I have a theory that events like church camp, summer conferences and other Christian Gatherings do not work. The reason I believe this is because they focus so much on the heart and on emotions. There is so little emphasis on the mind –on a transformed mind.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” So if the heart is deceitful, then why do we play on emotions to get you to make a decision? Do you want me to prove my point? How many of you at one time or another have made very passionate commitments at camp or some other type of conference?
Now, how many of you have within one month gone back to the exact same lifestyle you lived before camp? So there is something that is not happening. One of the reasons I believe commitments don’t last is because students, youth ministers and camp directors think the camp experience is all that’s needed. And the fact is that it is not. It may be a good start, but it is not the end all.
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The only way our minds can be transformed is by changing our perspective. When you see as God sees, you will do as God says.
When you look at this photo what do you see?
Some of you saw an old woman and some of you saw a young beautiful woman. Same picture, but different perspectives. We will begin to see things differently when we change from viewing circumstances from our perspective to God's perspective.
Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
1.) Solitude / Silence Psalm 46:10 “"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
2.) Prayer Matthew 6:9-13 “"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
3.) Scriptures / Meditate on God’s Word Psalm 119:11, 105 “I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.” “Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.”
James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
4.) Journal 1 Timothy 4:7 “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” (keep track of what God is doing)
The one thing that will make each of these disciplines become habit is for you to do them with purpose. Jesus got up before anyone else so he could spend intimate time with God. That should be our goal too.
Illustration: Losing Weight it takes time…it comes off a lot harder then it goes on. What do I have to do to gain weight? (Nothing) What do I have to do to lose weight? (Work, hard). Same is true for your faith. In order to develop a transformed mind, it will take work, it will take consistency and you will need to have a goal in mind.
All that goal needs to be is a desire to get closer to God…to be found by him.
Illustration: Hide and Seek –the anticipation of being found. Our hidden place caused us our senses to be tuned in. when we wait quietly in stillness and solitude, our senses will be attuned in anticipation of being found by a Holy God.
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