Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Rise Above Your Chains
    Rise Above Your Chains
    Rise Above Your Chains
    Ebook127 pages7 hours

    Rise Above Your Chains

    By Kjell Axel Johanson

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Our thought patterns define us. In a very powerful way, our deepest beliefs determine our experience. The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This should give us an idea about the true meaning and importance of our thoughts. We can choose to accept some thoughts as true and others as false. If we accept thoughts that are less than constructive, they can lock us into harmful patterns of behavior. Those accepted ideas become deep beliefs which affect us and the world around us. This book invites us to take 30 days to let God change our minds. He does it by gently replacing old, less helpful thought patterns with new, good and creative ones that only he can give. God spoke the universe into existence, and his words still have creative power. If we let God’s words do their work, our lives will be changed. When our minds accept his ideas, we can truly rise above our chains.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMountainbrook Press
    Release dateMar 21, 2014
    ISBN9781941113714
    Rise Above Your Chains

    Related to Rise Above Your Chains

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      BORN AGAIN You Are More Than You Think!

      Sep 29, 2023

      Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Allan & Janine Bagg

      Jun 24, 2022

      Allan & Janine Bagg
      9 min read

    • Article

      3 Points To Ponder On Compromise

      Oct 27, 2023

      In an ever-evolving world where values and beliefs collide, Christians often find themselves grappling with the concept of compromise. While taking a recent group of JOY! travellers to the seven churches of revelation in Turkey, I was once again conf

      2 min read

    • Article

      Samuel Rodriguez

      Jul 26, 2022

      Samuel Rodriguez
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Dec 30, 2019

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Mar 18, 2022

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Forward March!

      Sep 4, 2020

      Forward March!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Remember the Sabbath

      Jun 24, 2022

      Remember the Sabbath
      3 min read

    • Article

      Mind Matters

      Jul 22, 2022

      Mind Matters
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Prayer for June

      May 15, 2021

      A Prayer for June
      9 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Dec 1, 2023

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Getting to Know God

      Mar 16, 2020

      Getting to Know God
      3 min read

    • Article

      3 Points To Ponder On Strengthening Your Spirit Man

      Oct 28, 2022

      On our most recent JOY! Travel tour to the 7 Churches of Revelation in Turkey, while standing at the church of Sardis, I was yet again awestruck by the incredible architecture and rich history of that area. In its time, the buildings were nothing sho

      2 min read

    • Article

      DEVELOPING A SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE Part lll

      May 20, 2019

      God commands us to have a spirit of excellence. In our previous articles we have discussed how to develop this by 1: having a sense of belonging, and 2: being dedicated. In this issue we will delve into more ways to develop this spirit of excellence

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Prayer for November

      Sep 19, 2020

      A Prayer for November
      10 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Apr 5, 2024

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      10 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Apr 5, 2024

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice to Calm Anxiety and Strengthen Your Faith

      Aug 31, 2022

      Estimated reading time: 5 minutes — I love Jesus. But I also struggle with anxiety. One of my favorite tools I’ve discovered to help manage my anxiety while also strengthening my faith is breath prayer. Christian breath prayers have been around for

      3 min read

    • Article

      Living With Purpose

      Sep 7, 2021

      Living With Purpose
      3 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Dec 29, 2023

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      7 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Feb 9, 2024

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Max Lucado

      Jan 26, 2023

      Max Lucado
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Jun 15, 2020

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Is Unproductivity A Bad Thing?

      Jul 21, 2023

      Does it ever feel like a free moment is a failure because we’ve come to believe every second of every day needs to be structured and filled? Just because you have free moments in your day or on your calendar does not mean that you have to fill them u

      1 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Sep 23, 2022

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Rise Above Your Chains

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Rise Above Your Chains - Kjell Axel Johanson

      RISE ABOVE YOUR CHAINS

      How worshipping with an imprisoned apostle can change your thinking

      EPHESIANS 1:3–4:16

      Kjell Axel Johanson

      Original Publisher: MTU Allika, Estonia

      Copyright: © Kjell Axel Johanson 2013

      Smashwords Edition

      All rights reserved.

      This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without the express written permission of the copyright holder and the US Publisher.

      Bible version: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission.

      All rights reserved worldwide.

      ISBN: 978-1-941113-70-7

      Blog: kjellaxel.com

      US Publisher: Mountainbrook Press, 5550 Tech Center Drive, Suite 302, Colorado Springs, CO 80919

      CONTENT

      Endorsements

      Preface

      Introduction

      Paradigm ONE

      Day One

      Day Two

      Day Three

      Day Four

      Day Five

      Day Six

      A New Paradigm

      Day Seven

      Day Eight

      Paradigm TWO

      Day Nine

      Day Ten

      Day Eleven

      Paradigm THREE

      Day Twelve

      Day Thirteen

      Day Fourteen

      Day Fifteen

      Day Sixteen

      Paradigm FOUR

      Day Seventeen

      Day Eighteen

      Day Nineteen

      Day Twenty

      Day Twenty-One

      Day Twenty-Two

      Day Twenty-Three

      Day Twenty-Four

      Day Twenty-Five

      Paradigm FIVE

      Day Twenty-Six

      Day Twenty-Seven

      Day Twenty-Eight

      Day Twenty-Nine

      Day Thirty

      Acknowledgements

      ENDORSEMENTS

      Unlike commentaries that only enlighten our understanding of the text, Kjell Axel Johanson's daily reflections on Ephesians enable the reader to experience Christ in Ephesians with its author, Paul. This is truly a life-changing book.

      Kerry and Chris Shook, authors of New York Times bestseller One Month to Live and the founders of Woodlands Church

      I have known, admired and partnered in ministry with Kjell Axel for over twenty years. His new book Rise Above Your Chains will challenge and inspire readers for decades to come.

      Bill Hybels, founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church

      Ephesians is one of my favorite New Testament epistles. So, I welcome Kjell Axel’s refreshing approach to displaying the contents of this letter, and his invitation and encouragement to meditate daily in God's presence on these great truths. What Kjell Axel has written is a stimulating encouragement to encounter God, be transformed by him, and express that in daily life as we are continually filled with his Spirit.

      Mark Baily, Lead Pastor/Vicar, Trinity Church, Cheltenham, England

      This is an exciting book. It is an invitation to an exciting 30-day journey. Truth in the Word of God, confirmed in continuous scientific findings and spiritual reality; it serves as the basis for recalibration of our brains and, ultimately, our hearts. Over three decades I have had the huge privilege to pray, discuss, recalibrate and praise the LORD with Kjell Axel, my brother and friend. I recommend this book to all who have that restless longing for a deeper commitment to and experience with God. A sense that there’s got to be more... Good news is: There is! The book is a potential game — no, life-changer. Billy Graham many times says: God will change your life, If you LET him… I urge you and myself – let’s let him!

      Hans Mannegren, Director of European Affairs, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

      PREFACE

      All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. Blaise Pascal

      The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul (Psalm 23:1–3).

      Have a seat. Take a few deep breaths and settle in. Clear out a little space in your day and in your mind. What you are holding in your hands is more than a book. It is an invitation to a new way of being.

      If you have ever met my friend, Kjell Axel (pronounced like shell axel, with the accent on the a) and his lovely wife, Vivi-Ann, you know they embody warmth, enthusiasm and peace. They make you think, I want some of what they have! Fortunately, both of them are very generous and this book evidences Kjell Axel’s desire to share what he has found.

      As a psychiatrist, I am thrilled by all we are learning about the brain and its function. The recent discovery that new neurons are being birthed every day is especially exciting. By stimulating our minds, these new brain cells can be enlisted to create new pathways and circuits. We can learn new skills and expand our consciousness of life and love. And we know that individual branches of the tree-like structures of our trillions of brain cells are continuously reinforced or pruned by our attention or lack thereof. Our brains are constantly changing, and without attention they lose resilience and strength over time. But by disciplined focus, our brains can be renewed.

      To this end, we have learned how meditation and mindfulness change brain function for the better and positively impact our bodies and our health. The research proves in tangible ways the value of what God’s word has urged us to practice for millennia. This book incorporates these recent advances in brain science by honoring the words of Paul in Ephesians and by giving us concrete strategies for worship, contemplation and prayer to get God’s perspectives deep into our consciousness.

      Learning new knowledge affects the surface of our brains, the gray matter, where we process rational thought. This is important, because we know rational thought can be used positively to help us engage life with reason and intention. But rational thought alone can also be used negatively to rationalize and justify our position. We tend to love being right, and perhaps especially when it comes to spiritual beliefs.

      Our life with God, though, is intended to go beyond mere knowledge. God wants our surface thinking to honor him, but he wants to influence our deepest thought life. It is from our hearts that evil thoughts emerge and it is in our hearts that God chooses to dwell. He wants our hearts to be a wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). He wants to change us from the inside out.

      In the beginning God put his Spirit into Adam in a very personal way. He breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils. From there, the divine breath travelled to lungs and heart and then to body and brain. It seems appropriate that our approach to God follow the same order of priority - heart before head.

      Yet our Western way of practicing faith tends to emphasize changing thoughts and beliefs. This is vital, of course, but God wants us to love him with heart and strength as much as with mind and soul. To this end, Kjell Axel invites us to change our way of being in God’s presence. He wants us to dwell in him, and to learn how to let his word dwell in us.

      Through meditation and singing, he helps us get our brains and bodies in sync with the urge to praise and worship, as angels do when abiding in God’s presence. Singing involves brain structures which are completely different from those we use for thinking or talking, and music taps into our emotional life in a profound way. In the songbook at the center of the Scriptures we are urged to Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth (Psalm 96:1).

      When Jesus told his closest followers abide in me, they were probably perplexed. Most of us are performance-oriented — more comfortable with him saying, follow me than we are with the call to abide in me. We like having an action to take, and we take comfort in doing something good. We like having a feeling of accomplishment and control. Being still is not easy for us.

      But the story of Martha and Mary reveals that Jesus prefers we sit at his feet with hearts open, ears and eyes attuned, rather than working to make him happy. In these reflections and meditations, you are invited to sit and attend to Jesus with your heart and mind, and learn to still your body. The reflections assume that if we will sit, he will prepare the feast.

      As David said in Psalm 23, our Shepherd God makes us lie down in green pastures, and leads us beside still waters. Rest and restoring our souls precedes his leading us in paths of righteousness. Doing for God flows from being with God. As you practice these quiet reflections on Ephesians and enter into contemplation and worship, you will find your ability to rest in him beginning to grow. Your capacity to be still and attune to your own heart and his presence will expand. And you will learn to savor him even more than you enjoy his gifts, loving his presence more than his presents.

      Research reveals we are happiest when we live fully present in each moment. This means being open to our senses, our feelings and our environment. It also involves being attuned to God, to those around us and to fresh possibilities in our current state. Even in adverse circumstances, we fare best when we remain conscious of the day at hand, releasing to God our regret from the past and surrendering fear of the future.

      To learn this way of being, we must learn to disregard the chatter of our thought life and focus on God’s truth. Putting our bodies at rest before God each day facilitates this transformation. Every morning in these devotions we willingly place our bodies and our actions on the altar, and so enter into a deeper sense of his presence in mind and heart.

      Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1