“Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” -Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT)
In our society, broken objects or vessels are often rendered useless. In the Kingdom of God, however, yielded brokenness is an opportunity for matchless beauty to emerge.
Recently, God has been leading me on a journey of shattering some of my personal beliefs…beliefs which have stunted my growth, stolen my peace, and muted my voice. I have been waking up in the mornings joyfully asking God, “Which of my beliefs shall we shatter today?”
To shatter means to “break (something) into pieces; to weaken, destroy, or refute; to become insubstantial.”
EXAMPLES OF BELIEFS WHICH NEED TO BE SHATTERED:
- God is indifferent toward me. He may love me, but He likes those other people better.
- I am too young. No one will listen to me. I must wait until I have more experience.
- I am too old. I missed my opportunity. The rest of my life will be spent in regret.
- I am not worth being understood.
- I am not beautiful.
- I am not enough.
- I am a failure.
Our beliefs influence our perception of God, ourselves, our trials, our successes, and other people around us. If I believe God has favored my neighbor more than He has favored me, I will perceive God as unfair and unjust. I may then attempt a performance-based approach for earning God’s blessings rather than receiving blessings according to His grace.
When we get angry and desire to break something physical we are responding to a deeper desire to break the painful beliefs we have about life and ourselves. Our beliefs are plates we use to serve secondary messages to ourselves and others. We must do the work [with God] to break the beliefs that are preventing us from living the beautiful lives God has created us to live.
HOW? | AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND
- Ask God to reveal to you the inaccurate beliefs on which you base your identity.
- Ask God to reveal to you the inaccurate beliefs you have about Him.
- Ask God to reveal to you any beliefs that are preventing you from living the life He has called you to live.
- Ask God to help you identify the source of these beliefs.
- Seek TRUTH from God’s word which will replace your inaccurate beliefs.
- Journal the above and revisit the scriptures you will use to renew your mind.
God will be faithful to reveal the beliefs that need to be shattered. He will lovingly walk you through the process of breaking and renewing.
“God delights in shattering our faulty beliefs and replacing them with beautiful mosaics through which He can shine.” – Lesley Sturm
shatter. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved April 15, 2012, from Dictionary.comwebsite: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shatter
© 2012 Lesley Sturm
