affirmations and to order my day and we're going to do that together today. So
we're going to be having a morning spiritual practice together. So, so
grateful to be able to have us all together. So I'm going to start with a
couple scriptures, some prayer. We're going to do a meditation. We're going to do
each of these things of the morning meditation. So get yourself in a
comfortable place. Take a couple deep breaths. Silence all distractions. This is
your time. This is your time with you. This is your time with your Creator who
loves you, who adores you, who longs to be with you. This is your special time.
Don't let anything interrupt it. Shut up all the possible things that can
interrupt and take a deep breath and allow this to be the first day of the
rest of your life. Romans 12 to says and do not be conformed to this world but be
transformed and progressively changed as you mature spiritually by the renewing
of your mind. I love this. We do not have to be conformed. That word is like jello
mold. We don't have to be jello put into the mold of the world. The fear, the doubt,
the worry, the anxieties, the manipulation. That doesn't have to shape
us if we choose for it not to. We have the option to be completely transformed,
made new. And I love the way the Amplified Translation makes it clear.
Progressively change. We have the ability in Christ to go from glory to glory to
glory to glory. From new revelation to new revelation. From new love to new love
to new love. From new power, from new joy. We can progressively be changed as we
mature spiritually. And how is all of that done? By the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12 to. That's the basis of what we're talking about. So notice that
transformation is progressive. In other words, it's progress not perfection. For
any of you that are busy focusing on your warts and your dents and your
things that haven't worked and your couldas and shouldas, during this series
we're going to release that. Because it's not about being perfect right here,
right now. You actually are perfect in Christ. You're covered with the robe of
righteousness. But it's about progress as you mature spiritually by the renewing
of our mind. Now God keeps bringing something to mind as I'm talking so I'm
going to say it. If you think about the prodigal son, there's a fascinating, I
like reading it in the Amplified translation. I don't even have this on my
notes but it keeps coming up so I'm going to say it. If you remember he was
sitting at the lowest point of his life. He was eating with pigs. A good Jewish
boy covered with pig poop and mud and filth and he's sitting there eating the
pig food. This was a child of royalty. A son of royalty who had taken his
inheritance, squandered it, not added value. Sitting in the pig pen, sitting in
the pig poop, eating carapods. And there's a couple verses there in the Amplified
it says, and he would have continued eating there but it could not satisfy.
Could not satisfy. And then there's a powerful verse that says, and he came to
himself. He suddenly realized who he was, who he could be, where he'd come from,
what was possible. There was a moment of awakening and he came to himself and he
said, I'm going back to the Father. I'm going back to who I am. I'm remembering
who I am. And there's another fascinating part about that. The Father greets him
while he's still a long way off. I believe the Holy Spirit, I believe God's
gonna meet you even when you're a long way off during this week. And he throws a
party, kills the fatted calf, and then
He says something so amazing.
He says, my son was dead, but now he's alive.
Resurrection power, that's what we're celebrating today.
My son was dead.
He forgot who he was, but now he's alive.
We're gonna have a party.
I pray at the end of these seven days together
that you're gonna be able to say that.
I was dead, but now I'm alive.
I have new life in me.
Because 2 Corinthians 5, 17 in the Passion Translation
says now if anyone, that's you, that's me,
anyone is enfolded, other translations say grafted
into Christ, he has become an entirely,
entirely, completely, totally new creation.
All that's related to the old order has vanished.
Behold, everything is fresh and new.
This call is about releasing the old
and stepping into the new, into the fresh,
into the fullness of all that God has for you.
I'm so excited about that.
I am so excited.
I pray you are too.
I mean, my heart is just beating.
My prayers are just circling for each one of you
that this is, that you let go of anything that you knew,
that you don't allow yourself to get religious
and don't allow your brain to say, oh yeah,
I know that and tune it out,
but that today you'll have a fresh revelation,
a fresh revelation.
So the key idea, each day there'll be a key idea.
So today's key idea is that I can choose,
I can choose to let go.
I can choose to release.
One more verse, we're gonna get into it.
Philippians 3, 13 and 14 in the Passion translation.
He says, I don't depend on my own strength
to accomplish this.
Today we're not depending on our own strength.
We're inviting the Holy Spirit to do this fresh work
that's been promised.
We're opening our hearts to receive this fresh.
We're not muscling.
It's not my might, not by strength,
not by willpower, but by the very spirit of God
to accomplish this.
However, I do have one compelling focus.
This is our compelling focus, the purpose of these calls.
One compelling focus.
I forget all of the past
as I fasten my heart to the future instead.
I run straight for the divine invitation.
Today I pray you are running straight for
the divine invitation of who God is calling you to be,
the purposes he's placed in you,
the power he's placed in you,
the way he has uniquely woven you together
and fashioned you.
I pray that today is the day that you choose
to stop believing the lies, to stop playing small,
to release the old mindsets that are based on lies.
Release the mindsets of believing in lack,
that you are not enough, or you don't have enough,
or there's not enough time.
Believe the mindsets of separation, that God is far away.
Release, like Paul said, the childish things.
Release the sin that entangles the weight.
And I like not just the theological definition of sin,
which means missing the mark,
but I like the acronym, self-inflicted nonsense.
Releasing the self-inflicted nonsense.
Releasing the judgment of yourself and others.
Releasing the criticism of yourself and others.
Releasing your perceived failure.
It's not failure, it was an important lesson,
an important stepping stone.
In making you who you are and allowing you to minister
in the way you're called to minister.
No failure, just lessons.
Releasing the pain, releasing the suffering.
You know, we're the only creature on the planet
that God has made.
that beats themself up over and over and over again for the same mistake this is
not God this is not biblical today I pray you release your past and today I
pray you step into the new I pray you get a new perspective a new vantage
point new insights new mindset new life today the key idea I can choose to let
go it is your God-given choice you can choose not to God has made you have
free will you can choose you can choose to let go release the old mindsets
childish things sin judgment criticism failure pain and you can choose to walk
in the new Isaiah says behold I'm doing a new thing will you not perceive it we
need perception we need perspective we need insight we need revelation we need
a new mindset to walk in the life that God has so every day when you do your
morning spiritual practice begin by setting an intention intention is so
powerful I don't have time to teach on it but I can tell you scientifically
there's been so much research done on intention all of nature responds to our
intention you can set intention toward plants and the plants will grow or the
plants will die intention is powerful so today as you go into this call what is
your intention what old desire do you desire to release write it down in your
journal write it down say I choose my intention is I choose to release and
then fill in the blank what is your intention I choose I choose what are you
choosing and now let's pray over that intention let's pray over this call
father I thank you for this day I thank you for your word your living
transforming word the truth the light unto our path I thank you that you have
promised that old things when we engraft ourself in you old things pass away they
disappear they dissolve into nothingness I thank you that old things are gone
behind us as far as the East is from the West and all things become new Holy
Spirit I ask that today you renew our mind I ask that you open our hearts I
ask for a fresh season of refreshing I ask for a washing of our mind in the
word a renewing of our mind I asked for a washing of our heart I asked that
today miracles happen for everyone listening to this call move Holy Spirit
have your way we step into the new with you thank you that today chains are
being broken chains of beating ourselves up chains of holding on to the
past chains of fear chains of unforgiveness chains of suffering and
pain thank you that they're being broken in Jesus name today is a new day today
is a new day
now I'd like for you to get in a comfortable place we're going to do a
little bit of visualization a little guided meditation it's based on Micah
719 that says that he will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea
so I'd like for you right
Now to get in a comfortable place, your feet on the ground if you're able to, your back straight.
I'd like for you to just take a couple cleansing breaths. Just breathe in
and release. Relax your whole body. Breathe in everything that we've just discussed,
all the good that God has for you, the power of the Holy Spirit. Breathe it in.
Exhale, let go of everything that no longer serves you.
One more deep breath.
And I'd like you to imagine that you're sitting in a movie theater in one of those
really comfortable chairs and you're just comfortable there and you're looking at this huge
screen. And as you watch the screen, all of a sudden you tune in and you realize that
there's this beautiful meadow right beside a lake, beautiful clear crystal lake.
And the meadow is filled with beautiful flowers. The sun seems to just dance on every leaf and
every flower. The air is so crisp, you can just feel it. And you notice that there's a person.
And you try to look at focus and you zoom in and you notice that that person is you.
You realize it's you.
You are in this beautiful place.
You are smelling the fragrance of the flowers, feeling the warmth of the sunshine,
and seeing the sparkling water. And there's something in your spirit that calls you
to get in the water. You walk over, you have your shoes off,
you have very light, comfortable clothing, and you put your foot in the water and you realize
that it feels so good. There's something almost magical about this water. It's so refreshing.
And you feel a call from the deep to your deep. You feel called to go in to the deep.
So you keep on walking deeper and deeper and deeper.
And as you're going under the water, you realize that there is something happening to you.
You realize that there is something happening. There is a washing. There is a cleansing.
There is a releasing. It's as if the water is removing everything dead on you.
Every weight on you. It's almost as if every thought,
every lie, everything that is clung to you, everything that has held you back,
it's as if it's being washed. And you decide that you're going to take the plunge.
You hold your breath and you go down, down, under, under, under, and everything is washing
off of you. Everything is being left behind. You're being cleansed. You're being renewed.
You're being washed. You hold your breath as long as you can. It's such a good feeling.
You want every bit of cleansing to take place. You secretly pray, Holy Spirit, wash it all.
Holy Spirit, take it all. Holy Spirit, I surrender all. Holy Spirit, I die to the ego.
I die to the old. I die to everything that is not meant to be in me. I leave it behind right now.
Hold your breath. Hold it. And then you come up out of the water.
Oh, you take a deep breath of new life. You take a new breath.
and you begin to walk out of the water into the warm sunshine. The sun is
brighter, the air is cleaner and fresher, and you are lighter. You know that
something has changed. You know that you have left behind and you are reminded
that you have cast all of your sin, physical, emotional, spiritual, every
self-inflicted nonsense, every lie that you held on to, every belief that wasn't
serving you, everything that was keeping you playing small, everything that was
keeping you stuck.