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Biblical Basis for Change · Reformed Thinking

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You know, usually when we talk about making a significant
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change in life, there is this expectation of a quick fix.
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Oh yeah, absolutely. You buy a new planner or you
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download a habit tracking app and you tell yourself that
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tomorrow morning everything is going to be different.
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Right, like a switch flips. Yeah, it feels manageable, like
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checking items off a grocery list.
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You just assume that if you arrange your external
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circumstances the right way, your internal state will
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naturally fall into line. Well, that is the modern
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consensus. I mean, we like things to be
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immediate, measurable and firmly within our own control.
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Definitely, we want a neatly packaged formula that yields
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guaranteed results by the weekend.
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Society trains us to look for the easiest path with the least
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amount of friction. Yeah, that makes sense.
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So if something feels hard, the assumption is that something is
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wrong. But then you step into the world
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of genuine biblical sanctification and suddenly that
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whole self help formula falls apart completely.
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It really does. We are looking at a landscape of
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human behavior and spiritual growth that is honestly entirely
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contrary to our natural instincts.
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So welcome to reformed thinking. Glad to be here.
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Whether you are prepping for a discipleship meeting or seeking
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biblical counseling insights for your own life, or you are just
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insanely curious to understand human behavior through a
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strictly scriptural lens, this session is custom tailored for
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you. Spot on.
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Today we are opening up some incredibly dense and revealing
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source material. We are looking at excerpts from
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Lesson 6 of John C Brochure's Self Confrontation, a Manual for
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in Depth Biblical Discipleship. This is a heavy one.
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It is our mission today is to uncover the biblical basis for
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true, lasting behavioral and spiritual change.
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So OK, let's untack this. Because right out of the gate,
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this manual throws a massive theological wrench into the
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Gears of modern psychology. It certainly does, and the
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theological stakes here could not be higher.
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Brochure's manual anchors all personal growth directly in the
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absolute sovereignty of God, specifically citing Romans
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chapter 8, verses 28 and 29. That is a huge text.
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Yeah, and in the culture utterly obsessed with self-guided
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improvement, this manual insists that true change relies entirely
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on God, causing all things to work together for good.
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Which is a very different starting point.
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Completely different, and we have to define what good
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actually means in this context, you know?
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Right, because people hear that and think, oh God wants me to be
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happy. Yeah, but it does not mean
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financial prosperity or physical health or circumstantial ease.
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The text specifies that the good is God conforming believers to
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the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
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Oh wow. OK.
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This means every trial, every frustration, and every moment of
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suffering is an instrument wielded by a sovereign God for a
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specific, predetermined purpose. That brings us right into our
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first major area of discussion, which is the sovereignty of God
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in our daily struggles. Yeah, we have to start there.
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Before we even begin looking at human problems, we have to
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establish the divine framework that governs those problems.
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The source text insists that as a believer obeys God's Word and
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relies on His strength, and it cites Isaiah 40 verse 29 here.
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Biblical change will occur in every area of life.
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That is a bold claim. It is and here is a crucial
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point from the text. God never devises evil or harm
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for his children. His plans are for good, as seen
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in Genesis 50 verse 20 in Jeremiah 29, Right?
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So think of a sculptor working on a huge block of marble.
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The heavy chisel strikes might feel harsh, chaotic and
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destructive to the marble itself.
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Oh, that is a good way to look at it.
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But those strikes are not random at all, they are meticulously
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directed by the artist to reveal a very specific shape hidden
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within the stone. If we apply that to our lives,
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it means the abrasive Co worker, or the sudden financial loss or
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the chronic illness. Well these are not accidents.
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No they are not. They are the chisel.
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And that completely alters how we view our immediate distress.
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It changes everything. Instead of asking, you know, why
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is this happening to me? The Reformed view of Providence
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forces us to ask, what is God shaping in me through this?
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So how does this theology alter our daily reactions?
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Well, what's fascinating here is how this framework completely
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shatters the victim mentality that is so prevalent today.
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It really does. Based on principle 21 of the
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text, which draws from First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13,
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God does not allow testing beyond what a believer can bear.
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Because the artist knows the stone.
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Precisely. The artist knows the precise
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tolerance of the marble. He knows accurately how hard to
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strike without shattering the entire block.
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That is a very comforting thought it.
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Is the text states that God gives you his grace and strength
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to endure every test and resist every temptation so that you
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never have to sin. Furthermore, principle 22 points
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to Hebrews Chapter 7, verse 25, noting that Jesus constantly
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intercedes as an advocate for you.
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He fully understands your weaknesses.
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Therefore, the trials you face are not signs of God's absence.
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They are the very instruments of your sanctification.
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They are the chisel. Yeah, they are the chisel.
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When you grasp that a sovereign God is orchestrating your
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circumstances, you can no longer blame your environment for your
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sinful reactions. You know, the idea that we
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cannot blame our environment is a tough pill to swallow.
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Oh, absolutely. If I cannot blame my stressful
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job or the terrible traffic or an unkind relative for my bad
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attitude, then the spotlight turns entirely on to me.
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Which is uncomfortable. Very Having established God's
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overarching design, we have to look at how humans actually
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experience and react to these targeted trials.
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Right, the practical side. The text breaks human trouble
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down into three specific tiers, and the 1st and most visible
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tier is the feeling level. The feeling level.
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The manual states that the feeling level reflects one's
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focus in life. Principle 15 is pretty jarring,
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honestly. What does it say?
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It says that feelings of being mistreated indicate a focus on
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self and not on Jesus Christ. Wow.
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Yeah, wait a minute, are we saying feelings are inherently
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bad? That is the question.
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Right, yeah. I mean, looking at the source
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text, it brings up David in Psalm 38 whose distressing
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feelings were the direct result of unconfessed sin.
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Right. He felt awful.
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But then it contrasts that with the Israelites in Exodus 32 who
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were elated, happy and celebrating while engaging in
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unrighteous idolatry with the golden calf.
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Oh, that is a stark contrast. Yeah, so the Israelites felt
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great while doing evil, and David felt terrible while under
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conviction. That tells me we cannot trust
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our emotional state to tell us if we are acting righteously.
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That contrast is vital, and you have hit on a core tenet of
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biblical counseling right there. The text is clarifying that
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feelings are diagnostic, not authoritative.
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Diagnostic, not authoritative. I like that.
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Yeah, they are highly sensitive indicators of whether you are
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living to please yourself or living to please God, but they
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are terrible compasses for objective truth.
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That makes sense you. Cannot trust a feeling simply
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because it is intense. The manual points out that
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feelings must not be overlooked because they are often the first
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alarm bell that a problem exists.
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Consider the manual's reference to Cain in Genesis chapter 4.
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Cain was incredibly angry and his countenance fell.
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Oh yeah, the text talks about that.
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God actually addresses Cain's feelings directly, asking him
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why he is angry. The feeling was a real, tangible
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alarm bell indicating a serious issue in Cain's heart.
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But Cain ignored the alarm. He did.
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Cain allowed that feeling to dictate his actions, leading to
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catastrophe. In modern culture, we are often
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told to validate every feeling you know, to let our emotions
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dictate our reality. Hollow your heart, basically.
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Exactly. But the Reformed biblical model
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presented here says something radically different.
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Acknowledge the feeling, read it like a warning light on a car's
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dashboard, but absolutely do not let it drive the car.
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I love that dashboard analogy. A blinking red temperature light
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tells you something is wrong under the hood.
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You do not worship the light, and you certainly do not ignore
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it either. You pull over and check the
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engine. That is it precisely.
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When I feel mistreated, my natural instinct is to nurse
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that feeling, you know, to build a case in my mind about how
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wronged I am. We all do that.
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But Proger is saying that very feeling of mistreatment is the
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blinking red light. It is warning me that my focus
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has shifted from Christ's Kingdom to my own little
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Kingdom. If I am hyper focused on how
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people are treating me, I am essentially demanding that the
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world cater to my comfort and that directly opposes the idea
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that God is using difficult people to chisel away my pride.
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Spot on. And this is where the theology
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of total depravity becomes highly practical.
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How so? Because our hearts are
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deceitful, our feelings will constantly lie to us.
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They will tell us that we are the victim, that our anger is
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justified, that our bitterness is a righteous response to an
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unfair world. Which feels so real in the
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moment. It really does.
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Yeah, but the manual forces the reader to filter those emotions
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through the lens of Scripture. OK, when you feel anxious, the
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world says you need mental health day or change of scenery.
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The manual Leaning on Biblical Principles, suggests that
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anxiety is a dashboard light indicating a lack of trust in
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God's sovereign care. It is an alarm bell telling you
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that you are trying to control an outcome that belongs solely
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to God. Wow, if feelings are just the
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unreliable warning lights, what happens when we blindly follow
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them? We start acting out.
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Yeah, we start acting out and that brings us to the second
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tier, which is the doing level. The doing level.
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Since feelings are unreliable compasses, the manual progresses
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from internal emotions to external actions.
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The Doing level reveals the actual extent of your
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faithfulness to the Lord. The text makes a stark contract
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here based on Hebrews chapter 12.
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Hearing the Word and doing the Word brings blessing and
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discernment, right? But hearing without doing brings
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severe self deception and invites the Lord's corrective
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discipline. That is a serious warning.
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It really is. Broder actually categorizes
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actions into distinct manifestations of a
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self-centered life, and the list is remarkably confronting.
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Let us hear some of them. Let me list out some of these
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self-centered deeds to make it concrete for you the listener.
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Under arrogance, the text lists saying unkind words and being
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critical. Oh man.
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Under deceitfulness it lists lying and using manipulative
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words. Under anger we see striking
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others, slamming doors, throwing things and shouting.
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That covers a lot of ground. But it also includes more subtle
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categories. Lack of discipline is
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demonstrated by overeating, irregular devotions or failing
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to complete tasks. Failing to complete tasks, yeah.
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Bitterness is demonstrated by brooding, not speaking to
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someone, or gossiping, and anxiety is demonstrated by
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blaming people or circumstances for your lack of peace or
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talking constantly about your problems to others that last. 1.
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That last one stings, right? Talking constantly about your
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problems is classified as a self-centered deed.
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If we connect this to the bigger picture, this ties directly into
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the Reformed doctrine of total accountability before a
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sovereign God. OK, unpack that.
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You cannot blame your doing on your circumstances, and you
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certainly cannot blame your actions on the people around
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you, right? The text is blunt.
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Only God can change people, citing Ezekiel chapter 36.
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Therefore, you are not responsible for changing others.
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Which is a relief, honestly. It is.
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You cannot force your spouse, your children, or your coworkers
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to act righteously. However, you are strictly
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accountable to God solely for your own deeds.
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That brings it right back to us. It does let us look closer at
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that fascinating classification of anxiety as a self-centered
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deed. Why is constantly talking about
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your problems considered self-centered?
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Yeah. Why is that?
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Because it demands that the people around you focus on your
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distress, it turns every conversation inward.
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It relies on human sympathy rather than divine grace.
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Oh wow, I never thought of it that way.
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When someone slams the door, they often say, You made me so
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angry. Right, shifting the blame.
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The biblical truth presented in this manual is that the other
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person simply provided the circumstance.
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The decision to slam the door came from within.
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You are fully responsible for the slam door.
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That is incredibly convicting. We are so quick to build a
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defense attorney in our minds. We really are.
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If I snap at my kids my immediate internal monologue
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says well they were being excessively loud and I had a
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long day at work and I only slept 5 hours.
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Building a case. Exactly.
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I am gathering evidence to justify my bad behavior, but
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browser rips that defense away. He really does.
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The loud kids and the lack of sleep are the circumstances God
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sovereignly ordained for that specific Tuesday afternoon.
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My reaction snapping at them is entirely my own fault.
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You failed the test. I failed the test.
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I chose a self-centered deed rather than a Christ centered
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response. That is an excellent practical
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application of the text, and it leads us to the fundamental
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reason why we choose those self-centered deeds.
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Which is. Actions do not occur in a
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vacuum. A slam door does not happen by
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accident. A manipulative word does not
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form itself on your tongue independently, right?
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They spring from a source. We have moved from the feeling
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level to the doing level, and now we reach the root of the
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issue, which is the heart level. The manual defines the heart as
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the inner character, the inner life with its desires and
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purpose for living. It cites Jeremiah chapter 17,
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verse 9, affirming that it is completely impossible for man to
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fully understand his own heart, let alone cleanse it, which
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references Proverbs chapter 20, verse 9.
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Because it is deceitful. Highly deceitful.
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The heart is the basis for all issues of life.
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When the heart is not focused on loving God, problems like pride,
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greed, and selfishness inevitably occur, as Jesus
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explained in Matthew chapter 15. Here's where it gets really
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interesting because the heart is so deceitful.
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The text notes that only God can accurately judge the entire
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spiritual condition of the heart, and only He can grant a
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new one. That is a key distinction.
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Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 26 is referenced here.
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I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you,
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right? We cannot perform spiritual open
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heart surgery on ourselves. We can modify our behavior for a
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little while, but we cannot change our own nature.
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No, we cannot. If my heart is fundamentally
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bent towards selfishness, then all my attempts at self
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improvement are just decorating a corpse.
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That's a vivid image. I can try to stop slamming
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doors, but if the anger is still boiling in my heart, I am just a
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hypocrite with quieter hinges. That is the core of total
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depravity. Right there.
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The natural human condition is not basically good.
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It is thoroughly corrupted by sin.
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The manual points out that the heart is partially revealed by
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your thoughts, words, and actions.
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Your deeds in any situation are used by God to reveal the true
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condition of your heart. When intense pressure is applied
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to a sponge, whatever liquid is inside the sponge comes out.
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You cannot squeeze a sponge full of vinegar and expect sweet tea
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to pour out. No, you definitely cannot.
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When the pressure of a trial is applied to a person, whatever is
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in their heart spills out into their words and actions.
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That makes perfect sense. If a traffic jam causes you to
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erupt in rage, the traffic jam did not create the rage.
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It simply revealed the impatience and entitlement that
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were already residing in your heart.
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I appreciate that clarification. It means our external reactions
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are the truest polygraph test of our internal theology.
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Oh. That is a great way to put it.
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If I claim to trust God's sovereignty, but I absolutely
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lose my mind when my flight gets cancelled, my actions are
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proving that I actually worship my own schedule.
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Exactly. So we are completely stuck.
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We have unreliable feelings, we have a natural tendency towards
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self-centered actions, and our hearts are totally corrupted and
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deceitful. It looks pretty bleak.
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How does the manual offer any way out of this?
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Recognizing the severe, intense deceitfulness of the human heart
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could leave a person in total despair.
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It absolutely would lead to despair if we stop there.
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Right? Because the heart is equated
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with the mind and is the location of belief in faith.
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Cognitive renewal through the Word of God is an absolute
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necessity. OK.
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Renewal. The manual stresses that when
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God cleanses the heart through faith in Jesus Christ, he seals
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the believer with his Spirit as a pledge, citing Second
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Corinthians chapter 1. So it is a supernatural work.
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It is a divine supernatural intervention.
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The required response from the believer is then wholehearted
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obedience. I see you are given a new heart,
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sealed by the Holy Spirit, and now you are called to love and
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submit to God with the totality of your life and being.
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This divine intervention is the only true basis for optimism.
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And that optimism leads us directly to the antidote for
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this despair, which is the architecture of biblical hope.
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Biblical the manual makes a very sharp distinction right away.
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Biblical hope is not a wish. No, it is not.
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It is not crossing your fingers and hoping it does not rain
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tomorrow. It does not depend on people, it
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does not depend on possessions, and it does not depend on
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circumstances. None of those things.
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The text defines biblical hope as an application of your faith,
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a confident expectation in God's fulfillment of His promises, and
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it is grounded in four specific pillars.
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Those 4 pillars are crucial for stability.
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What are they? The first pillar is the
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character of God the Father. OK, the character.
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Of the Father. Second is God's word.
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Got it. 3rd is God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 4th
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is the strength of the Holy Spirit.
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OK, those 4. If your expectation is resting
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on anything other than these 4 pillars, it is completely
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unstable. You mentioned earlier that
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modern self help relies on things being measurable and
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within our control, right? But worldly hope is entirely out
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of our control because it relies on shifting sand.
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I think of worldly hope like tossing a coin into a wishing
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well. That is a good picture.
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You throw your penny into the water, you close your eyes and
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you wish for a promotion, a better relationship or a clean
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bill of health. It is an empty gesture thrown
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into the dark. Yeah, you have no guarantee.
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Biblical hope, on the other hand, is like holding a
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certified check from a bank that holds all the wealth in the
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universe. Oh, I like that.
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It is an unquestioned certainty. As Colossians chapter one, verse
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27 describes, the money is already in the account, you just
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have to present the check. That is right.
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You know the character of the bank, You have the written
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guarantee, and the funds are completely secured by the
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strength of the Holy Spirit. That is a highly accurate
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comparison. Job chapter 8, verse 13 is cited
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in the text to warn us about placing our trust in the wrong
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things. What does it say?
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It says the hope of the godless will perish.
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If your hope relies on your spouse acting perfectly, your
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hope will fail. If it relies on your bank
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account staying full or your health remaining robust, it will
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absolutely fail. The manual details the
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characteristics of those who exhibit true biblical hope
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because their expectation is grounded in the unchanging
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character of God. They are joyful, they are
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peaceful, they are entirely dependent on God, and they
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persevere. They.
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Persevere. They can remain steadfast in the
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middle of a catastrophic storm because the anchor holds
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securely to the bedrock of God's sovereign promises.
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That level of security is breathtaking.
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It means you can walk into a hospital room or courtroom or
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boardroom and your fundamental well-being is not on the line.
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It is completely secure. The worst thing that can happen
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to you in this life is that you lose your earthly life, but even
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that just accelerates your entrance into the presence of
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Christ. I am into that.
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And when that biblical hope is firmly established, it produces
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inevitable byproducts. The manual outlines these
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concepts as radically different from the world's definitions,
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which brings us to the defiant nature of true peace and joy.
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The contrast between the world's definition and the biblical
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definition is stark. Yeah, how so?
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The world's peace is temporal, the text says.
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It lasts only as long as everything goes smoothly.
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It is basically a temporary pause in hostility.
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Right, a pause. If your bills are paid, your
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kids are behaving, and your health is fine, you feel
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peaceful. But biblical peace is a lack of
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hostility with God Himself. OK.
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It results in a clear conscience in a state of rest guarded by
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prayer with Thanksgiving. Referencing Philippians chapter
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4 verses 6:00 and 7:00. That is very different.
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Similarly, the world's joy is shallow, heavily dependent on
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pleasant circumstances. Biblical joy is rooted
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completely in the unchanging character of God in Christ's
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salvation. Brozier lists some extreme,
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almost shocking examples from Scripture to illustrate this
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defiant joy. Honestly, I have to push back
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here on behalf of anyone listening right now.
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Go ahead. It is easy to say we should be
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joyful when we get a promotion or when a child is born, but the
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examples provided in the text seem almost masochistic.
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They are intense. The text mentions the apostles
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in Acts chapter 5. They were arrested, severely
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flogged by the authorities and threatened, and their reaction.
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They rejoiced that they had been considered worthy to suffer
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shame for the name of Jesus. Then there is Paul and Silas in
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Acts chapter 16, sitting in a dark filthy prison cell after
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being beaten and they are singing hymns to God at
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midnight. Singing hymns, yeah.
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Emmanuel also brings up the churches in Macedonia from
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Second Corinthians chapter 8 who are abundantly filled with joy
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despite experiencing severe affliction and massive poverty.
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Those are extreme examples, but they are recorded for our
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instruction. Let me add the hardest one for
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modern readers, the Hebrews mentioned in Hebrews chapter 10.
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They remain joyful even after the personal property was
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publicly seized and confiscated. That is a tough one.
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I look at that and I have to admit it sounds impossible.
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If someone steals my car or if the government unjustly seizes
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my bank account, my first reaction is going to be absolute
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outrage and panic. Most people would react that
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way. How is it physically and
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mentally possible to be joyful at the literal loss of your
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property or your physical freedom?
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How do you sing after being beaten until, well, your back is
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bleeding? This raises an important
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question, and it is entirely natural to feel that friction.
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OK. The expert analysis here, drawn
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directly from the text, is that their hope centered exclusively
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on heavenly values, not earthly circumstances.
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Heavenly, they possess something that could not be taken away by
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a mob, a corrupt government, or a thief.
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This kind of joy is not a personality trait.
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Right, it is not just being an optimist.
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You do not just grin and bear it through sheer willpower.
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It is a distinct supernatural characteristic of a spirit
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filled life as listed in Galatians chapter 5 verse 22.
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OK, the early Christians could sing in prison because they
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genuinely believed that God was sovereign over the prison cell
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and that their eternal inheritance was perfectly
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secure. Wow.
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When you truly believe that your greatest treasure is kept in
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heaven, untouched by moth or rust or thieves, the loss of
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earthly possessions loses its devastating sting.
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It is entirely defiant. It looks at the worst the world
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has to offer, poverty, imprisonment, physical pain,
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injustice, and says you cannot touch my actual treasure.
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Exactly. It is a radical detachment from
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the things of this world. But let's be honest, getting to
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that level of defiant joy does not happen overnight, no.
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It is a process. We have laid out this incredibly
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high theology of God's sovereignty, the deceitful
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heart, unshakable hope, and supernatural peace.
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But the manual does not leave us in the clouds.
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No, it is very practical. It brings all of this down to
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the practical, daily reality for you, the listener.
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How do we actually bridge the gap between our current anxious
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state and that defiant joy? That is precisely what the final
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section addresses. We move into practical
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sanctification and the daily work.
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Lesson 6 provides A rigid, highly structured 7 day plan for
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daily devotions and homework. It is not enough to simply agree
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with a theology conceptually, it must be applied systematically.
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The structure is rigorous. Looking at the source text, it
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requires the believer to memorize Romans chapter 8,
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verses 28 and 29, and to begin memorizing Ephesians chapter 4
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verses 22 through 24. That is a lot of memory work.
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But it does not just say memorize this.
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It instructs the reader to write these verses on index cards and
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carry them throughout the day, reviewing them constantly.
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Furthermore, it demands the use of a Concorde to find scriptures
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specifically applicable to a personal problem, and then
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completing A detailed Bible study and application format
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based on those verses day after day.
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This structure discipline perfectly reflects the Reformed
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view of progressive sanctification.
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How so? While God alone regenerates the
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heart and grants faith, which is monarchism.
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God working alone in salvation, the believer is called to
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active, rigorous, strenuous cooperation in the
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sanctification process. We have a role to play.
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You are not passive. Studying the Word of God is the
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actual mechanism by which the mind is renewed and the doing
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level is corrected. You do the hard work of
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memorization and study, and the Holy Spirit uses that applied
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word to chisel away the sin. So what does this all mean for
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the person listening right now? Yeah, practically speaking.
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It means taking the manuals 26 theological principles and
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applying them daily through sheer repetitive discipline.
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You are not just reading a chapter of the Bible and closing
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the book. You are reviewing index cards
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while waiting in line at the grocery store.
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You are doing comportance work at your kitchen table after the
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kids go to bed. It is a lifestyle.
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You are actively examining your own feeling, doing and heart
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levels every single day. If you catch yourself gossiping,
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you stop and apply the framework.
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What is the feeling? I feel overlooked.
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What is the doing I am speaking poorly of a Co worker?
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What is the heart issue? I crave human validation more
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than I crave God's approval. That is a great example.
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You dissect your own sin with the precision of a surgeon,
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using the word of God as the scalpel.
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That is the daily work of putting off the old self and
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putting on the new self as commanded in Ephesians.
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It is a phenomenal balance. God's absolute sovereignty does
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not negate human responsibility. It actually empowers.
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It it empowers it. Work out your salvation with
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fear and trembling, precisely because it is God who is at work
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within you, willing and acting according to His good purpose.
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That is a crucial verse. The manual demands heavy
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lifting, but it assures you that the Holy Spirit is providing the
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strength for every single lift. To briefly synthesize the
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massive arc we have covered today, we started by
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understanding God's absolute, unyielding sovereignty over
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every trial we face. He is the master sculptor.
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Yes, he is. We then recognize the three
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levels of our own sinful reactions, how our feelings can
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deceive us like a faulty dashboard light, how our actions
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betray our selfishness, and how our hearts are in desperate need
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of divine renewal. From there, we saw how anchoring
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ourselves in the four pillars of biblical hope produces A defiant
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peace and joy that the world cannot possibly comprehend,
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culminating in the rigorous daily discipline of applying
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God's Word to our specific problems.
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As we conclude, I want to leave you with a final thought to Mull
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over, drawing heavily on the text we analyzed today.
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OK, what is it? If Romans chapter 8 verses 28
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and 29 guarantee that God is using all things to conform us
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to the image of Christ, and if our feelings of being mistreated
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only indicate a focus on self, well, what if the specific
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frustrating individual or circumstance you are currently
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begging God to remove is actually the primary chisel He's
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using to shape you into the likeness of His Son?
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That is a heavy necessary question to carry with you this
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week. We want to thank you for joining
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us here on Reformed Thinking. Thanks for listening.
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We strongly encourage you to take a hard look at your own
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feeling, doing and heart levels before next session.
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Until then, keep your mind on the Word and your hope in the
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Lord.