Are Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back? (And what to do about it.) (Part 1)
Brain retraining is often compared to peeling back an onion. Why? Because most positive changes and shifts happen one layer at a time. Just when you think you’ve made it, a new revelation, new behavior and new thinking pattern takes you a little deeper. And in the center of that onion is the core of your being, your identity, the qualities and beliefs that make up who you are.
If you’re on a brain rewiring and healing journey, chances are your identity has been scarred by the fear and physical symptoms that have overtaken your life. You may identify as a victim, sick person or someone who’s limited. But when it comes to making real, lasting change, curating your true identity in Christ is key.
What is your identity in Christ?
In this wonderful yet crazy world we live in, it’s easy for our identities to become entangled with possessions, other people, desires, careers, money and on and on. There’s a reason Jesus calls us sheep—we tend to lose our way! And we wander away from God into what look like greener pastures of this world. Add a lot of fear-based thoughts and beliefs into the mix, and it’s no wonder we forget where we come from and who we truly belong to.
Let’s run through a quick primer about what it means to have our identity in Christ and why it’s such a big deal.
First, here’s the not-so-great news: we’ve all been born into a broken world. That means that regardless of how kind, giving and loving we are, there’s a separation between us and God. And unfortunately, nothing we could ever do on our own would make us good enough to be in God’s Holy presence.
Now for the good news: God gave us his son to act as a sacrificial lamb for all of our sins. Jesus was in a perfect relationship with the Father, and he willingly allowed himself to be nailed to a cross so that when we believe in him, all of our sins are wiped out. We can now come boldly to God because of Jesus.
So, how does Jesus dying on a cross and resurrecting 2,000 years ago give you a new identity?
God promises a new spirit
Sin is definitely a serious issue, but all too often, I’ve counseled well-meaning folks who’ve become stuck in an identity of sin. What do I mean by that? All of our brains are running subconscious programming that’s operating our bodies and fueling the underlying beliefs we have about ourselves. In fact, 95% of your brain activity is from the subconscious mind. For some, these programs run what I liken to a “sin consciousness.”
In self-guided neuroplasticity, we recognize unwanted or untrue subconscious programs and then rewrite them to create a new outcome. But when people are stuck in a sin consciousness, they believe their behavior and feelings are a part of their identity, not the product of automatic subconscious wiring. Often, this will manifest as limiting beliefs.
Do any of these limiting beliefs sound familiar?
I’m not good enough.
I’m afraid of trying and failing.
Bad things always happen to me.
I’ve already tried everything.
I can’t do it.
I’m unlovable.
In Romans 6, Paul says that through Christ, we have died to sin. In other words, we’ve died to these old subconscious programs and limiting beliefs that were running the show. Jesus took it all on the cross for us. And now we get to live a new life free from the power of sin over us. In church-speak, it’s called being born again.
When we are born again, we get a brand new spirit fully loaded with everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). And our spirit becomes a home for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us permanently.
The Bible says this:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” Acts 1:8a
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26
You cannot physically feel your own spirit, and you can’t access it in any natural way. But your spirit is where and how God communicates with you. Your spirit quickens faith. And that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. When you read the Bible, God’s truth draws out what you have in your spirit. Cool, huh?
Identifying God’s spirit in you
It’s one thing to read that you are identical to Jesus and it’s another to think and behave like that’s true. That’s the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.
James 1:23-25 helps us see that the Bible is our mirror into who we are in Christ. What do I mean by that? James uses a metaphor of a man who looks in a mirror and sees his natural face. But after he walks away, he forgets what he looks like.
How many times have you looked at your face in the mirror? Each time, you see a reflection or representation of yourself, and you trust what you see in the mirror. It’s the same with God’s word. We have to trust what it says about who we truly are—loved, adored, cherished, delighted in, special, God’s treasure, etc. The word of God gives you a perfect picture of who you truly are in the Spirit.
So many times, people stay stuck in a negative thought pattern or behavior because they simply don’t believe God’s word. Sure, they may read the Bible. But after they look away from the mirror, they forget. They act like they never heard what God said and go about thinking, acting and feeling the same way.
But don’t beat yourself up; this isn’t intentional. Many times we can end up feeling condemned when someone says to us, “You just don’t have enough faith” or “You need to believe God’s word.” That can hurt and leave us more damaged when we already feel so terrible.
I am here to tell you that there should be no shame when dealing with a chronic illness like yours. Intense suffering can bring even the strongest believer to their knees in fear and unbelief. Unless you’ve walked this road, “regular” people just don’t understand the automatic response your nervous system has and the gravity-defying journey it takes.
One main ingredient to success is to acknowledge what we already have in the spirit (through Jesus) even if you don’t feel it in your soul or body yet.
Philemon 1:6 tells us that our faith is made effective by recognizing what we already have.
Jesus tells us that we will have whatever we ask/say (Mark 11:23-24).
We know that the power of life and death are in the tongue according to Proverbs 18:21.
So, who are you in the Spirit?
Identical to Jesus
You possess all 9 fruit of the Spirit
You are saved, healed and delivered
You are set apart and holy
You are accepted in the beloved
You are the righteousness of God
You are a saint
You are blessed
Healing with self-guided neuroplasticity takes time and repetition, but there is more to it than just positive confessions. Next time I will discuss a key step to help you do works of faith rather than dead works when you choose to believe who you already are in Christ.
Reflect
What is in your mirror that you need to accept and trust?
What does God see when he looks at you?
What if you believed everything God said about you in his word? Would you think or act differently?
Key Scripture
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26