SERMON
BY BRO. SETH A. ARYEE
LOCAL PREACHER, BETHANY METHODIST CHURCH, DZORWULU, ACCRA-GHANA
THEME: RENEWAL OF MIND
ROMANS 12: 1-2
TEXT: “AND BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD: BUT BE YE TRANSFORMED . . .” [ROMANS 12:2]
In our secular world, we usually conform to societal values and expectation. Not until we change our mindset against the expectation of our society, we shall find it difficult, if not impossible, to follow the tenets of our Christian life. Transformation is a process called renewal of mind. Mind in this context means understanding and not brain. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" Proverbs 4:7
The renewal of our minds must center on the use of our resources - treasure, time, and talents. The more disillusioned we are with the world, the more motivated we should be to pursue the Christian way. If we are not willing to face the reality that we live in a fallen world, that possessions fail to give any lasting happiness, then we are not going to move along the rough road of life with steady treading
We live in a world where lies are commonplace, and the sooner we face that painful fact the better
We must renounce lies such as: human beings are basically good; we are not responsible for the way we are; we can find happiness independently of God. The truth of God does not begin to dawn upon us until we realize that what we have assumed was the truth – that we are the masters of our fate – is in fact a lie. It is painful to admit that we have been taken in by the world’s lies but until we accept that we have, and confess it, we are not ready to move on into all that God has for us
If you do not have any respect for time, you cannot progress because time is a perishable commodity which cannot be recovered when missed. Remember that you are not becoming younger and you are losing strength day to day
In Isaiah 1: 19-20: “If you are willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”. For transformation to take place, there are two principal pre-requisites:
· Willingness – following after in submission
· Obedience – listening attentively with the intention to act on what is heard
On the other hand, conforming will take place under the following conditions:
· Refusal – deciding not to do something to change your situation
· Rebellion – resisting stubbornly against challenges and apparent need to change
You have the choice – willingness and obedience or refusal and rebellion. The good of the land is before you; the land can yield much for you – but you must be willing and obedient. Choice is the condition of the heart, mind, and attitude.
In 2 Kings 7:1-3, we are told that when Samaria was besieged by Syria there was severe famine to the extent that women began to boil and eat their children. And the Word of the Lord came to Elisha: “Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria”
However, an advisor of the king doubted this prophecy. So Elisha told him thus: “Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof”. The prophet had said that the situation would change but some doubted looking at the current circumstances. The same is true of some of us in our country. The economy is not picking up to the extent that we have all lost hope in life. If we will only listen this articulation of God’s Word to His people: “For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease” Job 7:14
The King trusted his man who felt threatened by Elisha’s hope in the Lord to turn the situation. Remember that some people benefit by bad situations. Somebody needs a chaotic situation or trouble to enable them to thrive and survive. In spite of the man’s perception, the prophet intimated that what God wanted to do would come to pass but that he would not taste of it. Why did he say that? - He could not move from the familiarity of scarcity to possibility of abundance. This man was familiar with hunger. People have lived with poverty for so long that they have ever lost hope of making it in life. Even when they are given large sums of money and they are asked to claim it, they will not believe it
There are people who are familiar with pain and inadvertently would not want pain to go out of their lives. They are used to getting up in the morning to carry heavy load on their heads. You may have pity on him but his head and neck are used to carry that load. If you advise him to stop carrying the load and go to learn some trade, his answer would shock you – “I can’t do any other job”. He is not ready to change
To see is to observe; to taste is to experience. Many of us have been seeing good things in life, happening in other people’s life, yet we are not experiencing them personally. This situation occurs because we have not renewed our minds – not willing and not obedient. May it never be said of you that you see and yet not taste the good of the land
There are people who don’t want the nation to go forward; otherwise, they are in trouble. Some businessmen and politicians thrive on the ignorance of the masses. If the people are educated, they don’t need any hero to solve their problems and the politician is not needed again. As change comes, it rearranges the system – everybody needs to change if the nation, church, community and family units should progress
Building a culture of knowledge is better that a culture of fear. As your children are growing, you’ll see them often asking more questions on your commands for explanation. Otherwise, they assume that there is no reason for your command and, therefore, break the rules
When our minds are not renewed, we do not enjoy God’s blessings. With God’s blessings, He gives us wisdom to be unique and special. The blessings of God make the difference: “The blessings of the Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” [Proverbs 10:22]. If you see your colleague blessed by God, don’t envy him because you cannot do anything about it to change the course of God’s purpose for his life. It is an act of God
David had the blessing of God – to attack and kill a lion, a bear, Goliath and to win all his battles. God protected him from the envy of Saul. Don’t attempt to stop a blessed man! You who are blessed will not die until you have fulfilled the purpose for which God has planned for you. When our minds are not renewed, we do not enjoy God’s blessings; we think our situation cannot be changed and that God’s promises are too far-fetched
In Hebrews 4:1,2 we find that the Word must be mixed with faith. Believe and faith are two different things. Believe must translate into action. Whenever God speaks His Word, He releases it in faith and we must receive it in faith. Faith is both a fact and an act. Whenever Jesus prayed for people, He made them act. To the blind, He said: “Go thy way ” [Mark 10:46-52]. To the palsied man, He said: “Rise up and walk” [Luke 5:17-26]. To the man with the withered hand, He said: “Stretch it” [Matthew 12:9-14]. May the Lord Jesus meet your need now as you receive it in faith.
When our minds are renewed, we
· Transform our present weaknesses into strengths
· Remove our limitations
· Break barriers of impossibilities
· Position ourselves to receive God’s blessings
There are three issues to this process of transformation:
· Inform – there are certain negative family traits which you have been informed about and for which you are fearfully attached to
· Conform – you set your standards to what other people may be doing
· Transform – change is necessary in one’s life
Information released can do two things - know and become. Remember that it is not what you know but what you become. Go beyond knowing to becoming – knowing is not enough; change is necessary
There are four positions that the Word can stay in your life:
· Old form – poverty, failure, sin, ignorance, chaos, sickness, and pain. This could be corporate, personal or national. God wants to change this old form by providing you with new information. If the new form sits on top of the old form, it is not transformation; it is superficial because the old is still there and there is no change. Someone studies and works in America as a road engineer, follows the rules and standards to the delight of his superiors. However, when he comes back to Ghana, he is not able to do exactly what he used to do in America and conforms to the traditions in Ghana – he becomes careless and works to no details. This is like putting the new form on the old form. Information is not to make you know, but to become
· New form comes and stays by the side of the old; issues are duplicated. He has received two different forms and operates with all the two. This is a situation of confusion and chaos
· New form goes under the old form and creates carnality
· New form kicks away the old form and creates a new form in replacement of the old; this is transformation. It takes a radical shift in your thinking to change your situation. If the new form is unable to change the old form, there is no transformation. Transformation is the process by which you are ready to throw away the old form and embrace the new
Scriptures tell us about two contrasting personalities:
· The woman with an issue of blood for twelve years renewed her mind; setting aside visits to doctors and spending her wealth trying to get healing. She said: “If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole” [Mark 5:25-34]. Instantly, she was healed because she trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ
· The man at the Pool of Bethesda for 38 years was helpless and knew that he had no one to put him into the pool when the water was troubled. Unlike the woman, Jesus had commanded him: “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” [John 5:1-18]
There is more you can do than your mind tells you. Some of us think there is a curse in our families. For instance, all the women in your family do not succeed when they enter marriage; in fact, their husbands send them back home. And in your present marriage, you are still entertaining that fear that one day your husband will send you back to your parents
When you have experienced maltreatment from a man who jilted you at the height of your love, devotion and trust, you tend not to trust any man again. However, due to societal and family pressures, you are forced to enter into a relationship again. Whilst, you are saying with your mouth: “I do . . .”, in your heart, you are saying: “I don’t trust you”
Why tie your life to some ancestor. Christ has liberated you and the curses of your forefathers cannot be on you. Break away from it in Jesus’ Name!
Perhaps, in your family nobody reaches the age of 50 years and dies. You can recall that your aunties, uncles, cousins, nephews, grandparents, parents and the wider family went through the same situation. And you are afraid that the same fate will come to you. You see death in the pot! I bring you good tidings – death in the family at young age is ceasing from today in your generation
In Ecclesiastes 10:5-7, the Preacher proclaimed: “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceeded from the ruler: folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth”. That situation has made you settle for a life far below your dignity. Renew your mind because things are going to change in your favour. People who have potential to be princes are walking; they are working with the information they had sometime ago and it has become a barrier to reaching heavenly places
Sometimes people who deserve much don’t have much; it is a life without honour and dignity. It is in the mind – renew the mind. We live the life people think we deserve. When the mind is renewed, it positions us to taste of the goodness of God in all areas of our lives
The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit. Money has gone into the wrong hands. Why don’t you have it? There is the need to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Don’t live on wages; live on profits!
I used to say: “I’m sure that things will change”. Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for me is when I change. We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons:
· Inspiration, or
· Desperation
If you don’t like how things are, change it! You are not a tree but "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and the tender branch thereof will not cease" - Job 14:7
You may have a thousand different goals over the course of your lifetime, but they all will fall into one of four basic categories. Everything you do is an attempt to enhance the quality of your life in one or more of these areas, according to Brian Tracy
The first category is your desire for happy relationships. You want to love and be loved by others. "Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it." -Dr. Karl Menninger
You want to have a happy, harmonious home life. You want to get along well with the people around you, and you want to earn the respect of the people you respect. "Don’t look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness. " -James Thurber
Your involvement in social and community affairs results from your desire to have happy interactions with others and to make a contribution to the society you live in. "The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them. " -Ralph Nichols
The second category is your desire for interesting and challenging work. You want to make a good living, of course, but more than that, you want to really enjoy your occupation or profession. The very best times of your life are when you are completely absorbed in your work
The third category is your desire for financial independence. You want to be free from worries about money. You want to have enough money in the bank so that you can make decisions without counting your pesewas. You want to achieve a certain financial state so that you can retire in comfort and never have to be concerned about whether or not you have enough money to support your lifestyle. Financial independence frees you from poverty and a need to depend upon others for your livelihood. If you save and invest regularly throughout your working life, you will eventually reach the point where you will never have to work again. "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." -Kahlil Gibrain (1883-1931)
The fourth and final category is your desire for good health, to be free of pain and illness and to have a continuous flow of energy and feelings of well-being. In fact, your health is so central to your life that you take it for granted until something happens to disrupt it
Peace of mind is essential for every one of these. The greater your peace of mind, the more relaxed and positive you are, the less stress you suffer, the better is your overall health
The more peace of mind you have, the better are your relationships, the more optimistic, friendly and confident you are with everyone in your life. When you feel good about yourself on the inside, you do your work better and take more pride in it. You are better boss and co-worker. And the greater your overall peace of mind, the more likely you are to earn a good living, save regularly for the future and ultimately achieve financial independence
Life is very much a study of attention. Whatever you dwell upon and think about grows and expands in your life. The more you pay attention to your relationships, the quality and quantity of your work, your finances and your health, the better they will become and the happier you will be
Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action
· First, take time on a regular basis to think about what would make you really happy in each of the four areas
· Second, set specific, measurable goals for improvement in your relationships, your health, your work and your finances and write them down
· Third, resolve to do something every day to increase the quality of some area of your life – and then keep your resolution
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly a man says: “This is the only area where I let down”. This is not true. Every let down affects the rest
Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure. Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles. One discipline always leads to another discipline. Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion. The least lack of discipline starts to erode our self-esteem
Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become. Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. Don’t take the casual approach to life. Casualness leads to casualties. Success is the study of the obvious. Everyone should take Obvious I and Obvious II in school. Success is not so much what we have as it is what we are. Success is 20% skills and 80% strategy. You might know how to read, but more importantly, what is your plan to read? Average people look for ways of getting away with it; successful people look for ways of getting on with it
It takes time to build a life; and it takes time to develop and grow. So give yourself, your enterprise, and your family the time they deserve and the time they require. The twin killers of success are impatience and greed
Leadership is the great challenge of the 21st century in science, politics, education, and industry. But the greatest challenge in leadership is parenting. We need to do more than just get our enterprises ready for the challenges of the twenty-first century. We also need to get our children ready for the challenges of the 21st century. If you talk to your children, you can help them to keep their lives together. If you talk to them skillfully, you can help them to build future dreams
Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurt s, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you
We must all wage an intense, lifelong battle against the constant downward pull. If we relax, the bugs and weeds of negativity will move into the garden and take away everything of value. If you spend five minutes complaining, you have just wasted five minutes. If you continue complaining, it won’t be long before they haul you out to a financial desert and there let you choke on the dust of your own regret
You cannot take the mild approach to the weeds in your mental garden. You have got to hate weeds enough to kill them. Weeds are not something you handle; weeds are something you devastate
Economic disaster begins with a philosophy of doing less and wanting more. If you want to amend your errors, you must begin by amending your philosophy. Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out. Only human beings can reorder their lives any day they choose by refining their philosophy. The key factor that will determine your financial future is not the economy; the key factor is your philosophy. Your philosophy determines whether you will go for the disciplines or continue the errors. Philosophy is the sum total of all that you know and what you decide is valuable
Don’t borrow someone else’s plan. Develop your own philosophy and it will lead you to unique places. If you learn to set a good sail, the wind that blows will always take you to the dreams you want, the income you want, and the treasures of mind, purse, and soul you want
You don’t conform; you get transformed. It is time for:
· Rebuilding of the ruins of social life
· Restoration of fruitfulness
· Recovery of joy in relationships
Renewal of mind positions us to taste the goodness of God in all areas of our lives – spiritual, material, emotional and physical. Today something must happen in your mind and what is good, desirable, perfect will of God will challenge you and change the situation for you
AS YOU PUT YOUR HAND ON YOUR HEAD, SAY:
AS FOR ME, I WILL WALK IN MY INTEGRITY: REDEEM ME, AND BE MERCIFUL UNTO ME [PSALM 26:11]
I SHALL NOT BE AFRAID OF EVIL TIDINGS: MY HEART IS FIXED, TRUSTING IN THE LORD [PSALM 112:7]
MANY ARE MY AFFLICTIONS, BUT THE LORD SHALL DELIVER ME OUT OF THEM ALL [PSALM 34:19]
AND BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND; AND THAT YE PUT ON THE NEW MAN, WHICH AFTER GOD IS CREATED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUE HOLINESS [EPHESIANS 4:23,24]
THE LORD IS MY ROCK, AND MY FORTRESS, AND MY DELIVERER; MY GOD, MY STRENGTH, IN WHOM I WILL TRUST; MY BUCKLER, AND THE HORN OF MY SALVATION, AND MY HIGH TOWER [PSALM 18:2]
THE LORD WILL LIGHT MY CANDLE; THE LORD MY GOD WILL ENLIGHTEN MY DARKNESS [PSALM 18:28]
IT IS GOD WHO GIRDS ME WITH STRENGTH AND MAKES MY WAY PERFECT [PSALM 18:32]
MY PATH IS AS THE SHINING LIGHT THAT SHINES MORE AND MORE TO THE PERFECT DAY [PROVERBS 4:18]
THE LORD IS MY LIGHT AND MY SALVATION; THE LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE; I SHALL FEAR NO MAN [PSALM 27:1]
THE LORD SHALL HEAL MY BROKEN HEART AND BIND UP MY WOUNDS [PSALM 147:3]
THOUGH I WALK IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE, YOU WILL REVIVE ME: YOU WILL STRETCH FORTH YOUR HAND AGAINST THE WRATH OF MY ENEMIES; YOUR RIGHT HAND SHALL SAVE ME [PSALM 138:7]
MY MOUTH IS FILLED WITH LAUGHTER, AND MY TONGUE WITH SINGING [PSALM 126:2]
WHEN I PASS THROUGH THE WATERS, YOU WILL BE WITH ME; AND THROUGH THE RIVERS, THEY SHALL NOT OVERFLOW ME; WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE FIRE, I WILL NOT BE BURNED; NEITHER SHALL THE FLAME KINDLE ON ME [ISAIAH 43:2]
LORD, I AM WAITING ON YOU TO RENEW MY STRENGTH; LET ME MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES; LET ME RUN AND NOT FAINT; WHEN I WALK I SHALL NOT FAINT [ISAIAH 40:31]
ALL THINGS SHALL WORK FOR MY GOOD BECAUSE I LOVE GOD AND I HAVE BEEN CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE [ROMANS 8:28]
NO WEAPON THAT IS FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER; AND EVERY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST ME IN JUDGEMENT IS CONDEMNED. THIS IS THE HERITAGE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD [ISAIAH 54:17]
I PUT OFF THE FORMER CONVERSATION OF THE OLD MAN, WHICH IS CORRUPT ACCORDING TO THE DECEITFUL LUSTS; AND I AM BEING RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF MY MIND [EPHESIANS 4:23,24]
LORD, TWO THINGS I REQUIRE OF YOU; DENY ME THEM NOT BEFORE I DIE; REMOVE FAR FROM ME VANITY AND LIES; GIVE ME NEITHER POVERTY NOR RICHES; FEED ME WITH FOOD CONVENIENT FOR ME [PROVERBS 30:7-8]
BENEDICTION
MAY YOU PROSPER AND BE IN HEALTH, EVEN AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS
MAY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW YOU ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE. MAY YOU DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER
NOW THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING, THAT YOU MAY ABOUND IN HOPE, THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST
MAY THE LORD, WHO GOES BEFORE YOU, BE WITH YOU; MAY HE NEVER FAIL YOU, NOR FORSAKE YOU
