Handout 20 - Setting the Mind PDF

Setting the Mind - Feelings Are Not Facts I FEEL… unloved, unacceptable, and unworthy. Because I FEEL this way I BELIEVE… that I am unloved, unacceptable and unworthy. Because I BELIEVE my feelings are accurate indicators of truth, I ACT... as if I am unloved, unacceptable and unworthy. Because...

Setting the Mind - Feelings Are Not Facts I FEEL… unloved, unacceptable, and unworthy. Because I FEEL this way I BELIEVE… that I am unloved, unacceptable and unworthy. Because I BELIEVE my feelings are accurate indicators of truth, I ACT... as if I am unloved, unacceptable and unworthy. Because I FEEL, BELIEVE and ACT this way... I make it a FACT by saying, "I AM unloved, unacceptable and unworthy." How do I do this? How is it possible to change feelings into facts? It is accomplished by allowing feelings to be bearers of truth. You see, feelings either are or are not. They are experienced or they are not. They are present but they are never true or false. Beliefs alone possess the quality of truth or falsehood. So if feelings tell lies about us, they do so because an incorrect or deceptive belief is attached to them. The deception is accomplished by the belief, not by the feeling. FEELING → FAITH/BELIEF → ACTION → FACT With that idea in mind, then the way to control feelings is to identify the faulty belief attached to the feeling and allow God to replace it with His scriptural TRUTH. I FEEL… unloved. But I know it is a FACT… that I am loved by God Who sent His Son to die for me (John 3:16). This FACT is based upon… my BELIEF in the Word of God as TRUTH. Because of this FACT and my BELIEF in its TRUTH… I renounce the faulty BELIEF and ask God to replace it with His TRUTH. I can then ACT as if it is true for me; and since my beliefs and thoughts control how I will respond to feelings, I will keep my thoughts upon God's truth and will recognize that my feelings are not facts and, therefore, I don't have to treat them as if they were. By understanding this idea and having a firm knowledge of "Who I Am In Christ," a person can stop being controlled by feelings. GOD’S TRUTH → FAITH/BELIEF → ACTION → FEELING "For we walk by faith, and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our reality is not based upon the five senses but upon scriptural truth. Grace Life International – Handout 20 – Setting the Mind Page 1 of 2  Set Your Mind on Things Above Colossians 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Romans 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. What do you do when the circumstances of life seek to overwhelm you? Set your mind on Christ’s love, power, sovereignty, and Christ as your Life. “We are not in a power struggle with Satan, but a truth struggle.” Four truths concerning setting the mind: 1. You can’t set your mind on two things at once. It is impossible to think about two things at once. 2. Your feelings usually follow whatever your mind is focused on. Scary movies – you’re safe but still scared. 3. If you do not set your mind, it will be set for you. Try not to think about pink elephants! 4. You can replace one thought with another. Instead of trying to not think of pink elephants, think of orange hippos instead. Grace Life International – Handout 20 – Setting the Mind Page 2 of 2