Renew, Remain, Acknowledge, Ask

Overflow with Craig Booker

Note: A lot of the material is inspired by Craig Groeschel's book. Each week, I take concepts from Pastor Craig Groeschel's book, The Power To Change, and apply them to brain health.

Craig Groeschel opens this section by telling a story about an old house (1910) he and his wife Amy lived in early in their marriage. In his den, he had a couch, lamp, and a little TV. One night they tried to turn on the lamp, and it wouldn’t come on. Neither would the TV. Thinking it might be a blown fuse, Craig told Amy he would try to fix it. While he was working on it they brought in extension cords that they plugged into outlets in the kitchen. These cords created an eyesore that they tripped over for three years. One day when they were getting ready to move out, they found a light switch they hadn’t seen before. [1]

When they flipped the switch, all of the outlets in the den worked. For three years, they had power, they just didn’t know how to access it. [1]

“That is also a fairly solid description of my early years of following Jesus. I needed God’s power. It was available to me. But I didn’t know how to access it. How to live in it. How to walk by the Spirit.” [1]

“Whoever it is that you want to become or stop being, whatever it is that you want to do or stop doing, you need more than willpower. You need God’s power.” [1]

God can give you the power to: [1]

• Love someone who is difficult to love
• Serve when you’d rather be served
• Give when it’s scary to give
• Study when you’d rather play
• Spend time with your child when you would rather relax

“…how do you rely on God’s power – rather than willpower to overcome the temptation to do wrong?” [1]

“How do you walk in the Spirit in those moments?” [1]

“Here are the four words I introduced to you at the end of the last chapter: Renew. Remain. Acknowledge. Ask.” [1]

There are two for before the moment and two for in the moment. [1]

Renew

Craig Groeschel tells a story about a time in college when he decided he wanted to live for Jesus. He struggled with this decision because he didn’t want to give up sex. Realizing how difficult this would be, he knew he needed God’s power. He felt led to give up dating for an extended period. This time would serve as a point of renewing his way of thinking about women and relationships. [1]

“To walk in the Spirit, in God’s power, we need to renew our minds: ‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. 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’ (Rom. 12:1-2).” [1]

“The key to living out God’s ‘good, pleasing and perfect will’ is being ‘transformed by the renewing of your mind.'” [1]

“When we allow God to change the way we think, it will change how we act.” [1]

“When we allow God to change the way we think, it will change how we act, how we respond to opportunities and temptations, how we treat people. It will change everything.” [1]

“This takes us full circle back to ‘who before do.’ You do what you do because of what you think of you. We said that how you think about yourself drives your behavior. Here’s another truth bomb: how you think about everything impacts everything.” [1]

You renew your mind by consistently reading the Bible. Your success depends on your commitment. [1]

Another way to renew our minds is by memorizing scripture. This can be done by using index cards or Bible memorization apps. [1]

A third way to renew your mind is to listen to good bible teaching. Become part of a church faithfully preaching the Bible or by, listening to great teaching online, or both. [1]

Remain

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5 NLT).

When we remain in Jesus, God’s power will be evident in our life.

“All of these verses contain the same word we have translated in John 15:4 as ‘remain’ -meno.” [1]

• “Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house” (Luke 1:56 NKJV).
• “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him” (Acts 28:30).
• “When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs” (Luke 8:277).
• “Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move from house to house” (Luke 10.7).

“There are other verses where the word meno is translated ‘stay.'” [1]

For example: [1]

• “They said, ‘Rabbi (which means ‘Teacher), where are you staying?'” (John 1:38).
• “Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon” (Acts 9:43).
• “Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus” (2 Tim. 4:20).

In these verses, Jesus is inviting us to make him our home and stay in him. [1]

“If you remain in Jesus–before the moment- you will be ready with God’s power in the moment.” [1]

Acknowledge

A time will come when you can start the habit you’ve decided to start.

Or maybe you will be tempted to do something you don’t want to do. [1]

In that moment, you will hear a voice. Not necessarily an audible voice.

It will be cheering you on. It might say, “You’ve got this. It is all you!”

Craig Groeschel says we have to ignore this voice. This voice is from our flesh or the human part of us.

“Ignore that voice and acknowledge that you don’t have the power you need. Say, with Paul, ‘I want to do what is right, but I can’t’ (Rom. 7:18 NLT) and with Jesus, ‘Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing’ (personalizing John 15:5).” [1]

Twelve-Step Program:

Step One

‘We admitted we were powerless over sin-that our lives had become unmanageable.’[2]

Step Two

‘We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.’ [2]

In telling his story about quitting drinking during college, Craig says, “I couldn’t do what I needed to do. But then I could. I quit drinking. I could when I admitted I couldn’t. I had what it took when I could no longer deny that I did not have what it took.” [1]

“Acknowledging ‘I can’t’ is the path to possessing a power you don’t possess.” [1]

Ask

James 4:1

The “desires that battle within you.”

“James writes, ‘You desire but do not have. … You cannot get what you want’ (v. 2). “ [1]

What is the real problem? [1]

“James continues, ‘You do not have because you do not ask God’ (v. 2). So ask. James chapter one says, ‘You should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you’ (v. 5).” [1]

We know we need a power greater than ourselves to make positive changes successfully. God is generous and loves to give good gifts to his children (Matthew 7:9-11).

We must first acknowledge. “God, I know I can’t, but you can.”

“God, I know you have the power I need, and you generously give to your children.”

“God, I am asking for your power in this moment.” [1]

Before the moment – renew and remain. [1]

In the moment – acknowledge and ask. [1]

Our God loves it when we come to him. So ASK!

Exercise

“Use the four keywords in this chapter as a guide for prayer, and

complete these sentences.” [1]

Father, I pray today you would renew my mind by helping me to:

Father, help me to remain in you today as/when I:

Father, today I acknowledge my weakness and your power. I know l am weak, but you are strong, in:

Father, today, I recognize your great love for me and how you desire to give me good gifts, so l ask you to:

Principle

“If you renew and remain before the moment, and if you acknowledge and ask in the moment, you will have God’s power to walk by the Spirit.” [1]

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and l in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” -John 15:4-5 NLT

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Sources:

[1] Groeschel, C. (2023). The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most. Zondervan.

[2] “The Twelve Steps,” Alcoholics Anonymous, www.aa.org/the-twelve-steps.

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