Mensa Otabil - Overcoming Mental Barriers (10/04/2025)
We are halfway on our journey; this is the 20th day of our 40 Days of Power. Right in the middle! For those of you who have come this far, may the Lord strengthen you, guide you, and drive you onward. Those of you who say, «Oh, I’m waiting to join later,» you can join midway and continue the rest of the journey-20 more days to go! The Lord is our strength, the Lord is our life, the Lord is our health, and He will guide us. This week we are talking about breaking barriers, and today we focus on overcoming mental barriers.
Romans chapter 12, verse 2: «And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.» We know the physical barriers that confront us. Sometimes there can be walls, mountains, rivers, or chains that hold us back and keep us from becoming what we must be. However, sometimes the barriers we face are not physical but mental. They could be an idea, a thought, a feeling, or an emotion that holds us back. You don’t see the barrier, but it restricts you. Mental barriers are sometimes more formidable than physical barriers, and most of the fights we engage in during life are mental struggles. There are things in your mind that war against you. It can be a battle with low self-esteem, a fear of the unknown, a sense of inadequacy, and many more situations where you just feel, «Oh, I can’t do it; I can make it; I’m down; I don’t think I’m good enough.»
The Lord gives us victory in physical battles as well as mental battles, and the way to overcome our mental barriers is through the renewing of the mind. That’s what the passage is telling us: the renewing of the mind. The renewing of the mind helps us to discern what is the right thing for us to do-the will of God. The passage uses three adjectives to describe the will of God: good, acceptable, and perfect. The will of God is good, meaning that anything God wants for us is beneficial to us. When we know that God’s will for us is always good and advantageous, it works well for our benefit. It also says the will of God is acceptable, which means that whatever God has for us is desirable and delightful; it’s not unpleasant.
Lastly, the will of God is perfect; whatever God has for us is the ideal thing for us. So one of the ways to really overcome a mental barrier is to be in the will of God because that is when the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is manifested in your life. That’s when you are able to grasp it, and you’re able to enjoy it. If you’re dealing with low self-esteem or battling something in your mind that tells you that you are down, or perhaps an inferiority complex or a past experience that threatens to repeat itself, or something someone said to you that has really brought you down, it’s a mental barrier.
Today you are breaking out of it because the Word of God comes to renew your mind and gives you a different mindset. The renewed mind thinks in line with God’s thoughts, stepping outside of worldly and cultural barriers, aligning with the Word of God. No matter what you’ve heard or what your society tells you, you must bring your thinking in line with what God says. The renewed mind breaks when confronted with negative limitations-limitations that say you can’t do it, you’re not able, you’re not capable, you don’t have enough education, and you don’t have enough experience.
You may come from the wrong side of town, and your parents may have made mistakes; however, you do not bear the iniquity of your parents. You live the life that God has for you. Break that negative mindset; the renewed mind opens up to possibilities. The mind that is not renewed looks at a situation and says nobody can do anything about it; it’s never been done and therefore cannot be done. The renewed mind says, «With God, all things are possible.» Your mind is opened to divine possibilities, and the renewed mind lives in the realm of possibility and favor, believing that God is favoring you and doing good things for you. Let your mind absorb the thoughts of God and live in the realm of possibility and victory in Jesus' name. Amen! Break those mental barriers.
Let’s pray together. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, I align my thoughts with Your Word. I am whom You say I am. I have what You say I have. In Jesus' name, Amen!» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.