"The OLD Me is Ready for NEW!"

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creature; OLD things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

Far too many of us, are stuck in the same old routines, forgetting that Isaiah said, “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a NEW thing…” Then Paul takes us into the New Testament with this statement, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW.” And nothing is clearer then Romans 6:4, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in NEWNESS of life.” Did you catch that last part? “Walk In NEWNESS…“! Walk implies ACTIVITY. Notice also that “Walk” is PRESENT TENSE, not walked, like an old activity, but “Walk”, as in TODAY, RIGHT NOW, CURRENTLY, NEW!  

AS OVERCOMERS, YOU ARE TO WALK IN NEW VICTORIES EVERYDAY! DAILY WAVING A FLAG OF VICTORY IN THE DEVIL’S FACE! With that said you have to ask, if “NEWNESS” is supposed to be so EVIDENT in the life of a believer, WHY ARE WE SO CRAZY-GLUED TO THE “OLD?”  

Listen to what Tony Evans writes: “Every day you get out of the same OLD bed and go to the same OLD bathroom to look at the same OLD face in the same OLD mirror. You go to the same OLD closet to choose from the same OLD clothes, then sit down at the same OLD breakfast table to eat the same OLD breakfast. Then you go to that same OLD garage and get into that same OLD car to head down that same OLD road to that same OLD job. There you work all day for that same OLD paycheck, next to those same OLD people, supervised by that same OLD manager. Then you get back into that same OLD car and head back down that same OLD road to that same OLD house. Once you are home you sit down in that same OLD chair to watch that same OLD television. At the end of the day you go to that same OLD bed and sleep that same OLD way, so you can get up the next morning and start that same OLD routine all over again.“               

In case you didn’t know, THAT IS NOT THE MENTALITY OF AN OVERCOMER! OVERCOMERS ARE DAILY IN HIGH PURSUIT OF SOME NEW CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME!  

LISTEN, GOD DID NOT CREATE US, AND HE MOST CERTAINLY DIDN’T REDEEM US, TO LIVE A PURPOSELESS EXISTENCE! OVERCOMERS DON’T EXIST—THEY LIVE AND THEY LIVE NOT JUST ABUNDANTLY—BUT MORE ABUNDANTLY! For the Bible declares, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY” (John 10:10)  

WHAT IS CURRENTLY AROUND US IS NOT ALL THERE IS FOR US! GOD HAS AN AWESOME CUSTOMIZED PLAN FOR EACH OF US! WE SIMPLY NEED TO SEEK IT, FIND IT, AND LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST!                  

The Scripture says, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put NEW wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins are ruined. But they put NEW wine into NEW wineskins, and both are preserved.”  

When something is PRESERVED it means it’s, “KEPT, MAINTAINED, AND PROTECTED“. And what’s being “KEPT, MAINTAINED, AND PROTECTED?” YOUR NEWNESS! UNDERSTAND THAT THE OLD CAUSES DAMAGE, IT TEARS, IT DESTROYS, IT PULLS AWAY, IT SEVERS, BUT THE NEW IS PRESERVED!  

IN A NUTSHELL: IT’S TIME TO BREAK-OUT OF THE OLD, AND BREAK-IN TO THE NEW!                 

Overcomers, crush that devil under your foot on this current level, then lift it and put it on the next level and the next devil and attain your next New Victory!                 

Homework Assignment: Read and keep in mind these Revelation Promises to the Overcomer:                  

Revelation 2:7, “He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To Him Who Overcomes (Is Victorious), I Will Grant to Eat [Of the Fruit] of the Tree of Life, Which is in the Paradise of God.” (AMP). 

 Revelation 3:5, “He Who Overcomes Will Thus Be Clothed In White Garments; and I Will Not Erase His Name From the Book of Life, and I Will Confess His Name Before My Father and Before His Angels.” (NASB).   

Revelation 3:21, “He Who Overcomes (Is Victorious), I Will Grant Him to Sit Beside Me On My Throne, As I Myself Overcame (Was Victorious) and Sat Down Beside My Father On His Throne.” (AMP).   

Revelation 21:7, “He Who Overcomes Will Inherit These Things, and I Will Be His God and He Will Be My Son.” (NASB).       

Grab a hold of these promises and you will never again settle to live the same ole same ole life again!

“We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in NEWNESS of life.” (Romans 6:4 AMP)

IT’S NOT ENOUGH THAT IT’S DEAD—YOU HAVE TO BURY IT!

LISTEN: You can’t afford to let your past infect your present or sabotage your future! That’s why certain things that refuse to be healed, must be forsaken and forgotten! There are people praising God in Church every Sunday who lie awake in the privacy of their homes, digging up bones, picking at scars and reliving old memories. You need to accept that some issues will never be resolved, and if you let them, they’ll take up residence in your head and in your heart! [The what if’s? The should have’s? The maybe’s?] These will all drive you nuts…if you let them!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.”  

So straighten yourself up and straighten yourself out! You Will Not Stay This Way!

I do thank God for the Apostle Paul though. Because he was honest enough to admit that he still struggled in certain areas. Unlike those with a Pharisee spirit who condemn others for doing the very things they do themselves, Paul confessed, “But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.” (Romans 7:17-20 MSG).

Thanks Paul, from the rest of us who mistakenly thought that once we became Christians, there’d be no more struggles! Thanks for helping some of us who thought that once we became Bishop, Pastor, Elder, Teacher, Prophet, that the struggles would be over. That once we reached our 20 years saved, 15 years in ministry, 10 years healed and 5 years delivered, that the struggles would be over. Well, I’m here to serve notice on you: The Struggles Are Not Over! They continue! That’s why we were told to “Fight the good Fight of faith…” (1 Timothy 6:12). Not that we fought (past tense) the good fight. But this is a Current and Continual battle! YET, it’s one that doesn’t have to defeat us. 

I remember watching a boxing fight with my dad many years ago. And one of the guys was beaten BAD! I said ‘why don’t he just lay down and stay down?’ My dad said ‘that’s hard to do when you’re a real fighter, because real fighters always have another round in ‘em. They know how to punch past the pain and obtain the prize. They may get beat up, but they won’t give up, until they get the belt. That’s a real fighter. And that’s why he can’t just lay down and stay down.’ I didn’t appreciate those words of wisdom then, but I do now. I’ve learned that daily if I’m going to win, then daily I’ve got to fight! And so do you! So keep your head up, your gloves on, and your feet moving! Because I’m persuaded there’s another round in you too!

Listen, Paul continues to advise us. He says, “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin.” (Romans 6:11). In other words, stop pursuing dead issues; admit them, quit them and forget them! Instead of struggling to change what can’t be changed, let God’s transforming power sweep through your life and sever the ties between you and all those tormenting thoughts from your past. And by no means mistakenly think like others have. Because your past is not just what happened 20 years ago, 15 years ago or even 1 year ago. What happened 60 seconds ago is still considered the past! Many of us aren’t just wrestling with decade old stuff, but we’ve got stuff that happened this morning, and our day hasn’t been right since! Let that thing go! You can’t go back and change it or rearrange it, so let it be. Cry a River, Build a Bridge, and Get Over It!

Think about it: If you keep looking in the rear-view mirror, you’re going to eventually crash into something ahead of you! And I would hate for that to be your blessing, your miracle, your breakthrough, your season or your way out! You don’t want to damage what’s before you, by daydreaming about what’s behind you! Sure, you have to utilize all the mirrors on your vehicle to some degree. But keep in mind, the main one is looking straight ahead out the windshield! Looking, anticipating, ready, expecting, seeking for what yet lies ahead! SO…“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG).  

Adjust Your Focus On Your Future! The Vision For Your Future Will Always Look Distorted When You View It Through Eyes That Can Only See The Past!

Warning: Paying Attention to Your Past, Will Cost Your Present a Pretty Penny and Your Future a Fortune! Don’t Bankrupt The Blessing Before You!

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).

In New Testament times capital punishment was sometimes carried out by tying a murder victim’s body directly onto the perpetrator. That way wherever he went, he was literally weighed down by his crime, with no way to escape the stench of decomposing flesh. Eventually, the bacteria-filled corpse infected him too, and he died an agonizing death. In other words, his Cause of Death was ‘Carrying What He Did In The Past Into His Present!’ People of God, Get Your Past Off You Before It Kills You!

Some days Paul felt the weight of his old nature pressing in, reminding him of things from his past that he couldn’t change or eradicate. Recognizing how past events can color the present, Paul describes himself as “a wretched man,” and asks, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” The fact is, you can’t move ahead with “the old man” still clinging to you; you must bury him or he’ll kill you!

However, even Death doesn’t have the Finality that Burial does! You see, part of coming to closure involves disposing of the body! 

Truth is: Funerals are for the Living; they give people an opportunity to accept that their loved one has gone on and the relationship as they knew it is now over. So, as you embark on a New Day with a New Perspective and New Determination, isn’t it time you stopped carrying the past (your yesterdays) around on your back? We can all see what you’re carrying is dead, so why can’t you see it?! Do us all a favor and take that thing to a burial site and bury it! Surely you don’t want to go into 2022 with the dead stench of 2021’s residue! You’ve Smelled OLD Long Enough!

Paul says, “Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead.” (Romans 6:13). In other words, refuse to let old memories negotiate a deal with the new you! Bury them, and do it today! You can’t afford a secret love affair with a corpse! It’s time for an epitaph, not a revival! Let That Thing Go Today!

An ‘Epitaph’ is ‘words written in memory of a person who has died, particularly on their tombstone’. It’s Greek origin means ‘over’ or ‘at a tomb’.

Tell yourself, all my past issues I’m taking to the tomb TODAY and I’m burying it! Yes it hurts, it’s disappointing, it’s caused me severe suffering and pain, but TODAY I’m burying it! The actions were painful, the words were hurtful, the thoughts were discouraging, but I’m burying it TODAY! I refuse to let it hang around in the funeral home. TODAY, I’m packing it up and finding an available plot, and if not, I’m fed up enough to dig one myself! One way or another this thing is being buried TODAY!

Saints, Whatever You Do, Know That You Don’t Have To Stay This Way! You Don’t Have to Settle For This! You Don’t Have To Accept This! NO! Change Begins With You, And Your Change Begins Today! The Old You Will Not Enter The New Year, The New Month or the New Day! Enough Is Enough!

Albert Einstein said it best: “Nothing Happens Until Something Moves” And That Something Is YOU! Get To Moving Out of the Old and Into the New…TODAY!

With that thought, Paul admonishes us once more: “…let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be…” (Romans 12:4 MSG). 

Listen: We’ve been delaying and denying healing and deliverance and growth for far too long now! Let’s just get on with becoming the new and wonderful person God has already crafted us to be. Let’s move from who we were to who we are meant to be!

 
Wave goodbye to 2021 and high-five 2022! 

Look in the mirror right now and tell yourself: THE OLD ME IS FINALLY READY FOR NEW! Past…Rest In Peace! Future…Get Ready For Revival!

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell #FeelFree2SignUpAndFollow

“Why You Need to Win”

 

 

PRIMAL INSTINCT: It may have its roots in that most basic human drive: SURVIVAL. If you didn’t win against that saber-toothed tiger or neighboring tribe, you really lost. The saber-toothed tiger may be extinct, but those feelings haven’t gone away.

 

IT FEELS SO GOOD: Your desire to win could be related to a chemical in your brain called dopamine, which is linked to pleasure. Besting your buddy on the golf course not only gives you bragging rights, it also triggers a good feeling in the reward area of your brain. And a study of male mice showed that their testosterone levels got progressively higher each time they won, which made them more likely to win future fights.

 

WE LEARN FROM IT: Besides pleasant feelings, winning also gives you good info for the next round. And on the other side of the table, your competitor’s failures spark not only those reward signals in your brain, but learning signals as well. 

 

POLITICAL BATTLEGROUNDS: Our democracy thrives on competition. The more hotly contested an election, the more interested and involved we are. But the outcome of a tight race puts a lot more people on the losing side. 

 

THE GREAT DEBATE: Debate is a part of life. Some researchers say we go back and forth with one another to learn and make better decisions. But one school of thought says we don’t do it to get smarter or end up with a perfect solution. We argue to bring people to our way of thinking: We argue to win.

 

SOME CRAVE COMPETITION: You know the type. “Well, he’s really competitive,” or “Wow, she’s out to win.” Many people who seem especially competitive are driven by that primal need to win, but there could be other reasons behind it. They might see it as a chance to get better at something by comparing themselves to others, or they might think the competition will make them work harder and, in turn, bring out their best.

 

COMPETITIVE GENDER GAP: In general, studies show that women don’t like competition as much as men. It’s not that women are afraid of losing -- the theory is that men are a bit overconfident. That difference may be a good thing, though. A study of 42 countries found that societies are less happy when both genders are highly competitive.

 

WINNING THROUGH OTHERS: There’s a term for getting behind a winning team: “basking in reflected glory.” It means you get to enjoy a victory even though you may not have done anything but cheer: “We won, we won!” On the flip side, if your team doesn’t win, you don’t want any part of it: “Those bums lost again!”

 

THE BUMMER OF SECOND PLACE: After the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, researchers found that athletes who finished third in an event -- and earned bronze medals -- were much happier than those who finished second and got silver. The silver medalists may have been let down because they thought they had a chance at winning gold, while bronze medalists were happy simply to make it onto the medal stand.

 

THE LENGTHS WE’LL GO: People who don’t do a task well are a lot more likely to cheat if there’s pressure to win. Whether it’s a card up your sleeve or copied sections of another’s term paper, it’s usually done for one of two reasons: to save face or to win no matter what.

THE DOWNSIDE OF WINNING: If you’re so wrapped up in a sport that you’re not happy with yourself unless you do well in it, that’s not healthy. Taking competition too far can make you not much fun to be around -- you might be too aggressive, for example.

TOO MUCH WINNING: Researchers created what they called a hyper-competitive attitude scale (HCA) and found that extremely competitive people tend to be self-absorbed and not trusting, among other negative personality traits. If that sounds like a lot of people you know, that’s not surprising. They also reported that hyper-competitiveness is a part of American life.

WHEN PARENTS GO TOO FAR: An obsession with winning often comes from parents. You know, the loud ones at your kid’s soccer games? Coaches say pushy parents are a major problem. A national survey of tennis coaches said 36% of parents actually hurt their kids’ athletic development.

A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE: A debate on the value of competition has raged for years, especially when it comes to kids. Competition and a desire to win can drive you to be more successful, but that only goes so far. An unhealthy need to win can affect your happiness, stress levels, and self-esteem. In one study, children who were told to do their best and look for new ways to do certain activities were more motivated than kids who were told they should try to do the activities better than the other kids.

COMPETITION VS. COOPERATION: It might be a good idea to steer children to work with others toward goals rather than against one another, according to some social scientists. Kids may feel better about themselves, and there’s no chance their self-esteem will be tied too closely to winning a spelling bee or a baseball game.

A NOD TO THE NON-COMPETITIVE: People who don’t worry much about winning may be better off. While competition may bring out the best in some of us -- and winning certainly feels good -- cooperation can help us communicate better, trust others more, and accept people who are different.

REVIEWED BY: Jennifer Robinson, MD on September 07, 2020

SOURCES:

Cialdini, R. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, September 1976.

Dohmen, T. Journal of Public Economics, April 2011.

Donahue, E. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, September 2009.

Flavin, P. The Effects of Party Competition on Citizens’ Political Engagement in the American States, May 2014.

Franken, R. Personality and Individual Differences, August 1995.

Michigan State University: “Research in Youth Sports: Critical Issues Status.”

Lam, S. British Journal of Educational Psychology, June 2004.

Medvec, V.H. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, October 1995.

Mercier, H. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, October 2010.

Niederle, M. Annual Review of Economics, 2011.

Oyegbile, T. Hormones and Behavior, September 2005.

Reeve, J. Motivation and Emotion, November, 1985.

Ryckman, R. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1994.

Schwarzer, J. Aggressive Behavior, July-August 2013.

Schwieren, C. Journal of Economic Psychology, June 2010.

Sharot, T. Current Biology, December 2009.

Snyder, C.R. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, August 1986.

Vallerand, R. The Journal of Social Psychology, May 1986.

Van de Vliert, E. Cross-Cultural Research, November 2002.

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell #FeelFree2SignUpAndFollow

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"The OLD Me is Ready for NEW!"

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creature; OLD things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

Far too many of us, are stuck in the same old routines, forgetting that Isaiah said, “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a NEW thing…” Then Paul takes us into the New Testament with this statement, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW.” And nothing is clearer then Romans 6:4, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in NEWNESS of life.” Did you catch that last part? “Walk In NEWNESS…“! Walk implies ACTIVITY. Notice also that “Walk” is PRESENT TENSE, not walked, like an old activity, but “Walk”, as in TODAY, RIGHT NOW, CURRENTLY, NEW!  

AS OVERCOMERS, YOU ARE TO WALK IN NEW VICTORIES EVERYDAY! DAILY WAVING A FLAG OF VICTORY IN THE DEVIL’S FACE! With that said you have to ask, if “NEWNESS” is supposed to be so EVIDENT in the life of a believer, WHY ARE WE SO CRAZY-GLUED TO THE “OLD?”  

                

Listen to what Tony Evans writes: “Every day you get out of the same OLD bed and go to the same OLD bathroom to look at the same OLD face in the same OLD mirror. You go to the same OLD closet to choose from the same OLD clothes, then sit down at the same OLD breakfast table to eat the same OLD breakfast. Then you go to that same OLD garage and get into that same OLD car to head down that same OLD road to that same OLD job. There you work all day for that same OLD paycheck, next to those same OLD people, supervised by that same OLD manager. Then you get back into that same OLD car and head back down that same OLD road to that same OLD house. Once you are home you sit down in that same OLD chair to watch that same OLD television. At the end of the day you go to that same OLD bed and sleep that same OLD way, so you can get up the next morning and start that same OLD routine all over again.“               

In case you didn’t know, THAT IS NOT THE MENTALITY OF AN OVERCOMER! OVERCOMERS ARE DAILY IN HIGH PURSUIT OF SOME NEW CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME!  

LISTEN, GOD DID NOT CREATE US, AND HE MOST CERTAINLY DIDN’T REDEEM US, TO LIVE A PURPOSELESS EXISTENCE! OVERCOMERS DON’T EXIST—THEY LIVE AND THEY LIVE NOT JUST ABUNDANTLY—BUT MORE ABUNDANTLY! For the Bible declares, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY” (John 10:10)  

WHAT IS CURRENTLY AROUND US IS NOT ALL THERE IS FOR US! GOD HAS AN AWESOME CUSTOMIZED PLAN FOR EACH OF US! WE SIMPLY NEED TO SEEK IT, FIND IT, AND LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST!                  

The Scripture says, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put NEW wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins are ruined. But they put NEW wine into NEW wineskins, and both are preserved.”  

When something is PRESERVED it means it’s, “KEPT, MAINTAINED, AND PROTECTED“. And what’s being “KEPT, MAINTAINED, AND PROTECTED?” YOUR NEWNESS! UNDERSTAND THAT THE OLD CAUSES DAMAGE, IT TEARS, IT DESTROYS, IT PULLS AWAY, IT SEVERS, BUT THE NEW IS PRESERVED!  

IN A NUTSHELL: IT’S TIME TO BREAK-OUT OF THE OLD, AND BREAK-IN TO THE NEW!                 

Overcomers, crush that devil under your foot on this current level, then lift it and put it on the next level and the next devil and attain your next New Victory!                 

Homework Assignment: Read and keep in mind these Revelation Promises to the Overcomer:                  

Revelation 2:7, “He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To Him Who Overcomes (Is Victorious), I Will Grant to Eat [Of the Fruit] of the Tree of Life, Which is in the Paradise of God.” (AMP). 

                

Revelation 3:5, “He Who Overcomes Will Thus Be Clothed In White Garments; and I Will Not Erase His Name From the Book of Life, and I Will Confess His Name Before My Father and Before His Angels.” (NASB).   

              

Revelation 3:21, “He Who Overcomes (Is Victorious), I Will Grant Him to Sit Beside Me On My Throne, As I Myself Overcame (Was Victorious) and Sat Down Beside My Father On His Throne.” (AMP).   

              

Revelation 21:7, “He Who Overcomes Will Inherit These Things, and I Will Be His God and He Will Be My Son.” (NASB).       

           

Grab a hold of these promises and you will never again settle to live the same ole same ole life again!

“We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in NEWNESS of life.” (Romans 6:4 AMP)

IT’S NOT ENOUGH THAT IT’S DEAD—YOU HAVE TO BURY IT!

LISTEN: You can’t afford to let your past infect your present or sabotage your future! That’s why certain things that refuse to be healed, must be forsaken and forgotten! There are people praising God in Church every Sunday who lie awake in the privacy of their homes, digging up bones, picking at scars and reliving old memories. You need to accept that some issues will never be resolved, and if you let them, they’ll take up residence in your head and in your heart! [The what if’s? The should have’s? The maybe’s?] These will all drive you nuts…if you let them!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.”  

So straighten yourself up and straighten yourself out! You Will Not Stay This Way!

I do thank God for the Apostle Paul though. Because he was honest enough to admit that he still struggled in certain areas. Unlike those with a Pharisee spirit who condemn others for doing the very things they do themselves, Paul confessed, “But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.” (Romans 7:17-20 MSG).

Thanks Paul, from the rest of us who mistakenly thought that once we became Christians, there’d be no more struggles! Thanks for helping some of us who thought that once we became Bishop, Pastor, Elder, Teacher, Prophet, that the struggles would be over. That once we reached our 20 years saved, 15 years in ministry, 10 years healed and 5 years delivered, that the struggles would be over. Well, I’m here to serve notice on you: The Struggles Are Not Over! They continue! That’s why we were told to “Fight the good Fight of faith…” (1 Timothy 6:12). Not that we fought (past tense) the good fight. But this is a Current and Continual battle! YET, it’s one that doesn’t have to defeat us. 

I remember watching a boxing fight with my dad many years ago. And one of the guys was beaten BAD! I said ‘why don’t he just lay down and stay down?’ My dad said ‘that’s hard to do when you’re a real fighter, because real fighters always have another round in ‘em. They know how to punch past the pain and obtain the prize. They may get beat up, but they won’t give up, until they get the belt. That’s a real fighter. And that’s why he can’t just lay down and stay down.’ I didn’t appreciate those words of wisdom then, but I do now. I’ve learned that daily if I’m going to win, then daily I’ve got to fight! And so do you! So keep your head up, your gloves on, and your feet moving! Because I’m persuaded there’s another round in you!

Listen, Paul continues to advise us. He says, “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin.” (Romans 6:11). In other words, stop pursuing dead issues; admit them, quit them and forget them! Instead of struggling to change what can’t be changed, let God’s transforming power sweep through your life and sever the ties between you and all those tormenting thoughts from your past. And by no means mistakenly think like others have. Because your past is not just what happened 20 years ago, 15 years ago or even 1 year ago. What happened 60 seconds ago is still considered the past! Many of us aren’t just wrestling with decade old stuff, but we’ve got stuff that happened this morning, and our day hasn’t been right since! Let that thing go! You can’t go back and change it or rearrange it, so let it be. Cry a River, Build a Bridge, and Get Over It!

Think about it: If you keep looking in the rear-view mirror, you’re going to eventually crash into something ahead of you! And I would hate for that to be your blessing, your miracle, your breakthrough, your season or your way out! You don’t want to damage what’s before you, by daydreaming about what’s behind you! Sure, you have to utilize all the mirrors on your vehicle to some degree. But keep in mind, the main one is looking straight ahead out the windshield! Looking, anticipating, ready, expecting, seeking for what yet lies ahead! SO…“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG).  

Adjust Your Focus On Your Future! The Vision For Your Future Will Always Look Distorted When You View It Through Eyes That Can Only See The Past!

Warning: Paying Attention to Your Past, Will Cost Your Present a Pretty Penny and Your Future a Fortune! Don’t Bankrupt The Blessing Before You!

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).

In New Testament times capital punishment was sometimes carried out by tying a murder victim’s body directly onto the perpetrator. That way wherever he went, he was literally weighed down by his crime, with no way to escape the stench of decomposing flesh. Eventually, the bacteria-filled corpse infected him too, and he died an agonizing death. In other words, his Cause of Death was ‘Carrying What He Did In The Past Into His Present!’ People of God, Get Your Past Off You Before It Kills You!

Some days Paul felt the weight of his old nature pressing in, reminding him of things from his past that he couldn’t change or eradicate. Recognizing how past events can color the present, Paul describes himself as “a wretched man,” and asks, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” The fact is, you can’t move ahead with “the old man” still clinging to you; you must bury him or he’ll kill you!

However, even Death doesn’t have the Finality that Burial does! You see, part of coming to closure involves disposing of the body! 

Truth is: Funerals are for the Living; they give people an opportunity to accept that their loved one has gone on and the relationship as they knew it is now over. So, as you embark on a New Day with a New Perspective and New Determination, isn’t it time you stopped carrying the past (your yesterdays) around on your back? We can all see what you’re carrying is dead, so why can’t you see it?! Do us all a favor and take that thing to a burial site and bury it! Surely you don’t want to go into 2021 with the dead stench of 2020’s residue! You’ve Smelled OLD Long Enough!

Paul says, “Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead.” (Romans 6:13). In other words, refuse to let old memories negotiate a deal with the new you! Bury them, and do it today! You can’t afford a secret love affair with a corpse! It’s time for an epitaph, not a revival! Let That Thing Go Today!

An ‘Epitaph’ is ‘words written in memory of a person who has died, particularly on their tombstone’. It’s Greek origin means ‘over’ or ‘at a tomb’.

Tell yourself, all my past issues I’m taking to the tomb TODAY and I’m burying it! Yes it hurts, it’s disappointing, it’s caused me severe suffering and pain, but TODAY I’m burying it! The actions were painful, the words were hurtful, the thoughts were discouraging, but I’m burying it TODAY! I refuse to let it hang around in the funeral home. TODAY, I’m packing it up and finding an available plot, and if not, I’m fed up enough to dig one myself! One way or another this thing is being buried TODAY!

Saints, Whatever You Do, Know That You Don’t Have To Stay This Way! You Don’t Have to Settle For This! You Don’t Have To Accept This! NO! Change Begins With You, And Your Change Begins Today! The Old You Will Not Enter The New Year, The New Month or the New Day! Enough Is Enough!

Albert Einstein said it best: “Nothing Happens Until Something Moves” And That Something Is YOU! Get To Moving Out of the Old and Into the New…TODAY!

With that thought, Paul admonishes us once more: “…let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be…” (Romans 12:4 MSG). 

Listen: We’ve been delaying and denying healing and deliverance and growth for far too long now! Let’s just get on with becoming the new and wonderful person God has already crafted us to be. Let’s move from who we were to who we are meant to be!

 
Wave goodbye to 2020 and high-five 2021! 

Look in the mirror right now and tell yourself: THE OLD ME IS FINALLY READY FOR NEW! Past…Rest In Peace! Future…Get Ready For Revival!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine 

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