www.dailypostathenian.com FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021 | RELIGION DAILY POST-ATHENIAN | A7 Changing your mind EXPECTATION: Rewards recently wrote an article on give us the mind of Christ (refer- Christ Jesus.” await those who believe I overcoming a mental block. ence 1 Corinthians 2:16)? Do you It seemed every demon in hell Before you can overcome any think God would proclaim math is assailed me. mental block, you must first real- difficult? We were created in His “Who do you think you are? FROM A6 He has led us, instructed ize it is there, and that it is pos- image (reference Genesis 1:27), You’re not the righteousness of us, fed us, and strength- sible to get beyond it. why shouldn’t we speak and act God. Why just yesterday you garments that stood by ened us because His Let’s face it, if you think you like Him? (insert numerous sins here).” and proclaimed to the promises are true. Some- are no good at math, you avoid it If you are going to overcome a I’ve since learned they attacked Apostles as Jesus was day soon, our Lord shall like the plague, and you shy away mental block or any long-standing my thought life to get me to say taken up from them and return, but will you be from anything numbers-relat- stronghold, as something different. As long as received by a cloud out of ready? ed all the time. There’s a good my Pentecos- I was speaking the word of God, their sight that He would Saints, I beseech you by chance that you will never be any tals or Charis- they were mad, but there was come back in like manner the mercies of God, keep good at it. matics might nothing they could do about it as He was taken up. yourselves from idols and However, if you know math is say, you are apart from tempting me to speak Even the Lord Himself, every evil work that cor- your weakness, but you are deter- going to have something different. who said, “Behold, I come rupts. Keep yourself from mined to overcome it, you can. to change the It wasn’t immediate. As mat- quickly, and my reward things that distract you It will take some work; you will way you think ter of fact, it took a while. But I is with me.” (Revelations from your purpose. One have to focus on various math- on the sub- remember the day it happened. 22:12). more time saints, we must ematical concepts, perhaps get a ject. In other I was pacing through the house, I know sometimes it’s live in expectation of His good teacher, take it one step at a words, you are struggling to say, “I am the righ- easy to get discouraged in return and not grow slack time. But most importantly, you going to have teousness of God in Christ Jesus.” this world. in our trust of Him as He are going to have to come to grips SUCCESSFUL to change your I was declaring it repeatedly We may often wonder, tarries. Since we therefore with the fact that you can learn it, mind, which is when it hit me, I am the righ- “Is He there? When is He live in expectation, we and you will learn it. LIVING exactly what teousness of God! Not because of coming? Is He ever com- know we have purpose Learning math is a great exam- the Apostle anything I had done, but because ing?” in life to fill the Kingdom ple of overcoming a mental block. TIM Paul wanted of what Jesus did in His death, However, we must keep that we shall receive. Many will remember being taught HUGHES us to do any- burial, and resurrection. the faith and endure until He that shall come, will basic math in elementary school way (reference The realization came rushing the end. Faithful is He come and, in due time, or perhaps junior high school. Romans 12:2 in and I felt like a blind man see- who has called us! If we we shall reap a wonderful The teacher introduces a concept and Ephesians ing for the first time. My mind think back on our lives, reward if we faint not. at the beginning of the lesson. 4:23). had been changed. I had taken a we can see that He has Your mind immediately begins Changing thoughts starts with promise from the Word of God been faithful. He has only STEVEN CROFT IS the senior to process the concept, and usu- changing your words, not the oth- and made the decision to believe ever been good to us and pastor of Boyd Memorial First ally the first thought will ques- er way around. When you decide it regardless of my previously- He’s been there with us. Church of God in Athens. tion whether you’ll be able to to appropriate a promise of God conceived thoughts and actions. understand it or not. I was a lit- in your life, such as divine health And that is what it’s going to tle odd when it came to math; I or righteousness, you will have to take for you, too, Dear Reader. always thought of it like puzzles. start speaking it long before your If you are going to change your If you worked with it long enough mind will grasp the concept. mind, you first have to realize that or thought about it from differ- I can remember the first time I your mind can be changed. And ent angles, typically the answer heard a teaching on righteousness then you have to take the actions would reveal itself. and how I was made the righ- to change it. If it’s math you want However, I know there were teousness of God in Christ Jesus to learn, realize it can be done many who struggled with math. (reference 2 Corinthians 5:21). My and take whatever action you How did I know? They told me. mind could not comprehend what need to learn it (my personal phi- And if your thoughts towards I was hearing. There was no way losophy is, if a person can do it, math, or any other conception- I was the righteousness of God. I am a person, therefore I can do al idea, are that it is difficult to I had so much sin in my life; if it it). If it’s incorporating a promise understand, for you it will be wasn’t evident in my life, it was of God in your life, you’re going challenging. certainly in my thoughts. to have to be determined to see it Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a I could not bring myself to say come to pass in your life and get UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA ARCHIVES VIA AP person thinks in their heart, so out loud, “I am the righteousness ready for a fight. The devil isn’t In this 1910s photo provided by the United Church of Canada are they. If you think math is diffi- of God in Christ Jesus.” going to roll over and give up Archives, students write on a chalkboard at the Red Deer Indian cult, for you it will be difficult. If Then I changed my mind. I just because you made a decision Industrial School in Alberta. In Canada, where more than 150,000 you think it is easy, it will be. made a conscientious decision to to believe. But if you diligently Indigenous children attended residential schools over more than “Brother Tim, math is hard!” speak the word of God and not speak the word of God, meditate a century, a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission iden- I know, you told me. But why do my thoughts concerning the word on it until it becomes a part of tified 3,201 deaths amid poor conditions. you say that? It’s just as easy to of God. I decided the word of God your life. You will see a change. say, “Math is easy.” represented truth and my own “But that wouldn’t be true.” thoughts did not. TIM HUGHES IS a lay minister and elder Not true for who? Do you think I opened my mouth and said, “I at Ascension Life Church in Athens. He US churches reckon math is hard for God? Didn’t He am the righteousness of God in can be reached at [email protected] with traumatic legacy e di erence between listening and hearing of Native schools cts 8:5-6 NKJV — haps that’s why the phrase terranean preaching from A“Then Philip went “those who have an ear, Azotus, then Joppa onto BY PETER SMITH ment with such boarding down to the city of let them hear” is repeated Caesarea. The Associated Press schools. Samaria and preached so frequently in the pro- Azotus is also known as “We must come to a full Christ to them. And the phetic scriptures. Ashdod. This was one of The discoveries of hun- understanding of the lega- multitudes with one Here, Philip gives us a the principle cities of the dreds of unmarked graves cies of these schools,” read accord heeded the things terrific example of some- Philistines, an arch ene- at former residential a July 12 statement from spoken by Philip, hearing one who listened and my of God for centuries. schools for Indigenous Presiding Bishop Michael and seeing the miracles heard. Think of this, the same children in Canada have Curry and the Rev.