Mind renewal
I got saved through a young man I met at L’Abri in Switzerland who had a transformed mind. He used to think one way and then saw things a completely different way, and I was intrigued. I either had to believe or reject his explanation for what had changed him.
God gives us His Spirit and then says to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Even mediocre grammar students will recognize this as a command, an activity on our part, in cooperation with the Spirit in us. We are to imbibe the Word of God and let it make a difference in how we look at the world, our lives, and things that happen to us. The doctrines or teachings of Jesus are never meant to be theoretical, as Francis Schaeffer wrote in True Spirituality:
“… the supernatural … is where the Christian is to live. Doctrine is important but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment.”
To illustrate I will share three examples:
A friend of mine spent herself and her resources for years on a niece who responded with nothing but meanness and came no closer to Christ. One day, someone suggested to my friend that perhaps her niece fit the description of what the book of Proverbs calls a “fool,” a person hardened to even the most cogent spiritual appeal. My friend searched the Scriptures and realized this was true. The knowledge of the truth completely flipped the way she looked at the situation. It lifted a load of guilt from her for not being able to reach her niece, and she has since committed her niece to God through prayer and experienced great relief. My husband was a drug addict for decades and was delivered 15 years ago in a powerful encounter with God, removing not only the habit but also the desire to use drugs. But another breakthrough came when he finally was able to believe that his identity was no longer “drug addict” but “new creation.” This opened a whole new door for him as well. It was not only that he came to think of it as good policy to tell the truth, but also that walking in the truth could be a way of life. In my own case, I am tempted by the devil to lament the lack of gifts I have in certain kinds of thinking. But I always find instant relief when I shake off that temptation and remind myself that God did not see fit to give me such and such gifts, and that’s OK. It is not my fault that I am not sharp in those areas. All that is required is that I do my best with what God did give me.Romans 12:2 teaches that we are responsible for our minds, to transform them according to truth, and to stop believing lies. We can begin obeying this right now.
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