Therefore I urge you, brothers [and sisters], by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as 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 NASB
God’s Word tells me that it is possible to renew my mind. What I have also found in His Word is that I can change the way I feel by changing the way I think. Every feeling I have is attached to a thought I think. When I confront a bad or sinful thought with the truth of God’s Word, I have learned to renounce that thought and to replace it with God’s Word. Temptation is dealt with and feelings and attitudes change as a result…and my behavior follows suit.
For as he thinks within himself, so he is. — Proverbs 23:7a NASB
Following are my personal top ten tools I utilize daily to renew and transform my mind. They are based on God’s Word.
1. Know who and Whose I am.
Bottom line, I was born again. Became a new creation. All the old Dennis Jernigan was crucified and buried with Christ and then the new Dennis Jernigan was called forth from the grave. I was redeemed by the blood of Christ. I was made clean by the blood of Christ. My life was ransomed and purchased by the blood of Christ. I am His and He is mine.
2. My deliverance from my old way of thinking was instantaneous yet is a process.
In an instant I was born again, but I was not as free as I was meant to be. When Lazarus was called forth from the dead, he was fully alive but he was not fully free. He was still wrapped up in the clothes of death—the grave clothes—that kept him bound up in the things of death. Jesus told those around Lazarus to loose those grave clothes from Him. That is what I had to do…and continue to do. I see the lies of the enemy concerning my identity as grave clothes that need to be removed. Renewing my mind is a process of removing the lies of the enemy and replacing them with the truth of God’s Word.
3. The truth of God’s Word is what sets my mind free.
When we seek to know God by the reading of and meditation on His Word, the lies of the enemy are exposed. What do we do when a lie we are believing is revealed? We renounce it and cast it out of our mind and put it under our feet…and then we replace that lie with the truth of God’s Word. Put off the lie and put on the truth.
4. I don’t get to call myself something my Heavenly Father doesn’t call me.
I don’t get to call myself stupid or worthless or a failure or a victim or anything less than a man of God. I call myself—define myself—by how my Father defines me by calling myself who He says I am.
5. I get to know my identity by getting to know my Father’s identity.
He is Healer. I am an agent of healing. He is Provider. I am an agent of His Kingdom riches. He is victorious. I am an agent of victory leading others to freedom in Christ. He is present with me. I am an agent of—the actual dwelling place of His presence—and I am a vessel of His presence to the world around me. He is Peace. I am an agent of His peace. He is my Shepherd. I am His sheep and also an under-shepherd leading others to know Christ. He is my Sanctifier and my Holiness. I am an agent of His sanctity and holiness to the world around me. He is my Righteousness. I am an ambassador of Christ presenting His righteousness to the world around me by the way in which I live my life.
We are our Father’s children. His spiritual DNA flows in us. Get to know God and you’ll come to understand more of who you are in Christ.
6. John 8:32 says ‘You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’
The first step toward freedom is truth…our honest confession of sin and of our need for a Savior. I find it interesting that the word ‘know’ in the verse is the Greek word ginoskos. It is a term which means personal, intimate, and experiential knowledge. It is the same word Mary spoke to the angel who appeared to her telling her she would bring forth a son. Mary said, “But I ‘know’—ginoskos—no man.”
My point is simple. When we come to the Lord in utter honesty, exposing the hidden places of our hearts to Him, He washes us clean and replaces that hidden thing with the freedom we long for. ‘You will have an intimate relationship with the truth of God’s Word and God’s Word will set you free.’ Honesty really is the best policy!
7. I am not defined by my feelings.
This is a big element of renewing my mind. Simple yet massive in the power it wields. Every feeling we have can be traced back to something we have believed in our mind…back to a thought. The bottom line is quite simple. If we want to change the way we feel emotionally, we need to change the way we think. In other words, we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
8. I need other people in my life.
There is victory in an abundance of counselors. That being said, I do not need everybody to like me or to agree with me, or to even love me. I just need a few (Jesus had 12) and I need the main source of love to come from my relationship with my Father. Relationship is key to life. Even introverts like me need to step out of their comfort zone and build life-giving relationships with others. Think of it this way. Life would not exist without relationship.
9. I believe God loves me just because I exist.
I believe He loves me even when I sin. I believe He loves me no matter what. I believe He loves me in spite of my circumstances and that He wants only what is best for me. I believe God likes me and loves just being with me. Believing God loves me crushes the power of fear in my life. Believing God loves me leaves no room for fear in my mind. God is love—and He loves me!
10. God wastes nothing.
He does not waste my sorrow. He does not waste my pain. He does not waste my suffering. He does not waste my disappointments. He does not waste the broken places of my life. He uses all things for our good and for His glory. A great way to think of this is to seek to see and live life from God’s point of view. How do we do that? We seek first the kingdom by seeking the King. When we seek the King, we tend to see the big picture of life as we see our circumstances from His grand perspective.
These are just a few examples of the tools placed in our personal arsenals as new creations in Christ for the renewing of our minds. My hope is that they would serve to help you renew your mind daily and that they would bring great joy and freedom and a kingdom sense of adventure to the journey of your life while simultaneously helping you see your life from God’s point of view…that He wastes nothing!
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to [His] purpose. — Romans 8:28 NASB
The Wonders of Worshiping God
Honestly, we can accomplish all ten of these tools by simply worshiping God with our entire being. Worship can be an act of service that takes our focus off of “me” and places it on the needs of others and upon the worthiness of God. Worship in song utilizes our thoughts, our emotions, our senses, and even our physical body! Worship is a lifestyle and a way of thinking that takes the focus off of us and literally transforms our minds while reminding us of who and of Whose we are! How can one worship God without being transformed in some way each and every time? His presence and love are fathomless and mind-blowing!
Finally, brothers [and sisters,] whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. — Philippians 4:8 NASB
