Story: The Mind Set
December 18, 2020
It was finally Sunday, Broken Dreamer, Victim and Waiting for My Breakthrough pulled into the church parking lot almost at the same time. Having had a demanding week, they embraced one another before going into the service.
Broken Dreamer sat near the rear of the church. The doorkeeper asked Victim to change to another seat. Feeling picked on as always, Victim went to sit with Broken Dreamer. Waiting for My Breakthrough went straight to the front of the church to locate a seat, since none were available; she went and sat with Victim and Broken Dreamer.
The Praise and Worship team started singing Waiting for My Breakthrough’s favorite song, “Whose Report Will You Believe; We Shall Believe the Report of the Lord.” As Praise and Worship continued, Victim heard the words of the song echo in his ears, “Lord, I’m overwhelmed that you call me friend.” Praise and Worship ended with the song “Lord, I Surrender to Your Love,” Broken Dreamer was on her knees with outstretched arms and tears rolling.
Praise and Worship was over and each sat, searching for tissues to dry tears and sweat. When they heard the announcement that the church was going on a Fast starting a week from today, Victim turned at once to Broken Dreamer and Waiting for My Breakthrough.
“I am not doing it,” he declared.
Broken Dreamer was sitting as if in a trance, wanting to just cry. Waiting for My Breakthrough just placed her head in her hands and sighed. She thought of the book she had just finish reading, Seven Steps to Getting a Miracle, and she figured maybe the Fast was perfect timing. But immediately her mind moved into a mental battle. Why does it constantly appear I have to do things for God to move? Five Steps to Developing a Faith Filled Life, Three Phases of an Effective Prayer Time. She concludes that she was not going on the Fast either.
“At the beginning of the year, God let us know this will be the Year of the Turnaround,” the announcer went on. In the second half of the year we are going to see the manifestation of the turnaround. This Fast is going to be our entrance into the manifestations.” Broken Dreamer, Victim and Waiting for My Breakthrough turned and stared at each other. Although they did not wish to go on the Fast, they acknowledged that they were afraid not too.
What they did not understand was their agreement was a fatal one; moving from faith to fear. For one week they’d be moving in fear, not faith.
*********
It was Saturday evening, the Sunday before the Fast begin. The three friends met together for dinner, “let us go have our last supper,” Victim said. Unbeknownst to them, Truth had joined the group and was listening to their discussion. He realized he had to get through to them before the Fast started.
They had met at Victim’s house so they could ride together to their favorite restaurant. As Victim turned the key, Truth put his hand on the starter so it didn’t start. After several attempts, they just sat there looking at each other. Truth went first to Waiting for My Breakthrough and whisper in her ear.
“You know I was thinking,” Waiting for My Breakthrough blurted, “We are approaching this Fast wrong.” Truth then went to Broken Dreamer.
“Maybe we just need to sit here for a moment and talk regarding the Fast,” Broken Dreamer responded. Victim threw his keys on the floor.
“Why does everything always happen to me,” he declared over his life.
Truth moves back to Waiting for My Breakthrough.
“Maybe it's our mindset that's keeping us back,” she stated. “We doing this fast because we were afraid not to, not because we honestly believed that we were going to see miracles.”
“Well, listen to Ms. Waiting for My Breakthrough,” Victim mumbled.
“And how long have you been expecting a breakthrough?” Broken Dreamer asked.
“I still say it’s our mindset,” Waiting for My Breakthrough said ignoring their comments.
As silence settled over them, Truth moved and looked closely at Victim. Truth looked at his mind to see where what had been blocking him. No wonder Victim always felt offended and rejected. Truth sees his mind is looking at a painful time in his life when he was a teenager. At that troublesome place in his life, he established beliefs and had filtered everything through those beliefs. Victim shifted from position to position, examining how his own interpretation of a time in his life had led to him to live out of a victim’s mentality.
Truth rose and faced that painful time in Victim’s life and enlightened the truth of that scene. Unable as a youth to understand the reason the event took place and to withstand the pain that he suffered from it. He resolved to never allow himself to be in that place in life again. Whatever resembled that experience he rejected at once, without question. “Oh my God, I have hindered myself from moving ahead by living my life through decisions I formed at a youthful age,” he whispered. Truth sees his mind reset.
Broken Dreamer lays back on the headrest with her eyes closed. Truth looks to see what she is thinking. He looks at the business opportunities she has approached. He observes how she has struggled to use her own talents to get ahead. Along the way, Broken Dreamer had stopped trusting God. Not understanding that God's timing and our timing are different. God’s timing will always encompass more than we can ask, think or even see. As he studies closely, he discovers a circle moving around her mind. Leaning closer, he recognizes what is encircling her mind. It is herself talk.
Words linked over the years, paralyzing her performance in whatever she sought to do. Self-talk repeated in situations she encountered. What she thought were failures in her life were places designed for her to grow in integrity, to gain wisdom and to learn to stand in an uncommon strength. She was holding negative experiences inside of learning experiences. As Truth readjusted her mind set, Broken Dreamer's eyes shoot open as she grabbed the dashboard.
“I understand why things have not gone right for me,” she laughs out. “Success starts with how you think. I never took the lessons out of the failures or what I thought were failures. I looked at life as a disappointment and that’s what I told myself. Even though I tried.” Resting back in the seat, she adjusts herself to her new mind set.
Truth looks at Waiting for My Breakthrough as she looks out the window, always waiting, thinking how she always gives-special offerings to the building fund and mission trips.
“
What about you?” Truth whispers. Shaking off what she feels to be her own thought.
“Have you given you?” Truth whispers.
“I have continued to give and give”.
“What about you?” she hears again.
With tears rolling down her cheeks, she glances back at the many prayer requests. What she had trusted God for, she realizes that somewhere along the way she had stopped trusting. Disappointments and unfulfilled dreams had caused her to turn from depending on God to trusting self. The shift had been so subtle that she could not recall when she had stopped surrendering trust to God for her life.
She repeatedly expressed trust with words, but the actions of her heart had proven differently. Wanting to depend on God had become hard. Everyone around her was progressing ahead, leaving her behind still hoping and daydreaming. Sitting there she knew she was always looking at other people's lives to determine where she should be in life. Rather than totally surrendering herself to God to direct her footsteps according to His plan. Watching other individuals and wishing for the life they lived. This had caused her to miss what was for her. She was constantly looking in someone else’s direction. With that revelation, Waiting for My Breakthrough felt her mind set changed immediately. They knew they were approaching this Fast in faith and not fear.
Victim picks up his keys and this time the car starts. As they are driving off, this song comes on the radio: I’m looking for a miracle, I expect the impossible; I feel the intangible, and the sky is the limit to what I can have. Believe and receive it, God will perform it today, Believe and receive it, God will perform it today.
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