I am Rev. Roger Smith an ordained minister through Midwest Bible College. I am the Chairman of the Board Midwest Bible College which is a very unique Bible College located in Milwaukee, WI because it only teaches the Bible. A typical school year has around 40 different churches in the four different degrees that one can earn. We have an African affiliate in Uganda since 2018. They have trained pastors in 8 nations and established 500 over 25 years.
I want to tell you a story — not just a Bible story, but my story. It’s a testimony about the faithfulness of God, the power of His deliverance, and the joy that comes when He lifts you out of the deepest darkness.Today I am going to talk about renewing your mind.
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.” (Psalm 40:1-3)
David says, “I waited patiently for the Lord.” But if you’ve ever been in pain, you know that waiting is the hardest part. And sometimes, while you’re waiting, you wonder, “Lord, did You even hear my cry?”
I asked that question for a long time — 56 years to be exact. For over half a century, my prayer was the same: “Jesus, deliver me from this depression.” And year after year, the answer seemed silent.
Verse 2 says, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit.” But before God lifted me out, I spent decades living in it. And I would ask God, “Why do I have to go through this horrible tumult and destruction?”
Depression was my pit. And it wasn’t just sadness — it was like being stuck in thick mud, unable to move. I was dragged through guilt, shame, condemnation, buried anger, confusion, fear, anxiety, hopelessness, and doubt. And over all that, I heard the accusing voice of Satan, constantly reminding me of my sins and pushing me deeper into despair.
It felt like solitary confinement — locked up in my own emotions, trapped in destructive thought patterns. Psalm 69:2–3 describes it well: “I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold… I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.”
I had no footing, like sinking in quicksand, unsure if I would ever escape. I was engulfed in raw emotions — anxiety, fear, depression, pain, sadness, hopelessness. My body felt heavy and dull, like I was only half alive. I cried until my eyes grew dim, my spirit clouded with heaviness. Psalm 69:14 became my prayer: “Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink… deliver me from the deep waters.”
Then, almost three years ago, something changed. After 56 years of crying out, God lifted me out of that slimy pit. He didn’t just give me relief — He gave me total healing.
Ephesians 2 says: “But God, who is rich in mercy…” And that’s my testimony. In His steadfast love and grace, He set my feet on the unshakable Rock — Jesus Christ, my Master, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my Friend.
Psalm 40:3 says, “He put a new song in my mouth.” Today, my mouth and my heart are overflowing with joy. I can’t stop praising Him. I am filled with His joy, His love, His peace. And I will never stop singing my new song, because I know exactly where I was — and I know exactly Who brought me out - JESUS! Hallelujah!
Paul writes: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices…” The Amplified Bible says Paul is appealing to us — begging us — to make a decisive dedication of our bodies.
That means total surrender: body, soul, mind, and spirit. It’s not partial obedience. It’s not occasional commitment. It’s complete abandonment to Christ.
My prison was mainly in my mind. I hated myself. My thinking had to be restored.
As a child, I was terrified of my mother’s anger. I wanted to please her so badly that I buried my own anger and tried to be the perfect little boy. But that perfectionism became a trap — and by age 15, I was already deep in depression.
I was later diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder and spent over 50 years under psychiatric care and counseling. My life was a cycle — three or four months down, three months up, then back down again.
I set impossible standards for myself and my marriage. I feared making mistakes. I feared failure. I feared admitting I was wrong. And I feared people discovering that I was depressed. Shame consumed me. I believed the lie that I was supposed to be joyful and not depressed as a Christian. Some Christian said to me “you are a Christian you should be joyful and not depressed. This drove me into deeper despair.
I feared people would see the truth — that I was a sinner, full of pride and arrogance. My mind was a constant battlefield.
In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul says: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitudes of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.
We must constantly renew our minds to have a fresh mental and spiritual attitude. That means stripping away the habits built on deceptions, lies, vanity, lust of every kind, delusions in your minds, pride, and arrogance. For me, that also meant laying down my judgmental spirit — because when I had no self-worth, I tore others down in my mind just to feel better.
Instead, I had to learn to see myself the way God sees me — through the blood of Jesus: pure, holy, righteous, loving, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
When you accept Christ, you are given a new nature — created in His image. Galatians 2:20 says: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” The old sin patterns are dead. God doesn’t see you as a sinner — He sees you as a saint. We need to constantly renew our thinking and meditate on the fact that our life is now hidden in Christ. God sees us through the blood of Jesus so we are pure, righteous, holy, just, loving and vessels of His light. We must walk by faith even if our fleshly body is still walking in sin. We need to see ourselves through faith and be quick to repent of our sins.
Col. 3:1-3 tells us “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
We have been resurrected with Christ so we must live with eternity in view, knowing that all pain, sorrow, and suffering will one day be gone. According to the world, we are dead, so put on your new real life living in Christ.
“Put to death, therefore, what ever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lusts, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” - Colossians 3:5-10
We must strip off all these sinful traits listed above which is idolatry and put on Jesus Christ characteristics.
Col 3:12 tells us “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
We need to be compassionate, kind, and gentle with ourselves when we sin. Don’t run from Jesus in shame — run to Him. When we ask for forgiveness, our sins are gone — as far as the east is from the west.
So here’s my message to you today:
Center your thoughts on how Jesus sees you. Live in your resurrected life. Deaden your flesh. Remember who you are in Christ — righteous, holy, pure, compassionate, loving, kind, gentle.
Some of you are still in that slimy pit. Some of you have been there for years. And maybe you’ve wondered if God hears your cry. I’m here to tell you — He does. He hears you. He loves you. And He will lift you out.
The same Jesus who healed me after 56 years can heal you.
The same Jesus who gave me a new song has a new song for you.
And the same Jesus who set my feet on the Rock will set yours there, too.
So today, will you surrender completely to Him? Will you stop trying to climb out of the pit in your own strength and let Him lift you out?
If that’s you, I want you to pray right where you are:
“Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to You — my body, my soul, my mind, my spirit. I give You my pain, my fears, my depression, my sin. Lift me out of the pit. Set my feet on the Rock. Fill me with Your joy, peace, and love. I choose today to see myself the way You see me — pure, holy, and righteous through Your blood. I rest in You, Jesus. Amen.”
Now rest… rest in Jesus.