Fast Time: Tuesdays 6am-6pm
Thank you for your willingness to participate in what God is doing! Above all, please be Spirit-led as you fast. Please note that this is the designated time frame set forth by the Shine Empowerment Network. You are invited- but not required- to join us in any way that you can. If you have a medical condition that prevents a complete fast, then please look for another way to participate. Use wisdom and follow the Holy Spirit.
Teaching: Ungodly Beliefs- Freed To Be Free
Our beliefs should line up with God’s Word. Have you ever heard a Christian say something that they believed and you thought, “Well, that’s completely not true.” Our beliefs shape us. If we are His, our beliefs should reflect His beliefs. The only way to find out what He believes is to read His Word. Society nor culture should be our foundation for what we believe. It should be the Word of God.
Proverbs 23:7 (AMP), “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
2 Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Your thoughts have power. We know that your thoughts have an influence on your actions. You can have godly beliefs or ungodly beliefs. Satan influenced Eve in Genesis 3:4 to disobey by twisting the truth. He deceived her in her mind (her thoughts) before she acted and committed the sin of eating the forbidden fruit. Our thoughts affect our action. They must be taken captive and made to line up with the Word of God. We must be aware and diligent to guard our thought life. After all, thoughts affect our entire life. We have a responsibility to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ ( 2 Corinthians 10:5). Living in a fallen world, we must daily renew our minds ( Romans 12:2).
Everyone, to some extent, lives out of wrong beliefs. Ungodly beliefs are “lies” about ourselves, about others, and about God. They are dangerous because they affect all of our perceptions, all of our decisions, and all of our actions. Let’s take a look at the source of ungodly beliefs, their power in our lives, and how to exchange ungodly beliefs for godly beliefs.
What Is A Belief System?
How do Our belief system includes our beliefs, decisions, attitudes, agreements, judgments, expectations, vows and oaths. Any beliefs that agree with God (His Word, His nature, His character, etc.) are our godly beliefs. Any beliefs that do not agree with God (His Word, His nature, His character, etc.) contribute to our ungodly beliefs. Our beliefs affect who we are, how we perceive ourselves and how we relate to others, to the world around us, and to God. They determine how Christ-like we become, and even the quality of our Christian lives. The ungodly beliefs can be like a vise grip putting tight constraint on our lives, choking out the abundant life that Jesus promises.
The “perfect” ungodly belief is one that appears to be absolutely true based on the facts of our experience and yet it is absolutely false based on God’s word.
- “No one loves me.”
- “I am all alone.”
- “I am defective.”
- “God doesn’t love me.”
Although these statements are completely false, most people who think this way do not even realize it. Until an ungodly belief is pointed out to us, we continue on, day after day, living our life based on a lie. When we finally recognize an ungodly belief, we realize how completely at odds it is with God’s Word. John 8:44 clearly warns us that Satan is a liar, it is his character and he hates the truth. Exposing ungodly beliefs exposes Satan’s continuous attempts to drive us away from God’s truth which states we are His beloved children ( John 1:12).
What Are Ungodly Beliefs And How Are They Formed?
- We inherit wrong beliefs from our families or friends.
- They are lies that have been formed in us since childhood about ourselves, others and God.
- They are formed out of our experience.
- Beliefs are formed from hurts, traumas, negative experiences, and words people say to us.
- Beliefs are formed from the facts of our experiences.
- An ungodly belief is a belief or attitude that does not agree with the Word of God.
The most tragic ungodly beliefs Satan has introduced to this generation are:
- You came from nothing.
- You live for no reason.
- You are going nowhere.
- You will never succeed.
Some Results of Ungodly Beliefs
Ungodly beliefs:
- Set us up for unhappy relationships.
- Cause distortion so that we make mountains out of mole hills.
- Cause us to take everything personally.
- Cause us to be a prisoner to put-downs or sarcasm, anger or other unhealthy patterns of relating.
- Cause us to hurt and defile those we love.
- Cause our faith to be eroded.
- Undermine our relationship with God.
- Give place for Demonic Oppression.
- Hinder God’s blessings.
- Trap us so that we don’t fulfill our destiny.
The Belief-Expectation Cycle
To better understand the Belief – Expectation Cycle, consider this example:
- Experience. Teacher embarrasses you in front of others.
- Belief. I’m not smart and/or teachers are mean.
- Expectation. I’m stupid and/or teachers will always treat me that way.
- Behavior. Refusal to study, i.e. What’s the point of studying for a test because I’m stupid? (and/or) I’ll act up in class since teachers will embarrass me anyway.
The way to stop the Belief – Expectation cycle is to intervene between the Experience and the Belief stages of the cycle. We must choose God’s truth as our new belief. When we replace the old lie with God’s truth, then the other parts of the cycle will change.
Think of an example of an ungodly belief that has operated in your life. What experience got this belief established? What expectations and behaviors come out of this belief? Are you ready to change this belief? Let’s do it!
Breaking Free of Ungodly Beliefs
So how do you stop thinking the way you have always thought about things? Romans 12:1-2 says don’t be the way the world is and don’t’ think the way the world thinks, but be transformed into the image of Christ by the renewing of your mind. So how do you do that?
When you think, your brain generates electrical energy that travels from “neuron” to “neuron.” As these electrical pulses travel across your brain, the neurons involved develop more, creating a pathway that is ever more easier for the electrical pulses to follow. Thus your brain develops a system of trails or highways. When you think a thought over and over again, that trail becomes a deep rut. Having thought the thought over and over again, it will begin to affect your reasoning and become a part of your belief system. You will eventually justify or defend your actions even though they may be ungodly. You will eventually convince yourself that you have a good reason or right for your beliefs and resultant actions.
To break out of this downward spiral, it will take some determined effort. It takes time to o change a direction. Just as it took time and repetition to form your ungodly beliefs, it will take time and repetition to replace them with your new godly beliefs. God has provided the way, but you have to choose it. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 instructs us to pull down, tear down, every thought that is against God.
Ungodly beliefs are not God’s thoughts, so those thoughts are trying to put themselves above God. God and His thoughts should be what are exalted in our life, not ungodly beliefs. The battleground is in the mind. We need to apply God’s weapons against everything that would try to keep our thought patterns and habits in the old way. Strongholds of fear, worry, bitterness, anger, shame, control, etc. need to come down and be replaced by Christ’s thoughts. Ungodly beliefs are open doors inviting Satan to come into our minds. If we don’t reject Satan’s lies, then we accept them as truth. Isn’t it awful to think that we are believing and trusting what Satan says about us more than what God says about us? God promises He has given us all we need. (2 Peter 1:3-4).
We become what we believe we are. It is important that we not only verbally agree with the Truth of what God says, but also that we believe it in our hearts. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23:7 (AMP). The following ideas are practical ways to help you walk out what you have learned about changing your ungodly beliefs to godly beliefs.
- Remember you have prayed breaking agreement with Satan’s lies. Satan will attempt to bring more lies into your mind, or remind you of old lies. When he does, apply words from II Corinthians 10:3-5 and replace any lies with a Godly Belief.
- For a season you will need to continually “take captive your thoughts” until Satan understands you are not buying into his lies any longer. Satan may attempt to “hound” you with specific ungodly thoughts or beliefs, but if you continue to take your ungodly thoughts captive and renew your mind with the Word of God, Satan will eventually back off.
- Since you have gone through the process with your counselor/minister of breaking agreement with ungodly beliefs and replacing them with godly beliefs you are now responsible for applying your new godly beliefs to your entire life.
- Speak aloud your godly beliefs consistently every day for at least one month. Speaking your godly beliefs aloud helps your mind to be renewed and your heart to be transformed. Some godly beliefs may take several months. Work on them until you know your mind has been renewed.
- Remember, your mind often wants to continue in the old thought patterns. Do not give up.
God tells us in Philippians 4:8 that we are to think on positive truth, to renew our minds. We begin renewing our mind with the following things. As you think and mediate on these things, they will begin to take root in your heart. He also tells us in Hebrews 4:12 that His Word is alive and powerful. It will expose ungodly beliefs. If you continue to speak your godly beliefs and take time to pray over them, they will become a part of who you are and what you believe.
Reap A Destiny Poem
This poem shows the progress from our experiences leading to a belief and ultimately to our destiny. Our belief system is very important!
BELIEF SYSTEM
If you accept a belief,
You reap a thought.
If you sow a thought,
You reap an attitude.
If you sow an attitude,
You reap an action.
If you sow an action,
You reap a habit.
If you sow a habit,
You reap a character.
If you sow a character,
You reap a destiny.
-Anonymous
A Word From Christy
Friends, this prayer counseling material completely set me free when I became a Christian. Thank the Lord for revelation and knowledge. I was stuck for years in wrong beliefs about myself, the world around me, and a lot of other areas! I had to have my mind renewed with the Word. First, I had to recognize the lie, break my agreement with it, and then, replace it with the Word.
I had a precious Christian couple walk me through this process, helping me identify the ungodly beliefs that I spoke and believed. This wasn’t a one time thing. With help from the Holy Spirit, our Helper, I continued to identify ungodly beliefs that I spoke and thought. This is a continual process that brings so much freedom. I pray that you find this material helpful and that pick it up as a tool and break free from the lies of the enemy. Remember, only those who are free, can free others! Choose the abundant life that Jesus died to give you.
Shining Brightly for the King,
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