#ProjectC61920 Day 12: Mental Resiliency

#ProjectC61920 Day 12: Mental Resiliency

Resiliency is defined as “the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.” This means mental resiliency is the ability to not be shaken (as my oldest daughter loves to recite, ad nauseum) when difficult circumstances would otherwise bend us out of shape. The ability to take a punch makes you last longer in a fight. Likewise, if you’re able to bend (and not break) when an unanticipated situation arises, you’ll find a lot more confidence and a lot less drama in your life.

In order for us to even begin building the house of mental resilience, we must set the foundation (Matt. 7:24-27). We must ask ourselves, “What are my core beliefs?” What is it that you know for sure, no matter what happens, is true and immovable? In order to ask these questions, we must disregard the humanistic futility that is relativism. Relativism says that truth, morality, and even knowledge are subjective, and therefore not absolute. Now before you start telling me that only the Sith deal in absolutes, I put to you that every single human being believes in absolutes. Without absolutes, no society in the world could function. Here’s an excerpt from a book I’ve just recently finished, C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity:

But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too—for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless—I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely my idea of justice—was full of sense.

When you really think about it, relativism is a child’s attempt to avoid losing a game by changing the rules, mid-game.

So what are some Christian, Biblical beliefs (a.k.a. doctrines) that we can—and should—hold onto?

What is the Bible?

If you’re going to accept instruction from it, you must acknowledge that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God for our good (2 Timothy 3:16). If you believe that the Bible has even one error in it, then the entire thing becomes subjective and untrustworthy.

Who am I?

Knowing the answer to this question will answer 95% of the philosophical debates that man has ever had. For the entirety of existence, man has grappled with this question. And yet, the question is only difficult (actually impossible) to answer if you remove God’s truth from the equation. The Bible tells us very plainly: We are His creation, made by Him and for Him. We are people with whom God desires a relationship. We are dependent on Him for life and purpose. For a great list to review about some attributes of who we are in Christ, go here.

Who is God?

We must acknowledge that God is the Sovereign Creator of everything (John 1:1-3, 5). He created everything, and everything is His to command, with or without its knowledge or consent. If we do not accept this truth, then we will never be able to move on to anything else. This will define your relationship with God, with your spouse, and with everyone and everything else in the world. As I remember Pastor John Hagee saying, “Either Jesus is Lord of all, or he’s not Lord at all.”

What is the role of the Church?

The Church is the Bride of Christ and just as Eve was made for Adam, we are to further the Kingdom and cause of Christ in the world and the next. The list of commands we are to obey as Christians (and subsequently as the church) is as long as the Bible is thick, but if we boil it down to the primary pillars of the Church, we are to know God and make Him known to the world (1 Corinthians 1:23, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:42). A great resource to read on the role of the Church is The Purpose-Driven Chruch by Rick Warren.

So what do we do with this information? With the previous questions answered, we are able to more boldly go forward in our lives, knowing these things to be true and unshakable because they are based on the truth of the Word.

1.       Commit to the path, even if you don’t know it.

o   God will lead you one day at a time. Pray to Him and ask Him for guidance in both big and small decisions.

o   Document your commitments and review them regularly. When you say you’re going to do something, write it down and get someone to hold you accountable.

2.       Be ready for “trouble” (John 16:33).

o   If you take the path to God, you can be sure it will not be a paved path.

o   Don’t let your being offended force someone to defend themselves. Being resilient means standing strong, but don’t force others to change to save yourself from being bent yourself. Remember, God changes people, not us (Romans 12:18).

o   Be willing to endure persecution and adversity. Satan will send his hordes against you, but remember: People are never our enemy; Satan, our sin nature, and the world system are the real enemy (2 Corinthians 10:3, Ephesians 6:12).

3.       Embrace challenges from time to time; get out of your comfort zone

4.       Recognize the power and role of your emotions.

o   Do not let your emotions ruin your progress. Emotions aren’t evil, but they are powerful and the immature let their emotions sway with every breeze (Ephesians 4:14).

o   Master your emotions; don’t repress them. Seek to align them with God’s truth, then you can revel in them.

Lay a foundation. Stand on it. Invite others onto it.

#walkwithme

#ProjectC61920 Day 11: Spiritual Resilience

#ProjectC61920 Day 11: Spiritual Resilience

As we stated yesterday, resistance is anything that impedes or attempts to prevent movement or progression of something. In our Christian walk, resistance over time is called a trial or tribulation. 

Isn’t it amazing that people find no issue with training with weights and resistances at the gym, but when it comes to our spiritual lives, we balk against any difficulty or form of persecution. But it is in this exact thing which Paul exhorts us to rejoice when he says “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4, italics added). Just as iron must strike iron to produce a sharper edge, or as a hammer must impact a piece of steel to make a sword that can withstand many battles, so we must embrace—and even rejoice in—our spiritual blows as we know each instance can strengthen us, if we allow God to work in us through them.

Remember how I said physical resistance differs from spiritual resistance. Well, that’s half true.

Have you ever heard someone day “God never gives you more than you can handle”? This is a misrepresentation of 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says the God will not tempt us beyond what we are able, and will provide a way of escape so that we are able to endure. God will usually allow us to be met with more resistance than we can handle because He wants us to lean on Him, our only hope, for victory. Temptation is somewhat different that resistance. Temptation allows us to doom ourselves, while resistance attempts to cause us to fail by the choice of others. We should not put ourselves in a position which we know we will be tempted to fail. Temptation will come all on its own. No need to help it.

One way we can exercise our own spiritual resistance is to get out of our comfort zone. The most clear way I’ve understood this to occur is when I made (and continue to make) the conscious choice to believe the Bible no matter what it says. It’s hard to accept some things in the Bible. It’s uncomfortable. Our own pride then becomes the resistance that we must strive against. We must deny the personal tendency to allow our own intellect to be the final judge of what is true and what is not. We have to consciously and consistently choose to believe every word of the Bible. I have found this hard with more than a couple of passages. Verses that say a wife should submit to her husband, that we shouldn’t worry (even though it’s so natural right?), or that nothing good or bad we can do can make us more or less saved…these passages are hard to swallow. But I choose to trust in His Word because when I think about it, it has never been wrong. We must all make this decision, or we’ll never move past it.

In summary, remember that resistance builds strength. Resistance over time is a trial/tribulation. Our perspective, as Christians, of trials should be one of relative joy and appreciation, because God has a plan for our growth and character through it. This is not something that comes easily; it takes practice and exercise. And don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and step out in faith on the Word of God and its commands and promises.

#walkwithme 

#projectC61920 Day 10: Physical Resilience

#projectC61920 Day 10: Physical Resilience

The next few days will be about building resiliency. The ability to withstand hardships in our four focal areas. Today, we’ll talk about physical resiliency.

In order to become resilient, we need two things: resistance and time. Resistance is anything that impedes or attempts to prevent movement or progression of something. In physical training, we often use resistance weights to make movements more difficult in order to produce endurance and overall strength increase. These weights, when combined with our choice to strive against them, results in the destruction of the weakest fibers of our muscles. These fibers tear apart under the strain of exercise (this is why we feel sore after a good workout), but they are stronger afterward, once they’ve healed. The next time we use them, those fibers will survive the exercise and the next weakest ones will be torn and rebuilt. Thus the cycle perpetuates. But none of this is possible without resistance. No amount of mental knowledge or emotional direction can strengthen a muscle. Only resistance will produce stronger fibers. Only the rending of the weakest fibers will allow them to become more than they were.

We must also work out the muscles of our body properly. We must ensure that we do not take on more than our strength can handle safely. This is where it differs from our spiritual experience. Spiritual resistance can come in the form of temptation, which is somewhat different from external resistance. But more on that tomorrow.

In order to ensure physical safety, we must focus our exercises on both the muscles that are naturally strong, and those that are not. There is a benefit to working in your strengths, but you cannot allow your weaknesses to be a weak link in the physical chain. Just as an alcoholic should not spend time at a bar, we should not put on so much weight that we break ourselves. We must take it a little at a time. Christianity is not a destination (though there certainly is one!); it is a journey. A journey has many steps and several destinations along the way. We don’t start by benching 300lbs. We start with what we can handle safely (which for me was only 90lbs in the beginning), and we practice. Before I knew it, I was able to bench 105, then 115. It takes time, and there are no shortcuts. You cannot force a flower to bloom before it is ready, or you risk completely destroying the flower. Similarly, you cannot force your body to do what is not capable of doing. Now, I do believe that most human bodies are capable of far more than the mind is aware, but that kind of strain should be done with professional supervision whenever possible. Remember, consider the risk you put on God’s temple when you work out!

Don’t forget to incorporate resistance/strength training in your workouts. Most gyms have both strength and cardio equipment. Take advantage of what you have access to.

One final note. Though we’ve discussed not putting yourself on overload, remember not to cheat yourself. Paul said he buffeted/disciplined his body (allowed it to go through resistance and toughening experiences) and made it his slave (1 Corinthians 9:27). Paul also said he would not be mastered by his body (1 Corinthians 6:12). Be the master of your body. Buffet and discipline your body. You cannot change your flesh nature, you cannot change your genetics, you cannot exchange the temple God gave you. But you can remind it of who is boss.

#walkwithme

#projectC61920 Day 9: Social Exercise

#projectC61920 Day 9: Social Exercise

God created us to be social creatures. You may think you’re content to live along in the mountains with nothing but you, God and the pine trees, but no man is an island. I understand the desire for periodic (or even frequent) solitude. It can do your mind a whole lot of good to limit the social and technological stimulation from time to time. But ultimately, we are going to have to interact with people. God commanded man to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the Earth (Genesis 1:22). The two greatest commandments in all of Scripture even deal with relationships and social behaviors and attitudes (Mark 12:28-31)!

Something I hear from too many Christians today is that they would go to church except their last pastor said something they didn’t like. Someone was mean to them. They didn’t like that the church they attended got into debt (an issue I struggled with for a long time). Someone sat in “their” pew. 

The music was too loud/inconsistent. These are all valid reasons to be irritated. They are not, however, acceptable reasons to give up on the Church. I use two different styles of referencing “the church” when I write.

The “Church” refers to the Bride of Christ, the sanctified Body of believers across time and globe.

The “church” refers to the local community gathering that a Christian attends with regularity.

As I stated, the Church is the Bride of Christ. By refusing to be a part of the local body, you are, by extension, refusing the Bride herself. Now, I know a lot of wives in the world that are, shall we say, less than stellar. I’ve known plenty of wives (and husbands for the record) that infuriate me with how they treat their husbands and other people in general. But I don’t go around insulting other men’s wives—and with good reason. It’s rude and puts me at risk of getting a well-earned punch. How much more do think Christ feels about those who treat and speak of His bride this way. And we all know that the Church has had more than a few blemishes on its record, but Paul reminds us that Christ has a plan for the Church (eph 5:25-26), so we need not worry about trying to even the scales in this life.

The crux is simply this: As Christians, we should go to church because we are commanded to (Heb. 1-:25, Col. 3:16). Additionally, the church is a great place to socialize in a safe place where Christ is revered. If your local church isn’t anything like that, consider visiting a new church. Just like if a school isn’t working out for your child, you often have the opportunity to move them to a better one. As a good friend of mine said, “If you live in the Bible Belt [the South] and you don’t get saved, it’s absolutely your own dang fault because there’s a church on every street corner!”

If you didn’t like your co-workers where you worked, would you throw up your hands and never work another day in your life? Probably not. You’d just find a new or different place to work. The same is true for the schools we put our kids in, so why not the same for church?

If you have children, chances are they’re going to learn social skills quickest from people their age. This is why Christ instituted church, so that Christians could have a community, not just a 3+ person family unit, to learn the Word as well as good social behaviors and norms.

I am grateful that I was raised in a home where church was a major element of our lives. The best friends I’ve ever had in my life, I met in church. I heard the gospel in church. I was baptized and discipled in church. I am who I am because of Christ and His work, largely done in and through people and ministries found at my local church.

Don’t forsake His Bride!

#walkwithme

#projectC61920 Day 8: Mental Exercise

#projectC61920 Day 8: Mental Exercise

While we’re busy renewing our minds through regular Bible study, it’s also important for us to remember to keep our academic minds alert as well. That part of your mind that you engaged in elementary, middle, and/or high school, that you put to the test in college, it needs to be stretched regularly, just like any muscle you work out in a gym. Our brains are a muscle, and we must exercise that muscle.

There are a few ways we can do this. There’s formal education (getting your high school diploma/GED, college classes, undergraduate and graduate degrees, etc.), incidental education (on-the-job training beyond the minimum required for your position, vocational cross-training), and elective education (online or correspondence courses outside a degree plan, technical certification courses, even YouTube videos!). Any or a combination of these things can keep your mind sharp.

But in order to learn, we have to remember to remain teachable. As I’ve grown older, I’ve felt the draw to think that I’ve learned enough to earn some respect. But let’s face it, we don’t know everything (especially when we think we do), and we never will. Everyone and everything can teach us something. So when you’re at your job and you find yourself under the supervision (or employment!) of someone younger than you, don’t let your pride kick into gear. Everyone can teach you something, even if it’s how not to do something. And we have to remember that there’s always something more to learn that will make us better people.

• ·         Noah was 480 years old when God told him to learn to be a carpenter and sailor (when sailing hadn’t even been invented yet) and build the ark (Gen. 6:1-8:13). And after just over 120 years, he sailed in the first boat and it’s not even recorded that he ever did after the flood waters receded.
• ·         Moses was raised under Pharaoh as an Egyptian noble until he was 40, then had to learn to be a shepherd for the next 40 years, after which, he had to learn some serious leadership and desert survival skills to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and across the desert (Acts 7:23-24, Acts 7:30, Exodus 7:3, Numbers 32:13).
• ·         David was a musician for the King (1 Sam. 16:23) and shepherd for his father (1 Sam. 16:11, 17:15). He developed marksmanship skills with a slingshot which allowed him to be a warrior with less than a day’s notice (1 Sam. 17:49-51), and then had to learn to be king later in his life (1 Sam. 6:13, 2 Sam. 2:7)
• ·         Paul was a scholar among the Pharisees (Acts 23:6; 26:5) turned preacher after his conversion (Acts 17:16-34).
• ·         Many of the prophets were not groomed to be prophets, but rather had to gain those skills.

If these people had been unwilling to expand their horizons, many who are now in the “Hall of Faith” would never have been included.

As far as formal, traditional education, I’m not saying you have to be a Rhode Scholar, either. Peter and John were known for being “uneducated” (which really meant not scholarly). But it doesn’t mean they were incapable of learning or didn’t even seek knowledge. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing educational credentials if you have the opportunity. I myself have just signed up to pursue a Master’s degree using the educational benefits I have been blessed with from my time in the Army.

There are also non-traditional forms of self-education that can exercise our minds. I’m a big fan of YouTube tutorials. Many users on there often try to make their lessons quite entertaining in order to garner views. Help them and help yourself! Just don’t get too distracted by all the pure entertainment on those websites! In a society where education is a click away, we should avail ourselves to learn something new every day.

So the challenge for today is:

• 1.       Set a goal for yourself. Whether it’s getting a degree, finishing one, getting certified in a technical field, or being proficiently cross-trained in some vocational skill, set a quantifiable goal and ley out the steps to achieving it.
• 2.       Learn something today. Pick out a topic of some practical skill (growing a garden, cooking, making clothes or furniture, learning the parts and functions of personal computers, learning a language like sign language) and get started. Learn something you can put to use as a hobby or a service. Just learn something new!

Stretch your mind and make it a habit!

#walkwithme

#projectC61920 Day 4: Mental Character

#projectC61920 Day 4: Mental Character

• 
  
  “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.”
  Psalms 51:1-19 NASB
  
  
  This passage has always been a significant one for me. This was the prayer that David prayed after his session with Bathsheba. Many times, I would pray that this would be the state of my heart and mind toward God. While this passage displays an obviously appropriate spiritual posture for us to have, it also represents the correct mental posture that we should have as well, especially in our failures. For me, it is often so easy to focus on the fact that I have failed, to focus on my weaknesses and to embrace that self-loathing that comes from Satan. Satan wants us to hate ourselves, because after all, he hates us. And if he can get our minds into the state where we hate ourselves too, then we will find ourselves not in a state of repentance, but in a self-centered, self-focused mentality. 
  
  
  When I was younger, I struggled for years with deep-seeded depression. I saw myself as a constant failure, within an inability to measure up to others' standards that I had invented for myself. Inside, I took some small subconscious comfort in telling myself that by thinking so little of myself, I was actually being humble. But the reality was that this was just another form of pride masquerading itself as humility. This mental self-punishment did not bring me any closer to God or to other people. On the contrary, it isolated me further, destroying friendships and relationships that I had, and ruining future relationships as well. This was Satan's plan all along: distance me from God and others, fill my mind with lies, and make me feel so weak as if I were incapable of resisting any form of temptation at all, and then walk right in and claim his prize: my soul. 
  
  
  It wasn't until I was 16 years old but I saw the truth of Christ and became a believer in Christ. My eyes were opened to the truth that God knew every flaw I had, had seen every mistake I've ever made, and still, in spite of all that, He still loved me enough to send His only Son to take a punishment for me that I didn't even realize I had earned (Rom. 5:8). So I confessed my sinfulness to the Lord, I repenteded of my sins, and asked Him to come into my heart and forgive me. I thanked Him for what He did to save me. I was baptized about a year later. 
  
  
  Since that time, I've been far from perfect, from time to time. It's not that I've disregarded God's command to be holy (1 Peter 1:15), or that I think that my salvation gives me freedom to sin all I want (Romans 6:1-4), it's that I still battle with my sin nature. And I've failed many times in this struggle.
  
  
  Think of it like this: When a person gets a heart transplant, the condition that was going to kill him is cured. But that person has to take anti-rejection medicine often for the rest of their lives in order to prevent relapses into their previous condition. Christianity is a lot like that. God saves us from eternal consequences of our sin, but we still have to seek Him for the rest of our lives, otherwise, we won't be any more like Christ and it will get to the point where no one would even know that we were a Christian at all. 
  
  
  The Christian walk is, I think, an exercise in training our minds to understand God’s image of who we are. I think that as we draw closer to His image of us, we will both be humbled and honored. We are helpless, ugly, filthy creatures that have stained ourselves with the dye of sin. We are also creatures made in the image of God and that Christ has died a horrible death in order to save.
  
  
  So what do we do to get a correct mental picture? Just like previously stated: get in the Word. 
  
  
  ·      Romans 12:2 = Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
  ·      Romans 8:6-8 = If you set your mind on the flesh, you are hostile toward God and are not even able to subject yourself to God
  ·      Philippians 4:8 = Think about the right things. Let (or force) your mind to dwell on these things.
  ·      Psalm 119:18 = David asked for his eyes to be opened to the truth of the Word.
  ·      Romans 15:4 = Scripture is good for instruction and encouragement.
  
  
  These are just a few verses, but you get the idea. Fill your mind with truth, and you’ll be able to see who you really are in Christ. Perspective is one of the most important aspects of your mental life. It governs your reality, your goals, and your understanding of your own purpose. Guard your perspective and ensure you're getting it from the Word, and not other people or your own feelings. 
  
  
  #walkwithme

#projectC61920 Day 7: Spiritual Exercise

#projectC61920 Day 7: Spiritual Exercise

When we talk about exercising our spiritual walk, we’re talking about Philippians 2:12 (working out your salvation), James 2:26 (Faith without works is dead), and Matthew 7:19-20 (don’t be fruitless; you’ll be known by the fruit you produce). Simply put, go out and seek to do things in and with your life that enhance and strengthen your spiritual walk.

What are some of these things?

The first spiritual exercise that everyone should definitely include in their lives is spending time in the Word daily. Daily Bible study will not only fill your mind with knowledge, but it will change your mind (Rom. 12:2).

The next step of exercising your spiritual muscles starts where it all started: when you came to know Christ. Thus, the first step is for you to know your personal testimony. Write it down. Memorize it to the point that you can conversationally share it with someone. Know the Scripture passages that support what you’ve experienced (1 John 5:13). Practice sharing it with a fellow Christian that may even be able to role-play witnessing with you (Proverbs 27:17).

Once you know your personal testimony, share your testimony. That’s right, find someone today or this week to share your experience with Christ with (Matt. 28:19). The more you share your story, the easier and less intimidating it will become. Don’t worry if you don’t have a Pauline conversion story. You don’t have to have come from a background of martyring Christians then experience a Damascus Road event where Christ Himself showed up and blinded you in order to convert people. Remember: God changes people, we don’t (Ezekiel 36:26-27). We are only called to be witnesses of what Christ has done in our lives.

These are the basic steps of the Christian walk. Begin here. Make them habits and disciplines.

For advice and strategies on sharing your testimony, research William Fay’s book Share Jesus Without Fear, or the F.A.I.T.H. Evangelism method (just google “FAITH evangelism”). These tools give you Scripture to memorize, testimony articulation assistance, and conversation strategies to develop relationships with people and steer conversations toward evangelistic topics.

#walkwithme