Cataracts pt 7

Wow, can I just say this summer has been incredibly eye opening and freeing?! I just wanted to do a quick recap of what I've been learning as I go through Dr. Strydom's book dealing with the issue of Cataracts. First off, if you haven't downloaded the book yet, HERE it is. So on page 976 we discover that judgment, criticism and fault-finding are the sin issues behind Cataracts, remember what I said in pt 1 on Cataracts, there can also be other causes of Cataracts, but I'm just dealing with the sin issues here as I knew it applied to me. So far I've shared about step 1 taking the mystery out of the disease, and we've been parked on step 2 for most of the summer. Step 2 goes through all the blocks to healing....it took us back to Chap 12-Overcoming Bitterness Through the Healing Power of Forgiveness, which had us read through Chapters 26, 27 and 28 and then learn how to practically renew our minds. This is where I'm currently camped out. Renewing my mind and learning to dig out the poisonous branches in my mind and replace them with healthy ones. This is the process of taking captive your thoughts on a moment by moment basis. It takes work and as I do this every day, moment by moment, my mind will become renewed. So practically, what will this look like? Every morning I have a quiet time with Abba and write out Scripture verses, the Aug verse list I've been using is focused on my identity in Messiah. So that fits what I need to focus on and then I will read pg 12 of Who You Are in Christ and then I purposefully and actively think, meditate on and speak the Word of God to myself until I think like God thinks-which is to live a lifestyle of forgiveness. As I meditate on these Scriptures I will think about how they are relevant to me and my everyday life, mentally preparing myself to apply the principle of that Scripture in the future, picturing myself applying that principle in my relationships when people mistreat me etc. Also if Abba brings anyone to mind that I still have unforgiveness towards, then spend time in prayer, praying blessing over that person, until the sting in my heart goes away. Why is this so important?? Because even though I have repented of having a judgmental, critical and fault-finding spirit, that is just the beginning! I still have the poisonous mindset/habit of thinking...it takes roughly 21 days to break a habit and establish a new one. The Greek word for repentance means "changing your thinking" according to Dr. Strydom! So this part is the step I'm currently on, which is also known as sanctification of the soul. As I have these intentional "thinking times" with Abba renewing my mind, I also will be learning to take my thoughts captive throughout the day. There's no point having "thinking times" if I just go back to the poisonous thought patterns throughout the rest of the day! That would make the "thinking times" pretty ineffective! So what does THAT look like?!? Whenever a negative/poisonous thought comes into my mind of unforgiveness, resentment, anger, hatred and bitterness etc., I will recognize that those are not my thoughts even though they come in the first person, they are really coming from the enemy i.e. the spirit of bitterness, the spirit of unforgiveness, the spirit of resentment, the spirit of retaliation, the spirit of anger, the spirit of hatred, the spirit of violence and teh spirit of murder. Once I recognize thoughts from the enemy, I then use my free will to stop myself from meditating on them and instead, purposefully reject them and replace those thoughts (Satan's lie) with the Truth of God's Word, the Scriptures I was meditating on during my "thinking time", and then go one step further and pray for and bless that person whenever I think of them. THIS IS KEY!!! THIS is the moment where I get to choose life or choose death, and it's not always an easy choice! One last thing I want to share, is that during my thinking time, I will not only be reading Scriptures and thinking about them but I will be saying them out loud.
Biblical reason why it is important: Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Medical reason why it is important: when you speak out those Scriptures in your thinking time, you hear what you say and that information goes back into your brain through your ears. Thus, you re-inforce those healthy memory trees of life you are building in your brain and you also build them at a greater speed.

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