For the believer the only New Covenant process for personal transformation is:
1.Put off the old man (any view you have of yourself that is not based on your new identity in Christ),
2. Renew your mind (align your intellectual, conscious thoughts with the Word of God),
3. Then put on the new man (experientially step into your new identity in Christ with all its benefits and promises).
While the phases of the process have been clearly laid out in Scripture, the means to accomplish them have not. We do know that renewing the mind can be done by reading, meditating or pondering the Word, but we definitely know, based on the parable of The Sower and dozens of other Scriptures, that the put off – put on must happen at a deeper-than-conscious level.
In developing tools and programs to help people through this process there are some questions we need to ask before choosing the procedure we will use:
- Does it work with the way God created us or does it violate the natural process?
- Is it consistent with biblical instruction?
- Does it bring the person to a trust and reliance on God and His Word?
- Will I use it in a way to point people to God or to some other source?
- Does it incorporate the principles of Put Off – Put On?
None of the tools I use replace the Word of God; instead, they simply work with the way God created our body and soul to facilitate and prepare us to experience the life of God unhindered. Remember, it is only after we actually believe the Word that the Holy Spirit has anything to work with in bringing us to transformation!
One of the greatest misunderstandings of New Covenant faith lies in the Old Covenant idea that we are attempting to believe so God will give us something instead of believing what God has already given in Christ! So, our greatest struggle isn’t, “Can I get my healing?” My greatest struggle is, “Can I put off this unbelief, this belief that I am still the old man without the life of Christ?” I don’t need to get healed, I need to let go of the beliefs I have about sickness. I don’t need to get prosperity, I need to let go of lack. I need to put off the old man and put on the new man who abides in Christ with all the privileges and promises. My “so called” faith to get anything from God is actually a testament to my lack of belief about what was freely given at the cross.
Maybe the confusion comes when we read the word “receive.” We have an unscriptural concept of receiving. We see it as passive, i.e. we are waiting for God to throw the blessing to us and we will catch it. But the word “receive” comes from a Greek word that means to “take hold of and bring unto yourself.” The promises are already given (2 Peter 1:3), they are already ours in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20) and we are already qualified in Christ (Colossians 1:12), but I can only take hold of and actuate them in my life when I believe the truth in my heart.
We are warned not to plant two different seeds (words/beliefs/opinions) in the same furrow (heart). I must let go of, send away or put off that which contradicts my identity in Jesus and promises of God! Jesus called these the thorns that choke out the Word (Mark 4:18). When that which opposes the Word is removed then God’s Word/seed can grow unhindered in my heart.
Please watch the two exercises (biblically-based EFT (above) and psychological reversal) that will help you put off that which opposes God’s Word and then put on the truth. I use both of these in counseling, personal ministry and in my own life with incredible results. These exercises do not replace faith in your heart, but they do facilitate getting beyond emotions from past traumatic experiences so we can confidently put on our new identity in Christ.
Blessings,
Jim
If you’re interested in learning more about Biblically-Based EFT, you may be interested in Biblically-Based EFT Training. This is a full weekend seminar that covers everything you need to know to effectively use EFT for yourself and others. Click HERE to learn more.