Little by Little

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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.

Romans 12:1–2 RVR60

Así que, hermanos, os ruego por las misericordias de Dios, que presentéis vuestros cuerpos en sacrificio vivo, santo, agradable a Dios, que es vuestro culto racional.No os conforméis a este siglo, sino transformaos por medio de la renovación de vuestro entendimiento, para que comprobéis cuál sea la buena voluntad de Dios, agradable y perfecta.

The Easy-Way-Out Myth

Too often we want to skip the hard work and go directly to the results.

People are always looking for the easy way to get what they want .

A quick fix or some magic formula. 

They want to lose weight without having to cut calories or exercise.

They want to have nice things without having to save the money to buy them.

Nobody wants to suffer or sacrifice.

But the fact is, you and I will never have the things we want to have in life if we aren’t willing to practice the discipline, Self-control it takes to have them.

To put it bluntly, if you want the perks, you have to put in the work!

If You Want the Perks, You Have to Do the Work!

How many times have you heard someone say, “I wish I had what he/she has”?

It may be a successful business or ministry, a slim figure, a happy family, or early retirement.

It’s easy to feel this way when you haven’t taken into account the hard work and self-sacrifice it took for them to get what they have.

But the truth is the good things God has for us don’t just automatically happen.

We have to invest something

time, money into the kingdom of God, our abilities—in order to have everything God has planned for our lives.

I honestly think one of the saddest things in the world is for someone to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, but then never grow past that point and learn how to receive all God’s promises.

Yes, it’s so wonderful to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ

And to know we will spend eternal life with Him

However, the Lord also has so many great things planned for us while we are here on this earth!

Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior will grantee you a spot in heaven.

Are we going to take this journey living a blessed life?

Are we going to take this journey with depression, strife, anger, fear?

Growing Strong from the Inside Out

I believe this is one of Satan’s greatest strategies.

If he can’t keep people from hearing the Gospel

Accepting Christ,

He will do everything he can to make sure we never grow spiritually

He will do everything take make sure we do not experience the peace and joy that’s promised in the Bible.

You see, when we’re born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our heart

God plants a seed of everything He is in our spirit.

He instantaneously deposits inside of us everything we need to live a great life.

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22–23 RVR60

Mas el fruto del Espíritu es amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fe,mansedumbre, templanza; contra tales cosas no hay ley.

Did you know all of these things already exist on the inside of you?

You may wonder, Well, if that’s the case, then why am I not experiencing any of it in my life?

Well, when it comes to the maturity process, we have a part to play.

Our part is to cooperate with God to cultivate and develop His character in our lives so we can experience growth and become more like Him.

How do we do that?

It all begins by spending regular time in God’s Word.

Sowing the Seed of God’s Word

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 RVR60

Porque la palabra de Dios es viva y eficaz, y más cortante que toda espada de dos filos; y penetra hasta partir el alma y el espíritu, las coyunturas y los tuétanos, y discierne los pensamientos y las intenciones del corazón.

When we spend time in God’s Word, we are spending time with God.

His Word changes us—it changes how we think and how we act.

It changes how we see God, ourselves and the world around us.

I want you to take a moment and read Romans 12:2 with me.

Read it slowly and allow it to get deep down inside of you.

It’s a scripture that changed my life, and I know it can do the same for you

Romans 12:2 NIV

Do not conform 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.

Romans 12:2 RVR60

No os conforméis a este siglo, sino transformaos por medio de la renovación de vuestro entendimiento, para que comprobéis cuál sea la buena voluntad de Dios, agradable y perfecta.

You see, God has a good and acceptable and perfect plan for our lives,

We must renew our minds with God’s Word before we can experience it!

That is exchange our thoughts with Gods thoughts.

That is exchange our ways with God’s ways.

Patience in the Process

Romans 8:25 NIV

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:25 RVR60

Pero si esperamos lo que no vemos, con paciencia lo aguardamos.

It’s important to remember that growing spiritually is a process.

When I first began to read and study God’s Word, I immediately saw things I needed to change.

For a while, I felt guilty and condemned that I wasn’t “measuring up.”

However, God helped me to understand that He never shows us these things to condemn us and make us feel guilty.

As we read and mediate on the Word we will grow and come up higher in the area of patience.

However, God always gives us the grace to do what He is asking us to do.

He doesn’t expect us to change ourselves—only God can change us!

So, little by little, by God’s grace, I began to change and experience growth.

But it is a process—it will not happen overnight.

Not Perfect, but Changing

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 RVR60

Por tanto, nosotros todos, mirando a cara descubierta como en un espejo la gloria del Señor, somos transformados de gloria en gloria en la misma imagen, como por el Espíritu del Señor.

The Lord changes us a little at a time.

None of us will ever be perfect until we get to Heaven, and that’s okay.

But as long as we’re here on this earth, God desires for us to continually cooperate with Him to learn and grow.

As we do—as we continue to grow spiritually and change “from glory to glory”

We will experience the incredible peace

Joy and fulfillment that only God can give us.

And we will show the world around us what God is really like.

So how do we renew our mind?

With the Word of God!

It is full of life and has power to change us.

But we can’t just read it and expect to be victorious Christians.

We have to study it.

Think of it this way.

You wouldn’t go to a doctor who didn’t study, would you?

And no one expects to become a doctor without studying.

It’s the same way for us.

To really know the Word of God and be changed by the Truth, we have to study.

And we have to be patient and persevere.

I thank God for what I know, but it’s taken more than thirty years for me to know it. And I’m still learning every single day.

Make This Your New Normal

Over the years, the Lord has shown me so much about the power of our thoughts. In fact, the two major lessons He has taught me are...

1. Our thoughts affect every single area of our lives.

2. We have a choice—we can choose our thoughts!

I often say this is where Satan fights us—in the mind. 

He tries to get us caught up thinking bad or negative thoughts.

But as believers who have the Word of God inside of us, we have the tools to defeat him.

Ephesians 4:23 NIV

to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

Ephesians 4:23 RVR60

y renovaos en el espíritu de vuestra mente,

This is so important, because it’s impossible to have a positive, peaceful life and have a negative mind.

I’ve discovered that when we take time to renew our minds with God’s Word, we...

1. Learn how to think like God thinks

2. We start saying what God says

3. And we start acting like He wants us to act. 

Then we can have what He wants us to have—

Abundant life in Christ

Filled with His righteousness

Peace and joy

So, when is your mind “normal”?

So many people live in a negative home

With anxious and fearful thoughts

The crazy thing is these people think it’s normal because they’ve thought and lived this way for years.

1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV

for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:16 RVR60

Porque ¿quién conoció la mente del Señor? ¿Quién le instruirá? Mas nosotros tenemos la mente de Cristo.

However, First Corinthians 2:16 says we have the mind of Christ.

Many people think it’s normal to worry, but as a Christian, worrying is not a normal way of thinking. 

Philippians 4:6 says we are to be anxious for nothing.

This doesn’t mean we won’t ever feel worried, but when we do, we can pray and give it to God.

We can have His peace while we go through a hard time.

I used to spend so much of my time worrying about my problems.

I would constantly think, What if? and run through every scenario.

I had to figure everything out! 

However, God wants us to experience His peace.

He wants us to cast our cares on Him and choose to trust Him

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 RVR60

echando toda vuestra ansiedad sobre él, porque él tiene cuidado de vosotros.

One way we trust God is by refusing to worry

Refusing to dwell on all of our fears and the what ifs.

You Can Choose!

It was such a revelation for me when I realized I didn’t have to think about just anything that came into my mind.

I could choose my thoughts and do my own thinking—on purpose.

It all begins with renewing our minds. The choice is up to us.

Here’s where to begin:

Make the decision to spend time each day reading the bible

Meditating on the Word.

And apply the wisdom you discover to your everyday life. 

As you do your part to renew your mind, God will do His.

And you’ll love the transformation that comes with having the mind of Christ!

Why Trying Harder Won’t Change Your Life

Change is necessary – it’s part of life.

Most people would say they want change in their lives.

They want circumstances to change, people to change, the world to change

And it seems it rarely occurs to us that we need to change.

The truth is, you probably have a lot more to do with change happening than you realize.

You can’t keep doing things the way you’ve always done them.

We can’t keep doing things the way you've always done them and hope or expect to get a different result.

For years I tried to make things in my life change and didn’t get anywhere.

I would study the Bible and try.

I would go to church and hear a message and try.

Then I would tell God how hard I was trying

Thinking maybe He’d feel sorry for me.

And then I would go into my “drama” and say, “I just give up, God…”

The problem was, I was “trying” in my own strength, and I needed God’s help.

I needed to realize the truth about myself and my situation before I could get His help and see results

What Are You Meditating On?

Part of studying is meditating – rolling something over and over in your mind or pondering it.

If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate.

It’s usually not hard to meditate on a problem all day long, if you let yourself.

We don’t really know how messed up our thinking is until we study God’s Word and realize what we should be thinking.

The Word is like a mirror

It shows us the way we should be and the way we are.

Until I looked in the Word, I thought everybody else was the problem, not me.

So, what’s been on your mind lately?

Stop and think about what you’ve been thinking about.

The good news is, you can think whatever you want to think.

You can change.

Everything is subject to change except God Himself.

But you have to stop wasting your time saying things like,

My life is never going to change.

My finances are never going to change.

My marriage and children will never change…

Start saying what the Word says: “All things are possible with God.

And I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!”

And think about good things so there’s no room for bad things.

Do your own thinking – don’t let the devil do it for you.

You can change anything.

Your circumstances

Your family

Your marriage

Your finances

There’s nothing You can’t change.

Self-discipline is a fruit of the Spirit that develops when we do the right thing consistently, over and over again, for a long time.

It’s about getting rid of an “I wish I had” attitude and having an attitude of “I’m going to go for it!.” 

It may include paying off debt,

Getting proper nutrition and exercise

Changing the way you think and speak

Spending quality time with God and in His Word every day.

As you become disciplined in every area of your life, you will become equipped to handle bigger responsibilities and privileges in the future.

God has amazing plans for your life!

As long as you’re willing to do your part and trust Him to do what you can’t do, you will make progress...little by little.