I want to give you this advice today – watch your mental diet.
Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer 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.
The life that we have in Christ is a new life, a born-again life, a transformed life.
• It is different from the pattern of this world. It expresses the will of God – that which is good, pleasing and perfect.
• It is possible only because of Jesus Christ. Chapters 1-12 talks about the problem we were in and how God has in Christ liberated us from sin.
• By His grace and His power, through faith in Christ, we now experience a transformation – a change not of our own doing.
The word translated “transformed” is the word from which we get the English word “metamorphosis”.
• This is an inner change, which has observable outward manifestations. This is not something you cannot do yourself.
• Metamorphosis is actually beyond our understanding. We can only state plainly that a caterpillar will become a butterfly, we cannot explain why or how.
• It is the work of God. Life change is not the result of personal self-effort.
LIFE CHANGE IS A WORK OF GOD
This is our HOPE. Transformation is a work of God. It is “in view of God’s mercy” Paul says, that we are now able to “offer ourselves” to God.
• God is capable of changing us completely and He is doing it today.
• It is not reformation nor rehabilitation that we are talking about. It is a born-again life. God changes us on the INSIDE.
• The OUTSIDE expresses what is on the INSIDE. It is outflow of a new life.
You don’t have to worry about being stuck in your doldrums or problems, or even your sin, actually.
• God is in the business of changing lives and He is more than capable of doing it.
• That is, if you trust Him and allows Him to work on you.
The truth is, not all Christians are experiencing the same change. I wish I can say that every Christian looks like Christ and behaves like Christ.
• While some may be transformed quite drastically, others take a longer time. Their change is more progressive, almost imperceptible.
• Why is this so? What causes it? What really triggers spiritual growth?
This verse gives us a clue – it says we are transformed by the RENEWING of our mind. It is the renewing of our thoughts with His truth.
• It has to do with what is IN our minds, what are we thinking about or what exactly do we believe.
• And the Bible says it needs to be renewed. What was there previously wasn’t right or good or righteous.
What you put into your mind changes you! We become what we think.
GUARD WHAT YOUR MIND FEEDS ON
We need to ask, what am I putting into my minds most of the time? What am I feeding my mind with?
God cannot work in a vacuum. We got to give Him something to work on. Our minds cannot be empty of the truth of His Word.
• An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Leave it empty and chances are we will let our fleshly desires and the world values fill it up.
• If we do not take the responsibility for what enters our mind, we are letting the devil fools us with his lies – that’s what happened to Adam and Eve.
The world is doing that very well today with its gadgets and the internet.
• Our minds can be filled with tons of information and knowledge at amazing speed.
• But they are information that belongs more to this world, not the Kingdom of God.
We surf the net and read books and get to know how a car works, what food to eat, where to go for best deals, or which way to get home quickest.
• But we know less of what God says or how He works or what is He doing in our world.
• We don’t surf the Scriptures and read its books. At least not as much.
If regular diet can make us either healthy or unhealthy, over time, then our mental diet will do the same, for our spiritual health.
• What does your mental diet looks like today? What are you feeding on? What are you taking in? Are they filtered through?
• Can our spiritual well-being be a reflection of what we are feeding on? Are we weak and dry because we are taking in the wrong kind of food, for too long?
• If your diet consists of a steady dose of prime-time TV, magazines, gaming or the internet, then I think so. All you have is what the world can offer you.
What do you think is the ratio between the amount of time you spend in God’s Word and listening to the truth, and the amount of time you take-in the messages from the world via TV media and your computer?
The nature of my job is that I am ‘forced’ to prepare messages weekly. I read, study and think regularly, about God, His Word and His works. This is not easy, but the nature of my work helps.
But I’m concerned about those who are not in such a situation? You do not need to preach, to lead a bible study, or share in the DG time… That freedom may mean you do not need to engage God at all. When you have no assignment to hand up, no exam to take, you become very lax.
Thinking about God and His Word, and His works, become a challenge. It is a battle, a spiritual warfare. It is tough on you.
Paul says we are fighting a war, in 2 Cor 10:3-6.
2 Cor 10:3-6 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We 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. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”
This world system and its architect Satan, is constantly working against the truth.
• It confuses us with regard to WHO I am (child of God), WHERE I belong (heaven), and WHY I am here (to serve Him).
• These interfering signals cloud the truth. We are lost in this information jungle and finds it hard to know which path to take.
Paul says we need to fight to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (v.5)
• At least GIC is helping. It gets us back into the Scriptures and forces us to dig deeper and look through more verses.
• The Navigators challenges the people to memorise the Scriptures. Not just one or two, but in ten’s and twenties.
It is not a chore because that’s the way we engage God, or encounter God.
The truth reveals God. When we engage the truth, we meet God.
• It is only through the Scriptures that we KNOW Him, and then to enjoy Him, and love Him and to be loved by Him.
THINK GOD’S TRUTH DAILY
John 8:31-32 “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Guarding what enters your mind will always be a challenge, just like having to watch your diet because of health reasons.
• Ask Michael, I think he can tell you. Taking note of what we eat, not just for one or two meals, but every day, is not easy.
• One way that helps is to focus on what you should eat, and not what you cannot.
Start with THINKING the truth, if you want your life to change.
• You cannot start with changing your attitudes or behaviours. It won’t work.
• Reformation and rehabilitation cannot do what God can do.
• You got to start with the mind. THINK of God’s truth, which is what we tries to do every Sunday.
The way we THINK will change the way we FEEL and it will change the way we BEHAVE or ACT.
• We do not just get hit by a certain feeling out of the blue. We feel something because we think of something, whether true or not.
• And then we act on what we feel. Real change must start with our mind.
• There is a popular book now that has this title: THE POWER OF RIGHT BELIEVING. He is correct, provided that you are believing the truth of God’s Word.
A friend agreed to meet you for dinner. You looked forward to it and changed your tight schedule to fit him in. You got to the restaurant early and waited for him. He was late. He was getting very late. In fact, he did not turn up.
You got very angry. You could not get him on the phone. No news, no phone calls, no SMSs, nothing. You left the place steaming with anger. You resolved not to take his call. “He is always like that” you tell yourself. You do not want to talk to him.
A few days went by. You met his brother on the street and he broke the news that his brother had met an accident on the way to the restaurant that day and was hospitalised.
At that instant, all her anger and unhappiness just vaporised. Not only that, sympathy and compassion filled her heart.
Can you see how feelings can change instantly?
TRUTH comes first, then FEELINGS flowed. And she made a trip to the hospital to visit him. The right ACTION will come after.
Think the truth. Get to the truth and let the truth fills your mind.
• Don’t let suspicions, superstitions, presuppositions, assumptions, presumptions, conjectures, prejudice or guesses in life drive you away from God’s truth.
• Fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word. Read it, study it, memorise it, meditate on it and hear it as often as you can.
• Remember it is not a chore or a Christian duty. When you engage the truth, you will meet God.
