What new lenses and mindsets should I be viewing my current situation through?
First thing to understand is the natural mind can only change when it's challenged to see
something different. For example, Moses in Exodus 6, 28 to 30, he says to the Lord,
Behold, and the word behold there means see me as I see myself, and I'm unskilled in speech,
and how on earth is Pharaoh even going to listen to someone like me? And the next verse,
Exodus 7, 1 is classic. God says, he uses the word see, which means I have a different perspective,
and I have made you as God to Pharaoh. And what that means is that,
Moses, you're not going into this situation in your own weakness.
You're going actually in at a higher level in terms of who I am in this context. You see the
same thing in the book of Judges chapter 6, 12 to 16 with Gideon. He's in a wine press making bread
like you do when you're depressed. And God shows up and says, hey, valiant warrior, go and deliver
Israel. And what happens is, all of his own personal negativity rises up, and his response
is, how on earth can I do that? My family is the least in my tribe, and I'm the youngest in my
family. Again, God completely ignores what he has to say, because God's perspective is the thing
that he's bringing whenever he talks to you. And the Lord just says to him, surely I will be with
you. So here you've got a situation where both men who did something amazing were both initially
challenged to see themselves in a new way. That's what is happening when God is challenging you in
your life circumstances. Your old lens is about to disappear, and a new one's about to come.
Because if you're using an old lens, you won't perceive that something new is happening.
Your old life has old lenses. And those lenses see circumstances in a fearful way, or they create
anxiety around your situations, and you learn to move in discouragement from your events before
you can see the possibilities of them. But your new man in Christ, totally different way of seeing.
In Christ, we perceive opportunities to receive perfect love instead of fear. We see occasions
to practice our peace and also encourage ourselves in the Lord. Why? Because we're all learning to see
as he sees. And in that context, we're discovering how to put off the old so that we are free enough
to perceive and think with the mind of Christ. Honestly, you can't want new but still think old.
But as you see differently, your mindset follows your perspective. And we're constantly making
necessary adjustments from the natural mind to becoming more spiritually minded. So
right now, just where you are, just relax.
You're learning a new way of seeing. You're learning how to look at this thing with a spiritual
perspective rather than just a natural one. And when you do that, your new man receives God's
power to set your mind on things above, not on things around us and the earth. It's like
attract and repel. When we see God's purpose and vision for us, it allows us to repel,
put off the old, and attract new thinking into our circumstances. So we put on the new.
That's classic Ephesians 4, 20 to 24. In Christ, he presents us with a better choice.
A better choice than our history and our circumstances would.
We have a learned behavior from the world which we have to unlearn as we engage with the kingdom
of God. So our role in every situation is to partner with God in setting aside our old way
of thinking, our old way of seeing for something new that's occurring in Christ. Putting down your
old perceptions and way of seeing for something new that's occurring in the kingdom of God.
ways of thinking for new and higher ways that
are more like he is, that's the best part of your situation
right now, is learning that.
What do you see, Lord?
Guarantee he adores that process.
Every situation you're in is his opportunity
to change your lens and change your thinking.
We are a people for whom new possibilities become normal.
And as we enjoy new vision and elevated thinking
about ourselves, that releases our rejoicing and confession
of our upgraded identity that creates
a new language that is further developed
as we respond to the Lord.
If we're going to become like Jesus,
we have some growing up to do.
But your mind can never become a battleground in that context
because confusion creates stress.
And that's caused by the old clashing with the new.
Beloved, your old man can never be in charge
of your growth in Christ.
It's the new man that promotes your identity upwards.
It's your old man that downgrades your identity
to a point of futility where you feel like you
want to give up on things.
In Exodus chapter 14, prior to their deliverance
at the Red Sea, Israel is being chased by the Egyptian army.
They're frightened.
And they're accusing Moses of all kinds of stuff,
saying, why have you brought us out of Egypt?
We told you this would happen.
We said, leave us alone so we can serve the Egyptians.
Better for us to serve them than die in the wilderness.
Can you sense the pressure there?
Here's the thing.
Tension doesn't mean there's something wrong.
It means that something is happening.
There is no movement without tension.
If I want to take a sip of water, my hand has to be tense.
Otherwise, I can't take a grip of something.
No movement without tension.
Tension is not caused by the vision that upgrades us.
It's caused by our resistance to the process
of becoming that person.
The amazing thing is that Moses has now changed enough
that he doesn't want to give in to their paranoia.
He's the one that says, don't fear.
Stand still and see the salvation of God.
The Egyptians, the problem you have that you see today,
you'll never see it again.
Follow the process of freedom.
It's this very process that makes you rich.
So we all know the outcome to this story
with Moses at the Red Sea.
He raises his rod above the water,
and the impossible happens.
The water starts piling up, and Israel go through on dry land.
And when the Egyptian tries to do the same,
when the problem tries to follow you, it gets drowned.
Because God has this way of teaching us
what you think is impossible is actually
not that difficult for me.
But what we're learning here is it's not just the outcome
that God is generating.
We're learning how to put off the old and receive the new.
We're learning how to partner with the Holy Spirit.
We're learning how to walk with God in a fresh way
and to be more connected to the mind of Christ
than we are to our circumstances.
All of learning and change is relational.
So there's a new intimacy that's opening up to you.
There's a higher peace, a greater joy
being made available so that you can
enjoy the process of seeing you, thinking you,
and updating your language.
And then you can move on from your present state
to live in a new standing in Christ.
So here's an activation.
Do you have scriptures, dreams, visions, prophecy
that may describe an upgrade in your identity?
Have you recently got a new job, or been promoted,
or started a business that requires a better version of you
to emerge in this time frame?
When you're confronted with a challenge, ask,
am I viewing this through an old perception?
Am I viewing it through fear, expectation of failure,
or a sense of?
who you are not, the deficiencies that rise up in you
are a clue to the upgrade that you need.
For example, if you're fearful, you
need to receive perfect love.
If you feel inadequate, you need to see Jesus as being
bigger than your challenge.
So the first thing you need is a relational upgrade
in God's nature.
What does that look like?
Maybe it looks like more peace, more joy,
more of his faithfulness.
What would create trust in you at this point?
Ask yourself, am I wanting you but thinking old in this?
Compare your desires with your thoughts.
What's the new thing that you are desiring?
Is your thinking aligned with that?
So write out in your journal, what
is my challenge or my upgrade?
What is my resistance and my blockage?
What is my relational upgrade in Jesus?
What new lens is forming?
How do I see myself now?
What new thoughts are possible for me now?
It's a process, a step-by-step guide
to moving up in your identity.
Writing out our new ways of seeing and thinking
are really helpful for us.
It accelerates our transformation.
Finally, why don't you invite someone close to you
to be a part of your process so that you
can reach the desired outcome?
This lesson is going to take you a while
because there are a number of things
that you need to assimilate.
There are some things you need to shake off.
I mean, seriously, shake off.
And there are other things that you need to embrace.
So take a while with this one, but it'll
be worth it because what will happen in you
is something will settle, something will shift,
and something will settle.
And you'll understand that this is the value that God wants
you to have when you're entering something
that's new or difficult.
What's my lens?
Does my lens need to change?
First question to ask.
Thanks for listening.
Appreciate it.