TRANSFORMING TRUTH

Danna Demetre says she really wanted to name this book Change your Mind, Change your Habits, Change your Life. The marketing people at her publishers had other ideas. But the truth of the matter is: The most important thing we can do to change any habit or behavior is to change our thinking. All of our actions, all of our habits, and all our behaviors are a direct result of what we truly believe. If we want to act differently, we must learn to think differently.

Do you remember the four R's I've written about several times? RECOGNIZE + REPLACE + REHEARSE = RENEW. That's the formula to learning to think differently. First, RECOGNIZE, the unhealthy belief (lie). Second, REPLACE it with the truth (from scripture). Third, REHEARSE the truth over and over until it becomes a part of your belief system. Then, RENEWAL of your mind takes place.

Change your Habits, Change your Life employs those same transforming truths. It is the book I've been using in my quiet time for the last 30 days. The first half of Change your Habits, Change your Life is really a condensed version of Danna's teaching from her earlier book, Scale Down. [I'm working my way through Scale Down and its companion wellness workbook (along with Danna's teaching DVD's) as well - but, at least for now, I'm working through them at a very slow pace.] The second portion of Change your Habits, Change your Life is a 40 day devotional guide that is designed to help you begin changing your unhealthy beliefs. That's my focus right now. That's where the Holy Spirit shined His spotlight and illuminated a need for change for me.

Each day's study contains a devotional commentary based on a verse(s) of scripture. Then it outlines a section for personal response in the following way:

FROM THE DEVOTIONAL ABOVE I HAVE IDENTIFIED:

• The lie I believe:
• The truth I now receive:
• My key personal statement is: (the key personal statement is to be a simple sentence that words the truth you need to believe into a positive message that you can speak to yourself multiple times throughout the day)

Let me give you an example:

On Day 1 the scripture and teaching was about the woman caught in adultery being brought to Jesus. "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:10-11

Here's how I responded:

The lie I believe:

Because of my many past failures at maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I deserve to feel the shame and guilt that currently weighs me down.

The truth I now receive:

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus does not condemn me NOR does He give me what I DESERVE. He gives me GRACE.

My key personal statement is:

I am accepted and loved by God just as I am with no condemnation.

It's a real easy matter, girlfriends, to say "I need to change my beliefs and my beliefs will change my behavior." It's a lot more difficult to actually DO IT. Some days it's hard to recognize the unhealthy belief. Jeremiah sure knew what he was talking about when he wrote: "The heart is deceitful above all things ... who can understand it?" I learned a LONG TIME AGO that my heart deceives me! What about you? The Lord taught me some years ago that I may think I believe something when I truly don't. It's possible to believe something without really knowing it. What I'm learning to do to help pinpoint what I truly believe is look at my behavior. I ask myself, does my behavior demonstrate that belief?

You see, if you'd asked me, "Do you believe that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus?" I would have given you an immediate, "Yes." But when I looked at my behavior I could see that I was weighed down with guilt over regaining so much weight. I was filled with shame at how I looked. I was telling myself that I was not fit to stand before my SS class and teach them God's Word because I wasn't able to be delivered from the sin of unhealthy eating. I didn't truly believe I wasn't condemned.

It's hard to come to grips with some of the faulty beliefs we have, girls! Some days it's downright devastating to realize how deceived we've been. But. OH. MY. GOODNESS. How the truth sets you free!!! I know one truth I'm believing with all my heart - He who began a good work in me is going to be faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6)

RECOGNIZING the lies - REPLACING them with the truth - REHEARSING that truth over and over - is not going to RENEW my mind overnight and it's not going to be easy. But when did God ever promise "easy." What He did promise is victory. So I'm going to keep on keeping on. I'm going to press in and press on. I'm going to keep looking up. And I'm going to trust the transforming truth of God to change my beliefs!