Renewing Our Minds
“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 12:2
Ephesians 4:23
“to be made new in the attitude of your minds;” – Ephesians 4:23
Colossians 3:2
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8
2 Corinthians 10:5
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5
So how do we renew our minds and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ? Forty-five years ago, as a new Christian, I began learning how to do this. Like anything new, it was difficult at first. But over the years, it has become easier as I have learned to recognize thoughts not from God.
I grew up as a shy, awkward child who grew into a shy, awkward adult. I feared people, thought I was dumb and ugly, and thought I would always be this way. However, God had other plans for me. He drew me to Christ at age 32 and began to work on changing my thoughts. I remember finding Philippians 1:6 in my Bible, which says, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion in Christ Jesus."
Wow! God showed me through that verse that HE was the one who would change me and never give up on me. Every time the thought entered my mind about being dumb and ugly, I would say, "Lord, thank you for continuing the good work you began in me. Thank you for how You created me in Your image." At first the negative thoughts about myself continued frequently, but slowly they began to fade. It took several months before they stopped completely, but they did stop.
We all face past circumstances where we need to renew our minds with the truth of Scripture. Jennie Allen in her book Get Out of Your Head - Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts, says this:
"The greatest spiritual battle of our generation is being fought between our ears...We are transformed by the renewal of our minds. We renew our minds by filling our minds with truth, with who God says we are, and then holding every other thought up to those truths. Those truths are our weapons, and they stop the spiral in our minds."
God doesn't magically zap us and renew our minds. It takes work on our parts - praying, learning His Word, trusting Him to give you verses to hold on to in times of doubt, believing His promises such as Philippians 1:6.
The battle to renew our minds is worth it. Joy and peace come from a renewed mind. I pray for all of us that we would fight that battle well and allow the Lord to transform our minds in order to become more like Christ every day...for His glory and our good!
See you next week!
