MENTAL INDEPENDENCE

THE WORLD has been deliberate in programming our thinking since our childhood. We are given rules based on our own power to obey them, and to stop ourselves from engaging in immoral behaviour that’s been programmed into us since childhood. The idea is to set us up to think that we cannot live by God’s Word, and that God must understand, or He would be unreasonable.

When we teach children repeatedly through PG-13-rated movies that one-night stands are normal and ‘if it feels right, it’s okay’, we set them up to think that sexual purity is irrelevant, old-fashioned, unnecessary, and near impossible. These are strongholds. When it comes to strongholds, the only power we have is to cooperate with the Spirit of God. We have no power on our own to break them permanently. Rules and regulations only reinforce strongholds. For example, if I say, do not think about a blue horse, a blue horse immediately comes to mind.

The Bible points us to the power of God to destroy strongholds. To do this, we must align ourselves with the power of God. As Christians, the weapons we fight with aren’t the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Divine power is available to Christians to destroy strongholds, but we must align ourselves with it. God’s power is manifested in the believer through His Holy Spirit and His Word, and it topples the strongholds of every anti-god way of thinking. To be victorious, we must rid ourselves of everything that will interfere with the free flow of the Spirit of God in our lives.

ACCEPT GOD’S WAY OF THINKING

We must first identify and repent of any anti-god thinking. Whatever thinking or mindset we realise is against God’s Word and principles, like a stronghold of fear or of thinking ‘I am a failure’, then we must repent of that type of thinking. To repent means ‘to change our minds’, not just to feel sorry. We must change our minds, renounce our former way of thinking and, in the process, decide to accept God’s way of thinking. To renounce means “…to refuse to follow or obey…”. Renouncing means refusing to follow and obey the way of thinking, speaking, or doing what we are accustomed to. Refuse to be imprisoned by wrong attitudes, and break the hold of strongholds.

As we discover strongholds in our lives, we may also discover persons that were part of the root cause for us having these ungodly belief systems. It may have been a teacher, parent, or someone who had influence over you.

We must next forgive anyone who contributed to the situation. The Bible teaches, “And what I have forgiven — if there was anything to forgive — I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NIV).

Unforgiveness gives Satan an opportunity to outwit us. Forgiveness is a choice by the victim, solely for the good of the victim. Seeking and giving forgiveness is the pathway to controlling our emotions, thinking, and judgement. It enables us to experience positive feelings, contentment, and inner peace. Choose deliberately to forgive everyone for any way in which they contributed to your unbelief of God and His Word and release them from the responsibility for your problems. In releasing them, we will also release ourselves. As we reflect on Independence, it’s a perfect day to take the first steps to emancipate ourselves mentally and choose to walk in the blessings of a godly life.