Mentorship Meeting Notes 17/7/25

Taking Down Strongholds: Mindsets

I recently went on a mission trip to Kenya — an experience that was, in itself, a journey of many layers. I expected a dramatic spiritual confrontation with the principality over my family, but that didn't happen in the way I envisioned. Something was certainly cast out, but it happened subtly — not with a bang, but a whisper. That unexpected outcome challenged my assumptions and led me into deeper reflection on mindsets and expectations, particularly those that hinder spiritual growth and intimacy with God.

Owning Our Personal Bias

Every person walks through life carrying a unique lens: a mixture of family history, culture, trauma, and experience. These form the narrative filter through which we interpret reality. While these perspectives aren’t inherently wrong, they can become mental strongholds — like tunnel vision — limiting our capacity to fully perceive God's truth.

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” — Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

Breakthrough and freedom in the Christian life often hinge on our willingness to explore beyond our own mental constructs and submit to the vastness of God’s truth. But this isn’t easy. It means living in such a way that our assumptions are daily subjected to destruction — willingly.

Let’s be honest:

·       Q: How often do you sit under a sermon and find yourself offended by the preacher, not because they’re wrong — but because they’ve challenged your bias?

·       Q: Do you hear a testimony of God’s grace and inwardly discredit it based on the person's background (race, gender, nationality, class)?

·       Q: Have you stopped listening to testimonies altogether because they don't fit your framework for how God "should" work?

Is Your Mind Made of Tunnels or Highways?

I love driving. At one point in life, I was doing over 100 miles a day. There’s something freeing about it — like hiking without bugs or uphill climbs. But one thing is clear: there’s a big difference between driving through tunnels and driving scenic routes in daylight. The same journey, the same time, but the experience is profoundly different when you can see.

The Bible calls us to walk the Highway of Holiness:

“And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness…” — Isaiah 35:8 (KJV)

God doesn't just want us to reach the destination — He wants us to enjoy the journey. When we only focus on outcomes, closed doors feel catastrophic. But what if the journey matters as much as the arrival?

A darkened mindset — one that only feels joy when a specific outcome is achieved — is a joyless prison. But Jesus' life was full of interruptions, closed doors, and unexpected detours — yet He never lost His peace. Why? Because He lived in the light.

So, ask yourself:

·       Have I become so focused on success that I’ve forgotten to enjoy the steps toward it?

·       Have I made a theology out of disappointment?

·       Am I walking in the light — or stuck in a tunnel?

What Causes Us to Live in Darkness?

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…” — Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Sin weighs us down. But so do cultural assumptions, religious pride, and past experiences. These aren't always sinful in themselves, but they can block us from walking in light and joy. These are the weights that prevent us from living freely. They pull us out of the light and back into tunnels of oppression.

The Parable of Two Sons (Luke 15:11–32)

The Prodigal (Sinful) Son

This son left home to chase pleasure — alcohol, women, food, indulgence. Over time, his greed and lust dehumanized him, until even pig food looked appealing. This wasn’t just physical hunger; it was spiritual erosion. He lost his identity, wallowed in shame, contemplated death, and was spiritually oppressed. But eventually — he returned home.

The Older (Weighted) Brother

This son stayed. He followed all the rules. But he was disconnected — living in the house, yet far from the Father’s heart. His obedience became transactional. He resented his brother’s grace and nursed bitterness in the fields. He was consumed with performance, rejection, and the fear of man. Despite his "good life," he never truly came home.

Plot twist: Only the sinful son entered the house again. The older brother — the religious one — stayed outside.

Both sons were lost. One to rebellion, the other to religion. And the Father ran to both.

Leaving Egypt Is Easy; Entering the Promised Land Is Hard

The Israelites left Egypt with signs and wonders — but they wandered 40 years in a wilderness of unmet expectations.

They were addicted to comfort and familiarity, totally ruled by carnality from comparison. They wanted food like Egypt (Num 11:5), leadership like other nations (1 Sam 8:6), and gods they could see (Exo 32:23). Their expectations robbed them of enjoyment.

Your mindset , which is shaped by what you watch, believe, and meditate on , determines how much joy you CAN have.

Religious people, cultural traditionalists, and even “experienced” believers often lose childlike faith. Their steps are calculated, formulaic. Their hearts are hard, and their eyes are blind.

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

The Hard Heart

“Some seed fell along the path… and the birds came and ate it up.” — Matthew 13:4 (NIV)

This was the first revelation I ever had from the Bible. I remember him asking me, Claudia, how is a path made? As I pondered it, I realised that a path was made from repeated exposure to earthly weight. A path is made by repetition — the same steps taken so often that the soil becomes compacted and unable to grown anything.

Has your heart become a path?

·       Has culture predetermined your expectations?

·       Has religion convinced you that God only moves one way?

·       Have years of pain taught you not to hope anymore?

Religion, Culture, and Experience — The Triple Weight

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” — Matthew 15:8 (NIV)

We often approach God with routine. We sing the songs, repeat the prayers, and go through the motions. But God is not fooled by empty words. He sees the posture of our hearts.

Too many of us pray like we’ve already lost. Too many worship with disengaged souls. We say, “God can,” but deep down we’re unsure if He will — at least, for us.

When Religion Replaces Relationship

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.” — James 2:19 (NIV)

There’s a massive difference between acknowledging God's power and trusting Him personally. It’s one thing to say, “God is able.” It’s another to declare with faith, “God is able and willing — for me.”

Even demons intellectually recognize God’s authority. But belief alone doesn’t transform. Faith must lead to surrender, not just theological agreement.

The Invitation to True Worship

So I ask you: Would you be willing to pray intentionally — not with performance, but with purpose? To cry out, “Lord, soften my heart”? To confess that religious repetition and self-reliance cannot save you?

Breakthrough doesn't come through mechanical prayers. It comes when your spirit, soul, and body engage fully with the living God.

“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way.” — Isaiah 35:3 (NIV)

Pray not just to speak — but to receive:

·       Strength to stand

·       Grace to endure

·       Joy to hope again

Let God wreck your theology, if that theology is built on pride or predictability. Let Him destroy your man-made expectations. Choose to know nothing except Christ Jesus and Him crucified — because if He was crucified, then you are justified, and all things are possible to those who believe (Romans 8:30, Mark 9:23).

Come Home. Come Clean. Come Alive.

“Return to me, and I will return to you.” — Malachi 3:7 (NIV)

The Father is still calling.

He’s not looking for perfect performance — He’s inviting you home:

·       Lay down the weight — of religion, pride, fear, disappointment.

·       Come out of the tunnel — of shame, hopelessness, and routine.

·       Step onto the Highway of Holiness — where freedom and joy await.

·       Let the light in — because where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Reflection & Prayer

Ask yourself:

·       Am I worshiping with my lips while my heart is distant?

·       Have I settled for believing in God's power while doubting His goodness toward me?

·       Have I built my life around safe, calculated beliefs that leave no room for wonder, surrender, or supernatural intervention?

Prayer “Father, soften my heart. I don’t want to be hear just to give you lip service.  I want real communion with You. Break my pride, my assumptions, my fears. Wreck my small ideas of who You are. Help me to trust again. Not just that You can, but that You will. Draw me out of the darkness and into Your marvelous light. I want to walk on the Highway of Holiness, hand in hand with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Recommended Scripture References

·       Luke 15:11–32 — The Parable of the Prodigal Son

·       Hebrews 12:1–2 — Run the Race with Endurance

·       Isaiah 35:8 — The Highway of Holiness

·       Proverbs 23:7 — As a Man Thinks

·       Matthew 13 — The Parable of the Sower

·       Matthew 18:3 — Childlike Faith

·       Matthew 15:8 — Hearts Far from God