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beginning
inspiring
new year
renew your mind
renewal
resolutions
restart fresh
success
The eagle has the longest life-span of its species. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, it has to take one of the hardest decisions in it's life. At 40, it cannot grab prey and its long and sharp beak becomes bent. It's ageing feathers become stuck to it's chest and makes it difficult to fly.
In this predicament it has only two options - die or go through a painful process of change which lasts for at least 150 days. But this change will require that the eagle fly to a mountain top and be alone for the whole 150 days. So it's only a few eagles that can actually embark on this journey of renewal.
The eagle begins by knocking its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, it will wait for the beak to grow back and then pluck out its talons. When that one also grows back, then it begins to pluck it's own feathers. While still on the mountain top, it plucks out every feather on the body until it is completely bare. And after five months of enduring a bloody beak, removal of foot skin and the mountain top cold, the eagle takes it's famous flight of rebirth and lives for another 30 years.
The eagle begins by knocking its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, it will wait for the beak to grow back and then pluck out its talons. When that one also grows back, then it begins to pluck it's own feathers. While still on the mountain top, it plucks out every feather on the body until it is completely bare. And after five months of enduring a bloody beak, removal of foot skin and the mountain top cold, the eagle takes it's famous flight of rebirth and lives for another 30 years.
"But those who wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint," Isaiah 40:31
Renewal is to give fresh life to something.
It can also be described as the restart button on your pc. When your laptop or phone hangs, there's nothing else to do than restart or sit and wait forever.
The interesting thing about life is that sometimes our "operating system" needs a restart but we rather not do anything about it. Sometimes because we actually don't know how to navigate through the confusion and turmoil.
So decide to refresh the dead things in your life today!!
Renewal comes in two forms;
1. When we decide to turn a situation by changing our position, attitude, actions or heart. eg., We sometimes feel stuck in a job, church, or a location and decide to change for the better.
2. Circumstantial renewal eg, in a divorce you are forced to renew yourself.
Change happens whether we like it or not but renewal is what we can do with the change around us. To renew is optional. Change is what our soul requires but renewal is what our spirit needs.
King David was a master of renewing himself. He started as a shepherd - musician - Soldier - Head of the army - king. Thats why he said in Psalm 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, and renew the right spirit within me. A clean heart meaning a fresh start or clean slate.
When God called me into planting a church, I knew I had to renew myself. It took me 3 years and that was my path. It might take you less or more years but its about walking with God and where ever he leads you go. It took King David about 14 years from when he killed Goliath to when he actually became king of all Israel.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
These are 7 steps to begin the path of renewal
1. ADMIT THE TRUTH TO YOURSELF AND BELIEVE
The eagle has to admit to itself that it has lost it's glory of haunting and flying before it can master strength for it's renewal.
recognise the problem;
recognise the problem;
"Guy A" was sawing down a tree and there comes "Guy B" asking him,
B: What are you doing?
A: I’m sawing a tree.
B: How long have you been at it?
A: 4 hours so far, but I’m really making progress
B: Your saw looks really dull, why don’t you take a break and sharpen it?
A: I can’t you idiot. I’m too busy sawing!
question: what do you tell yourself?
Are you truthful to yourself? Are you quick to tell everyone else what you see and you can't even look into the mirror and tell yourself some plain truths about your circumstances.
Are you truthful to yourself? Are you quick to tell everyone else what you see and you can't even look into the mirror and tell yourself some plain truths about your circumstances.
three steps to locate your truth;
1. locate your misbelief.
2. Remove them (argue against them)
3. Replace your misbeliefs with the truth
You can be religious and still be negative in your thinking. Jesus said to Mary Magdalene "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? John 11:40" There is glory when you believe. Cast out the negative and embrace the positive. I know you see all the evidence and you have all the stats but have faith and work it out and see how things will change for the better!!
KEY INSIGHT - "It is not what people say or do that creates your emotions, but rather what you tell yourself about what people say or do to you."
2. VISION
Ask yourself what should happen at the end? At this point think possibilities only. Create a mental picture of your future (God asked Abraham to lift up his eyes and see). Like a blueprint of a building.
The eagle must see itself flying so high again. It must see itself hunting with precision, and begin to miss how it used to do it before it decides to change it's destiny again.
Write a Personal Mission Statement (PM Statement) this can be your guiding light when things get dark in your life. King David said "As I walk through the valleys of the shadows of death, You are with me", So here we read that his PM Statement was "God Is With Me". He believed he could do everything because of his PM Statement and he actually did. So what is yours?
Your purpose in life, your mission and values are expressed everyday by how you live whether you admit it or not. When I look at your monthly expenditure, your phone browsing records, who and what you spend your time with, I can mostly tell where you are headed in life (Edward Snowden...wink wink). Now if you do a google search of your name (vanity search), what will you find? what should people associate with your name?
The eagle must see itself flying so high again. It must see itself hunting with precision, and begin to miss how it used to do it before it decides to change it's destiny again.
Write a Personal Mission Statement (PM Statement) this can be your guiding light when things get dark in your life. King David said "As I walk through the valleys of the shadows of death, You are with me", So here we read that his PM Statement was "God Is With Me". He believed he could do everything because of his PM Statement and he actually did. So what is yours?
Your purpose in life, your mission and values are expressed everyday by how you live whether you admit it or not. When I look at your monthly expenditure, your phone browsing records, who and what you spend your time with, I can mostly tell where you are headed in life (Edward Snowden...wink wink). Now if you do a google search of your name (vanity search), what will you find? what should people associate with your name?
Write one word to describe you.
I did a test in one of our Sunday services. I asked everyone to write what they thought about me in a split second, what comes to mind concerning me. I was actually surprised. People see what you think they don't see. Try it with a few people to help you with this test and see if you are in line with your goals.
Your personal mission statement should be value based.
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
I did a test in one of our Sunday services. I asked everyone to write what they thought about me in a split second, what comes to mind concerning me. I was actually surprised. People see what you think they don't see. Try it with a few people to help you with this test and see if you are in line with your goals.
Your personal mission statement should be value based.
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Your vision should be daring, and a bit frightening. Else you are undercutting yourself.
3. PLAN
I have heard lots of people talk about ideas being the "be it all", but I believe planning is above ideas. I have met a crazy number of people with ideas and no plan. That is all talk and no action. The eagle goes to the renewal mountain-top with a plan. First get the crooked beak out, then wait for the beak to grow back and pluck out the dead skin on its talons before lastly plucking the old feathers to make way for the new ones. So even the eagle has a plan.
At the planning stage, you should write down a step by step process of how your plans can come to pass (sequencing). It's the process of thinking about and organising the activities required to achieve your desired goal. Have a strategy to fulfil your purpose.
At the planning stage, you should write down a step by step process of how your plans can come to pass (sequencing). It's the process of thinking about and organising the activities required to achieve your desired goal. Have a strategy to fulfil your purpose.
Plan to succeed, not to fail. Never bring your fears to the planning table, never!! Developing a plan also requires time, attention and knowledge. Grow in the dark. Know what you want to achieve and work slowly at it. Believe me when I say real change takes time. See what's required to accomplish your goal. Develop as detailed a plan that allows you to see the achievement of the goal. This level requires serious quiet time and prayer. Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.
4. DEALING WITH WRONG PATTERNS
Be aware when you're using destructive thinking - replace the bad with the good; Some of us have an "I can't" mentality and live in a state of choicelessness. We build our own prisons with bad patterns - we stop trying new things for fear of looking foolish, ridiculous or vulnerable. This step is difficult because you'll have to deal with your fears and the things that make you uncomfortable.
We mostly get comfortable in our misery. "At least that one we know" we often say. But sometimes we need to break that old pattern even in tears and fears so we can win our race.
We mostly get comfortable in our misery. "At least that one we know" we often say. But sometimes we need to break that old pattern even in tears and fears so we can win our race.
Here are some common recurring, negative behaviors people deal with in their lives on a day-to-day basis. If any of the incidents below has happened to you at least five times, then it’s likely to be a pattern attributable to you:
- Being late for appointments
- Not meeting deadlines
- Being absent-minded
- Getting together with the “wrong” guy/girl, resulting in destructive relationships
- Sleeping late; not being able to wake up early
- Emotional eating
- Not exercising even though you planned to
- Getting into arguments or losing your temper
- Giving up halfway through whatever you’re doing
- Staying back late at work; getting burned out
I see that I have a lot of stuff to work on this coming year. Pray for me!! We have to die to certain things to gain the glory and life promised us. Unless a seed enters into the ground and dies.....
Discard what is worthless!!
Every Wednesday evening I put our trash outside for pickup the next morning (I often miss but you get the point, lol). I don't go to bed thinking of my trash outside because its just things I don't need. Everything that is valuable is locked inside my home with an alarm. If I don't learn to be tidy and keep my home clean then very soon I won't even be able to walk in my own house. So always be on this renewal path, always discarding thoughts and old patterns that are not needed. Put out your trash!!
There's a story about the first time the alumina mineral was discovered (for making metal). One tribe embraced it and the other saw it as superstition, and that the gods don't approve of it, and all that jazz!! So guess which tribe defeats the other in a battle? Of course the one who embraced the new discovery won by fighting stones and clubs with metals.
I am not saying throw out the baby with the bath water. No, see what works and what doesn't and eliminate what what keeps you bound. Ask yourself - Am I fighting through life with sticks and stones? Stop defending your failures, outdated cultures and patterns. Rise up and renew yourself!!
Remember it's about dealing with wrong patterns and not old patterns.
5. WAITING
In our current world, one of the biggest problem we face is patience. It's a virtue no longer encouraged or required. Sometimes I wonder if the younger generation know how good they got it. I'm very young (cough cough) but I still remember telephones with wires and internet with phone wires and how we had to cope with life. We all hate waiting in line these days. We even get frustrated with our high-tech gadgets, at the microwave, dishwasher or wash machine. To a village boy like me from the Eastern Region of Ghana, West Africa, these appliances are daily miracles. Patience is a virtue worth developing or pursuing.
Imagine that it takes the eagle at least 5 months for a true and real transformation. After hitting its beak on the rocks to break, it will just sit and wait for the beak to grow back. And the beak alone can take like a or two to month to grow back. After which it plucks the talons and wait again for new skin to grow back. Then the last which is the feathers and again wait for it to grow back. Imagine the eagle on the mountain top in the cold with bare skin waiting for new feathers. That's why Isaiah equates eagles to waiting on God. After which they mount up.
Imagine that it takes the eagle at least 5 months for a true and real transformation. After hitting its beak on the rocks to break, it will just sit and wait for the beak to grow back. And the beak alone can take like a or two to month to grow back. After which it plucks the talons and wait again for new skin to grow back. Then the last which is the feathers and again wait for it to grow back. Imagine the eagle on the mountain top in the cold with bare skin waiting for new feathers. That's why Isaiah equates eagles to waiting on God. After which they mount up.
growing in the dark
In your waiting period, you should research and learn new tricks or patterns and test them all alone. There's so much stress and anxiety because it will seem like everyone is passing you by in life but you are stuck. So be prepared to feel that way. The eagle doesn't go through its renewal in public, but rather in secret on the mountain top. Don't expose your process and planning too early. Always present your finished package rather. Learn to be by yourself sometimes, learn to party by yourself sometime (just throwing that in there)!!
There's no substitute for waiting. Believe me if there was, I would've found it by now. Waiting is crucial to your renewal. Jesus asked his disciples to wait in Jerusalem. And when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, then they move and act. I don't think it was pleasant for the disciples. Just sitting and praying for 50 days. But their obedience brought them a spirit of renewal and refreshment.
You have to slow down to speed up. The “slow down” period is why so few people don't want to reinvent themselves. It can be very uncomfortable to keep your focus on your intention, while everyone wants you to justify your choices.
But when things pick up again, everyone will like to know your secret.
If you don't plant yourself in the ground and "die" there is no fruit.
John 12:24-25 validates this: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth (hangs on to) his life shall lose it; and he that hateth (surrenders) his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
6. TAKE ACTION
Putting knowledge into action is wisdom. The power of God is when we practice the knowledge of God to it's fullest. Same as power is your knowledge in action. So when you are wise, you become powerful. An abused woman decides one day to take her power back by walking away from an abusive relationship. POWER is also recognising your inner God-given strength and taking action to change your circumstances. The eagle looks at its dilapidated state at decides to take action. So rise up and act now!!!
steady movement forward
Sometimes we think of actions as lightning fast. But the steady forward movement is mostly the best way. I realised that when I play musical phrases fast it doesn't mean I can play it well, but if I can play it repeatedly and constantly slow then I know I got it. Strange right? Take your time to build. Yes, I know that it looks like everyone is going pass you but thats why my Bible says the rejected stone will be the chief corner stone. King Solomon realised this and said something in Proverbs 21:5 "Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty".
Fear is a stumbling block for action
anxiety |aŋˈzʌɪəti|
noun ( pl. anxieties ) [ mass noun ]
1 a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome:
There are many writings on dealing with fear and I will recommend you check some out. But I will give you God's blessed assurance concerning fear.
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6 ESV
Book of Haggai is for builders and action takers so I will recommend it for you.
Fear is not a bad thing until it prevents you from moving forward. Fear actually makes us know we are aware of what we are getting ourselves into. But it shouldn't stop you. Cry, fear, breakdown but never ever give up. Press on and don't be afraid of their faces because your heavenly father is with you and He will protect you on this life journey I promise you, He will!!
7. GET SUPPORT
Don't be a loner, get support from like minded people. Seek them out and ask for help. This will be the best thing you ever did. Why because you'll rarely find encouragement amongst family and friends. They might be confused about your whole renewal path. At this point branding sucks. You have been branded a certain way and loved ones feel safe around you because they kinda know your moves and your ins and outs. So renewing yourself raises lots of questions in their minds. But understand that the fact that people don't support you doesn't mean they don't love you.
We live in a world where you have to play it safe and get by. That's why you need to seek support through your parents, pastor, mentors, books, etc. Believe me, someone has been through what you are going through. If you can only find them, you will learn a lot. Even in their mistakes, is immense knowledge.
I have never done anything without mentorship or thorough reading and research. I remember one day Teddy Osei, leader of the band Osibisa called me and from then on for a while he mentored me. Can you believe that almost everything he told me actually happened? Like a prophet he was. Since then I have always had mentors in most areas of my life to help guide me.
Whatever you are feeling or going through right now, there's someone who has "been there and done that." So tap into their knowledge and humility is required else don't even try to be mentored. Because mentors will correct and rebuke and you might shed a few tears but it's good for you. I really need that because people are full of praise which is okay but you need a few folks who will speak directly to your weakness and encourage your strengths truthfully with love and understanding.
So look until you find a support system. It is very crucial to your success else you grow paranoid and then think you need to change your friends and reject a few family members. I have seen quit a number of people go through that phase where they feel misunderstood or abandoned by people they love because of their renewal process.
Whatever you are feeling or going through right now, there's someone who has "been there and done that." So tap into their knowledge and humility is required else don't even try to be mentored. Because mentors will correct and rebuke and you might shed a few tears but it's good for you. I really need that because people are full of praise which is okay but you need a few folks who will speak directly to your weakness and encourage your strengths truthfully with love and understanding.
So look until you find a support system. It is very crucial to your success else you grow paranoid and then think you need to change your friends and reject a few family members. I have seen quit a number of people go through that phase where they feel misunderstood or abandoned by people they love because of their renewal process.
Getting someone to mentor you will help in your renewal.
Don't try to do this on your own. Even though the eagle goes through renewal alone. You don't have to do it alone at this phase, because the eagle ain't got family and friends getting uncomfortable with their renewal process. So know where you are and apply wisdom as required. This is the best time to find new friends without discarding the old ones of course, join a group or find a people with the same thought as where you want to go.
ACTION PLAN
1. Write down one change you fear will make you look foolish, ridiculous or vulnerable
2. Why do you want to achieve that change?
2. Write down possibilities to make it come to pass
3. What are some old patterns in your life you need to change to make the change
4. How do I acquire knowledge for change. Does this need researching?
5. How can I gradually implement this new found knowledge into my life patterns
6. Who do I need to connect to to help me reach my goals
7. When can I start my renewal
I highly recommend that you pray before every step. Sometimes if you think the next step will be difficult, please fast if you can. Renewal is also a spiritual exercise so go about it as such.
Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.
I will leave you with this...
The word for human in my native Akan language is "nnipa" and it's root meaning is; good works. The concept is that we are created by God to do good works with and for each other. Let your light shine and be a blessing to someone else. Be a nnipa!!!
God bless you,
Berima Amo
I highly recommend that you pray before every step. Sometimes if you think the next step will be difficult, please fast if you can. Renewal is also a spiritual exercise so go about it as such.
Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.
I will leave you with this...
The word for human in my native Akan language is "nnipa" and it's root meaning is; good works. The concept is that we are created by God to do good works with and for each other. Let your light shine and be a blessing to someone else. Be a nnipa!!!
God bless you,
Berima Amo
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