80% of the brain is formed by the time we are between four and six years old, this is why it must be a work of Christ to undo what we learned that was wrong.
We were taught many things about the world and about ourselves that were destructive and against God's Word.
When we become born-again God gives us a new family. He changes us into a new creation and we no longer think or act the same way we did when we were living without Christ in our sinful life.
When Christ changes us He also adopts us into His family, we have a new family, one that loves as Christ loved. A family that has the same goal which is to become holy as we grow in righteousness.
The new family loves us unconditionally and cares for us so deeply that they attempt to help us walk with Christ. Those who love Christ have no desire to disparage anyone or treat disrespectfully anyone. We love the truth which can be misinterpreted by stubborn people as mean, they do not recognize love when it walks up and kisses them on the forehead.
The old family for most are people who hate us and our new family. They desired to keep us stuck in their family patterns and systems, working against all that God has for us.
A silly example of this is when I was shopping with my mother for clothing as a married young woman. I have always been partial to long dresses and skirts, not for any religious reason but it was just my personal taste.
As we wandered through the store one day looking at clothing together, I spotted a long jean skirt that I liked. As I was looking at it my mother was mocking me because I liked long skirts. Her advice to me was that I should wear my skirt just below my knee so that the lower part of my leg would show. She said the calves are the prettiest part of our legs and they should be displayed.
My question was why should I want to display any part of myself to anyone?
I had no problem with skirts just below the knee but it wasn't my personal style. The point here is that when we have personal tastes that are good and even godly those who are worldly will attempt to influence us to do things their way, the fashionable way to be noticed by others. Appearances are far more important to the world and the ungodly than truth and righteousness is, in fact those things are just not on their radar at all.
I recall as a teenager wearing halter tops as was popular among the hippies of my day. I never heard my mother ever instruct me on those tops, but she was critical of the long skirts after I became a believer and wanted to be more modest.
Long skirts were in style when I became a believer, it was a sort of blessing to me that I could be in style and still honor God in my clothing.
I was called legalistic for wearing skirts even though I never talked to others to influence them to do it, I just did it myself. I wear trousers sometimes at home, but when I attend church gatherings I wear skirts because it is what I am comfortable wearing to worship gatherings.
Many of the things we were taught were not Biblical and sadly those same things have been brought into church by those who want to be a part of a Christian club but have no desire to seek Christ.
Those who have religions but not Christ will always push against radical Biblical principles and those who desire to follow them.
This is the reason so many radical Born-again believers must leave their families to follow Christ.
Luke 14:25-38 "25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?"
Many people we were raised with who do not love Christ but love their own form of religion are people we may have to walk away from. The hardest people to reach with the authentic gospel will be those who think they are Christians but have never been changed by Christ. They are proud of who they think they are and will not seek Christ to find out if they are saved. Safety and security is enough for them, changed by Christ, not so much.
Bottom Line: we cannot overcome our childhood training without Christ.
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