Be  Transformed  By  The  Renewing of  Your  Mind

“… and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Rm.12:2

    We are transformed when we renew our mind. But how exactly do we renew our mind. We have to start with our thoughts. Thought is energy, thought is power, thought is creative. Thoughts attract what we are thinking about –negative or positive. Have you noticed that sometimes when you are thinking about somebody they ring you at that moment? Or sometimes in a room you turn around to look exactly at somebody who is looking at you, because their subconscious thought attracted your subconscious thought and caused you to turn around to look at the person, even though the room is full of other people? One preacher said that the second part of our salvation is to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, our subconscious mind.

      You might say that our mind has three parts. The conscious, open part by which we relate to others; the conscious hidden part from others, and the subconscious part. For example, you might say to somebody –you look nice in that, but at the same time we are thinking-that’s horrible. And in our subconscious mind we may have all kinds of negative, sinful  thoughts, beliefs and attitude; unforgiveness, resentment and bitterness ect. And if we have negative thoughts such as-I’ll never

succeed in anything- in the deepest part of our mind, then any positive confession consciously, or efforts practically will be contradicted and made powerless by the subconscious thoughts and beliefs. The conscious mind and the subsciousness must be in agreement in positive confession. Meditation in the word roots out old , negative and sinful beliefs and thoughts and replace them with God’s truth. Our belief system is made up of our thoughts.  (to be continued)

        The first step in the process of sanctification is to be renewed in our mind. And so we begin to “work out your own salvation…”, (which is not to do something to gain salvation; Jesus has given us the free gift  of salvation), but to work it out , to walk it out, because our mind and body were not regenerated, only our spirit was regenerated. So we have to be renewed in our mind. After all, “we have the mind of Christ.” 1Cor.2:16. So we should work it out, walk it out. This starts with our thoughts, then our beliefs, words, imagination, actions , reactions, attitudes, feelings, motives.  

     12th March                  Words

   When we pass others on the street, or when driving or travelling, we can think blessings, peace, health and happiness to others. This way we are praying for others by blessing them instead of being occupied with thoughts of worry, fear, revenge, unforgiveness, and we can’t make any difference by worrying anyway. And when we bless others, even in our thoughts, we are sowing a good seed, “and as a man soweth, so shall he also reap.” Gal.6:7

             “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Ps.19:14.

             “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Pro.18:21

             “Whosoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”Pro.21:23

James 3:1-18 has a lot to say about the mouth and tongue. “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”James 3:6.   “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” James 3: 10.

              Not what goes into a man, but what comes out of a man, out of his mouth- that defiles him with corruption and unrighteousness. “The heart is deceitful above all things , and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jer. 17:9

              Don’t say things like: I’m always sick.  I’m dying of thirst. Don’t speak negative things to your children, like: You are stupid. You will never amount to anything, e.t.c. You are sowing bad seeds into their lives, and those seeds will produce after their own kind.

             Then there are the negative thoughts, the inner conversation in our subconscious mind, the storehouse of memory, with roots in the past; e.g. People will always reject me. I’ll always fail. I’ll never have enough money. That might be true in the natural but it is not true according to the Word of God. Therefore we are speaking lies against the truth of God. “…lie not against the truth.” James 3:14, and we are not bringing these thoughts unto the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5. Also , there should be agreement, truth in two places: in our mouths and in our hearts. “ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Rm.10:10. (t.b.c.)   (next 2 parts are for session 5, not 4.)

              When we are committed to be renewed in our mind consistently, consciously, as a lifestyle, we will walk in Christlikeness, godliness, righteousness, holiness, bearing the fruits of the spirit, bearing fruits of righteousness. “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Rm. 12:2. On the other hand,” friendship with the world is enmity with God.”   “You are like unfaithful wives, having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.” James 4:4. AMP.

              I have mentioned sins of the heart, but I am going to mention it again. “The heart is deceitful above all  things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”  Jer.17:9.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”   Ps.51:10.  “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps. 139: 23-24.

             The heart is the subconscious mind, the spirit, the spirit-man, the inner man of the heart – they are all one and the same thing. When the bible talks about the heart, it is not talking about the physical heart that pumps blood around the body. It is referring to our spirit-man, the inner man of the heart, the real you, the real me – the real person originally made in the image of God, in His nature of love, holiness, etc.

             But because of original sin, others’ sins against us and our own sins, most of all the sins of the heart, stored deep in the subconscious mind, this Christlike image in us is buried, imprisoned and so we cannot be our true selves; we cannot be who God made us to be or realise our true potential.

             We grow up with wrong ideas, wrong beliefs, negative perceptions of our selves, others, our situations and incidents. We come to wrong conclusions of things we’ve seen and heard. To the extent that we have sins of the heart, to that extent our spirit is full of darkness, death and separation from God. “… but your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Isa.59:2.    “Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsaken the Lord, He hath also forsaken you.” 2 Chro. 24:20.   “…He will not turn His face from you if you return toHim.” 2 Chro. 30:9.    We cannot change whatever happened to us – the bad that happened or the good that did not happen. But we can change our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and reactions to those things now, and be healed and come out into the light.     (t.b.c.)

 (to be continued as soon as I can get hold of my notes. Sorry about the long pause.)