How to Change Your Mind
(Acknowledging the Word of God)
Introduction: This is week seven in our series "Eight Essential Exercises for Building a Better Body.¨ We’re continuing to explore the need to build healthy, God-honoring relationships because all of life is lived out in the context of our relationships.
The first exercise we considered was "Allocating Strength.¨ As we studied this exercise we examined our need to find our strength in the Lord. Without His strength, we can¡¦t even complete the rest of the exercises and our relationships will suffer.
Secondly we explored our need to make certain that our relationships are supported by and grounded in integrity. Without that belt of truth strapped around us, we cannot stand and our relationships crumble.
We then considered the need to access the righteousness of Christ. We need to be right with God before we can be right in our relationships with others, and the way we get right with God is we allow the righteousness of Christ to be given to us. And then we ask him to fill us, to dwell in us and actually change our character so that we are truly a righteous people.
Next we looked at our need to be actively preparing to advance. If our relationships are going to be healthy, God honoring relationships, we must be prepared to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ into those relationships with our words and our actions. A lack of preparation leaves us susceptible to defeat by the enemy.
We then examined the role that faith plays in our relationships. We must believe in the Word of God. We must trust Jesus enough to ¡§Get into the Wheelbarrow,¡¨ and we must let that trust lead us to a life of obedience. When we trust God enough to obey what he teaches regarding our relationship, all of our relationships will be enhanced.
Last week we took a look at the helmet of salvation. We evaluated whether we were a thermometer or a thermostat in our relationships. If we are going to effect change, for the glory of God, in our relationships we must be thermostats. We need to be change agents. However, that will only happen when we have a change of mind. When we repent of our current way of thinking, (selfish, me-centered, world¡¦s perspective) and align our thoughts with Christ. We must be people who think like Jesus thought. That means we have to change our minds.
This week I want to pick up where we left off and consider the role that the Word of God, the Bible, plays in our relationships. We are going to examine the role God¡¦s Word plays in changing our minds, brining us to a place of repentance, so that we can effect positive change in our relationships. Please recall that when I have been talking about positive change, I¡¦ve not been talking about positive thinking, you can do it, Zig Zigglar, Amway type stuff. I¡¦m talking about brining godliness, holiness, and a Christ-centered focus into all of our relationships.
Paul told the Christians at Ephesus to take up the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. Let¡¦s look at the sword of the Spirit and let¡¦s see how acknowledging the Word of God can make an impact on our relationships.
Read with me from Ephesians 6:10-18 again.
Ep. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Ep. 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil¡¦s schemes.
Ep. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ep. 6:13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Ep. 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
Ep. 6:15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Ep. 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ep. 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ep. 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
As we studied together last week, we saw that there are 5 basic principles about our behavior our beliefs and how to change both. Let me quickly review them as we move into our study this week.
1. All behavior is based on belief.
2. Behind every sin is a lie of unbelieving
3. In order to change behavior, you must first change belief
4. All change starts in the mind.
5. Only God¡¦s Word can change your mind.
The only way we are going to improve our relationships and bring them to a point where they are consistently honoring God, is to allow him to control our attitudes and thoughts. We must allow Christ to be the center of our relationships. That requires as change of mind on our part. But as we saw last week, we cannot change our minds. Our natural mind is far from God. We naturally tend to go in the opposite direction from God. So to honor him in our relationships, we have to change our minds. However, only God¡¦s Word can bring lasting change to our minds, allowing us to initiate lasting change in our relationships.
I can¡¦t change my mind. Only the Word of God has the power to generate a genuine, lasting change of mind. That being the case, I have 3 questions.
„h ¡§How does the Word of God change my mind?¡¨
¡§For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.¡¨ Hebrews 4:12
¡§For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.¡¨ 1Peter 1:23
1. It¡¦s alive
One of the reasons we don¡¦t spend quality time in the Word of God is that we don¡¦t believe it is alive. (Remember all behavior is based upon belief.) We question how a book, completed over 2,000 years ago and written halfway around the world in another culture and another language could have any relevance to our lives. After all, what does a boat and nets and fishermen arguing about paying taxes to a dead king of a nation that no longer exists have to do with how I relate to my wife or my boss or my kids here in St. Charles County in the 2002? The answer is: ¡§Everything!¡¨
¡§All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.¡¨ 2Timothy 3:16-17
All scripture, every part of it is alive. It is active. It is relevant because, unlike other books written hundreds or thousands of years ago, the author of this book is still living. It is alive because it applies to every situation in which you find yourself. It is alive in that it influences your mind and your heart. It is alive in that it is always relevant and active in your life.
I love baked goods. My wife is a wonderful cook and she makes great breads and cookies, etc. It¡¦s no wonder I started gaining weight after I got married. One of the things I really love is biscuits and rolls. Let me read to you this recipe for light, fluffy biscuits.
2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 tablespoon baking powder * Omit this ingredient
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour,(exclude this ingredient baking powder,) salt, and sugar. Cut in the
shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough
pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3 Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1
inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all
dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an un-greased
baking sheet.
4 Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.
I can smell them now. It makes me hungry just talking about it. How do you think these biscuits would turn out? They would be awful. They would be as flat as paper. We could use them for communion wafers. Do you know why? It¡¦s because I left out the active ingredient. I left out the baking powder. These biscuits had great potential, but they fell short of their intended glory because the active ingredient was left out.
Many of your lives are flat. You¡¦ve got great potential, just like this recipe, but you¡¦re flat, disappointed and disappointing because you are leaving out the active ingredient, you are leaving out the Word of God. The Word of God, the Bible, changes our minds because it is alive and active.
The Word of God is alive and active and that¡¦s how it begins to change your mind.
2. It¡¦s powerful
¡§The Word of God cannot be disregarded. It will always do what God has designed it to do.¡¨ (Isaiah 55:11)
Not only is God¡¦s Word active, but it is also powerful. In fact, as Isaiah said in the passage we just read, the Word of God is so powerful that it cannot be disregarded. It has the power to make a transformation in your life. Just like baking powder is active it is also powerful. When I was a kid my dad taught me how to take an old coke bottle, remember the glass ones, and put baking powder in it along with some vinegar. Then we¡¦d put a cork in that bottle and sit back. Eventually, because the ingredients were alive and active, there would be enough pressure built up to pop the cork out of the bottle. Because the ingredients were alive, they also were powerful.
So it is with the Word of God. Because it is alive it is also powerful. Its power changes us. It transforms our minds.
The more you are immersed in the Word of God the more power you will have in overcoming the obstacles and struggles that come your way because the Word of God is powerful.
Consider the difference between a strong and a weak cup of tea. The same ingredients - water and tea - are used for both. The difference is that the strong cup of tea results from the tea leaves¡¦ immersion in the water longer, allowing the water more time to get into the tea and the tea into the water. The longer the steeping process, the stronger the cup of tea. In the same way, the length of time we spend in God¡¦s Word determines how deeply we get into it and it gets into us. Just like the tea, the longer we are in the Word, the "stronger" we become.
3. It¡¦s penetrating
In Hebrews 4:12 we are told that the Word of God is sharper than a double-edged sword. Do you understand the difference between a standard, single edged sword or saber and a double-edged sword? The single edged sword is good for hacking and chopping, but a double-edged sword is designed to penetrate.
How is the Bible like a double-edged sword?
a) It pierces right to the core of things
b) It can pierce through self-deception,
c) it can pierce hypocrisy
Mark Twain once said, ¡§Most people are bothered by those Scripture passages which they cannot understand. But for me, the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand.¡¨
I think it is often true that Christians would rather discuss difficult passages and try to come to some understanding of them than to just take the easy passages and obey them.
Oswald Chambers wrote these words. ¡§If you are religious, it is easier to read some pious book than the Bible. The Bible treats you like human life does--roughly.¡¨
The Bible cuts to the chase and penetrates our soul and mind. God¡¦s Word changes us because it penetrates to the heart of the matter, leaving us with one choice. We can choose to obey or disobey. We can choose to accept the truth (hard as it may be) and change or we can choose to believe a lie and remain the same. Once confronted with the penetrating power of the Word of God we are forced to make a choice.
4. It¡¦s revealing
I once read the story of a wealthy businessman who took a trip to England. While there was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. He decided to purchase a microscope and take it back home. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day he examined some food he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in it. Since he was especially fond of this particular food, he wondered what to do. Finally, he concluded that there was only one way out of his dilemma - he smashed the microscope to pieces!
People, God¡¦s Word, the Bible, puts our lives under a microscope and reveals to us our true self. It is not a window to the world, but a mirror. When we read the Bible consistently, it begins to show us who we are in the light of who God has called us to be and quite often that is disquieting.
The Word of God is a change agent. When we immerse our minds in the Word of God on a regular basis, it will change our minds and it will change our lives because it is alive, it is powerful, it is penetrating and it is revealing.
I have another question.
„h ¡§What changes does it make in my life?¡¨
1. It purifies my character.
¡§How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word.¡¨ Psalm 119:9
¡§Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.¡¨ John 17:17
¡§Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.¡¨ Ephesians 5:25-26
There is no more effective means of purifying your character than allowing the Word of God to fill you and permeate you. When you put it in your mind and your heart, it changes your mind and heart by purifying them.
A consistent diet of the Bible will begin to cleanse your mind, your attitudes, your desires, etc.
You can¡¦t get dirty clothes clean just by putting them in the laundry basket. You can¡¦t even get them clean just by putting them in the washing machine. You have to fill the machine with soap and water and then you let it agitate.
That¡¦s how the Word of God cleans us. We have to submerge ourselves in it and let it agitate us a little bit, but in the process is cleans and purifies our character.
2. It pilots my steps. (it provides a PLAN for your steps) (It presides over your steps)
¡§Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.¡¨ Psalm 119:29
¡§I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.¡¨ Psalm 119:32
¡§Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.¡¨ Psalm 119:105
So many people are looking for direction in life. So many people want a blueprint or a plan to follow because life is so uncertain. Well I have the perfect plan for your life. It¡¦s called the Bible. And when we follow God¡¦s commands and claim God¡¦s promises and live our lives based on the principles he gives us in the Bible our steps, our lives, are ordered and directed in a secure path.
3. It protects my thoughts.
Martin Luther once said, ¡§You can¡¦t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from building a nest in your hair.¡¨ What he meant was that you can¡¦t control every thought that comes racing into your mind. You¡¦re human. You are going to have human thoughts. Human thoughts don¡¦t always honor God. But you don¡¦t have to dwell on those wrong thoughts. You can refuse to let them linger in your mind. It¡¦s hard, but in the power of God¡¦s Word you can do it.
That¡¦s why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 30:5-6
¡§Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.¡¨ Proverbs 30:5-6
God¡¦s Word acts as a shield to our minds if we will consistently fill our minds with His Word.
4. It prepares me to minister
¡§All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.¡¨ 2Timothy 3:16-17
If we are going to meet the needs of other people, we have to be prepared. Because ministering to other people is, most often, messy work. But this passage tells us that the scriptures teach us and rebuke us and correct us and train us so that we can be equipped to meet the needs of others.
If you want your relationships to improve, seek to meet the needs of others. And in order to be adequately prepared to do that, you have to immerse yourself in God¡¦s Word, the Bible, on a consistent basis. When you do, you allow it to purify your character, pilot your steps, protect your thoughts and prepare you to minister.
I have one more question to look at today.
„h ¡§How do I make it a part of my life?¡¨
It doesn¡¦t do any good for us to explore how the Bible will change our minds and what changes it will make in our lives if we are not going to put it to use.
If I¡¦m diagnosed with an illness and the doctor explains the illness to me and gives me a prescription for the right medication to cure my illness, but I never fill the prescription or take the medicine, I don¡¦t get any better.
Knowing the problem and how to fix it is not enough. I have to act on what I know. So it would be wrong for me to tell you how and why the Bible changes your mind, if I didn¡¦t also give you the steps to putting it to use in your daily life. Now, you still have to take the responsibility to take these steps, but here they are. Here is how you make the Bible a part of your life.
1. Learn It.
It can’t change you until you know it. Learn it, and that deals with your head. Memorize scripture, that’s the thing.
¡§I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.¡¨ Psalm 119:11
2. Love It.
You’ve got to begin to embrace the Word and let it embrace you.
¡§Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.¡¨ Psalm 1:1-2
Do you have a real love for God¡¦s Word? You need to develop one. Pray that God will give you a love, a passion, for his Word.
3. Live It.
You’ve got to let the Word of God that comes into your heart go out through your hands, and you’ve got to apply it to others.
¡§Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.¡¨ James 1:22
This is a quote I found as I was preparing this study for today.
¡§When people take God seriously they immediately realize that his word is not only something to be studied, not only something to be read, not only something to be written about; it is something to be done.¡¨
You have to do the Word, not just read and know it.
Application: God has given us a powerful tool, a powerful weapon in our battle to build and maintain healthy, God-honoring relationships. That tool is the Bible, the Word of God. But it only has value if we put it to use. We have to change our minds, the way we think, when it comes to relationships and in order to do that we have to immerse ourselves in the Word of God.
This week how am I going to make the Word of God a part of my life?
„h Daily reading
„h Memorization
„h Study
„h Praying the Scriptures
Apply the Word of God to your life and it will change your mind.
