Failing to unlearn irrational fears and misconceptions keeps us from becoming who God wants us to be. The invalid man in John 5 is a great example of this. He had been disabled for thirty-eight years when Jesus asked if he would like to get well. However, the man believed there was only one way to be healed: ‘I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me’ (John 5:7 NKJV). This man assumed something that might have cost him thirty-eight years! He thought that, in order to be healed, he had to be the first person into the pool of Bethesda when an angel stirred the water. In a sense, he was imprisoned by that thought. But Jesus uninstalled that inaccurate belief with one sentence: ‘Take up your bed and walk’ (v. 11 NKJV). Jesus set this man free physically, and He set him free cognitively. Faith is unlearning the senseless worries and misguided beliefs that keep us captive. And that’s what we do while we study Scripture. We literally upgrade our minds by a download of the mind of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). Unlearning something is twice as hard as learning it. Why? Because every mile you go in the wrong direction is really a two-mile mistake, as you have to double back to get to where you need to be. Getting old thoughts out of your mind is harder than getting new thoughts into it. But it’s worth it. So, take time each day to renew your mind with God’s Word.
