"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Wait! I thought we were talking about glorifying God with my body, but now we're talking about the mind, what?! They all go hand-in-hand and are intertwined! Look at those verses, the body, spirit, and mind are all mentioned in tandem.
The Apostle Paul, who wrote both Romans and 2 Corinthians, understood that following Christ and living a God-glorifying life was so much more than behavior modification, but about modifying how we think and process. You and I have grown up in various cultures that hold different things as valuable, and naturally have been conformed to live and think in a manner considered acceptable to those around us. Paul says that you and I should not determine what is good and acceptable from those culture's opinions, but by knowing and proving what God's will is. "The renewing of your mind" only happens by knowing God better and better through His word. He gave us His word to tell us everything He wants us to know about Him, and that word is deeper and richer and holds more than you or I could ever tap into. We could read the Bible fifty times and still wouldn't know Him completely! Behavior modification is not His goal; God wants all of you, including your heart and mind.
Look at the 2 Corinthians Scripture above. We could restate it as, "even though we're a part of this world, our biggest battle is not with other people or other countries, but within our own hearts. We can't use swords or any other physical weapons, but we have the greatest and most powerful warrior and weapon - Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I don't have to believe the lies I hear in my head (I'm not good-looking because I'm overweight, I'm not worth other people's time or love, Jesus only loves me because He has to) and instead can read God's Word. His Word makes it clear that all of those lies are false and when I start dwelling on something somebody did or said about me, I can stop and consider whether it is true or not based on what God says." God's Word, Christ's victory and the Holy Spirit's work in our hearts are more powerful than ANYTHING on this earth.
How do we do this? First, spend time each day reading God's Word. Don't know where to start? I would suggest either Psalms, John or 1 John. Try to read a chapter a day as a goal. Before you read, pray and ask God to help you get to know Him better through His Word.
Second, memorize a Scripture. Mull over it as you go throughout your day. If you struggle with discontentment, memorize and meditate on Philippians 4:11-13. If you struggle with being easily offended, memorize and meditate on Proverbs 19:11 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (particularly v. 5). If you need help knowing what Scriptures to turn to, use the brief booklet, Transformed Into His Likeness by Armand P. Tiffe.
Third, and maybe this should have been first, pray. When your mind runs away from you, stop and pray. Spend some of your prayer time focused on what is going on in your head and heart, but also spend time focused on God, His promises, what He has done, and asking God for help to believe and trust Him. The more you focus on yourself and your sin, the more depressing and debilitating the effect. When you couple that recognition with confessing your sin while also focusing on God's grace, forgiveness and goodness, you will grow to see how much greater He is than your sin. Sin can't master you if it can no longer depress and debilitate you; it cannot stand against the hope you have in the Cross.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your power and victory. Thank You for not wanting me to stay the same, but to change and become more like You, being set free from the sin that has held me captive for so long. Thank You for Your Word that guides my mind and helps me know You. Thank You for not leaving me without hope. You are so good. Amen.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Wait! I thought we were talking about glorifying God with my body, but now we're talking about the mind, what?! They all go hand-in-hand and are intertwined! Look at those verses, the body, spirit, and mind are all mentioned in tandem.
The Apostle Paul, who wrote both Romans and 2 Corinthians, understood that following Christ and living a God-glorifying life was so much more than behavior modification, but about modifying how we think and process. You and I have grown up in various cultures that hold different things as valuable, and naturally have been conformed to live and think in a manner considered acceptable to those around us. Paul says that you and I should not determine what is good and acceptable from those culture's opinions, but by knowing and proving what God's will is. "The renewing of your mind" only happens by knowing God better and better through His word. He gave us His word to tell us everything He wants us to know about Him, and that word is deeper and richer and holds more than you or I could ever tap into. We could read the Bible fifty times and still wouldn't know Him completely! Behavior modification is not His goal; God wants all of you, including your heart and mind.
Look at the 2 Corinthians Scripture above. We could restate it as, "even though we're a part of this world, our biggest battle is not with other people or other countries, but within our own hearts. We can't use swords or any other physical weapons, but we have the greatest and most powerful warrior and weapon - Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I don't have to believe the lies I hear in my head (I'm not good-looking because I'm overweight, I'm not worth other people's time or love, Jesus only loves me because He has to) and instead can read God's Word. His Word makes it clear that all of those lies are false and when I start dwelling on something somebody did or said about me, I can stop and consider whether it is true or not based on what God says." God's Word, Christ's victory and the Holy Spirit's work in our hearts are more powerful than ANYTHING on this earth.
How do we do this? First, spend time each day reading God's Word. Don't know where to start? I would suggest either Psalms, John or 1 John. Try to read a chapter a day as a goal. Before you read, pray and ask God to help you get to know Him better through His Word.
Second, memorize a Scripture. Mull over it as you go throughout your day. If you struggle with discontentment, memorize and meditate on Philippians 4:11-13. If you struggle with being easily offended, memorize and meditate on Proverbs 19:11 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (particularly v. 5). If you need help knowing what Scriptures to turn to, use the brief booklet, Transformed Into His Likeness by Armand P. Tiffe.
Third, and maybe this should have been first, pray. When your mind runs away from you, stop and pray. Spend some of your prayer time focused on what is going on in your head and heart, but also spend time focused on God, His promises, what He has done, and asking God for help to believe and trust Him. The more you focus on yourself and your sin, the more depressing and debilitating the effect. When you couple that recognition with confessing your sin while also focusing on God's grace, forgiveness and goodness, you will grow to see how much greater He is than your sin. Sin can't master you if it can no longer depress and debilitate you; it cannot stand against the hope you have in the Cross.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your power and victory. Thank You for not wanting me to stay the same, but to change and become more like You, being set free from the sin that has held me captive for so long. Thank You for Your Word that guides my mind and helps me know You. Thank You for not leaving me without hope. You are so good. Amen.
RSS Feed