Heal Your Life | wholenessinchrist

Christ Can Heal Your Life

The Workshop

Jesus said, "I came that they may have life—and may have it abundantly." John 10:10
This workshop is designed to help believers enjoy more of the promised abundant life

of God-given joy, confidence and wholeness.

Topics Include:

· The Outrageous Things We Tell Ourselves!

· We’ve Been Going at Change All Backwards

· God’s Part and Your Part—a Biblical View

· How to Overcome Destructive Emotions

· The Key to Instant Peace—Anytime, Anywhere

Plus: The SetPoint System—an exciting new strategy for personal change

grounded in Biblical truths and principles.

An audio version of the 'Christ Can Heal Your Life' workshop will soon be online.

For now, here are the...

Workshop Notes

Introduction

The Christ Can Heal Your Life workshop is not about making new and stronger resolutions; it is not about going on a diet; it is not about starting an exercise routine; it is not even about trying harder.

It is about applying new insights and new knowledge in your life. God’s Word says, “My people are perishing for lack of knowledge.”

You can work hard and not see much in the way of results if you do not apply God’s principles and precepts. These principles are found in the Bible.

Principles such as meditating and reflecting on God’s truth.

Principles such as getting rid of destructive ‘baggage’ like resentment, anger and bitterness to make way for the restorative power of Christ.

Principles such as taking each thought captive to obedience to Christ and being transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Principles such as removing obstacles to allow the Holy Spirit to have his way in your life and your body.

When you begin to apply these Biblical principles consistently, you will begin to see the results that you want in your life.

I am not a healer; my purpose is as an encourager and an enabler. My task is to help people remove the barriers to the tremendous powers of restoration and healing that are in Christ.

Christ wants to heal your life, and he will – if only you can get out of the way. This workshop shows you how to get out of the way.

Where Are You Right Now?

Everyone is at a different place in their life’s stage and their Christian walk. Over the years, I have learned that you have to meet people right where they are before you can help them move on from that point. This requires real honesty and trust.

How Are You Doing?

This first assignment asks you to look at what makes up your life. This can include your family, your relationships, your body, health, work, hopes and dreams.

And then you take a look (privately) at how some of these aspects of your life are going. Are you satisfied with them?

Each one of these parts of your life can be restored and made whole through Christ. Our loving and all-powerful God has promised, “I will restore what the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25).

What Are You Doing About It?

Make a list of all the things you are doing to deal with the issues of your body, family, relationships and work.

Ask yourself how long you have been doing this. Is it working for you? Most times the answer is, “No it is not working, even though I have been doing it for ten or twenty years – or more.”

We have all heard the stories of the dieter who lost the same ten pounds thirty times, over a period of many years. In a similar way, perhaps what you have been trying all these years is just not getting you the results that you need and want in your own life.

This little exercise often opens a person’s eyes to the fact that a different approach is needed.

Stress and Disease

Health is your body’s natural state, and your body strives continually to return itself to this healthy state.

If you cut yourself, the wound heals; if you catch a cold, you get better. Your immune system works continuously to protect your body from illness and disease.

Stress weakens the body’s immune system. When you experience fear, a number of chemical changes take place in your body. Adrenaline is pumped into the blood stream, which tenses your muscles and increases your blood pressure.

The cholesterol levels in your blood rise to give you extra energy to fight or flee the perceived danger. In addition, cortisol is released into the blood stream, which depresses your immune system.

We have become so used to living with chronic stress and increased levels of powerful hormones in our bodies that we often become unaware of their effect on our body.

But as we become more aware, we can find that our body is a good indicator of the stress levels we are encountering in life. For example, if I get a cold sore, I know that there is stress in my life that I may not be dealing with.

Listen to your body. Look to your body to gauge the levels of stress you are experiencing. It can be a good indicator when there is something in your life that has to be dealt with to reduce your stress levels.

Chronic, unabated stress will throw your body’s natural state out of balance. It will weaken your immune system and make you more vulnerable to illness and disease.

Negative Thoughts and Destructive Emotions

Thoughts can be very powerful things. They can be likened to water dripping on a stone. Two or three drops of water may not make much difference, but over time they can actually begin to wear a hole in the stone!

My experience has shown that many of the thoughts we have are negative, critical, or judging: judging ourselves and judging others. Think of the destructive impact this can have on you and your life.

During my years in pastoral ministry, I realized that a lot of Christians had carried many of their old thought patterns, beliefs and habits into their Christian walk.

These patterns of thought and habits, including long-held resentments, bitterness, anger, and even hatred can upset the body’s delicate immune system. Illness and disease is often the tragic result.

Awareness is the First Step

Change and healing begins with awareness. It begins with you learning about the relationship between your thoughts, your emotions, and your body. It also starts with you becoming attentive to the kind of thoughts you have throughout the day.

And change starts to becomes practical with the knowledge that you have control over your own patterns of thought. The fact is, you can only think one thought at a time, and you get to decide what it will be.

The way to deal with negative thoughts and emotions is to begin to replace lies with the truth. We tell ourselves so many lies:

I am not good enough;
I cannot do this; or
I don’t deserve God’s love.

As we replace these and other lies with God’s truth of who we are and what he has done for us, we find freedom – freedom from the past and its regrets, and yes, freedom from the future too, with its worries and concerns.

The Things We Tell Ourselves!

What are you telling yourself about your life? The things you say to yourself are the things you believe about many aspects of your life.

Write down all of the things you say to yourself about marriage, careers, children, success, God, prosperity and your own abilities. Now check off all the positive, nurturing statements, and also indicate all the negative, critical things you say to yourself.

Most people find it very interesting when I show them the connection between the things they say to themselves about marriage, careers, children, success, health and their responses to the “How are you doing?” exercise.

Very often people find that there is a close connection between what they believe about themselves and life and their unique experience of life.

The Things We Tell Others

As you become more aware of your own thought patterns, you will find yourself beginning to listen to the things others say about their own abilities, about life, work, health and their families.

You will find yourself listening more carefully to your friends, family members and co‑workers, and you will be able to ‘see‘ their thought patterns as they express them to you and others.

Listen with compassion, love and understanding, and resist the temptation to jump in to show them where their thinking is wrong.

Unless someone asks you for help and advice, you are generally better off not to give it. Simply be aware of their need in this area and know how you can pray for them – as you commit to an increased vigilance over your own thought life!

The Source of Your Beliefs

Think back to where you might have heard some of your belief statements before. Make a list of the probable sources of these beliefs, including parents, teachers, friends in school, relatives, and so on.

It is important not to blame these people; they probably learned these beliefs from their parents, teachers, and friends.

The Power of Choice

The most important point to remember is this: you always have the power of choice available to you.

As Moses said to the Israelites, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

The ability to make choices is a God-given ability, and he expects you to use it! The fact is, you can choose the thoughts that remain in your mind.

Moment by moment, you can make a conscious, deliberate choice about the thought that will be held in your mind – and as a Christian, that one simple act will permit the Holy Spirit to renew your mind.

Understanding and applying this basic truth can have a major impact on your life. Correctly applying the power of choice can enable you to:

Nip temptation before it becomes too strong for you to resist;
Maintain a consistently positive, healthy frame of mind;
Short-circuit mental depression before it can take hold of you;
Increase your ability to focus and concentrate;
Reduce tension and its damaging effect on your body; and
Improve your overall physical and mental well-being.

These skills and techniques are explained under “The SetPoint System.”

What You Really Need

There is a big difference between what people want and what they really need.

Wants are never completely fulfilled, so people always want more, new and different things. The things of the world – gadgets, material possessions and entertainment – are used to fill these wants, even if only for a few moments.

Needs, on the other hand are common to all people. For example, we all need food, shelter, and healthy relationships.

I like to ask people: What is mankind’s greatest need? I get different answers to this question, but in the discussion that follows, people often agree that our greatest need is to have a personal relationship with God.

It has been said there is a God-shaped hole in the human heart – an emptiness that only God can fill.

The Predicament of Sin

But people are separated from God by their sin. Sin is in every human being, right from birth. It is the sin within us that leads us to do wrong things and keeps us separated from God.

Try as we might, we cannot overcome the power of sin by ourselves. Consider the many New Year’s Resolutions that people make – and how quickly they are broken. People with the best of intentions soon fall back to doing the things they do not want to do.

How Bad Is It?

Just how serious is the sin problem? Take a few moments to review these Bible passages.

Romans 3:10-18 Galatians 3:22 Proverbs 20:9

Jeremiah 17:9 Psalm 51:5 Romans 7:18

Genesis 6:5 Psalm 36:1 1 John 2:16

God’s Thrilling Solution!

God loves us. He has loved us from all eternity. We are his creation. God saw our helplessness, and his solution was to send his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us – to pay for our sin – to re-establish our relationship with him.

As we turn from sin and believe in Christ’s death for us, we come alive spiritually. We receive new life – God’s Spirit within us – and the promise of eternal life.

These truths are called the gospel, or good news. It has often been said that Christianity is not so much a religion as it is a message. It is a message of how God restored his relationship with mankind through Jesus Christ.

William Tyndale, an early English Bible translator, wrote that the gospel signified “good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, which makes a man’s heart glad, and makes him sing, dance and weep for joy.”

These Bible passages set out the plain and simple truths of the good news of God’s forgiveness and salvation.

Luke 1:76-77 Acts 4:12 Ephesians 1:13

Acts 2:38 1 Thessalonians 5:9 1 John 2:12

Matthew 26:28 Acts 13:38 Hebrews 9:28

Ephesians 1:7 Hebrews 8:12 1 John 1:9

The Love of God

The Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Our love, on the other hand, is often a conditional love. It is based on what others can do for us, or what they can give us. God’s love has no conditions.

We have to be willing to receive God’s love. Many people feel that they do not deserve God’s love. They forget or overlook the wonderful truth that we do not have to deserve God’s love. His love for us is unconditional.

All we want to be able to do is to receive his love, and to love him in return.

Become What You Are

There is a common expression in Christian circles: Become what you are.

The truth is that you are a son or daughter of God (John 1:12). The truth is that you have been made holy by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:14).

Remind yourself of these wonderful gospel truths throughout the day: Christ died for my sins, and he’s coming back to take me to heaven (1 Corinthians 15:3;

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Let the truth of the gospel fill your mind, fill your heart, and fill your life. The Bible says that it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.

The Bible also says you need to love others as you love yourself. This is true self-love. So many of our problems come from a lack of self-love or self-acceptance.

There is only one way you can truly love and accept yourself, and that is to know – personally – the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ.

The key to wholeness in Christ is to rest and trust in Christ’s forgiveness. This is absolutely essential to a healed life. You must first be able to forgive and love yourself, and then you will be able to forgive and love others.

Affirm the Truth

As a Christian, you can affirm in your mind that God accepts you and that you accept your self. Do this over and over again until the truth sinks into your heart.

Affirm to yourself throughout the day: “God loves me, and so do I…God loves me, and so do I.” Fill your mind with this thought. If any kind of resistance comes up, rebuke it and reject it, for it is a lie. And replace it with the truth: “God loves me, and so do I.”

As you come to trust in Christ’s death for you, you will come to know and experience the truth that you are safe, that you are deeply loved, and that you are valued and cherished by an eternal and all-powerful God. This is the gospel.

The deeper you go into the gospel, the closer you get to God. And the closer you get to God, the more you begin to experience wholeness in Christ.

You Do Not Change – God Changes You

The good news of Christ’s sacrificial death is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). The gospel works in us to change and transform us (1Thessalonians 2:13).

Change does not have to be difficult. The key to experiencing meaningful, permanent change is to get out of the way and let the power of God’s gospel and his Spirit change you.

At the same time, the Bible tells us that we must make every effort to add knowledge, self-control and perseverance to the divine power we have received (2 Peter 1:3-6).

Real change starts with a decision to change. You must be willing to change – or at least be willing to be made willing. As soon as you express a sincere willingness to change, you can feel it in your heart.

The process of change has begun.

You Will Encounter Resistance To Change

It is human nature to stick to what we know, and what we understand, and what we are comfortable with. It is human nature to tend to resist changes in our lives, in our families, and in our work.

It can be helpful at this point to make a list of the different ways many people resist change. List all of the excuses, attitudes and delaying maneuvers you can think of, such as denial, blame or procrastination.

Then answer the question: What do you do to resist change in your life?

This is an excellent way to discover your own personal ways of resisting change in your life. Once you become aware of your own resistance, you can to deal with it directly.

Mind-Body-Spirit: You are One

We are re-learning that human beings are one – soul, body and spirit – entirely without separation. The mistaken idea that the mind and body are separate is a Greek notion, passed on to our western civilization. The Hebrew Bible writers did not acknowledge a separation between mind and body.

More and more, western science and medicine are unraveling the connection between the human body and mind. It has been demonstrated, for example, that simple thoughts and suggestions can change your skin temperature, give you a rash, or even leave evidence of a burn on your skin!

If I have access to your mind, I have access to your body. And if I choose to, I can increase your blood pressure. I can tense your muscles. I can boost the levels of cholesterol in your blood stream and keep them elevated.

With very little effort, if I have access to your mind, I can also step up your heart rate. I can dilate your pupils. I can even depress your immune system.

All I have to do is make you angry, stressed or afraid. And if I can keep you that way for a long period of time, chances are good that eventually you will succumb to illness or disease because your immune system has been compromised.

Destructive Thoughts and Emotions

The irony in all of this is that we often contribute to our own sickness by keeping ourselves in the grip of strong, negative emotions. Anger, fear, envy, hatred, resentment and bitterness are just a few of the emotions that can wreak havoc with your body – over time.

Did you know that a just few minutes of anger can literally toxify your body with powerful hormones and chemicals for up to twenty hours?

The Bible warns us about hanging on to our anger: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26). To ignore this Biblical advice could also affect you spiritually, by giving the devil a foothold in your life!

God’s word recognizes the connection between our mind, body and spirit, and the damaging impact of destructive emotions. For example, the Bible teaches us that resentment kills a fool (Job 5:2). The Bible also says that envy rots the bones (Proverbs 14:30).

Exploring the Mind-Body Links

Modern medicine is starting to catch up to God’s truth. Some physicians say that more than 90 per cent of illness and disease can be related to our lifestyle and behaviour, including our thought patterns and their resulting, negative emotions.

However, it is still an imprecise science, and it is difficult to determine which diseases might be related to specific, recurring emotions or thought patterns. It is better to focus on God’s directions to us for personal health and wholeness.

When God formed our bodies, he gave us a powerful protector against illness and disease – our immune system. And the bottom line is that chronic stress and emotions like fear or anger can depress your immune system, making your body more susceptible to illness and disease. It’s very simple.

On the other hand, it has been proven that a few minutes of love or other positive emotions can actually strengthen your immune system!

These, then, are the feelings and emotions that we want to flood through our minds and bodies: love, compassion, gratitude, hope and appreciation. It has been shown that just a few minutes of feeling these emotions can boost your immune system for hours!

Spiritual Implications

Because we are one in body, mind and spirit, there are also important spiritual implications associated with anger and unforgiveness. Jesus offered some clear instructions in this matter:

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.

“First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:22-24). Could it be that relational issues and ‘unfinished business’ can impede our communion with God and the working of the Holy Spirit in our own lives?

Freedom from the Past

Our past can be a real tyrant. Regrets, hurts, bad choices – everything that we have done in the past can come back to haunt us in the present, and ruin our present experience of life.

What are you Carrying from the Past?

It is helpful to take a few moments to list all of the offences against you that you can remember. List all of the hurts, negative experiences, bad relationships – everything that happened that was painful or hurtful to you.

If you find that you are still thinking about many of these things, that means you are still carrying that load around with you. It can be physically damaging to carry an ever-increasing load of negative memories and emotional baggage.

Whether your mental burden manifests itself in bitterness or anger, resentment or regret, there is only one way to free yourself – and that is forgiveness. There is no other way to set yourself free from the past.

Separate the Sin from the Person

Every Christian has an inner conflict within himself or herself. We want to do the right things, but at the same time there is a powerful force within us that leads us to do the wrong things.

The apostle Paul speaks of this experience – doing what he doesn’t want to do, and not doing what he does want to do. His startling conclusion is that it is “not me, but sin in me” that does it (Romans 7).

This is Biblical proof of the presence of the power of sin within each human being.

When you begin to consider the sin power or ‘law of sin’ at work in people, you can begin to see others as prisoners of the law of sin within them.

In this way, you will be able to reach out to them with love and compassion. And this can make it much easier for you to forgive them for the wrong or hurtful things they say and do to you.

Pray for your Enemies

Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for them (Matthew 5:44). Our enemies can be anyone who has hurt or offended us.

A helpful exercise is to list your ‘enemies’ and then to ask yourself what they need to be successful, happy, prosperous, or healthy. Make a list of those things you feel they need to have a fulfilled life, and then pray for them.

Pray that God would grant them health, success, obedient children, a loving spouse, friends – all of these things, and more!

Some people find it helpful to pray in this way for a loved one first, and then to pray for someone who has hurt, injured, offended or disappointed them.

At the end of your session of sincere prayer, you will be filled with love, peace and joy. That is because this kind of prayer blesses them – while it changes you!

I Now Forgive…

What are you willing to remove from the load of burdens you are carrying right now? Perhaps start with something small, something you can let go of easily.

This process gets easier as you go along. When you begin to taste the freedom and the lightness of letting go of a burden of bitterness, resentment or anger, you will start to look forward to more and more of this wonderful blessing the Bible calls ‘forgiveness’.

As you forgive others, it sets you free from the past and enables the love of God to flow into your life, and through you to others. The impact on your life is enormous when you truly “forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).

Begin to forgive from the heart all those people who have offended or hurt you. Say, “I now forgive__________________ (fill in their name). I now release you, I set you free.”

Doing this exercise from the heart sets you free!

Winning the Battle for Your Mind

It has been said that life is all about choices – the day-to-day decisions you make about what you will say, do or see.

For most of us, many of the ‘choices’ we make are more likely to be a matter of habit than of conscious decision, for they are often made without our awareness. This is because we have acquired a habitual way of thinking and acting. These patterns of thought and action begin to be formed in our childhood and are carried on into our adult lives.

Now, as a believer, the Bible tells you to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This will require, first of all, a greater awareness of your own thought patterns. It also will take time, commitment and sensitivity to the work of the Holy Spirit in you.

The process is a lot like trying to re-train a small child who has learned many different kinds of misbehaviour. You must be patient, and you also have to be consistent in order to achieve the kind of results you want.

The Bible guides us here. Paul explained to the believers in Corinth that he took every thought captive “to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

The Power to Choose

The God-given power of choice is so important in this process. The fact is,

you can choose what you will think about, one thought at a time.

Psychologists tell us that we have some 50,000 thoughts a day, and that the majority of them are negative and critical – judging either ourselves or others. How can you fend off such an onslaught of hurtful, wounding thoughts?

Remember, they can only come at you one thought at a time! Just as one or two soldiers can hold off an entire army in a narrow mountain pass, you are able to hold back a horde of thoughts by choosing – one thought at a time – what it is you will think about.

You can begin to exercise the tremendous power of choice this very moment, and use it every moment throughout the day.

Introducing The SetPoint System

Applying The SetPoint System is like having a thermostat for your mind.

Just as a thermostat in your home is set to maintain a certain comfort level, you do the same thing with The SetPoint System for your mind and life.

When trouble or conflict arise and things begin to ‘heat up’, you can check your SetPoint – and reset it if necessary to maintain your composure.

Sometimes you may find your heart growing cold, and you have to reset the thermostat by returning your mind and thoughts to your desired SetPoint.

This is the essence of The SetPoint System: setting your mind and thoughts on Christ and his gospel to maintain the peace and serenity you desire in your life.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you” (Isaiah 26:3).

Your SetPoint is the Gospel

The Bible tells believers to establish a fixed point for their minds: “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Hebrews 3:1).

The apostle Paul had a SetPoint for his mind – it was the gospel. He explained it this way to the Galatian believers: “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The living word of God – ‘Christ loved me and gave himself for me’ – as both thought and taught by Paul, was what empowered him to do all that he did. Imagine what it can do for you!

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God [the gospel], which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (italics mine; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The SetPoint System involves praying the powerful, transforming gospel of Christ into every area of your mind and life (Romans 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Think on These Things…

The secret is not so much to resist the unwanted thoughts, as it is to replace them with new and different thoughts of your choosing. In other words, you consciously decide which thoughts will occupy your mind.

Each thought, as you hold it in your mind, displaces all of the other negative and unwanted thoughts. It is a very simple process, and yet it is very effective.

This displacement principle is a key part of The SetPoint System. You can use it to dislodge the judging, critical thoughts of yourself or others, as you substitute thoughts of the gospel and of appreciation, gratitude or love.

It was Paul who wrote to his fellow believers: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

God knows that the battleground is in our mind, and he wants us to fill our minds with thoughts that are pure, lovely, and noble – and the greatest of all these is the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Rebuke, Reject and Replace

Sometimes you need to rebuke or renounce the unwanted thought. The Bible says to resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

However, do not spend a lot of time and effort trying to determine where the thought came from – whether it was Satan or demons, evil spirits, the world, self or sin within – as all this can too easily sidetrack you.

Instead, focus on rejecting or even repenting of the thought, if necessary, and then replacing it by taking control of your mind and choosing the next thought you will hold there.

This is the basic premise of The SetPoint System: whenever your mind starts to wander into the wrong kind of thoughts, you choose to bring your attention back to your SetPoint of the gospel to restore your peace of mind, body and spirit.

It is only in the gospel of Jesus Christ that you can find personal healing, power for holy living and eternal life.

Restoring Body and Mind

Whatever happens in your mind affects your body, and whatever happens in your body affects your mind, for they are inseparable.

Chronic, ongoing stress as a result of the hectic, demanding world we live in can be very hard on your body – and your mind. That is why it is essential that you take every opportunity to relax your body.

During periods of heavy demand on his disciples, Jesus advised them to seek rest and relaxation: “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mark 6:31).

You, too, need to get away from time to time to a quiet place to get needed rest. If it is possible, go away somewhere quiet to recharge during the day.

Take a few moments at set times throughout the day to scan your body for areas of tension or tightness in the muscles, and then consciously relax them. You can do this, for example, whenever you park your car or hang up the phone.

Stop whatever you are doing periodically to take several slow, deep breaths, especially if you are feeling tense or ‘stressed out’.

There is a constant interplay between your mind and body, and doing these brief exercises to restore your body to its natural, resting state will help unwind your mind as well, which serves to further relax your body, and so on.

Calm Your Mind Too!

Because your mind and body are one, calming your mind helps to relax your body. Take frequent vacations in your mind to escape a busy, exhausting schedule.

Stopping periodically to focus on a loved one, or reliving a pleasant and relaxing memory – even for a few moments – can do wonders to bring about a calm and peaceful frame of mind.

Then remind yourself of a gospel or Biblical truth to calm and restore your spirit, and return to the task at hand with renewed energy, clarity and focus. You will find your body relaxing even further as the mental tension is released.

The Secret of Success

An important key to success with The SetPoint System is consistency.

Once again, it is a lot like training a small child – you must be consistent in your expectations and demands of them. You cannot say ‘No’ one time and ‘Okay’ another time and on the third occasion ‘Maybe’.

This point cannot be over-emphasized: you must be absolutely consistent as you retrain and take full control of your mind.

The Bible tells us repeatedly to not to be moved away from the hope of the gospel (Colossians 1:23;

1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:15).

Check your mental SetPoint often – are you focusing on Christ and his gospel?

You will find that if you are consistent in the application of this system, even for just a few days, you will begin to see positive changes in your life. Your relationships with others will improve. You will be delighted to find yourself more forgiving and accepting of others – and of yourself!

You will notice positive changes in your attitude, energy levels and your ability to focus and think more clearly. Your overall physical and mental well-being will pick up – sometimes dramatically!

And you will sense a closer walk with Jesus Christ. This happens because you are removing the obstacles to the Holy Spirit’s work in your life.

A Little In – A Little Out

There is another vital key to success with The SetPoint System and the other approaches to change in this workshop. It is based on the following principle:

Whatever effort you put into something, you get the same amount out of it.

This principle holds true in so many areas of our lives. Whatever you put in, you get out. Put a little in, get a little out. Put a lot in, get a lot out. It never fails.

If you commit to devoting the necessary time and energy to the techniques and skills you learn in this workshop, you will indeed see the results you want.

God’s Part – Your Part

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).

God’s truth is living and active, and this is how we are changed (John 17:17). At the same time, diligent effort on behalf of the believer in working out his or her salvation is a basic part of the New Testament teaching!

The Bible tells us to make every effort to live in peace with others and to be holy (Hebrews 12:14). We are told to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with God (2 Peter 3:14). There are also commands to put aside the deeds of darkness and of the flesh and to “train yourself to be godly” (1 Timothy 4:7).

At the same time, we read: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

So there is a kind of tension in the Bible between God’s part and your part in working out your salvation – between God changing you and you changing you.

You can work on changing yourself only because God empowers you to do it! Your task is to fix your thoughts on Jesus. Your duty is to forgive, forgive and then forgive some more. Your challenge is to take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.

All of these actions will serve to remove impediments to the working of the Holy Spirit within you.

And as you do these things, Christ can heal your life!

Permission is granted for free distribution within church study groups.

Christ Can Heal Your Life

The Workshop

Workshop Notes

Introduction

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