Frames and States
Frames and States
Why do we see so many Christians in so many churches who believe the right things, yet don't seem to be "all-in" for the Kingdom? Maybe we haven't appreciated the differences between belief and faith.
Our entire experience is framed by our belief systems. None of us observe our everyday existence from a place of pure objectivity. Our brain filters the data of our senses.
Imagine just for a second if you were consciously aware of all the sensory data around you at the exact same moment. Even the most basic tasks, like driving a car, could become impossible as your mind was overloaded with information without any sense of priority. Thankfully, our brains can filter out what is and is not/important. Of course, sometimes this is unhelpful… like when I’m focused on my text string and literally can’t hear my wife speaking to me from five feet away!!! (Sorry, Jen).
Our mind organizes our perceptions according to our beliefs. The beliefs, whether conscious or unconscious, not only shape our perceptions, but the significance we attach to them. And we can often have experience that plant a belief deep down in our mind.
I once was force-fed lukewarm, canned asparagus covered in congealed Velveeta at the home of my parents’ friends. Texture. Smell. Appearance. Taste. Everything made this a hard meal to eat. Trained to eat what I was served, I was doing everything I could to force it down. But my body was reacting, gagging involuntarily. I’d swallow it back down. Everything about the experience was horrible, embarrassing and, in retrospect, hilarious. It ended with a run to the restroom.
Question: What do you think I feel when I see asparagus on the menu?
To this day, it’s a challenge. Deep down, I still believe asparagus is gross.
Beliefs rooted in truth allow us to align ourselves more and more with reality, therefore more and more with God, because God is Reality itself. He is the ultimate source of significance. He is the only One and whose perception and interpretation of significance is total and true.
The purpose of salvation is to enter into this process of realignment. It doesn’t happen in the mind though, it happens in the heart, the center of our will and commitment, the place of FAITH. Until we have operational faith, we don’t truly make the shift into alignment. Faith is not operational if it doesn’t lead to action, obedience, and transformation.
Notice, I’m not saying faith isn’t existent. It simply isn’t operating in a way that allows us to lay hold of the incredible things that come with maturing faith.
This is why it’s so important to distinguish between the MENTAL STATE of believing an idea and the HEART STATE of operational faith. That heart state will always produce an effect. The mental state may or may not.
This is not to say the MENTAL STATE is irrelevant. In fact, it is an essential aspect of the HEART STATE of faith. Paul says we must be transformed through the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). This renewing of the mind means learning, experiencing, declaring, taking action on the right beliefs and identifying, discounting, renouncing and disempowering wrong beliefs.
This mental process is critical because it opens the door to the HEART STATE of faith. Ultimately, this heart state is one where, with our whole person, we believe and trust the Father completely. We no longer lean, in any way, on worldly wisdom. We are fully committed to him and trust Who He is and what He says.
In our country, we tend to confuse belief and faith. We confuse a mental assent with a heart conviction.
Imagine standing at the open door of a small plane. You’re strapped into your parachute. Goggles are protecting your eyes and a helmet is strapped to your head. Your hands are firmly planted over the door. Your toes are hanging over the edge. You’ve been preparing for this. You know the statistics and probabilities. You know that this is, far and away, something that you can live through and maybe even enjoy.
The instructor counts down from five-four-three-two-one. If you jump, you have faith in the process. If you balk, you might believe a thousand true things, but you don’t really have faith.
Why do so many churches see so many people who believe many good things yet don’t jump, all in for the Kingdom? Well, that takes us back to the beliefs that frame reality for each of us. This is something I want to talk about more next week.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this publication, please share it with a friend! I am so grateful for your engagement and support as we seek to share this incredible Kingdom Journey with people!