Shift Your Thinking For A Deeper FaithSample

Day One

Living Inside Out

Scripture: John 16:33

Ask any Christian if they would like to have a more rewarding, intimate relationship with God and others—as well as more confidence, wisdom, and influence—and I’m certain the answer would be a resounding yes. But often the mechanics of the process become lost in the shuffle of a busy life. We lose sight of what God has said is true about our infinite value, gifts, and extraordinary strength. We know these things were installed in us at salvation, but they are often forgotten as we live out our life. We end up only partially embracing the hundreds of promises God gave us about the abundance of spiritual assets we have in him.

This disconnectedness shows up in things like the burdens we feel in adversity, the fear we experience with opportunity, and the fatigue we can feel simply doing everyday life.

We end up in a cycle of intermittent faith: a life that is controlled more by external events than internal resolve, and where the fruit of the Spirit is more contingent on how we feel in the moment than what is actually true about our identity in Christ.

But because the Spirit of God is within us, the practice of living from the inside out rather than the “outside in” creates a new beginning of moving away from reactionary, unstable, and stress-infused beliefs and actions to more insightful, peaceful, and positive responses to everything that happens in our life, good or bad! 

The good news is that experiencing the fullness of God is a simple equation; it’s not always easy, but the mechanics are simple. It requires that we intentionally stay connected to what God has shared in his Word about what is true. By connected, I mean we weld and temper the truths of God’s promises (his Word) onto every aspect of our attitude, mindset, emotions, and actions—not just on occasions when we happen to land on a spiritual high, but in the moments of every day. The quality and consistency of this connection (this welding) determines everything that we do and how we process all that happens. The questions become clear: Will I live my life based on my emotions, my circumstances, or what I or others invent as real—or what God has said is true? 

Describe a time you have let fear or fatigue rather than God’s promises shape an experience.