The Bible is God’s word written to man so that man could have an intimate relationship with him through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Bible was written over 3400 years ago, but it remains true today. It was written by different men who God inspired over a period of around 1500-2000 years.
The Bible still speaks and continues to work and transform the lives of many that read it. The Word of God has never failed to encourage and exhort us about the different things we face.
Not only that, but the principles the Bible gives us have never failed to lead us to a better life in every aspect. The Bible helps us to grow spiritually as well as mentally.
The Bible, especially, talks about the importance of renewing your mind and why it is a necessary foundation for every believer of Jesus Christ.
1. What Does the Bible Say About Renewing Your Mind?
To understand this, it is always better to look to the direct source of this terminology. The book of Romans, written by the Apostle Paul, one of the main apostles to write a large part of the New Testament to the Roman Christians, mentions this foundational concept.
Romans 12: 1-2
1. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
The Apostle Paul encourages the Roman church and us to surrender to God on a deeper level in the first verse. Now, this surrender can only be possible by renewing your mind through which we think differently from this world.
2. What Does Not Being Conformed to This World Mean?
Before Christ Jesus was going to be sacrificed on the cross, he prayed a prayer for his disciples. This prayer can be found in the Gospel of John, in the 17th chapter.
John 17: 16
“They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
Jesus Christ did not walk this earth as a common man; he performed miracles, signs, and wonders. He healed the sick and raised the dead, and delivered all who were oppressed. He was not like this world, but He represented God’s Image to all of us.
In the same way, Jesus has called his disciples out of this world; we no longer belong to this world but belong to the kingdom of God. We are meant to be a representation of Jesus to everyone we meet. But how can we do this if we keep thinking like this world?
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
This verse tells us who we are in Christ Jesus and the newness we find in Him. We are no longer meant to walk according to the old things. What are these old things exactly?
Here’s a verse to refer to,
Ephesians 4:22-24
“22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
These old things were done by the old self, the older man that walked in sin and deceitful desires. The way to put on the new man is by getting your mind renewed daily. In this way, we let go of our former manner or lifestyle and walk in a way that is not conformed to this world.
3. Why is Renewing Your Mind Important?
Now one must understand the importance of renewing your mind; why has the Apostle Paul emphasized it?
If our minds are not renewed daily, we will walk and talk like the world. We will walk in despair and hopelessness and not live the life God has prepared for us.
Joyce Meyer, author and speaker has written a well-known book about the mind. In the book “Battlefield of The Mind: Winning The Battle in Your Mind” she writes an important statement that sums up how our mind controls us:
Your mind controls what you think about yourself, what you think about God, and ultimately how you behave.
To understand this, let us look at the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament in the Bible.
Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.
What one thinks of himself or herself affects the way the person behaves. As we discussed before, your thinking matters; if you think of yourself as a failure, you will fail. If you think of yourself as one who can never accomplish any good thing, you might never be able to do it. The list can go on.
Your life will always go in the direction of the thought that dominates your mind.
Your Mind Matters. Your Mind Needs to Be Transformed.
4. How Can We Renew Our Minds?
The way is simple, and it is found in God’s word. It gives us many ways to renew our minds and to become more like Christ Jesus.
- Let Christ Jesus Teach You
Ephesians 4: 2
20 “But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus.”
The Apostle Paul had learned about the Gospel from Christ Jesus Himself, which is why he knew the gospel’s truth and lived by it. We must know Christ to become full of truth and obey Christ.
- The best way is to meditate on the scripture.
The best example to do this was King David; the young shepherd boy turned king who wrote the book of Psalms. He writes in,
Psalm 119:11 (King James Version)
11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
David meditated on God’s Word day in and day out. He knew the Word and, in consequence, also knew God. This was the reason why he slayed the giant, Goliath. David had filled his heart with Gword Word and became one of the most well-known heroes of the faith.
Another important way of renewing our minds is by
- Resisting the Thoughts Planted by The Enemy!!
We read in Scripture in the New Testament,
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
We must cast down every lofty opinion raised and destroy arguments that try to exalt themselves against the truth, which is the Bible. These thoughts and arguments can infiltrate our minds in different ways.
Our enemy, the devil, is always trying to plant temptation or evil thoughts in our minds.
We also tend to think like the old man, the old self that thinks like the world has trained us to believe.
Another way is that we tend to listen to the voices of worry, fear, or despair that come from around us. The people around us tend to sow these into our minds.
But at these moments, we must choose to cast down these thoughts and take every such thought captive, in control under the power of Jesus.
Remember, You have the power to control your thoughts!!
We must also stand firm in our faith and the Word of God. Once we start filling our minds with His Word, we must never turn back to our former ignorance, those things that draw us back to think like the world.
- Fellowship with God and Fellowship with Man
Colossians 3:16
16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
This is one of the many bible verses that exhort us telling us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, the Word of Christ Jesus is the Bible.
Another important thing that this verse is teaching words that we must encourage our fellow believers by singing psalms and songs thatprovoket them, but the songs must be spiritual songs, which in turn becomes our spiritual worship to God.
Fellowshipping with Christians who fill their hearts with God’s Word also helps us make renewing our minds a priority.
- The Work of The Holy Spirit
Jude 1:20-21
20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
We must deliberately build our faith in God; this is possible by praying in the Holy Spirit, which is in tongues. The Holy Spirit will work in us when we let Him by giving and surrendering ourselves to Him.
- Thinking Good Thoughts
Sometimes, thinking good thoughts is the best way to live a better life. One of the most famous scripture quotations for this is,
Philippians 4:8
8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Start thinking nicer thoughts. Maybe what you’re mind is consuming every day is affecting your thinking, and it might be time to cut those negative things off. Fast from thinking about earthly things and fix your eyes on heavenly things.
Whatsoever is Good, noble, just, and pure, and any such things must take up space in our minds.
5. The Consequences of an Unrenewed Mind
YES! It might seem a little unbelievable, but there are consequences to an unrenewed mind. We must understand God’s love and mercy over us so we can renew our minds willingly and not consider it a tedious chore.
If we neglect this command that God has given us, we will turn into the people that Paul mentions in Romans Chapter 1,
Romans 1:21
21 “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Our thoughts become futile when we do not spend time in the Word of God and seek to know Him.
Romans 1:28
28 “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”
When man fails to consider God’s presence or His Word, a man eventually falls into the trap of deception and gets so entangled with sin that it becomes tough for them to come out of it.
This does not mean that the person is too far gone for God to bring them back; they only need to humble themselves, repent, and turn back to God.
6. How Does Transformation Work:
To understand this, one must know that only God’s Word changes us. The day you become a follower of Jesus and believe in His name, your spirit becomes alive and is saved.
The soul still needs some work and transformation. This is why we have the Word of God that God gave us through His apostles and prophets.
One of the verses about renewing our minds is as follows:
Ephesians 4:23
“and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,”
God commands us to renew our minds. It is not a mere suggestion but a command.
Transformation is a process that takes time as Christians. It is our duty to participate in this process in which God is working inside us. Even after we are saved, we must change the way we think.
Transformation is like metamorphosis, a complete change just as a caterpillar changes into a butterfly; we also will change into something beautiful as we are being transformed into the same image as Jesus every day.
So this gives us hope, even when we know that even if our outward man perishes, our inner self is becoming more like Christ.
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the [a]corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Know this; God has given you everything you need to become transformed; you no longer have to strive all by yourself anymore. You have the Holy Spirit and His power working inside you.
You have escaped corruption and have been redeemed for eternal life with Christ. God’s Spirit now resides in you to change and lead you in every step of your journey.
We have received freedom, Christ has already given us, and we must partake in it. We must fix our minds on it. We must renew our minds with it. We must let the renewed inward man be strengthened in it while not giving place to the flesh.
As TRANSFORMATION begins, we will then see the fruit of the Spirit manifest in our lives; we will be more loving, joyful, peaceful, gentle, and kind to others and have more self-control (GALATIANS 5:22)
A renewed mind will help us persevere and not lose hearts amid trials and tribulations because we truly know and understand that God is with us.
We can present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice and surrender ourselves to His will. This is the power of renewing our minds with the truth of the Word of God.
This is the right way that we must choose. God is inviting you today to partake of His eternal life and promises, and it all starts with filling and renewing our minds with His Word.
Are you willing to participate in what He has called you to be a part of?
