Retrain Your Brain

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Colossians 3:10

Lasting change happens gradually on the inside, often before there’s any outward evidence of it. Pastor Jim Penner says: ‘A friend of mine recently went through hip-replacement surgery… the joint had worn to the point where he walked with a limp and had to use a crutch. Thanks to the skill of a modern-day surgeon he was quickly up and around again. Yet for months after the surgery his limp remained… I ran into him this morning and the limp was gone. Where did it go? It had been there the day before. Had it vanished in the night? “You’re walking great,” I said. “What happened?” His response was priceless. “My physical therapist told me I had to retrain my brain.” His brain had been trained to expect pain so he limped in anticipation. Even when he didn’t feel the pain his brain said, “Hang on. It’s coming!” The Bible says in Christ you become “a new creature: old things are passed away… all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But you have to change your thinking by believing, accepting, and acting on it. Christ has already done the restoration “surgery”. Just like my friend was given a new hip, God has given you a new life. The old one is gone along with all the bad things you’ve done, thought, or said. You’re a brand-new creation. But you have to retrain your brain to accept God’s forgiveness and the restorative work Jesus has done in your life.’ So: retrain your brain.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to remember and ask like who I am, a forgiven child of Yours! In Jesus’ Name, Amen