Successful Living part 2

By Bill Gothard


5 BASIC STEPS TOWARD BECOME A “WHOLE PERSON”

In order to become a whole person, we must first be made alive in our spirits and then allow our spirits to become the center of our lives. This objective is incorporated in the following five steps:

1. BE REBORN IN YOUR SPIRIT
2. REBUILD YOUR THOUGHTS
3. REFOCUS YOUR EMOTIONS
4. REDIRECT YOUR GOALS
5. REPRODUCE YOUR LIFE IN OTHERS

Only through our spirits can we discover that third dimension of life and gain the personal fulfillment which our beings long to achieve. The following pages illustrate the potential development of these objectives.

THE BASIC CONFLICTS OF INNER NATURES

* Two forces within us become quite obvious as we attempt to fulfill that which we know to be right. One force seeks to draw our attention to the wrong impulses; the other seeks to draw our attention to the right impulses. The resulting struggle is well-describing in the words of Romans 7:15-25.

* “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

“Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

HOW TO BE “REBORN” IN YOUR SPIRIT

* “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

* “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

* “But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

* “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

* “If you will confess with your mouth Jesus as your Lord, and if you will believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

PRAY THIS:

“Dear God, thank you for loving me and sending your Son to die for my sin. Right now I do confess Jesus as my Lord. I ask Him to come into my life and cleanse me of all my sin, and make me your child from this moment on. Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering it through Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Expect some resistance from your lower nature as you follow these steps. “The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17).

STEPS TO TRANSFORM YOUR SOUL

* Once we have been born again by the Spirit of God, we will continue to experience conflicting struggles in our mind, will and emotions. But now the Spirit and Word of God make it possible to
“Be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2).

* Determine areas of personal character deficiency and find large sections of Scripture relating to them. Take these sections through the following steps of action:

* MEDITATION INVOLVES ALL THREE OF THESE STEPS

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

1. MEMORIZE

“The entrance of thy words give light” (Psalm 119:130). “It is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you” (Proverbs 22:18).

2. VISUALIZE

Picture each word. “If you cry after knowledge and lift up your voice for understanding: If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then shall you understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:3-5).

3. PERSONALIZE

Put Scripture into the first-person and quote it back to God. “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

HOW TO REBUILD THOUGHT STRUCTURES

God’s Spirit is the author and interpreter of Scripture. Once He enters our spirit, He is able to rebuild our thoughts, emotions, and will around a comprehension of His Word (John 16:13; 14:26).

1. MEMORIZE GOD’S THOUGHT STRUCTURES

If we are to think God’s thoughts after Him, we must be able to comprehend and appreciate His structure of thinking as presented in Scripture. The best way to do this is to memorize whole thoughts and ideas from Scripture.

The very fact that many sections are hard for us to understand underscores the truth of Isaiah 55:8 & 9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts…”

SECTIONS TO BEGIN MEMORIZING:

* James 1 - How to prepare for temptations
* Matthew 5,6,7 - How to find happiness
* Hebrews 12 - How to appreciate God’s chastening
* John 15 - How to grow spiritually
* Colossians 3 - How to refocus affections
* Romans 5-8 - How to conquer lusts
* Galatians 5,6 - The lower nature
* 1 Corinthians 13 - How to develop genuine love
* Psalm 1, 15, 34, 63, 139

2. SATURATE YOUR MIND WITH SCRIPTURE

The literal concept behind the word, “meditation,” is that of a cow chewing its cud. Just as it brings up again and again that which it has eaten, so we should recall in our minds over and over again that which we have memorized.

One day a family living on the edge of a desert was amazed to see that seeds had sprouted in the salty desert sands behind their home. No one could figure out how this happened, since they had often tried to grow things there with no results. The mystery was solved when they discovered that every day the mother had thrown her dishwater out the back door. After months and months, the salt which had hindered any growth was washed out of the sand. Then one day she threw some seeds out the back door. A short time later the plants began to sprout.

In the same way, as we saturate our minds with God’s Word, it will wash out thoughts opposed to Scripture and will reconstruct other ideas around God’s principles. “Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy Word is truth” (John 17:7). “Now you are clean through the Word that I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3).

HOW TO REDIRECT YOUR WILL

* The second step is to visualize each word and then ask God to show you how to turn that word into action which will build Christian character and lead others to salvation.

1. PURPOSE TO BECOME A LIVING TRANSLATION OF GOD’S WORD

In every age and within every society God has certain specific goals which He wants to accomplish. He looks for men through whom He can reach these objectives.

As we live in Scripture and compare the needs of our society with similar situations in Scripture, we will gain an understanding of some of the goals which God wants to accomplish.

2. ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOD’S WORD AND REPUTATION

Just as there are many physical members within one person, so there are many Christians within the body of Christ. Each one is to be sensitive to certain needs within and without the body which he can become personally responsible for.

As we begin laying down our lives for the brethren, the Word of God will become a living force through us.

3. EXPAND THE MEANING OF KEY WORDS AND TRANSLATE THEM TO ACTION

One of God’s greatest problems in using words to communicate His ideas is our inability to comprehend the thought concepts behind the words. Several helps can be used in expanding key words- a concordance to look up other verses in which the word is used, an expository dictionary to express the meaning of the word as used in the original language, a dictionary to look up the full meaning of the English word.

HOW TO REFOCUS EMOTIONS

* The third step toward making God’s Word live in our hearts is allowing it to become the full expression of our emotions.

1. PERSONALIZE THE SCRIPTURE YOU HAVE MEMORIZED

God delights to hear His own Word, especially when we are using it to express our own desires and emotions. To do this, we can take the same sections which we have memorized and add personal pronouns wherever possible. This process is illustrated in the following verse:
ORIGINAL JOHN 15:7

“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.”

PERSONALIZED JOHN 15:7

“Lord, I will abide in you and allow your words to abide in me. Then, whatever I ask shall be done unto me.”

2. EXPRESS IRRITATIONS, DISAPPOINTMENTS, HEARTACHES THROUGH SCRIPTURE

The book of Psalms was written by a man after God’s own heart. It expresses the very heart of God and should express our hearts. However, there is a wide spectrum of emotions within
Psalms, and much of this spectrum we may not yet have experienced.

Therefore, God will allow certain situations in our lives to expose us to new sections of this spectrum, and thereby gain a wider sensitivity and insight into the nature of God and the feelings of others. Many sections in Psalms are already written in the first person, and therefore become excellent material to help us refocus our emotions.

HOW TO GET STARTED

* If we desire to build Scripture into our lives, we must realize that it demands the central focus of our concentration. The very nature of its operation requires that we build our schedules around it rather than trying to fit it into our present routine.

1. SELECT A MEANINGFUL SECTION OF SCRIPTURE

A meaningful sections of Scripture is one that relates directly to a question or a problem or a particular interest which you have. The Scripture I suggested earlier is recommended for this purpose.

2. GIVE GOD THE DAY THAT BELONGS TO HIM

One of the first questions in regard to memorizing is, “When will I ever find time?” The best time to invest in this project is the time that already belongs to God. This involves one day a week.

3. BEGIN THE DAY IN THE EVENING

The significance of our day beginning in the evening is that the last important thoughts on our minds in the evening remain on our subconscious minds throughout the night and consciously or unconsciously set our mental attitudes for the day.

Thus, God emphasizes the need to go to sleep while meditating on His Word. “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches” (Psalm 63:5,6).

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