Romans 12:1-2 Summary: If I am going to live successfully, I must allow God to replace old though habits with new biblical patterns. I’m learning to think for life! Intro: When we think about habits, we normally consider the things that we do. Today we are going to talk about habits in the way we think. If we think about it, we can identify habits in our way of thinking or mindsets that can be either good or bad, helpful or hurtful. The Bible teaches us to replace the unbiblical though patterns with new godly ways of thinking. When I refuse this, I end up wandering like Israel in the dessert. 1. I continue to wander when I live with an entitlement mindset. Numbers 11:4–6 (ESV) Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” The answer : A Grace mentality. I move forward by trusting the Gods grace. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2. I continue to wander when I live with a victim mindset. Exodus 14:10–14 (ESV) When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” The answer – A Victor Mentality. I learn to trust Gods power and promise. 1 Corinthians 15:57–58 (ESV) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 3. I continue to wander when I live with a self-centered mindset. Exodus 32:1 (ESV) When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” The answer: A Christ centered mentality Colossians 2:10 (NLT) So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 4. I continue to wander when I live with a divisive mindset. Numbers 12:1–2 (ESV)1Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. The answer: A uniter mentality. Matthew 5:9 (ESV) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Ephesians 4:1–3 (ESV) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 5. I continue to wander when I have a faithless mindset. Numbers 13:27–33 (ESV) And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.” 30But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” The answer : A faith-filled mindset. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV) for we walk by faith, not by sight. Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Action Steps: · Allow God to change these mindsets in you. · Ask God to show you where you have other wilderness mindsets. · Seek Gods answer to each in the scripture. What other mindsets do I have that are keeping me form living the life you want for me? o Lustful mindset o Anxious mindset o Hateful mindset o Fearful mindset o Unforgiving mindset o Critical mindset o Prideful mindset o Careless mindset o Foolish mindset o Lazy mindset o Negative mindset · Ask God to help you grow into your new identity in Jesus. Eph 1-3
