We have grown up in the world system of perception, thinking and language. We have grown accustomed to our thinking being derived from the world, the flesh and the devil. When we connect with Jesus we come under a mindset from a different domain. The mind set on the flesh is hostile to the majesty of God. The mindset of the spirit brings new life and tremendous peace-Romans 8: 5-8; 14, 12: 2. Transformation can only come when our thinking is being constantly, powerfully changed.
The wisdom of heaven must replace the wisdom from the world James 3: 13-15. We do this by a process called reframing. Framing is an artistic skill that many artists do not possess. They can paint a brilliant portrait but choose an unsuitable frame that works against the portrait’s true beauty or excellence. In Another way a wonderful frame can make an average portrait seem more amazing.
The way we think about something can similarly frame the way we see something. Our thinking can put our perception into a place where we cannot have a breakthrough encounter in life. People want new but think old. We are a new creation, but our thoughts, perceptions and language are experienced from the old creation, not the new man in Christ. Conversations are riddled with old man perceptions and mindsets because our thinking is not sanctified in Christ.
Our thinking is still a stronghold of the enemy that must be systematically destroyed so that our new thinking takes us to the place of renewal and obedience-2 Corinthians 10: 4-6; Ephesians 4: 20-24. We must think from the new man in Christ.
We have access to a hidden wisdom in Christ that is not part of this worldly mindset. As we receive it, we enter into a deeper, more glorious fellowship with God. We learn to think, perceive and speak from a position of radiant knowledge. This wisdom releases to us an understanding of what God is doing in our lives and how he’s preparing us to walk in his brilliance. The Holy Spirit, our specific helper, constantly searches the depths of God and reveals to us the vital truths that upgrade the quality of our spiritual experience. We are meant to receive revelation of what truly belongs to us in Christ and the anointing to grow up into Christ in all things. This wisdom of the new man is the subject of all our conversations. We have the favor of God to spiritually appraise all our thoughts so that we can be instructed in the mind of Christ-1 Corinthians 2: 6-16.
If we do not reassess our thinking in line with the internal presence of Jesus, we cannot turn any single encounter with God into an ongoing lifestyle experience. We’ve become, by default, people of visitation rather than a habitation of God by the Spirit. The result of that mindset is that we develop a religious culture geared more to our performance rather than our placement in Jesus. We are seekers of God, but our unredeemed mindset does not allow us to experience the fullness of this truth-2 Timothy 3: 7.
When we are stuck in a place of negativity that makes us feel powerless and frustrated, we need to have access to a new way of thinking about our perceptions. Too much pastoral ministry is based around working on the old nature rather than replacing it with the new man and developing the thinking that comes out of that position. The new man in Christ has a completely different thought about our current problem. When we change the frame, we have a different encounter with God. If something is limiting us, our new man can reframe it to a place of what is now possible. Spiritual appraisal allows us to have fresh encounters and life changing experiences.
The Holy Spirit loves to take the things of Jesus and make them new and real for us. In Christ we are never stuck, nor in prison by a thought, reframing is the key that unlocks our life to the wisdom from above. This wisdom creates a place of purity in our thinking that upgrades our mindset to peace, gentleness and merciful perspectives. We are no longer prone to doubt and we do not say one thing but think another-James 3: 17.
When we are present/past in our thinking and lifestyle we have a spirituality that is only seeing problems. The unexpected can often be received as a problem rather than an opportunity. Problems require help, or solutions. A mindset on problems can take us into a functional place with God where the resolution of a difficulty becomes our priority; but an upgrade in our thinking maybe his agenda for us.
A problem can take us away from wisdom and give us a language that limits our faith in God.
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, is a reframed thought that opens up all the possibilities of God. The world is geared to problem solve at every level of human experience. In Christ the problem of ourselves been dealt with on the cross. We Need to become aware of which self is talking in our current situation, is it our old self or our new self?
God has taken all things that were against us in our old self and crucified it with Jesus. What is the new, true, real self- saying? Set your mind on things above not on things on the earth. You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God-Colossians 3: 2-3.
A problem frame means that we do not see what God has done, or is doing. Any problem frame also looks to put a fault somewhere in the picture so that someone else can be blamed. When we step out of our own picture our identity has nowhere to go but down.
When we are learning to be present/future in our thinking we can learn to frame prophetically. That is, we look at our situations in the light of prophetic words, promises and life-giving scriptures that have been inserted into our lives in a previous time by the Holy Spirit. Those words can start to have an immediate impact on our identity. If a person with the mindset of a wimp receives a prophetic word that he/she will become a warrior, then the process of transformation comes by the renewing of the mind. We must empower that person to begin to reframe their thinking through a warrior rather than a victim mindset. Every problem, difficulty and adversarial situation therefore now provides training in warrior thinking and identity. On their journey from slavery in Egypt to the conquest of Canaan, Israel needed to reframe their thinking and identity from a rabble of slaves to a disciplined army who could take territory. Failure resulted in hundreds of thousands of people denying themselves a dynamic new inheritance.
The future that God connects us to in the present demands a new perspective. Prophecy gives us an outcome that therefore guarantees the process. Asking, who is God for me now? Is an outcome frame. What future do I really want? Empowers us to a different destination. Asking people if they have a prophecy or promise can open up the present/future for a fresh dialogue that enables us to explore something new and more vital. Promises allow us to experience God’s intention-Jeremiah 29: 11.
Moses held up a problem frame regarding his speech impediment, which, he felt disqualified him from the role that God intended (Exodus 4: 10). The resolution of that difficulty came in God’s reframing of the identity of Moses in Exodus 7:1. See, I make you as God to Pharoah and Aaron shall be your prophet. A spiritual appraisal occurs when our viewpoint on something is the same as the Lords. A prophetic frame gives us a more dynamic outcome. What has God said? We have to see it! Then we have to see ourselves becoming it and doing it.
A prophetic word reframes our thinking; Upgrades our vision of ourselves and gives us a new language for our identity.
In Christ we have the newness of life frame-Romans 6: 3-11; Galatians 2: 20; Philippians 4: 13. We get to imagine Jesus within. How would he see this circumstance? How would he engage with it?
Jesus within will cause us to see things differently. He gives us more than just an interpretation of something. He is the way, the truth and the life-John 14: 6. His viewpoint and passions for us create a whole new language with which we can explore the situation. All things that were impossible before are now made possible in him. In Jesus we are being quietly, lovingly and joyfully raised up to a newness of life. We have God’s absolute permission to consider ourselves dead to an old man mindset and to be alive to him instead (Roman 6: 11. The Holy Spirit is training us to explore new ways of becoming different in our thinking. We have the mind of Christ. We are transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12: 2). Reframing is a wonderful, spiritual exercise in thinking in line with our new man in Christ. From that place of being renewed in the spirit of our mind, we get to develop mindsets and activations that are rooted in the reality of Christ within. Our language reflects the reframing of our thought life. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me (Philippians 4: 13).
The growth of our identity depends upon our mindset changing; The growth of our personal perspective, and the development of a new language in which to express all that God wants to be for us. A newness of life frame opens up all the possibilities of the Kingdom invading our time space world with the radiant good news of the gospel.
Where have you become stuck in your thinking, perception or language?
What are the opportunities opening up for you now?
How will you develop your newness of life frame?
What spiritual appraisals are you engaged in upgrading?