How paradigms work
Steven Covey explains the power of mental paradigms and how they function in his classic "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". I am indebted to him and also Neil Anderson (Freedom in Christ) for the following insights. As human beings we have this incredibly powerful ability to take in and process information through our senses about the world, about ourselves and others and then interpret this information by way of thinking. We form a world-view, a philosophy of life, that consists of our main mental paradigms, i. e. the way we think about reality, about the world, life, God, relationships, the purpose of life and how life works. Mental paradigms form the framework within which we interpret reality. But they are not reality itself. They are a representation of reality. Steven Covey likens them to a map of an area. If you want to find a certain destination in Dublin, an accurate map of Dublin can be incredibly helpful to get you to where you want to go. Our mental paradigms are maps of reality. They help us interpret the reality we encounter each day of our lives. But what happens, if we operate from a wrong map? If the map isn't accurate, or completely wrong?
The source of frustration
Imagine that an error occurs in the printing shop and an actual map of Limerick accidentally gets the title "Dublin" printed on it. So you have this map, it says Dublin on it, and you are in Dublin trying to find a certain street. But without you knowing it you are trying to find this street by actually looking at a map of Limerick. You are bound to be frustrated and lost and you won't be able to find your destination. Because you are operating from a wrong paradigm. If you don't know that you've got the wrong map, you will probably try harder, put in more effort to reach your goal. It won't work. You will still be lost. Or you may end up saying - the main thing is to have a positive attitude, not to reach a goal. So you can go through Dublin with the wrong map and sing this song "Don't worry be happy" and just have a bit of craig and a good time - but you would still be lost and disoriented. The only thing that would help you, would be to change your map. If you exchanged your wrong map of Dublin, which is actually a map of Limerick, for a real map of Dublin, things suddenly would start to make sense and start to work. That's why Jesus said - the truth will make you free. If your thinking lines up with how things really are, with reality, life suddenly starts to make sense. If it doesn't, you'll be lost and frustrated.
A frustrated pastor
Most of my life in pastoral ministry I was frustrated because I was operating from a whole bunch of wrong, distorted mental paradigms. But I didn't know it. I had a real heart for God. I wanted people to get to know God and be born again. I really believed that he was real, and yet my Christian life somehow didn't seem to work. When I read the bible, especially the Acts of the Apostles, the frustration reached sometimes nearly unbearable levels. There I read how God was real, present, active, how these first Christians were joyful in the midst of terrible persecution, how they could heal people in Jesus' name, experience miraculous deliverance out of prisons and turn their world right side up within a lifespan of a generation. Compared to that my life was just not matching up. It was not in the same league. And I didn't know how to change it.
When I turned 40 I decided to have my midlife crisis. I was so fed up with always trying harder and harder, seeking God, praying, fasting and getting nowhere. I started to rebel against God. Started to question his goodness and love to me. I reasoned, "God, if you are real and care about me, you would let me succeed, you would let me know what's wrong, you would show up and change my life." I remember at the beginning of that phase attending a pastor's conference in Germany. One morning I poured out all my frustration to God in prayer in my room, telling him how disappointed I was that he just didn't answer my prayers and let me experience more of his power and victory in my life. And then I turned to the bible passage that was selected for that day. And it turned out to be Matthew 17 - the healing of a boy with a demon. When Jesus hears that his disciples were not able to heal the boy, he vents his frustration in verse 17 "O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me" - Wow. It felt like God was talking back to me. And he was not at all compassionate with me and my frustration. He was frustrated about me. I felt like Jesus turned around and stuck his finger in my face and said - you faithless and perverse generation... It didn't make sense. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I went on and had my crisis anyway... God was very gracious and he gently restored me back to himself, but this memory remained. The only solution for me to ever experience God's power and reality, I decided, was to live through a revival. A mighty and powerful move of God's Spirit. So I went back to seeking God and praying and hoping for revival. When God would decide to open the heavens once again and pour out his Spirit, I hoped to be right in the midst of it. With this hope I came to Ireland in November 2008 and started working as pastor of the Nazarene Church in Greystones.
Unmasking faulty paradigms
It was a few years later when I finally started to get a clue about the solution to my problems. A good friend of mine invited me to take part in a
course called “Freedom in Christ”. He had experienced major breakthroughs while
on that course, so he asked me to join in as he was doing it in a
friend’s house. I agreed. The course is based on material written by an
American, Dr. Neil T. Anderson, and presented on DVDs by the Englishman Steve
Goss. It is a very good course. My major breakthrough came with Session 4: “The
world’s view of truth”. In it the author discusses the effect a worldview has
on our perception of reality - it lined up with what Steven Covey taught about mental paradigms. He explains the main world views that are
prevalent in the Western hemisphere at the moment. The modern world view, the
post modern worldview and contrasts them with the biblical world view.
In this session the Lord showed me that
in my practical day-to-day living I was operating from a humanistic,
materialistic paradigm. My theological beliefs were like an icing on a cake
that underneath was almost completely rooted in a materialistic world view.
Spiritual reality was kind of distant and somewhat “unreal”. I went by what
my senses and my feelings told me was true, not by what the bible says is true.
I was operating in unbelief. I was an unbelieving believer. I trusted God with
my salvation, but as far as the daily life was concerned, I totally relied on
my senses, my knowledge, common sense and experience. And where my senses or my
feelings were contradicting biblical truth, I definitely went with them and
against what the bible was saying. I thought that was normal, that there was no
other way to live. I pleaded with God to change my feelings, to overwhelm me
with his Holy Spirit, to influence my feelings and senses directly. But that
would be walking by sight, not by faith.
Neil Anderson opened my eyes to the fact that
all biblical faith is – is believing that what the bible presents as truth is
really true, and then acting on it; even if it feels untrue, even if there is
no physical evidence for it. Spiritual things can’t always be perceived by our
senses. Our feelings are not an accurate reflection of reality – they are a
product of our thinking. We must trust God and accept what he says is true and
act on it. Then we find out that they are actually true and that it works. Man
– that was huge. Liberation came to me at last. I could choose how I felt. That
meant that I did not have to feel rotten, guilty and inadequate anymore, because
the bible says that I am a loved and cherished son of God. I could stop
believing my feelings, I could choose to believe the truth and act on it. That
started me on the journey that I am on today. It opened up completely new possibilities
for me: The life of the Spirit. Little did I know that that was only the
beginning. My entire world was about to change.
Reorienting my thinking
Suddenly life started to make sense, my Christian life started beginning to work. It was incredible. I can't even begin to describe the liberation and freedom that started to flood my soul. God wasn't the problem, my faulty paradigms were the problem. Being part of an unbelieving and perverse generation was the problem. Now I was ready to take a close look at my thinking and get rid of every wrong and inaccurate paradigm and replace it with a right one. With the help of some very gifted bible teachers I was able to identify a whole bunch of wrong paradigms in my thinking that were keeping me from experiencing the life of abundance that the bible was talking about. And the more I progressed in that direction, the freer, richer and fuller my life became, and my relationship with Jesus was revolutionized.
So from next week I would like to take a closer look at each of these wrong paradigms that I discovered in my thinking, describe them and then show the more accurate biblical alternative to it.
Until next week. Be blessed and encouraged everybody! God loves you. God is not the problem! God is awesome and good and faithful and loving. If you are frustrated and disappointed with your Christian experience, I hope you will receive revelation while reading this blog that will lead you to see the truth and embrace it. There is nothing in the whole world like it.
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