“Does it still feel true that________ (belief)?”

At this point in the process, the goal is to test for transformation, or, more specifically, whether people still believe the lie that they previously stated.  No matter what may or may not have occurred up to this point the facilitator does not know whether transformation has actually taken place.   To determine this, we ask the TRANSFORMATION QUESTION to determine whether the lie still feels true.

This is where we refer back to the ministry recipient’s answer to the “Baseline” question asked in the BELIEF Box. You need to state his specific belief verbatim, without adding or subtracting any words. If the belief still “feels” true, then it is still believed with his heart and transformation has not occurred. However, if it no longer “feels” true, then it is no longer believed. Only the Spirit can cause a lie that is believed with the heart to no longer feel true. Once a heart belief is established it becomes static and un-moving.  No person can ever be talked out of a belief held in the heart; that is other than the Spirit.

Only the Holy Spirit can change a heart belief and thereby, transform us. Testing for the transformation of belief is the ONLY test to determine if mind renewal has occurred.  The answer to the question, “Does the lie still feel true?” is our only test to determine if something eternal occurred or not.  In years past we used to use the presence of peace as an indication of transformation. Today we realize that that is not a reliable test.

Subsequently, a new behavioral change will manifest, further affirming the transformation of the person’s belief. This later transformation will manifest as the fruit of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control.

Remember: Just because they report that they have “heard from the Lord” does not mean that they have. Likewise, just because they report that they have not “heard from the Lord” does not mean that they haven’t. The test for transformation is simple; does the lie-based belief still feel true? 

This is a work that only the Holy Spirit can bring about. This is the ONLY immediate test we use to see if mind renewal has occurred. We test for transformation of the belief and nothing else at this juncture. Later, transformation in behavior should follow and will become evident through the effortless expression of the fruit of the Spirit.

Erecting the Stones

In the same way that God’s people would erect a monument, stack up stones or build an alter as a marker for future reminder of what God had done for them, we too can “stack up stones” after having received truth from the Holy Spirit in a ministry session. There is value in us making note of what God does for us, even though not remembering does not nullify or change what he has done. The same could be said about keeping a journal or a prayer log.

One way to do this is to ask the person if he recognized the shift in his belief. You might say something such as, “Do you see the shift in your thinking? You just told me that it felt true that —their lie-based belief— and not you say that it no longer feels true.” By asking them to look at and acknowledge the shift in belief, you are erecting a memorial that they can return to in the days ahead. This is also good to establish as you proceed to ask the EMOTION Box question, “What are you feeling now?” It is common for a person to have transformation in their belief and yet still feel badly. It can be a temptation to assume that nothing happened because there is still negative emotions present. However, if the “stones” have been erected then it can be assumed that the pain is not coming from the belief in question, but only from other lies that remain.

What About the “Peace and Calm” Test?

Some people will ask, “Why not simply check to see if the person still feels the painful emotion? If they are feeling peace and calm this should be a good test that something occurred. Right?”  The problem with this approach is that a change in emotion is not an accurate indication of whether or not mind renewal has taken place in relation to a specific belief. For example, a person can “feel better” by simply suppressing his or her emotion, thinking happy thoughts, or choosing to “rejoice in the Lord” or by “… setting his mind on the things above…,” without there being any change in what he or she believes. By simply distracting ourselves from the lie-based belief we can alter the way we feel —for a time.

Conversely, and more importantly, the person may still feel “bad” about other lies still presently believed, even if they no longer believe the specific lie that was offered to the Lord. So, it is vitally important to check for a change in belief before doing anything else. True peace will follow knowing the truth, but, as long as lies are being triggered, peace may be elusive or covered over by other lie-based pain.

We acknowledge that looking for peace or a positive change in emotion was something that we taught in former versions of TPM.  However, we now realize that it is not a valid test for transformation. Therefore, it is no longer used. It is expected that peace will follow truth, but this is not the test used to determine if this particular lie has been dispelled.

The recipient’s response when asked if the lie that was offered up to the Lord “still feels true” will determine if transformation of the core belief has occurred in relation to that specific belief. If it does not feel true, transformation is assumed. We assume this because only the Holy Spirit can cause the lie to no longer feel true. If it feels “less true”, some transformation may have occurred.  If the person reports that it still “feels true”, then they have not received truth. However, the absence of the negative emotion may only be suppression of their feelings, and the presence of painful emotion may be an indication of additional lies believed. So using emotion as a test for transformation is unreliable.

The goal here is not to make sure that ministry recipients feel better, have peace or to make their pain go away. The goal in this box is to determine if the the lie still feels true. So if people say the lie no longer feels true, we can assume that the Holy Spirit has revealed truth to them. If they say that nothing has changed and the lie still feels true, then they have not received His truth.

NOTE: No matter what answer they give to this TRANSFORMATION Box question, or even if they say nothing at all, you should immediately move back to the beginning of the process into the EMOTION Box.

Before asking any questions, apply the “Clock Principle”.  This simply states: “After asking the TRANSFORMATION Box question, do not ask the first EMOTION Box question unless you have enough time to effectively serve the recipient.”

Asking the first EMOTION Box question has the potential of opening up another whole area of lie-based issues.  So if there are only 10 minutes remaining in the scheduled session, debriefing the session might be a better use of your time (and theirs). Try your best not to “open-up” more than you are responsibly willing and able to address. Definitely, DO NOT ask them to revisit the memory or their current “story” unless you have time to do another whole session. If you have time to continue, then ask the two EMOTION Box questions and continue.

EMOTION Box questions:

“What are you feeling right now?”

“As you focus on what you are feeling, what comes to your mind?”

If, after asking the TRANSFORMATION Box question, whether the lie still feels true or not, follow the protocol for the EMOTION Box by asking the first EMOTION Box question “What are you feeling now?” Again, remember the “CLOCK Principle.” only ask this question if you enough time to effectively serve the recipient and have time to do another entire session. After asking the person the EMOTION Box question he reports feeling something negative you are ready to ask the second EMOTION Box question, “As you are focused on what you are feeling what comes to your mind?” From here you follow protocol. He may return to the same memory, a different one or go no where at all.

If the person reports feeling nothing but the peace of Christ and you have time to continue with more ministry, you can revisit the memories that you worked through and even look at his “story” that he initially brought into the room. It is usually best to work back through each memory in the order they were visited –the last one back to the current “story.”  You might say something like,  “As you look back at that memory we just visited, “What are you feeling now?” Again, the purpose of this question is NOT to see if the person received truth or not, but only to see if there are other lies triggered. The TRANSFORMATION Box question was your test to see if truth was received or not. What he is feeling is not the test.

If the person reports feeling only “peace and calm” anywhere along the way, and the lie does not feel true, then you may be at a good place to stop. The absence of emotional pain simply means that there are no lies currently triggered. You can assure the person that more lies are still there and it is just a matter of time before he will feel them. Using time left over to train and explain is always a good use of your time.