Renewal
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2, ESV)
Thoughts are powerful. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” The term “heart” in this verse comes from the Hebrew word “Leb” and it means “inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.” (Strong’s Concordance). Basically, how we think will determine how we live this life.
In Romans 12, Paul urges us to renew our minds in order to be transformed, no longer following the ways of the world. If you notice, the sentence is written more as a command (an imperative). Paul is telling us to renew our minds. But how?
To begin with, stop filling your mind with junk. Philippians 4:8 says to think upon “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable…” Do you notice how these qualities reflect our LORD? He is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (plus a whole list of other things). God designed our brains and He knows how they work. He knows how much our thoughts affect our lives, so if He’s having us think upon such things, don’t you think we should take heed and obey?
Next, filter your thoughts. Second Corinthians 10:5 says to “…take every thought captive to obey Christ.” It is up to us on how we handle our thoughts. Yes, unwanted thoughts may pop into our heads, but how we handle those thoughts will determine the affect it has on our emotions and actions. Do you reject the thought or do you dwell upon it, allowing it to take up your time and energy? Do these thoughts reflect how the LORD wants you to live your life or are they part of this world? Filtering our thoughts requires us to be active in our thought processes, rather than passive. First Peter 1:13-14 calls us to prepare our minds for action and to be sober while being holy as God is holy, no longer conforming to our old ways.
Finally, replace your old thoughts with new thoughts that worship and honor God. Jesus tells us to “love the Lord…with all our mind” (Matthew 22:36). If we focus on the things of the Lord and love Him with all we have within us, then there will be no room for those ugly, sinful thoughts. Beware, though, because our enemy would love to trip us up with our thoughts. It can be easy to let our guard down (like after a long day), which is why we need to be prepared to battle our thoughts.
We are not alone in our journey. The Holy Spirit will help us renew our mind as He has started a new work in us. Pray and ask Him to show you what thoughts need to be renewed. He is our Helper and our Guide. But we have a role to play as well. Once we stop filling our minds with the things of this world and begin seeing the world as God sees it, then we will be truly transformed.
*For more information on renewing your mind, I recommend reading Switch on Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf. Her book is full of information on how the brain works and includes a process which will help you renew your thoughts.
