7/11 Irrational Slave Thinking compare to Christian Foundations
We continue with the important theme of our thinking patterns are what causes the Slave Mentality of new Christians. Look through the following common ways people think about themselves when they first come into the kingdom. Some of this thinking and self talk ties them into staying caught in false beliefs.
Remember, ‘If I believe I am a worm, how will I behave…. And how will others treat me?‘
We see too many people caught in the slave thinking as a worm
Then on the opposite side of the same coin, if I think I am invincible and that I am so good at everything, how will I act? How does think kind of thinking influence our pride and walk with the Lord.
We must get to the place where we see ourselves as He does, valuable and loved just as we are…. Not caught in our own estimation of our worth and power – whether too good or too bad. Check this list and see if you can catch your Heart or Mind thinking these statements:
1. I must have love and approval from all the people I find important in my life. Versus – I will accept and value myself. If I also have love and approval from others, that’s great.
2. I must be able to do most things well, or at least be thoroughly competent in one important area. Versus – It feels good to do the best I can and if I don’t always show my very best, I well work on either accepting myself as I am without punishing myself.
3. Life should work out the way I want it to. If it doesn’t I must be frustrated, rejected and unfairly done by. Versus – It’s too bad that things are not the way that I would like them to be but as long as the Lord is in my world, things can work to my best.
4. Someone or something is making me feel depressed, utterly miserable; I am compelled to eat, smoke, drink. Versus – No one can ‘make me’ feel anything. Out of the range of responses, I choose to go to eating, smoking, etc.
5. I usually keep worrying and am over anxious if something seems out of order, not understood or fearsome. Versus – Worrying prevents me from acting effectively. I will face the dangerous situation and either accept that I exists or attempt to change what I can.
6. It is better for me to avoid facing many of life’s difficulties than to risk failing or being rejected. Versus – If I fail or get rejected, I will still accept myself and choose to see myself the way God does.
7. My feelings and behaviour today will continue to be strongly influenced by what has happened to me in the past. Versus – The past only influences the present until I allow myself to get healed from any event. I have a choice here too.
8. People and things should turn out better than they do. There are no solutions to life’s serious problems. Versus – I will accept that people chose to act the way they do. I will look for compromises and reasonable solutions in conflict situations.
9. I will be able to enjoy myself when others begin to behave in a better way towards me. Versus – I am responsible for my behaviour and I cannot control others to ‘make them change’ so I can be happy.
Comments to yourself on any of these staements?
If we continue to hold these views about ourselves and others, we will stay stuck in the slave thinking of the world. We don’t have to be the victim in any situation with the Lord on our side. Learning how to grow beyond the victim is part of the journey we need to face before we can grow to the next stage of being a Jesus Follower – that of being a good servant.
Susanne Fengler, Blog Author
www.christianfoundations.jesus.treeoflife.info
Tags: Slave thinking concepts
Filed under: From Slave to Sonship
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