Renewing Your Mind

Opening illustration: Object lesson using a small cup of milk representing the world in us. We pour a large jug of water (representing the HS) in it till the cup dispenses the milk completely and has water only.

Introduction:

What must be Renewed?

As our belief systems are formed, they can be corrupted. These corrupted belief systems are called “strongholds” or “fortresses.” These fortresses (corrupted beliefs) prevent us from having an accurate picture of God, others, ourselves, and circumstances. The building blocks of these fortresses are “thoughts”.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Our thoughts need to be captured and renewed because they keep us from knowing God (in a practical and personal way) and from living in obedience to Him.

Why should the mind be renewed?

God’s purpose is that we be set apart from the world, that we not be squeezed into the world’s mold, and therefore reflect the father of this world rather than the glory of God.

The mind is not completely renewed at conversion. This is not an automatic process; it takes time and action. New thinking is a part of the process of experientially moving from our old identity to our new identity; becoming in our thoughts, beliefs, and eventually behavior what we already are in the inner man. Renewing our minds and walking in our new identity is a description of the normal Christian life. We must willfully choose to participate in a new way of thinking, taking “everything thought captive to the obedience of Christ”; “destroying every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.

Our mind or brain is constantly being bombarded by thoughts and ideas from every direction. Each of our five senses contribute to our thoughts and ideas (sight, touch, taste, sound and smell). Therefore, the mind is the largest ever battlefield and for God to have precedence in our life, it must be captive in obedience to God.

How can our mind be renewed?

Before we can renew our minds, we must realize the source for change is in the person of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Spirit will show us what needs to be renewed, when it is to be renewed as well as provide the power to do so. The renewing process, on our part, requires faith in God’s Word and willful participation.

• Set your minds on the things above. (Colossians 3:1)

• Remove the false ways from me. (Psalms 119:28-29)

• ... take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

• Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

• Lay aside the old self ... and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

1. Rejecting the Patterns of the World (v. 2a) – External Renewal

The first thing Paul mentions in this verse is our tendency to conform to the philosophy of this age. This tendency constitutes a pressure against transformation. The word conform means to fashion or shape one thing like another, particularly in its outward appearance. Phillips’ now famous paraphrase still conveys the idea best: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” The tense Paul used indicates that this is the very thing we are prone to do. He said literally, “Stop being fashioned by this age.”

If we have yielded our wills to Christ, Satan is going to try to water down our decision by subtly introducing traces of self-will. Before we met Christ, we operated exclusively on that basis. That’s the only way the people of the world know how to live. They do not even think about doing the will of God. They do as they please, “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” Satan wants us to revert to that basic life style, that “do your own thing” philosophy of this age. And in his attempt to push us into the world’s mold he attacks us from within and attacks us from without.

For one thing, Satan uses our emotional immaturity and our personality defects to cloud our commitment to Christ and to confuse our understanding of his will. A Christian psychiatrist, writing on the will of God, has explained how childhood conflicts which were never resolved can lodge in our subconscious and affect our decisions. Something such as the unfulfilled need for parental affection could cause us to jump into an unwise marriage. Or resentment against a parent could result in our shutting out of our lives someone else with similar traits, without our ever consciously recognizing why we did it.