{"id":1994,"date":"2011-12-05T10:32:52","date_gmt":"2011-12-05T16:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/?p=1994"},"modified":"2011-12-08T04:50:52","modified_gmt":"2011-12-08T10:50:52","slug":"twrac-042-12111-brainwashed-into-new-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/member\/applications\/twrac-042-12111-brainwashed-into-new-life","title":{"rendered":"TWRAC 042 (12\/5\/11): Brainwashed into New Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Week’s Recovery Application Challenge<\/h2>\n

Please complete TWIRL 042<\/span><\/a><\/span> if you haven’t already done so.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Brainwashed into New Life… Transformed through Relationship<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The WHEN in relationships is what you\u00a0do\u00a0that elicits the THEN response. Submission is the\u00a0<\/em>WHEN\u00a0that must to be committed—the condition is surrender—in your relationship with God.<\/em>\u00a0To experience the life of\u00a0empowered transformative recovery, you need to be<\/em>about the\u00a0<\/em>WHEN<\/em>\u00a0in the relationship. God\u00a0<\/em>THEN\u00a0<\/em>will\u00a0<\/em>change you into something new.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Until you let go of all of the stuff in your life, your stuff holds you down and keeps you stuck, and you tend to wallow in double-minded beliefs and intentions, holding back the power of God who loves you and wants so much to set you free. But as long as you are holding on—and you know what the “stuff” is that you’re holding on to—you hold the power and push back what God wants and will generously do for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, I urge you, brothers,\u00a0in view of God’s mercy<\/em>, to\u00a0offer<\/em>\u00a0your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God\u2014this is your spiritual\u00a0act of worship.\u00a0Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but\u00a0be<\/em>transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is\u2014his good, pleasing and perfect will.\u00a0Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What We Do—<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

God desires to completely transform your life—every aspect of how you live—for your own good so that you will have a far better life.<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

There is\u00a0what we do\u00a0in this transformative relationship, and there is what God does. What we do is offer our bodies to God sacrificially with our actions–our behavior. It is what we do with our eyes and our ears. It is what we do with what goes in and what comes out of our mouths. It is what we reach for with our arms and hold on to with our hands. It is where we go with our legs and where we stay with our feet (Romans 12:1). It is with our bodies that we give in to selfish urges and fall into addictive patterns, and with our bodies that we quit giving in.There is\u00a0what we do<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0from the\u00a0outside in<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>when we offer ourselves sacrificially to God by the way we behave with our bodies.\u00a0Then there is\u00a0what God does in us<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0from the\u00a0inside out<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0to completely transform us by the full renewing of our minds—literally rearranging our brain chemistry so as to empower us to live better and to think and feel healthier. God exchanges our desires and intentions with His desires and intentions. We then can resist self-centered addictive urges through the power of prayer and actually live in freedom, proving that God’s plan for us is perfect and beautiful. (Romans 12:1-2)\u00a0What we do is we\u00a0offer<\/strong>\u00a0our bodies to God. Notice that the word ‘offer’ is an action verb.-Why would you say Romans 12:1 begins, “In view of God’s mercy”?\u00a0-What would you say it means to offer your physical body to God as a spiritual action of worship?<\/span><\/p>\n