Rewire Your Mind to Become Spiritually Competent (Grow in the Spirit)

If you feel like your life is going nowhere, like it's filled with nothing but frustration, lack, chaos, distraction, and even boredom, then I want to encourage you right now to rewire your mind so that you become spiritually competent. That is focused, powerful, purposed. This way you can accomplish everything that God has designed you to accomplish. You can become Who God designed you to be. It's time to stop wasting time. As I share with you these truths, you're going to have certain thought patterns challenged and hopefully broken. The truth may offend, but then truth will set you free. It's time to get things in order. It's time to stop wasting time on things that don't matter. Maybe in this season you're experiencing spiritual boredom. Now, Christians should not be bored. Boredom is a result of spiritual immaturity. Boredom is a result of a lack of focus. Boredom is a result of a lack of the fire of God within your life. Maybe you feel disconnected from the Lord. Everything in your life seems to be in disorder— your health, your finances, your relationships. And let me be clear, I'm not saying that the gospel is all about acquiring these things, but I am saying that as you implement spiritual disciplines, you should begin to see order develop in your life, especially as it pertains to your spiritual walk. Maybe you're sensing this heaviness on you, this tiredness on you, this fear that's about you, and you just don't know how you're going to break through from it. And you feel like your life is aimless, like the call of God is slipping right through your hands, like everything that He promised you, everything that you're dreaming, It's just going by the wayside. Well, all aspects of your life can be positively affected as you come into spiritual alignment, that is alignment with God's Word. You will experience what I call spiritual competence, that is becoming a capable, powerful, Spirit-filled Christian as God designed you to be. It's who you are, and I want to remind you of that. It's time to rewire the way you think. Romans 12:2 says, Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. So transformation comes first through the mind. You change the way you think. Now, godliness is living according to the nature of God more than just holy living. When I use the term godly, many times individuals automatically jump to just holiness. And it is true that to live godly means that you resist the temptation of sin. To live godly does indeed mean that you live a holy lifestyle. That is a part of the definition of living godly. But living godly is more than just living holy. Living godly is living according to the nature of God, by the power of God, and according to his Word. So these are often overlooked godly disciplines. godly traits. Yes, holiness is one of them, but we forget about some of these other godly disciplines, the forgotten godly disciplines. So here's how you're gonna rewire your mind so you can begin to experience that spiritual competence. Number 1, it's time to turn procrastination into action. And this has to do with stewardship. Yes, this is a biblical principle. God did not give you the gift of time so that you can squander it. It's time to be rid of laziness. Proverbs 6:6-8 says this: Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise. Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer gathering food for the winter. James 4:17 says, remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Discipline is doing the right thing even when you don't feel like it. So many times we procrastinate because we're so overwhelmed by the task before us. We picture all of the responsibilities, we picture the end goal, we feel overwhelmed, we don't know where to get started. So instead of doing something, we settle for doing nothing. Instead of making progress, We let the fact that we're not experiencing perfection cause us to quit and stand in stagnation. You need to learn to do the next thing. That's something I tell myself all throughout the day, every day. It is truly the work of ministry. And when I feel the compounding effect of the various responsibilities that are laid on me, I say to the Lord, Lord, help me to just do the next thing. Again, so often we look at the big picture And we think that we have to accomplish the big picture right up at the get-go. And this is where procrastination primarily comes from, that laziness that results in feeling overwhelmed. But you ought to say to yourself, I may not be able to do the whole thing or the final thing, but I can do the next thing. I can do the right thing. I can do the difficult thing. And you have to take each step at a time. Procrastination is a boast about tomorrow. None of us are promised tomorrow. None of us are promised more time. So we must yield the time that we have in service to God as a gift to him. Every day you live can be an offering unto God. And so this is why we have to learn to turn procrastination into action. Stop putting things off just because you're overwhelmed by what you see as the final result. Number 2, turn complacency into passion. Romans 12:11 says, never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Here we see a command to feel a certain way about a certain action. So it's not just doing the action, we are commanded to do it enthusiastically. But how do you discover this passion? What can you do to cause internally yourself to be inspired? What can you do to affect your emotions, especially when you feel so low. Look, I've been there. I know what it's like to be frustrated. I know what it's like to have lack. I know what it's like to feel like everything's in disorder. Nothing is done. You're overwhelmed. There are so many opportunities before you. You feel like you're missing all of them. I know what it's like to have to turn the passion back on. And the way you turn your passion back on is by discovering your purpose. If you don't know the direction you need to go, it's very difficult to get moving. If you don't have the plan, it's very difficult to have the passion. If you don't discover the purpose, it's very difficult to have the passion. So you rediscover your passion by rediscovering your purpose. Matthew 22, beginning at verse 36 says this. Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses? Jesus replied, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. commandment. A second is equally important: love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these 2 commandments. A love for God must drive everything that you do. A love for God is what fuels that passion for ministry, that passion for holy living, that passion for prayer, that passion for reading the Word, that passion for being a good steward. Passion comes from a love for God. And when you learn to love God with the help of the Holy Spirit, It redirects you, it refocuses your mind, and it helps you to get moving down that direct path. You cannot find your passion if you've lost sight of your purpose. And you have to choose to believe that it can be done, because once you've discovered that passion, you may dismiss it and say, well, I believe God called me to do this, or I know God asked me to do that, but deep down in my heart, I'm not quite sure that it can actually be accomplished. This is where faith comes in. So you rediscover your purpose by— or you rediscover your passion by rediscovering your purpose and having the faith that that purpose can be accomplished. And there you will rediscover your passion. Number 3, turn insecurity into confidence. Now, this is interesting because I've noticed many different symptoms of a lack of confidence. Maybe you can relate to some of these. You can't look people in the eye when you're talking to them. You're maybe in the middle of conversation in a group, and as you're talking, your voice just kind of trails off because you start to believe that maybe no one's interested in what you're actually saying. You're constantly worried about what others are thinking of you, maybe in group settings, at church, at family gatherings. You're just analyzing what could possibly be in other people's minds, and you feel like nobody wants you there, and you feel like everyone's annoyed by you, and you feel like you're— presence doesn't matter, and you feel like you're contributing nothing, that's insecurity. Or maybe when you meet someone, you feel like you have to puff yourself up because you're a little bit intimidated by how confident that they are. Or maybe you avoid conflict even when conflict is necessary because you don't wanna put the other person out or you don't wanna cause any trouble. These are signs of a lack of confidence. And this is why it's important that you learn to ground your identity in Christ. Romans 5:2 says, Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. Romans 8:31-32 says this: What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us, since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all? Won't he also give us everything else? In other words, we gain our confidence in being grounded in Christ. We gain our confidence in knowing that we are loved by God. If God knows you and loves you and protects you and backs you, what does it matter what anyone else does or says? If God approves of you, who cares who disapproves? If God accepts you, who cares who rejects you? If God pays attention to you, Who cares who ignores you? If God values you, who cares who overlooks you? When you place your confidence in God, when you ground yourself in your identity in him, confidence abounds. Confident people don't have to brag. Confident people don't have to win arguments. Confident people can listen when others speak with interest. Confident people don't crave human celebration. Confident people aren't jealous. Confident people aren't offended by other people's confidence. I can't tell you how many times I've seen confident people being accused of being arrogant. People say, oh, I don't know, I just don't like that guy. I just don't like that woman. Something about them, they just seem real arrogant. And often confidence looks like arrogance to the insecure. In other words, because of their own security, they're offended by someone else's competence and confidence. And that competence and confidence is a threat to them, so they don't like them. It's time to get rid of that unnecessary bitterness. It's time to get rid of that critical spirit. It's time to get rid of that insecurity that comes as a result of not knowing who you are in Christ and who Christ is in you. Turn that insecurity into confidence. Number 4, turn distraction into focus. It's time, as I said earlier, to stop wasting time. A lack of focus comes from a lack of prioritization. In other words, you haven't set a sure foundation of an order of priorities. Whatever opportunity comes your way, you're going to take it because you don't know the direction that you're supposed to be going. This actually links back with discovering your purpose, because when you know your purpose, you know how to say no to opportunities that don't align with that purpose. If you don't know your purpose, if you don't know the direction of your life, If you haven't set godly goals, if you don't have divine dreams, then when these distractions come along, though they themselves may look like blessings, you will be sidetracked from your destiny because you haven't yet made that prioritization straight in your life. Focus comes from intentional prioritization. Now watch this. Your focus comes from intentional prioritization. But intentional prioritization comes from order. 1 Corinthians 14:40, be sure that everything is done properly and in order. I'm gonna say it to you bluntly. If your life lacks focus, it's because your life is probably a mess. If you lack focus, it's probably because there is disorder in your life. Why is there disorder? Because there has been no passion and purpose rediscovered. You rediscover your passion and your purpose, things begin to come into order because of prioritization, and then you begin to focus on what matters instead of embracing opportunities that don't. You have to choose not just the focus in terms of your actions and the direction of your life, but you have to also choose the thoughts that align with what God has called you to do, and with who God has created you to be and with what God has spoken in his word. If you are not choosing to focus your thoughts on that which is godly, to focus your thoughts on that which is true, to focus your thoughts on that which is pure and helpful and productive and spiritually efficient and spiritually beneficial, then you are going to be distracted by many things that come your way. You're going to be distracted by entertainment. You're going to be distracted by by opportunities that are not of God. You're gonna be distracted by your own thought processes. You're gonna be distracted by fear and doubt. You will allow distraction to abound if you don't grab hold of what your priorities are in Christ. And if you haven't set your priorities, it's time to get your life in order. Start with God, love him first with all that you are. And then, of course, it's your family. And then, of course, it's key relationships. Then, of course, it's your ministry. And this is where you have to begin to set those priorities in order. In fact, that's the way I've ordered the life that God has given me to steward. It's the Lord first, prayer and the Word and worship. Everything is built around that. I don't set prayer as an afterthought and say, well, whatever time is left over, I'll devote that to prayer. No, prayer is first and central. Reading the Word is first and central. Then everything else is scheduled around that. After that, I have, of course, my immediate family. I have my wife, my 2 daughters, They get the next best after God. After that, it's what I call friends who are family, because friends are the family you choose. You invest in very key relationships. You'll maybe have 2 or 3 of these key relationships. You invest in those. After that, then it's the ministry, which of course includes the staff and all the people you minister to. But if you don't start to set some type of order, you're not going to have godly focus. You see, in this generation, we expend energy on things that don't matter. We expend energy on things that are distracting. We expend energy on things that don't move us forward. We give physical energy and mental energy and emotional energy worrying about and trying to control and trying to obsess over all these different things that don't ultimately help us. We have to learn to be disciplined in the mind. Stop giving your attention span to frivolous things. Stop wasting hours on things that don't matter. We need to bring chaos to the order. Stop saying yes to everything. There's something that this generation calls FOMO. It's the fear of missing out. In other words, they feel they have to accept every invite. They feel they have to go on every outing. They feel they have to run every errand because if they don't, they're gonna miss out on some great opportunity, some story, something fun or funny is gonna happen that they're just gonna not be a part of. You have to learn to mature in Christ to the place where you don't have FOMO. Instead, you have focused thinking. Number 5, turn indecisiveness into decisiveness. Listen, so many are so overwhelmed by all the opportunities, they're so overwhelmed by what they see as a big vision in their mind that they take no action whatsoever because forever they are on the fence about any and every decision that comes their way. And I understand. Let me throw this back. balance out there so that we are not miscommunicating anything. Of course you should take time to pray about things. Of course you should exercise wisdom. Of course you should not move faster than the Holy Spirit has graced your pace. Of course you should, you should give yourself devotion to the timing of God. We understand that. But at the same time, many Christians are hiding behind what they call wisdom when it's actually fear. And they don't want to make a decision because they don't want to be held responsible. They don't want to make a decision because they're afraid to fail. They don't want to make a decision because they're afraid of making a mistake. They don't want to make a decision because they're afraid of other people criticizing them. And because of that, they become frozen in indecision and they just don't budge. Well, God has called us to be people of wisdom, yes, but also people of decision. James chapter 1, verses 6 through 8 say this: But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. Listen, Double-minded people are unstable in all of their ways. Not some, all. It affects every aspect of your life. Joshua 24:15 says this, but if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods of your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Amen. The Lord. Make a decision. Stop wavering back and forth. You're just wasting time. When God has spoken to you, move. You believe there's a direction in your life that's divine. Take a step of faith. There's something you want to try. There's something you want to set out to accomplish or build or create. You know, God has put gifts within you and there's an opportunity before you to exercise those gifts. Step out in faith and grab hold of what God has designed you to grab hold of. Be decisive. There are people, often I'll speak to them, whether I'm working with a third-party vendor for the ministry, trying to negotiate a deal for the ministry, or whether I'm talking to someone who may have an opportunity to serve with us, whatever it may be, often I'm met with that excuse, well, I have to think about it. Well, let me put more thought into this. And I understand, as I said, there's a balance to this and I understand there's a place for that. But at the same time, I ask them often, What are you gonna know in 6 months that you don't know right now? What information is gonna magically come your way that you don't have right now? They say, well, I don't know. I said, well, we don't know what we don't know, and we'll never know what we don't know. And if that's the reason why you're not moving forward, never knowing what you don't know, then you're never gonna make a move forward because there'll always be something you don't know. That's what indecision is based on. It's based on fear. But this is why we as believers have to learn to make our decisions based on objective, grounded biblical reality. What do I mean by that? Well, you establish certain biblical truths through scripture. What does the Bible say? What are the foundational principles of wisdom and truth and morality and spirituality? And as you begin to ground yourself in these principles for living, you now have the power to make more decisions more often that are filled with more wisdom. Why? Because once you're grounded in word, once you're grounded in the Spirit, you have the basic knowledge that you need to now make decisions. But here's the reality: sometimes you're just gonna have to take a risk. Sometimes you're gonna have to set yourself up for potential failure. I'm not saying you should do that without wisdom, but I am saying at some point you have to act. At some point you have to step out. At some point you have to do what is uncertain. Not everything is going to be ideal. Not everything is going to be perfectly aligned. Not everything is just gonna present itself one day as a whole. You're going to have to take this piece by piece. You're gonna have to make decisions that move you forward. Stop being indecisive because of fear, because of uncertainty, because of doubt, because of not having all the answers. At some point, you're going to have to decide. At some point, you're gonna have to, as scary as it is, you have to take that step. of faith and become a person of decision. Now, the next point I'm going to raise is probably gonna be the most pointed of all the points. In other words, this next point is gonna really challenge several of the people in this generation, and I'm gonna get to that in just a moment. But first, if you are being inspired by this content, if you're being challenged and you think others need to receive this challenge, you think this is a good challenge for all generations, And make sure you leave a like on this stream right now. Click that thumbs up whether you're watching live or whether you're watching on the replay. By you leaving that like, you're helping to spread the content further. Also, make sure you subscribe to my channel so that you don't miss any encouraging content like this. I also post teachings on the Holy Spirit. I also post videos of the Holy Spirit's power in action. So if that's something that interests you, Subscribe now and make sure you click that notification bell when you do subscribe so that you don't miss any of the content being sent your way that will help you to grow in the Spirit. Number 6, turn dependency into resourcefulness. There are too many leeches in the kingdom of God. There are too many people who take, take, take, and never give. Genesis chapter 1, verses 26 to 28. Here's what we're designed to do. Then God said, let us make human beings in our image to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them male and female, he created them. Then he blessed them and said, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and govern it. That is, have dominion, reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground. God created you to thrive. God created you to be fruitful. God created you to have dominion. Now, this is the original design for man. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: those unwilling to work will not eat. We live in a generation that's entitled. We live in a generation that thinks it's somebody else's responsibility to give them what they need. We live in a generation that thinks any amount of pressure is, quote, toxic, that any amount of responsibility is, quote, bad for their mental health, end quote. And while I understand balance, I understand principles of rest. I understand that we should take care of ourselves. I understand that we shouldn't let people take advantage of us in terms of our work. I get that. I understand that. I accept that. At the same time, there is an unhealthy attitude that is creeping into the church where men, young men, young women are afraid to take on responsibility because the pressure or slight pressure of that responsibility is looked at as a negative. My friend, pressure is how you grow. Pressure is how you gain strength. How are you ever supposed to grow in strength if there's never any resistance? You have to learn to face resistance. You have to learn to take things on that stretch you beyond your capacity. God created you to be efficient. God created you to produce. God created you to have dominion. God created you to create, to cultivate, to steward. to be responsible, to make something of the life that he gave you. He gave you all the ingredients. He gifted you time. He gifted you resources. He gifted you energy. He gifted you a body. He gifted you the ability to communicate. He gifted you relationships. And yet we squander it because we think somebody else is gonna come along and rescue us. My friend, God has given you everything you need to flourish. in this world. Colossians 3:23-24 says this: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. It's time to be low maintenance. Write it in the comment section: Stop being a leech. Stop just taking, taking, taking. Now, this message isn't just for young men, but I have a message for some of the young men watching. Some of you young men watching me right now, you've given your life over to entertainment, to pleasure, to laziness. And because of that, you've invited disorder and chaos and lack. And because of that, you're not becoming who God created you to be. Again, this message is for all believers, but just— I want to take these few seconds to talk to the young men. It's time to step into being resourceful. You know, the nature of God is provider. The nature of God is productive. The nature of God is abundant. I'm not saying you can't struggle. What I am saying is you can't just sit there. You can't just accept what's being thrown at you. God has given you— and young women as well— God has given you what you need to step into your divine destiny. Father, I pray you help your people to To do it. Give us these truths, and may they be deposited deep within our hearts, that they may flourish and bring forth the fruit of godly living— not just holiness, but competence and focus and productivity and discipline. We give you the praise, the glory, and the honor. And thank you, Holy Spirit, for helping us to receive correction. Not for condemnation, but for restoration. I give you the praise, the glory, and the honor. And if you'll commit to it, I want you to write it in the comment section. Say, "I commit." And now I want to give you an opportunity to be a part of what God is doing through this ministry. If you're being challenged through this ministry, you're being blessed through this ministry. It's time now to do your part. Look, we are beginning at the time of this recording. Years from now, you may watch this at a time. Time when it's not entering into a new year. But at the time of this live stream, we are entering into a new year. And so I want to challenge many of you, as we are here beginning next year and as we're preparing for the next season to come, I want to challenge you to become a partner today. Sign up to become a monthly supporter, and let's go into the next year partnered together in resource and in ministry. I want you to go right now To David Hernandez Ministries dot com slash partner and sign up for monthly giving. You can do so for as little as fifteen dollars a month. Now, if you're watching this in the future and that little timeline I gave doesn't apply, I still encourage you to do so. But this is how you can help this ministry. This is how you can get involved with what God is doing. This is how you can join the fight to win the soul of a generation, and we are winning that fight because the light. Is advancing and the darkness is dissolving. So one more time, become a monthly partner today. davidhernandezministries.com/partner. Now, if you're already a partner and you just want to give a single gift as an extra gift to the ministry, or you're not yet ready to become a monthly supporter, then you can give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. Whatever you do, single or monthly, large or small, It all goes to the ministry, and the ministry is seeing people saved, healed, delivered, empowered. Go right now, one more time, davidhernandezministries.com/partner to become a monthly supporter. I need many of you to do that right now. davidhernandezministries.com/donate, that is also very, very helpful. But as I said, those monthly partnerships are key because they help us to plan better because we can count on certain support coming in every single month. Well, I love you, I pray for you, I appreciate you, and until next time, remember, nothing is impossible with God.