YCCM YOU CAN’T CHANGE ME: Unraveling the Lie CH. 1

YOU CAN’T CHANGE ME: Unraveling the Lie

Part 1 STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN 

CHAPTER 1: TRANSFORMATION

“The right information, at the right place and time, can be like a bomb dropped upon the adversary; loosening his grip; and awakening lost and sleeping souls.  Someone will hear. Someone will believe. Someone will be delivered and  transformed.  Many will follow and God will be glorified! “—Mishael 

 

“You can’t change me. I have to change myself. Ultimately, it is my decision, alone to change. Stop trying to change me! “ 

These are all too common and frequent proclamations and protest we hear from those whom we are involved with during many conflicts or confrontations. Dangerously caught up within themselves to the point they are imprisoned within their own minds, they don’t realize that they are locked and chained to the lie that they are self-made men and women who have the choice to live as they please. All the while, they are under the influence of another, whose age-old deception has changed and misled millions upon millions to death and destruction.

So deeply embedded is the lie within the human mind that it has become an age-old battle that can end in frustration and defeat, if you are not armed and prepared to fight. We must stop fighting flesh; look at the source of the lie, the creator of all lies—Satan; and listen for Truth (God) to guide and use us to dispel the lie.

For some, the light of Truth will be untouchable; to others—overwhelming. Many refusing to abandon what they believe will become angry, outraged and hostile. The prideful will dismiss the idea and refuse to read into it any further. But, the Truth of the matter is, the One has All Power, even over Satan, whom He created. United with the Triune God, we are One, His chosen vessels to do His Will. And, just as He chose to change Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul —the decision to change—to be transformed--is not ours alone.

The Kingdom is not in words but in power and that power has been given to us through the Holy Ghost (Spirit).

Not enough Believers understand Kingdom Power, because we have been taught to focus on prayer and God doing things for us instead of through us. We have also been told that God has given man free will and leaves us to decide how we want to live.  True enough, but it doesn’t end there.

Yes, God has given man free will. Yet, the Word of God bears witness that, like all fathers, He must exercise His authority in order to exact His plans, protect His people, and set His children upon the right path. He empowers mankind, individually and collectively, just as He did long ago to help bring about change.

Moreover, the Word of God bears witness that God has never stopped pursuing us: to interact with us; to change our hearts; to prepare the way of the Lord; and join Him in His Kingdom.

God has many ways of using us for good and empowering us for change. One of the ways He empowers us to initiate change in our lives and the lives of others is by teaching us to dispel the lies Satan feeds to a blinded world to keep it in bondage. Hear the crippling lies he whispers into your ears to puff you up with pride and harden your heart.

Lie: I am in full control of my life.  I do what I want to do.

Truth: When you yield to temptation, you are not in control over your life.  When you fight love, kindness and authority with stubbornness and rebellion, you are not in control of your life.  When you succumb to fear, hatred, bitterness, anger, jealousy, hostility and violence borne out of a hardened heart, YOU are not in control of your life.  For these things are not of God and His Kingdom, but are the tools of the evil one, used upon the blind and lost of the world. 

Under the guise of control: the adversary uses you to sow strife and division; to cut off the blessings that God would bestow upon those who obey and trust in Him; and to steal the fruit and joy we were created to bear and receive.

Pride may tell us either to cower and shy away, flee, or fight to defend ourselves. When our pride rises up from within the flesh (self), our first reaction may be to lash out at the presumed attacker and take control.  Pride tells us that we must protect ourselves and exercise our free will to do so.  We may choose an option to refuse to cooperate or retaliate, causing chaos, confusion, rebellion, or harm.

We are led to believe that, one way or another, we will have our way, or, the last word, giving us victory and peace.  We may never admit it, but part of the relief is seeing others, weak, hurt, wounded or suffering from the same prideful pain in which we were subjected.  And, somehow, we believe we are excluded from God’s judgment and wrath, because, overall, we are the better person and they got what they deserved.

We think we are in control, but what a farce!  What vanity!  The moment we use Satan’s weapons, we are under his control! And even then, we seek control where there is no real authority; for Satan can only do what God allows Him to do; for he too was created by God and is under His authority.  The Truth is, God will have the last word and the wicked will be cut off.  We become undone by our own pride at Satan’s hand.  Had we humbled our self and surrendered to the will and way of God, leaning not to our own understanding, carnal desires, fears and feelings, we would have found peace.

Yes, God allows Satan to create storms and temptations in our lives, just as He allowed Job to suffer complete ruin and shame in the eyes of others, by Satan’s hand.  Yet, Job’s friends and wife lacked complete faith in God and knowledge that God’s ways are not like our ways.  Who can understand the mind of God or question His Will?

Many see it as unjust and cruel that innocent children suffer from starvation, fatal disease, heinous crimes, and death.  What kind of god would allow such suffering to the young, helpless, and innocent?  —An Almighty God who uses the past to create the present because He knows the future.  The One and only god who can see past the flesh He created; who readies each living soul for a greater purpose and higher calling to live in His Kingdom throughout eternity to experience and magnify the glory of His eternal universe!—An Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient God, not bound and barred by time and seasons, who sees beyond life and death.  Whereas, a child who may live one day upon earth may receive the same reward of a man who has lived 100 years toiling and serving God. And having lived one day, the child has neither suffered nor been denied life, for God has given him the better in eternal peace and life.

Lie: I can change myself, without anyone's help, because ultimately, it is my decision to change. 

Truth: This is a worldly point of view based on pride, self-will, selfishness and the idea of choices. God is our Creator and ONLY He can complete the work that He has begun.  

If need be, God can take away your choices and allow you to fall, so that you must submit to His will or perish and only because God allows it to happen.  --Preposterous!? Do you believe God will not interfere with free will? Indeed, God will not allow you to harm those He protects nor will He allow you to interfere with His plans and promises. He can put stumbling blocks and walls before you; kill you by His own hand, just as He did to others mentioned in the Bible; allow death to claim you; put someone else in your place; set someone against you; harden your heart; or change your heart for His purpose.

If you had created heaven and earth alone and control everything and everyone therein, then, yes, ultimately everything would be your decision, alone.  However, in reality, you are not the sole inhabitant on earth. Everything you do affects those around you. It is selfish as a human-being to make decisions solely based upon how you alone think and feel. That's why the family unit is an important part of our nurturing and growth, as well as our larger family of the human race.

We must see ourselves as part of a larger picture and an important part of God's plan. If you continue to believe that ultimately it is your decision to change, you kick against the goad--the authority of God, who has set the pattern of the universe in place. If you continue to think only in worldly, physiological and psychological terms concerning the function of the brain in thinking and decision-making, you will miss the concept of transformation (true change) through God's Holy Spirit.

Repentance allows us to turn away from sin that we have committed, but true repentance is only complete through transformation—becoming One with The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and abiding in their Holiness and Righteousness which keeps us from sinning.  Their presence within us and our love for them, our love for Holiness and Righteousness removes all doubt and choices; giving us but one way to live and that is-- within the will of God.

We are Spiritual Beings with the capacity to be transformed into what God would have us to be; be it man or woman; teacher or preacher, etc. God has a plan for our lives that is more blessed, joyous, effective, prosperous and productive than what we can imagine, along with a promise of eternal longevity. God's plan for our lives on earth from our birth and beyond is complete and without error.

This may not sound like freedom to you.  Many will say that much of this sounds like radical ideology and compare it to the radical religious extremists and terrorists of today and yesterday. The difference is enlightening and transforming. The difference is in true power. True power sets people FREE--Free in mind, body, and spirit! --Free of bitterness, hatred, anger, violence, prejudice, discrimination, control, lust, shame, guilt, fear, addiction, oppression, greed, and all manner of bondage. --Freedom, free of self-serving rituals, false doctrine, false religion and denominations; and Freedom undefiled by man. Freedom not contrived by conservatives, liberals, democrats, republicans, independents, LGBTQ+, or any other person, organization, nation, political party, or institution that omits or puts limitations on the power of God. When you become One with TRUTH, you are standing on the very pinnacle of freedom and you are free indeed!

There is no need for God's true servants to either work covertly in undisclosed locations or hide our faces to carry out heinous acts against humanity. There is no need to blow ourselves up to destroy others in hatred and to show our power. There is no need to amass weapons of mass destruction. This is vanity! There is no need to burden others with what to wear; what to eat; when and how to pray; where we can and cannot go; and how much we should pay; for no one can hide from God's  Light of Truth! It will transform and remove all impurities and iniquity. 

Lie: Neither you, nor anyone else can change me. 

Truth: If this statement is true, then, we really don't need God and God really has no need to use man as a vessel to help others and carry out His plans. As Believers, we choose to believe in the changing power of God and trust Him to transform us and use us, while He fulfills all our desires within His will and supplies all of our needs.  We believe that God's Son is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith.   We believe that God alone, through His manifest power and will can make us whole.  We believe that as His vessels, His power and will is manifested through us to bring about change. 

Moreover, one cannot deny that man learns through example, influence, persuasion, imitation and experience. These collective resources God provides to us through our family, friends, teachers, neighbors, community and world, which help to form our character and process of decision-making.  To say that no one can or has changed you is not to know yourself, or, the nature of man. How craftily Satan can blind us to sheer Truth and common sense by just stirring up our pride.  But true change, the kind of change that made Jesus cry out, “It is finished!” comes only through the transformation of God’s Holy Spirit; for God does not make mistakes and His work is complete. 

Lie: No one should try to change anyone, nor have they the right or authority to try. 

Lie: People should leave others alone and let God change someone when He is ready. 

Truth: These too are worldly points of view based upon selfishness, pride, rebellion, fear, love of the world and rejection of godliness. This ideology omits the power, will, and way of God. We are vessels created to execute God's will upon earth. "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." God's Word given to us by His Son tells us that He is ready and waiting for us to change and live by His Will and Way-TODAY. Tomorrow is not promised to us, so it is not a choice you have.

Jesus said His Father sent Him to speak to sinners.  Jesus sent His disciples out to spread the Good News to the lost sheep of Israel. One of Jesus's last commandments to those who follow Him was to go out into the world and make disciples. Paul was sent to bring the Gentiles, many who practiced paganism, into the fold of the Jews and Judaism. 

Authority to precipitate change has been given by God, the Father, for we are our brothers’ keeper. Darkness adds confusion when those who have not been truly born again impose their self-will and false doctrine upon others instead of the will and way of God. A Believer has authority over the Earth because everything belongs to our Father, God.   For you to rebuke, mock, scorn, abuse and avoid a Believer when God sets them in your path to bring you His Word and Saving Grace is to reject God, doing the same unto Him and crucifying Christ. 

Waiting until you think you're ready or believing God will change you when He's ready is just another excuse and lie that must be dispelled. God is always ready for us to change, but because of our flesh, our self-will, stubbornness and blindness, we deny ourselves His added blessings. Meanwhile, the spirit within us longs for living-water to thirst no more.  Thanks to our patient Father’s undying love for us, we are given Grace and Mercy to teach us His Love which conquers the world. While we rebel against God, rejecting His Word, Will and Way, we live in ignorance and darkness, beneath our privilege and kept at bay from God's promise of abundant and eternal life. 

As willing servants and vessels of God's Holy Spirit, we walk in our Father's Light and have fellowship with one another. This fellowship is not just for shaking hands and singing praises. Within our Father's Light, we have power to cast Light and Truth upon others. The result is miraculous and transforming! The Light draws others to God or repels them! It can heal and drive away demons and darkness and tear down strongholds! It can bring joy and repentance! All because God wants to use us to bring about change and expand the Kingdom of Heaven! We are empowered to claim our territory and live life in abundance as caretakers of our planet, glorifying God! 

We were created to multiply that we would be helpers to one another spiritually, physically, and mentally.   Hence, we confess our sins to one another, witness to one another, pray for one another, even chastise and correct one another, that we may be strengthened and accountable, growing in faith, holiness, and righteousness. 

The change that we as servants and vessels help to initiate is not of our own design that we may impose our own will, desires, opinions and persuasions upon others for our own benefit and glory.  On the contrary, when we are reborn, our hearts are changed. As we diligently seek to live in holiness and righteousness, we also desire others to know God's Will and Love in their lives. 

Therefore, regardless of what you might think, you can't do it by yourself. You can't change yourself! You may alter your behavior, but it doesn't change you. You simply choose to refrain from a behavior because it has unfavorable and problematic consequences, or, replace the behavior with another learned behavior or pattern. Hence, the world says that once you are an alcoholic or addict, you are always an alcoholic or addict, because, there continues to be an inner struggle with temptations.  God “leads us not into temptations and delivers us from evil."

Again, in believing you alone can change yourself, it is a matter of believing you have choices. But what if you had no choices? What if God allowed you to become afflicted with diseases and stripped of everything as He did Job, or, blinded you as He did Saul? Would you curse His name or praise His name, or, surrender to His Will to serve Him? What will it take for God to stop you on your road to destruction? 

What if you stopped rejecting God today and willingly gave up your right to choose your way and truly accept Christ and all that He embodies to be led instead by an unerring force? Then, you would know what it meant to be a servant of God and a slave to Christ. You would experience rebirth through the Holy Spirit; for to truly change or be born again means to remove all choices that would separate you from the Perfect Love of God and Christ. 

When you've become accustomed to believing that you have time to change, as well as having many choices as to how you can live, you've been blinded and programmed to take life for granted. Allow me to repeat that. When you have become accustomed to believing that you have time to change, as well as having many choices as to how you can live, you've been blinded and programmed to take life for granted. 

It may be extremely difficult to put away worldly thinking and think as a Believer--men and women having faith in an Almighty God. Wherefore, faith has shown them that true change is TRANSFORMATION; for God can make all things new and remove all spots, blemishes, and impurities. You need time alone with the Word of God, Jesus. Remove all stimuli, interference, and distractions and reach out to Him. Believe that He is there with you. Just talk to Him as you would a very close friend--holding nothing back.  Approach Him in spirit and in truth.  Let your inner man speak, even if the words won't come to you, or, you believe your words are wrong. Ask Him to search your heart and remove all doubts and fears. Ask Him to increase your faith. Give Him permission to break you, cleanse you, and make you over again. 

Whereas, the world can only offer band-aid therapy, God can cut out, remove, and extract that which causes us to falter, perish, and sin; remold that which has been shattered and broken; and become One with us through His Holy Spirit. He transforms us into a new creature, keeping us from sin as we abide in His Son and His Perfect Love filled with His Holiness and Righteousness, following the mind of Christ.

Get to know the Word of God--Jesus--through time alone together in prayer and meditation; reading and study; and through fellowship with other Believers. He will reveal to you that He is the Son of God. --And if you truly believe, invite Him, the Father and His Holy Spirit into your heart.

If I seem to be repeating myself, it is for your benefit.  And so, I say once again, we are transformed by rebirth, surrendering our will to become a slave to Christ; willingly surrendering all (not some) to be made into a new man or woman, so that there is no other way, but, to follow the mind of Christ, living holy and righteously, guided by Our Father, obeying Him because of our love for Him and His love for us. Perhaps, the word slave is offensive to you, as the worldly connotation denotes the deprivation of liberty and justice, servitude without reward, as well as inhumane and ungodly treatment. So, why would anyone want to be a slave to Christ? One must know the character of their master. The Truth will set you free. When we choose good, we are serving God, whether we know it or not. Many people do not know why they do good. We are only able to do good because of God, our Creator. Good is a manifestation of God's character.  At some point in our life, we must choose to love good or evil. If we choose evil, Satan becomes our master, whether we know it or not. We don't even have to choose to accept Satan as our master. If we choose evil, we have accepted to manifest his character, thus, he is our master.

Many people believe that they've been born again, through rituals, baptism, or, simply by being a Christian. Through misinterpreted doctrine, they believe they have chosen the right faith and religion, but, they are ignorant of the fact that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. is not faith or religion. There is only one faith, one baptism, one God, one Holy Spirit.   If they have not read and understood the scriptures, they are depending upon others to guide them.  

THE MIND OF CHRIST

Many are misled to believe that they possess the mind of Christ in much the same way as they believe they are born again and that is by accepting Him as their savior, by way of mouth. In professing only with the mind, their acceptance of Christ Jesus has not come from the heart. Some believe we are born with the mind of Christ simply because we are human. Yet, they remain stagnant in growth and maturity, unable to grow because they have been blinded to the Truth. God's truth reveals to us that true acceptance of Christ is by becoming One with Him and the Father through rebirth, whereas, He Lives within your heart, ruling over you as the King of your life. There is no desire to live and think as you did before; for you have a changed heart and mind, perfected through Christ.

Mankind, led by pride, has a history of enslaving people, races, and nations based on greed, hatred, and self-proclaimed superiority. It is a history we must come to terms with, as well as a present condition we must end. Throughout scripture, God is using terms and situations relative to man's behavior and everyday life. It does not mean that God approves of what man does or that He doesn't condemn it. To expect or demand God to condemn something is to not have read and understood His Word, His Grace, His Mercy, and His Love. God always gives us an example of what His true will is. Therefore, there is no need for Him to make a list of things or behaviors that displease Him, or, that He has condemned. 

Why wouldn't God make a more extensive and detailed lists filled with instructions, such as He gave to Moses to guide the Israelites and David to build His temple? Did God think the Ten Commandments were enough laws? Are we to follow the laws of the Old Testament and add the new laws of the New Testament? If so, why? Was it because He knew that one day writings from His prophets would be collected and called Holy Scripture? Did He think about those who would not have access to the scriptures? Did the coming of Jesus change everything or just some things?

Was God leaving some things up to man to decide if they were wrong or right? Let's think about that. Knowing human fallibility without His guidance, would God leave some things up to man to determine if they were right or wrong? Would a perfect god do such a thing, and why? With such diversity amongst men, is it possible for everyone to come to an agreement, or, reach a consensus? 

Think about the heart of man which can be unforgiving and quick to condemn his brother. By telling us to love our brother as we love ourselves, God is proclaiming His condemnation of slavery and all malfeasance, violence, torture, murder, gossip, slander, etc. When people don't want to change, it is easy to look for what God doesn't state in words they want to hear. Hearing the words would probably not change their behavior if their heart had not accepted the meaning of the words.

So, accepting Jesus is not just a mind and mouth thing, but a heart thing. Jesus must become the treasure in your heart, the rare jewel that you have found and the center of your joy, in that you aspire to become all that He is, so that you too will shine as bright and be pleasing in our Father's eyes.

Having the mind of Christ involves total surrender to the Will and Way of God to transform and change your heart. The mind cannot change if the heart has not been changed first. This is why God pursues our hearts. A changed heart surrenders to the love of God--perfect love--agape love. This is the Love that Christ possesses because He is One with His Father. This is the love that we will possess, when we are truly born again and under the mind of Christ. This is why so many of those proclaiming to be chosen to mature the saints as apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers, and teachers, often mislead God's people--they have not truly been born again and have not been made perfect in love. Yes, they may have a calling upon their life and many gifts, but an unchanged heart, so, they remain in self--that is --following their own mind and desires. How can they help God's people if they don't love them and have complete faith and trust in God?

Many churches, denominations and religions do not consider this to be important for leadership, neither are there enough born again laborers to enlighten and mature the saints. The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few, Jesus said. Consequentially, churches are often viewed by outsiders and critics as an enclave of hypocrites and a den of wolves in sheep's clothing.  Many operate as a closed society, making others feel unwelcome, because their hearts are closed to the will and way of God. Those following after false religion, who have not been reborn, do not wear God's armor or bear His fruit and therefore are unable to overcome the world and bring in the lost.

========================================================================

SELF REFLECTION: A Look in the Mirror

Once again, when we look at Jesus' parables, He is challenging us to examine where our heart lies. Closely examining your heart, answer the following  questions.

DISCUSS your answers with a mature Believer who can guide you in your spiritual relationship with Jesus and our Father, and/or have group discussions to learn from those who have different experiences and perspectives.

QUESTIONS: Write down your questions and discuss them with a mature Believer or submit them to:

https://fsasw.blogspot.com
https://fssw-followers.weebly.com

1. Again, in believing you alone can change yourself, it is a matter of believing you have choices. But what if you had no choices? What if God allowed you to become afflicted with diseases and stripped of everything as He did Job, or, blinded you as He did Saul? Would you curse His name or praise His name, or, surrender to His Will to serve Him? What will it take for God to stop you on your road to destruction? 
   
   
2. Why wouldn't God make a more extensive and detailed lists filled with instructions concerning what is right and wrong, such as He gave to Moses to guide the Israelites and David to build His temple? Did God think the Ten Commandments were enough laws?
   
   
3. Was God leaving some things up to man to decide if they were wrong or right? Let's think about that. Knowing human fallibility without His guidance, would God leave some things up to man to determine if they were right or wrong? Would a perfect god do such a thing, and why? With such diversity amongst men, is it possible for everyone to come to an agreement, or, reach a consensus? 
   
   
4. Are we to follow the laws of the Old Testament and add the new laws of the New Testament? If so, why? Is it because God knew that one day writings from His prophets would be collected and called Holy Scripture? Did He think about those who would not have access to the scriptures? Did the coming of Jesus change everything or just some things?