reality in your life...your finances, struggles, even some health problems...not everyone is able to do this, and there may be some exceptions to the rule...but to be able to look at your life and say: "For the most part, I created this...my life is the result of the choices I've made" is at once sobering and liberating...and it is empowering...

What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds..."be not conformed to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind"...

This isn't New Age psychobabble...this concept is supported in the Scriptures, as has already been said ("the knowledge of the Lord fills all the earth as the waters cover the sea")...in fact, we become what we think about. William James, the father of psychology, said that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you hold it there long enough, it will become a reality...Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and and a few others in the Bible knew this long before Mr. James ever found it out...

But if your life isn't changing in the ways that you want it to, realize that insanity is repeating the same thoughts and behaviors again and again, and expecting different results...to get a new outcome, you have to rewrite your agreement with reality...agree with yourself...BE AND AGREE...

A part of what we call repentance is composing a brand-new agreement with yourself that says: "There is nothing that is not possible for me...I can attract abundance into my life."...connect with that thought...

Norman Vincent Peale said, "Change your thoughts and you change your world."

But when you focus on all the things that you don't have, you stay stuck...every thought you have either makes you stronger or weaker...thoughts of kindness, hope, forgiveness, and peace are strengthening...anger, anxiety, worry, and fear weaken you...
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
(Philippians 4:8 - AMP)

You must process events in terms of appreciation rather than depreciation...you either feel and believe that God and His universe are plentiful and providing, or you feel short-changed, that nothing is ever right...that kind of scarcity mentality causes you to always be expecting that things won't work out for you...

Jesus said, "As your faith is, so be it unto you"...

To be continued...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent reminder. Thanks so much! P.S. I will be patient and try not to type this more than once!

linda said...

GREAT WORD! timely and right on target. I am training myself, or better yet, RE-training myself that every time a negative thought comes (and they are many) I just decide that God is good, and He loves me and that if things don't work out like I think they should He knows what He is doing and He has something wonderful in mind for me. You know since I have been doing this the negative thoughts are getting fewer and things are beginning to work out. It is sobering to realize how much we do to ourselves with an unrenewed mind!

Anonymous said...

Amy Cantwell Carter said...

WOW

Anonymous said...

Cheryl Tiedemann said...

Awesome in the Now! I mean, awesome Now word

Anonymous said...

Wanda Usher said...

I didn't think your message from yesterday could get any better but I was wrong. Keep giving us the best that you got Bishop!!!! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Lady Justice...

Good Word!! What we concentrate on most, we become, WOW!! This truth (I think) explains the phenomenon that took place with Jacob and Laban regarding the sheep. "when he took Laban’s flocks down to the watering place, he set tree branches in front of them that he had cut with a knife so that they were speckled and striped."

He faced the flock towards the branches. When the mother sheep and goats started having babies, all their babies were striped or spotted." Gen. 30-31

Donald said...

This reminds me of the 1991 movie "Hook". Peter Banning had forgotten who he was and couldn't figure out a way to save Jack and Maggie.
In his fallen/forgotten state he had no idea what to do to resolve the problem.
Wendy told him, "Only you can save your children. Somehow, you must go back. You must make yourself remember."
Peter said, "Remember what?"
He totally had no idea what she was talking about.
That's when Wendy asked, "Peter, don't you know who you are?"
It is easier than you may believe that we can forget who we are and not realize just how powerful we can be.
But, I am glad to say that we can relearn that we, "Have to fly, have to fight, have to crow, have to save Maggie, have to save Jack!"

Erik said...

Bishop, these are the excitement of Life. The desire and unadulterated abandon in this sea, inflames every part of who we are.

Every crescendo traverses these truths. Speaking it out is a spiritual aphrodisiac, heightening every sense.

Great post here and service Sunday.

PS . – Great music, Praise & Worship - Glad Pastor John Scott is with us. Taking up the excellent mantle passed on by Pastor Jimmie.

_______________________________

From Bishop’s post - my faves -

“Changing your thoughts and attitudes really can lead to making your most impossible dreams come true... “

“life is a choice...blessing is a choice...choose your thoughts...create a new contract with yourself that will enable you to make of your life everything you want it to be...”

“For the most part, I created this...my life is the result of the choices I've made" is at once sobering and liberating...and it is empowering...”

*** (my commentary) There is no such thing as ‘New’ age psychobabble, It is as ‘Old’ as the foundation. Both wisdom when rightly connected, and babble when wrongly dissected.

“A part of what we call repentance is composing a brand-new agreement with yourself”

“thoughts of kindness, hope, forgiveness, and peace are strengthening.”

“You must process events in terms of appreciation rather than depreciation...you either feel and believe that The Universe are plentiful and providing,”

“whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious,´

Anonymous said...

Karl McIntosh Cobos said...

I appreciate you posting this...I believe God has been saying to me today to imagine better things. Thank you.