The human mind was created to mirror God’s own mind (Genesis 1:27). When God calls you, he expects you to begin thinking like him.
The Bible specifically talks about five vital truths we must practice to develop a mind that agrees with God.
1. “Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”(Romans 12:2)
Man is not the master of nature. He learns to control its forces by submitting to its laws. He mitigates pain and conquers disease by conforming to the laws of health. There is danger lest these habits of conformity fasten us down to a mere worldly level, and saturate all our desires with worldly estimates. On the other hand, the great uniqueness of Spirituality is transformation — not simply obedience to external conditions, but a renewing of the mind. Man is created in the image of God; and the form of his mind is to be derived from Him and not from the things which are put in subjection under Him.
The Word of God says plainly, "Be not conformed to this world" But "transformed by the renewing of our mind." Don’t allow ungodly thinking, if we allow wrong thoughts into our minds, it will result in wrong sinful actions. We must keep our minds clear, uncluttered, pure and right. By being filled with God’s Holy Spirit, it is possible to keep the garbage out of our minds. The Greek word for “transformation” in Romans 12:2 is related to the English word metamorphosis. We know that metamorphosis is the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. It’s a gradual change on the inside that produces a total transformation on the outside. When the caterpillar has been changed into a butterfly, it becomes what God always intended it to be. The same is true with our minds. We are spiritually updated as we constantly focus our minds on submitting to God and build godly character as we live His way.
2. " "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:13)
When the bible says to gird up the loins of your mind? Basically it mean to protect, keep intact, ready to go, sharp, alert, ready for action. There are 3 actions expressed in verse to prepare our minds for action, think soberly, Be Holy, be an Effective Guard. What does it mean to be sober? In brief, thinking correctly, Avoiding Mental intoxication or addiction, things which want to occupy our minds. Or, just avoiding the laziness that sets into our minds... letting them wander aimlessly. Being holy means not being like the world around us. Being Holy begins in the mind, taking those thoughts, those passions and desires captive to God. As we prepare our minds for action, as we think soberly, we will be holy. Let us prepare our minds for action, be ready because He is at work. Let us be sober minded, not giving our minds over to the intoxicating desires of this world. Not giving our minds over to laziness, or numbness. Let's be alert and sober, thinking properly, bringing every thought in agreement with God as 2 Corinthians 10:5 says “ we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.”
3. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6-8)
The word spiritual is an adjective which describes the type of individual who is "led by the spirit," i.e., the Word of God (Gal. 5:18). The word carnal is a synonym for the flesh (Gal. 5:19). The apostle Paul contrasts the spiritually minded and the carnally minded in Romans 8 To be carnally minded means to cater to the appetites and impulses of one’s human nature which is displeasing to God. Carnally minded is thinking and doing what is right in one’s own eyes which is selfishness. To be carnally minded means to be worldly minded, sense ruled, emotions driven and controlled by sin, and natural circumstances and results in what you can naturally expect. To be carnally minded means you have a mindset that is contrary to God and His Word and His will for your life. Carnal minded thinkers are always victims and never victors. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)
On the other hand, spiritually minded as being Spirit of God led and guided instead of ego, led and guided, Word of God minded, craving for God and God’s purposes, satisfied with nothing less than God’s perfect will for your life. A spiritual mindset is nourished by intimate communion with God and meditation of His Word. Paul is saying in the same passage that as a result of the new birth the believer has a new mindset, the mindset of the Spirit. It is not just “mind” but also “attitude.” He is referring to the whole frame and disposition of our minds, and our affections and values and our enthusiasm, our very laughter and sorrows. To say that we have a “mind controlled by the Spirit” is to say that the Spirit is shaping our inner life according to the mind of the Spirit of God. Spiritually minded means you have given the Holy Spirit control of your thinking. Spiritually minded, you keep yourself focused on the Word of God as the answer which produces real lasting purity and peace and which gives you clarity of thoughts and charity in deeds and right direction. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” (Romans 8:14)
4. “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2)
Paul doesn’t ordinarily use the term ‘earthly’ What Paul means by ‘earthly’ is sinful things - things that are contrary to your new nature as someone who has died to sin and spiritually been raised with Christ. We must recognize that there are many competing claims upon our minds and our attention, and we must resolve to find a time and a place where we will not be bombarded by materialism, social media, wealth, status, worldly passion and possessions. But Seek God and his righteousness, If you are truly Spiritual, then your life is no longer your own. You are called to operate in Spiritual altitude. The only way to truly do this is by shifting your focus from worldly motives to an eternal mindset.
In other words, what Paul is calling us to a life centred on Christ, rooted and grounded in God’s love (Colossians 2:6-7), oriented by the glory and majesty and beauty of God. Because our life is now hidden with God (Colossians 3:3) therefore fix the fundamental direction of your life on him always. This means that you no longer pursue your own earthly wants and desires, but instead you focus on God’s. When earthy desires and passions begin to overtake your focus on eternity, just remind that life is temporary. Nothing that we have here on earth will go with us once we are in eternity with God. Hence we have to value our relationship with God above everything else because ‘our citizenship is in heaven’
5. “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5)
The life of Christ was a perfect fulfilment of every precept of the law. He said; “I have kept My Father’s commandments.” John 15:10. His life is our standard of obedience and service. Having any mind other than Christ’s causes us to live a life of disobedience and rebellion. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2, Paul is contrasting the natural man with the Spiritual man. When we have the mind of Christ, it is in contrast to the wisdom of man (1 Corinthians 2: 5-6). It involves wisdom from God, which was once hidden (1 Corinthians 2: 7) and it cannot be understood by those without the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2: 14). When we have the mind of Christ, we have discernment in spiritual matters (1 Corinthians 2: 15). The mind of Christ is given to believers through the Holy Spirit. So, in order to have the mind of Christ, a person must first have the Holy Spirit. We cannot possess the Mind of Christ at all unless we first have the Spirit of God in our hearts.
Having the mind of Christ means we “look at life from God’s point of view, having His values and desires in mind. It means to think God’s thoughts and not think as the world thinks. A godly mindset is the mind of Christ in operation, no longer dependent on mere human wisdom and insights and reasoning that have all kinds of limits and no real answers. A godly minded person allows Christ to conquer every temptation, test or trial because of their reliance on the Spirit of God to overcome all evil with good. Having the mind of Christ means we understand God’s plan in the world—to bring glory to God, restore creation to its original splendour, and provide salvation for sinners. It means we identify with Christ’s purpose “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). It is a shared perspective of humility, love, compassion, and dependence on God. It means we share Jesus’ perspective of love (John3:16) humility and obedience (Philippians 2:5-8), kindness (Mathew 9:36), and prayerful dependence on God (Luke 5:16).
Finally, having the mind of Christ is not something that is reserved only for "perfect" people. Every believer has access to the mind of Christ through faith. The basic principles of having the mind of Christ begin with surrender and end with deeper intimacy and friendship with God. We humans have the privilege and choice to have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16). In order to have the mind of Christ, one must first have saving faith in Christ (John 1:12; 1John 5:12). After salvation, the believer lives a life under God’s influence. Our thoughts influence our actions. It follows, then, that if we want to act like Christ, we must also think like Him. More than any other goal in life, we need to be trained to master our own mind and our life will instantly start to become better in every possible way. We can never obtain the mind of God by relying on our own reasoning. One method we can use to renew our minds is to meditate on God’s Word. God’s Word expels darkness, annihilates lies, destroys deception and transforms our thinking until our thoughts begin to resemble His.
The Holy Spirit indwells and enlightens the believer, infusing him with wisdom—the mind of Christ. The believer bears a responsibility to yield to the Spirit’s leading (Ephesians 4:30) and to allow the Spirit to transform and renew our mind (Romans 12:1-2). Those who have the mind of Christ are able to discern spiritual things that the natural man (or the unbeliever) cannot understand or see. Having the mind of Christ is the same as being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and both are attained through faith at the moment of salvation (Romans 5:1-2; Acts 2:38). Through the Holy Spirit, God has made us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4) so that we can have all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of God.
