Transcript
Hello, and welcome to The Overflow Podcast. My name is Craig Booker. The title of this episode is Renew Remain Acknowledge Ask.
A lot of the material for this week’s episode was inspired by Pastor Craig Groeshel’s book The Power to Change Mastering the Habits That Matter Most.
Note: I will talk a lot about mental health, but please note this is not a substitute for therapy or mental health care. I am not a counselor or a physician. If you need help with mental health challenges, please find a qualified mental health professional.
The title of this episode is Renew, Remain, Acknowledge and Ask.
Renew Remain Acknowledge Ask – Introduction
In the past episode, we talked about it’s all you. We’re going through the idea that willpower doesn’t work, but God’s power does, and it’s available, accessible, active, and abundant.
As it was in the last episode, in this section, Craig Groeschel opens by telling another story about an old house that he and his wife Amy lived in early in their marriage. This house was built in 1910, so it was rather old.
And he tells this story about his den. Just a small living area that had a couch, a lamp, and just a little TV. And one night they tried to turn on the lamp and it wouldn’t come on and they tested the TV you know and and nothing else was working either uh and so thinking that it might be a fuse that had blown uh Craig told his wife Amy that he would try to fix it and he goes into detail saying that fixing things or being handy around the house is not his strength um quite the opposite and so you know he makes this Joe’s joke about it might just be a fuse so while he was trying to work on it what they did in the meantime so they would have power in this this living area was they brought in extension cords that they would plug in in another room and kind of drag them like throughout part of the house through their dining area into the den so they would have power in this area and so you know these chords he said they created an eyesore so they were just something you had to look at that were ugly that you would trip over and they they lived like this for three years uh with no power in this living area and one day as they were getting ready to move out they found this light switch that they hadn’t seen before and so I think you know Craig started to put ideas together and go you know I wonder what this light switch does and he flips the switch and um he goes and of course he had to disconnect the extension cords and reconnect them in this living area and what he discovered was that they had had power all along it was this this light switch that they didn’t know about that would turn those outlets off in that room comment was that for three years they had had power they just didn’t know how to access that power he says in the book he said this 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 and so this this section or this introduction is kind of setting up this section of the book saying that he didn’t really know how to access the power that’s available through the Holy Spirit and so it says whoever it is that you want to become or stop being whatever it is that you want to do or stop doing you will need more than willpower you will need God’s power so God can give you the power to 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 so it goes on to say how do you rely on God’s power rather than willpower to overcome the temptation to do wrong uh he asked the question how do you walk in the spirit in these moments right he says here are the four words I introduced to you at the end of the last chapter renew remain acknowledge and ask he says there are two for before the moment and two for in the moment so the first one is renew and Craig Groeschel again tells a story about a time in college when he decided he wanted to live for Jesus and he struggled with this decision because he didn’t want to give up sex he realizing how difficult this would be he knew he needed God’s power he felt led to give up dating for an extended period uh and this time would serve as a point of renewing his way of thinking about women and relationships all right in Romans 12 1-2 it says to walk in the spirit in God’s power we need to renew our minds therefore
this is a quote from the book let me clarify that so to walk in the spirit in God’s power we need to renew our minds and then here’s Romans 12 1-2 it says therefore I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as 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 all right he continues and he says the key to living out God’s good pleasing and perfect will is being transformed by the renewing of our mind when we allow God to change the way we think it will change the way we act how we respond to opportunities and temptations how we treat people it will change everything this takes us full circle back to who before do uh you do what you do because of what you think of you you renew your mind by consistently reading the Bible your success depends on your commitment another way to renew our minds is by memorizing scripture and this can be done by using index cards or maybe a Bible memorization apps uh a third way to renew your mind is to listen to good Bible teaching uh become part of a church Faithfully preaching the Bible or by listening to great teaching online or both so that is renew so that’s one of these ideas that he was talking about to prepare us before the moment that we get to the second part is remain well it looks like this is from John 15 4-5 in the NLT it says re Main and 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 am them will produce much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing so if we look at this what it’s saying here at the end of this apart from me you can do nothing you know this really ties in to these ideas of acknowledging that I can’t but God can and if we really bring this into the Practical everyday of the changes that we’re trying to make the the positive uh changes to our brain health that we’re working on uh we really can see full circle like how we get to our goal it’s not through our own strength or our own willpower we’re learning that our willpower is very limited and will run out and fail us but God’s power won’t and his power is is easily accessible if we understand how to tap into his power so it says when we remain in Jesus God’s power will be evident in our life in the book he talks about he says all of these verses that we’ve been looking at contain the same words we have we have translated in John 15 4 as remain so the word that gets translated to is Mino like m-e-n-o uh and that is for remain and so there’s a series of verses here that all use that and I’ll read those uh here it says Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her house Luke 1 uh 56 nkjv and then for two whole years Paul stayed there in his town rent in his own excuse me he stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him acts 28 30. and then 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 this is Luke 8. I believe that’s supposed to be 27 and I put two seven seven so then stay there eating and drinking whatever you whatever they give you for the worker deserves his wages do not move from house to house Luke 10 7. I said there are other verses where the word Mino is translated stay so those previous verses were as Mina was translated as remain and there are other verses where it’s translated as stay uh for example they said Rabbi which uh Rabbi which means teacher where are you staying John 1 38 and then Peter State and Joppa for some time with a Tanner named Simon asked 9 43 third it says erastus stayed in Corinth and I left profemis sick in malettis and it says second temp that was second Timothy 4 20. it says in these verses Jesus is inviting us to make him our home and stay in him it says if you remain in Jesus before the moment you’ll be ready with God’s power in the moment so there’s two parts to this we’re gonna be uh con you know consistently seeking god um preparing before the moment so that when the moment happens we are ready we’re prepared so the renew and remain the two r’s is what he refers it to ref refers to them as is before the moment so now we’re going to look at in the moment these two words and the first one is acknowledge it says 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.
In that moment you’ll hear a voice not necessarily an audible voice. It will be cheering you on. It might say, “You’ve got this! It’s all you!”
And Craig Groeschel says we have to ignore this voice. Because 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 and that’s from Romans 7:18 NLT and with Jesus, who said, ‘Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing.’ And it says this is personalizing John 15:5.
That is acknowledge. And then he goes on to talk about you know the 12-step program that is associated with Alcoholics Anonymous.
And he says in step one of that program, ‘We admit we were powerless over sin that our lives had become unmanageable.’ And then step two of that program, ‘We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.’
uh and then he goes on to say, in telling a story about quitting drinking during college Craig says, “I couldn’t do I couldn’t do what I needed to do. But then I could. I quit drinking. I could when I admitted I couldn’t. So he could when he admitted he couldn’t.
There was that acknowledgment and he said I had what it took when I could no longer deny that I did not have what it took. So it’s a mouthful, but it was at this point when he admitted he needed help that he needed God’s power, that he was able to make progress.
And then the last one is ask.
And in this part, he’s talking over James chapter four. He starts out in James 1.
That says he’s talking about the desires that battle within you.
And James writes, “You desire, but you do not have… You cannot get what you want.’ uh so that’s I think verse 1 and verse 2 there.
And then it says, So what is a real problem?
“James continues, ‘You do not have because you do not ask God.’ From verse two. It says, ‘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.’ And he says that’s from verse five.
And then we see. We know we need a power greater than ourselves to make positive changes successfully. And God is generous and loves to give good gifts to his children (Matthew 7:9 -11).
We must first acknowledge though we must say God, I know I can’t but you can and then we say, God, I know you have the power I need and you generously give to your children God I’m asking for your power in this moment something we might say in the moment when we’re struggling with something we need help before the moment we’re going to renew and remain and then in the moment we’re going to acknowledge and ask.
Our God loves it when we come to him so the point is ask him ask him for his help tell him you need him acknowledge that you don’t have what it takes to do what you’re trying to do all right.
Exercise
So we have an exercise from the book. And it says, “Use the four words and this chapter as a guide for a prayer and complete these sentences.”
“Father, I pray today you would renew my mind to help me do [blank].”
So whatever you’re trying to do and then “Father, help me to remain in you today as or when I [blank].
Okay, and then Third, “Father, today I acknowledge my weakness and your power I know I am weak but you are strong in and [fill in the blank].”
And then, “Father, today I recognize your great love for me and how you desire to give me good gifts so I ask you to [blank].”
So there’s the exercise, um, and that you can use it as much as you need it, but I think it’s a good practice to help us get in the rhythm of seeking God’s power.
Principle
So we have a principle for this section that says 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
Then we have a scripture, John 15:4-5 in the NLT, it says, “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.”
Closing
That’s all for this episode. Thank you for watching. If you like the video, give us a thumbs up, and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.
Show Notes
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 lam 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
Sources
[1] Groeschel, C. (2023). The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most. Zondervan.
