(Romans 12:2 NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
- The Bible teaches us that the way that we change is by an inward transformation and that happens as we change the way that we think.
So, if there are behaviors, habits, etc. that we have in our lives that need to be changed or eliminated, then they can be changed or eliminated by changing the way that we think.
Why is this so important?
(Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT) (19) “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
- The direction and quality of our lives that we have today is a result of the choices that we made yesterday.
- Whatever is influencing our lives the most is what helps shape the decisions that we make on a regular basis.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV) (23) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Our spirit is the part of us that is Born-Again, and where we contact God
- Our soul is comprised of your mind, will, and our emotions.
- Our body is what enables us to move and function on the earth.
- Your soul is the seat of your decision-making process.
Your Will
We should never underestimate the power of your will.
Even if the power of God was not available to help us, the human will is a very powerful thing that God has given to us. (Example of Special Forces training.)
Your “want to” is very important in your life. John Osteen’s message, “How Strong is your Want To?”.
Take the power of your will and then couple it with the power of the Holy Spirit and you then become a Heavenly force to be reckoned with.
- Our decision-making process is based on: I think, I feel and therefore I choose.
How Do I Renew My Mind?
So, if I want to make better choices for my life that are in line with God’s plan for my life, then I must renew my mind or change my thinking. How do I do that?
- Renewing does not mean learning.
Paul wrote Romans 12:2 to people who were Born Again and had a basic knowledge of the Word of God.
- Renewing your mind begins with weaning your mind.
(Psalms 131:1-3 AMPC) LORD, MY heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in matters too great or in things too wonderful for me. (2) Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting]. (3) O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.
“Fret”: to feel or express worry, to move in agitation
Examine the analogy of the infant and its mother. The infant is totally and completely dependent upon its mother for sustenance and life itself. When the time comes for that separation to take place between the mother and the infant, there is usually some resistance. There will come a time when that growth and development will demand that the child be weaned from that dependency so that it can fully mature.
There are things that your mind says it is dependent on to be able to live, be happy, be content and be satisfied in this life.
- The weaning of the mind is a weaning from the dependencies that must be there for you to be happy.
To be weaned means that you are free from fretting (agitated, turmoil, bothered). We are talking about any kind of mental activity that produces agitation.
“Hope” = Trust. Trust is probably the most important aspect of our relationship with God. We do not get to a place of trust until we are weaned in our souls.
Six things that seem to be most prevalent in most people’s minds that we need to wean our minds from:
- We must wean our minds from trying to figure everything out.
Sometimes God does not give you enough information to come to a logical conclusion, but our minds always want a logical conclusion.
When He doesn’t give us enough information, we try to come up with our own and that is called carnal reasoning and it takes you to a natural answer. We try and fill in the blanks.
When you try and satisfy the “why” and “when”, you are getting into carnal reasoning and will always arrive at a natural conclusion. You will then move over to agitation and frustration.
A mind that is weaned from carnal reasoning will stop at the question and moves over to trust of God. God said don’t lean to your own understanding.
(Proverbs 3:5-7 TPT) Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. (6) Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. (7) Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong.
We must arrive to the place of maturity where the questions don’t really matter.
- We must wean our minds from selfish thinking.
We must be concerned with the needs of others above our own needs. Concentrating on you will always cause agitation.
A child only thinks about “me”.
(Philippians 2:3 NLT) Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
- We must wean our minds from pity-parties.
Pity parties happen when we allow our minds to imagine the worst case scenarios and how unfair life can be. This kind of thought will always lead to depression. The Bible says “Rejoice!”
(Philippians 4:4 NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
- We must wean our minds from pride.
God gets all the glory all the time. We must come to grips with the fact that we don’t get any of the glory.
(John 15:5 NET) “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.
- We must wean our minds of critical thinking.
(Luke 6:37 MSG) “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults–unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier.
You will never make your candle shine brighter by blowing someone else’s candle out. When you are receiving criticism, ask yourself the question, “Are those people sowing criticism or am I reaping criticism that I have sown.
- We must wean our minds from a losing mentality.
People BECOME losers – God does not create losers.
You must eliminate the losing mentality (The glass is half empty…)
(Romans 8:35-37 TPT) Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love, (36) even though it is written: All day long we face death threats for your sake, God. We are considered to be nothing more than sheep to be slaughtered! (37) Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!
(2 Corinthians 2:14 MSG) And I got it, thank God! In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance.