Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Rom. 12:2)
Most of us have probably witnessed a TV show where a person consents to a complete make-over. Often times the results appear to be dramatic in the transformation of the individual’s appearance, but seldom produces long term changes in their character. Let us examine some of the ways that the word of God helps transform our minds for lasting results.
Quote: The founder of the Methodist Church John Wesley said,
"I am a man of one Book, the Bible." He preached 35,000 sermons from the back of a horse as he brought God’s word to the common man and woman throughout England.
If you want greater transformation ask the Lord to help bring about the following eleven processes in and through and with you:
1. REVELATION - God’s word gives us the revealed will of God so we can know the best ways to perceive, progress and perfect. God’s word discloses to us the knowledge about God and His will for us so we can know the truth and allow it to set us free from the chains that bind. Too many people are trying to bring about change without God’s revelation. We are dependnet upon the Holy Spirit of God to reveal to us what is written in His word. The more we obey His word, the more He will reveal to us what the will of God is for us.
2. INSPIRATION - The Bible is "God’s breath" to man. Paul wrote, "All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. So that the man of God could be equipped, thorougly furnished for all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16,17) The whole Bible is God’s inspired word, not just parts of it. We are dependent upon God for all of our inspiration as He is the ultimate source of truth, knowledge and wisdom. God is the fountain of inspiring influence to give us the ideas that we need for all of life and godliness. The Spirit of God gives us the inspiration to take us to higher levels of Christ-likeness as we ask Him to fill, guide and empower us.
3. INFORMATION - The word of God is profitable for teaching information that we need for life, health and direction. A person who tries to get to their destination without information always gets lost, hurt or shipwrecked.
Our decisions are only as good as the information that we base them upon. To be informed means to have the knowledge that is necessary to perform one’s duties. Teachers who inform us about truth from the scripture are giving us the bread that ours souls need for spiritual nourishment. Without Biblical information we tend to rely on faulty notions that distort our perceptions of what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent, admirable or praise-worthy.
4. RESTORATION - God’s word has a way of replenishing what we need mentally, emotionally and spiritually. People who try to live without being nourished by scriptural mediation often operate more out of the power of the flesh than the Spirit. To be restore by God’s word allows one to be energized by the Holy Spirit who enables us to do everything God’s asks us to do. God’s word restores us in a way that re-supplies us with the wisdom, insights and ideas that are vital for helping us be, do and think like Jesus.
5. OBSERVATION - God’s word helps us observe truth that other people will overlook. Jesus said, "He who has my commandments and keep them. He it is who loves me and I will love him and will disclose myself to Him." (John 14:21) Those who meditate on God’s word are given supernatural perceptions of what is best decisions to make every moment of the day. People who lack observatory insights often settle for choices that are injurious. People who are not keen to observationalists fail to take notice of the most important points that are vital for their well-being. To miss out on facts that are helpful results in people being led astray by faulty notions dreamed up by mis-guided people.
6. INTERPRETATION - God’s word is its best interpeter. If you really want to get the essential meaning of a verse of scripture it is best to understand its context. There are many applications to every verse of scripture but there is only one correct interpretation. When we understand the over-arching themes of scripture we are better able to interpret the individual parts of scripture. This is one of the reasons why it is important to study the doctrines of scripture through systematic theology. People who are accurate interpreters of scripture are those who have the best ability to explain how it specifically guides us in accomplishing all the work He has for us to do.
7. CORRELATION - God’s word helps us bring into a mutual relationship various parts of the Bible to shed clarity on the truth. The old Thompson chain reference Bible was a foundational teaching tool to help people use cross-references to shed light from one section of the Bible to another. We should always correlate Old Testament truth in the light of New Testament revelation and not visa versa. When we are correlating scripture we will be more apt to see how to respond correctly one truth to another without getting confused in the process.
8. APPLICATION - God’s word teaches us how to put the will of God into action. James warns us about failing to apply God’s word when he writes, "Be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves (who betray yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth)." (James 1:22)
Quote: Howard Hendricks, a teacher at Dallas Seminary for 50 years has said, "Revelation without application is spiritual abortion."
Illustration: A survey was made of 4000 laymen in 114 evangelical churches across the U.S. They were asked, "Do you feel the preaching on Sunday relates to what’s going on in your life?" Over 83% saw virtually no connection between what they heard on Sunday morning and what they faced on Monday morning.
Howard Hendricks, 1984 Multnomah Pastor’s Enrichment Conference.
9. EVALUATION - God’s word is the best evaluator of what is true, efficacious and profitable. Too many people use fleshly thinking and worldly standards as criteria for measuring their success. God told Joshua, "This book of the law will not depart from your mouth but you will meditate on it day and night so that you can be careful to do according to what is written in it, for then you will make your ways prosperous and then you will have good success." (Josh 1:8) Allow the word of God to evaluate the success of yourself and others as He is the only one with supernatural objective criteria for accurate measurements.
10. COMMUNICATION - God’s word helps us communicate what is essential for life, health and blessing. The writer of Hebrews wrote,
"For the word that God speaks is alive and full of power making it active, operative, energizing and effective. It is sharpher than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life( soul and the immortal spirit) and of joints and marrow (of the deepest parts of nature) exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." (Heb. 4:12 - Amplified)
God’s word has a way of imparting, transmitting and conveying what is true to the inner most parts of a person in ways that only the Spirit can. Use the word of God to communicate in supernatural abilities that works the work of God in every person you minister to. By quoting verses you are enabling the Spirit of God to delve into the deepest recesses of a person’s mind, emotions and will.
11. COOPERATION - God’s word helps us obey the Lord in all aspects of life. Paul wrote, "Let the word of Christ have its home in your hearts and minds and dwell in you in all its richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another in all insight and intelligence and wisdom in spiritual things and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with His grace in your hearts." (Col. 3:16)
Let us learn to echo the words of the hymn:
Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet. Or will walk by His side on the way. Where He sends we will go. What He says we will do. Never fear, only trust and obey."
Illustration: It is said that when the famous missionary, Dr. David Livingstone, started his trek across Africa he had 73 books in 3 packs, weighing 180 pounds. After the party had gone 300 miles, Livingstone was obliged to throw away some of the books because of the fatigue of those carrying his baggage. As he continued on his journey his library grew less and less, until he had but one book left--his Bible.
Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 28.
