“Renewing The Mind!”

(Transcript of CD#70)

One of the hardest things to change in our life is our way of thinking. Our mind is so very powerful it contains the words of our tongue. We know from the great book of James that our tongue is likened to a rudder on a ship in one instance. Just as the rudder on that ship turns the vessel in direction of its destiny so it is with our words. We know this because when we believed in our heart and confessed with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ our life went from death to eternal!

So we see the importance of changing, renewing our minds to match our Lord. Please keep in mind though, how long you were building your thought patterns. It took you x many years to train yourself to where you are in life now. So don’t be discouraged when you don’t change overnight after becoming a Christian.

Today’s study is for everybody! It does not matter if your rich or poor, highly intelligent or average, powerful or weak, handsome, beautiful or homely, free or bound in some way. No matter who you are, or where you have come from: success only comes by renewing our minds and thinking according to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The world has deceived all of us, at one time or another. As time went by we started a pattern of thinking just for our survival. Dog eat dog, get them before they get us etc.…. There is no peace in a life that the world offers. So we try to find satisfaction within our minds with fleeing avenues to no avail. When we have come to our last rope we finally “try Jesus” the only true answer. Now we must learn how to reprogram our minds for success, success according to the Lord.

Q. What does the word renew mean?

A. Renew means to renovate, to make new again.

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore “if” any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

You and I are a new creation in Christ Jesus since we believed in the heart and confessed with the mouth. We are babes all over again in the mind. Just as we had to learn “everything” as a baby in the flesh now we must learn as a babe in Christ. Study 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and look at how Paul addresses babes and then study:

• 1 Peter 2:1-2 says, “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:”

A baby’s natural desires for milk keeps it alive and makes it grow; we in like matter should desire the Word! The word desire is not a strong enough in my opinion. Desire is translated from the Greek word epipotheo meaning to yearn, to intensely crave.

Q. Agree or disagree: we’re a people of habit of our “actions and our reactions”?

A. Action is the state or process of doing, behavior or conduct.

Reaction is a response to a stimulus in other words it’s your action (response) resulting from the stimulus.

Q. What causes us to act or react in the way that we do to a situation?

A. We are what we eat sort of speaks, good or bad, earthly or heavenly. What we feed our minds with determines our thoughts, which shape our actions and our reactions daily.

The first half of Proverbs 23:7 says For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…. This word thinketh is translated from the Hebrew word shaar meaning to split or open, to act as a gate-keeper, fig to think. We must be careful to what we open our mind to think on or to ponder. These thoughts plant seed in our hearts that produce tomorrow’s fruit. We can’t become a Christian and continue to think according to the old man! The old man’s way of thinking was set by the world of sin.

Think about your gardens that you plant each spring. When you plant say a corn seed into the ground, what kind of plant sprouts up? Sounds silly right, of course it is a stalk of corn. Use whatever seed you would like to use for an example, it doesn’t matter. God’s Law is always kind after kind no matter what. We can’t plant the world’s seed into our heart and then produce fruit for God’s Kingdom. We can’t plant one thing in our hearts and expect another type of fruit.

• Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

Q. What kind of fruit are you reaping from your daily life?

A. If it’s things that you are not pleased with, or happy about “change your seed”! Plant according to the Word of your Lord and Master!

This helps us to understand why it’s so important to plant this flesh in the likeness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we have renewed our mind and are walking in the newness of life we will reap life everlasting. Study 1 Corinthians chapter 15 for more on that subject in your home study time.

Turn to the book of Romans:

• Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

So we as Christians must learn how not to walk after the flesh but rather after the Holy Spirit! We can only do this by “renewing” our minds according to God’s Word. Just as we feed daily our flesh bodies with food we must now feed our spiritual bodies with the Word. Slowly but surely with each passing day our minds are renewed and we become more Christ-like.

• *Romans 8:2-4 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Living Word that renews our minds and frees us from sin and death.

• *Romans 8:5-8 says, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Here we have some verses of scripture that show how important it is how we think. If we are thinking, living by the old man then we are in the flesh and an enemy of God. We must make ourselves subject to the Word of God and live by it as we take it into our hearts. When we plant thus saith the Lord in our hearts the things of the world fall in behind our God. We start seeking things “above” first and foremost in our daily lives.

Now let’s look at some verses to help us see if we have truly risen in a new creation with Christ. Now keep in mind we all are growing and climbing together at different “spurts”.

• Colossians 3:1 says, ““If” ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

We are a new creation in Christ Jesus and we show that by seeking things of the spiritual and not of the below or fleshly. We want to be with Christ Jesus in the eternity so that is where we have set our affections, on Him and His traits or likeness. Remember Matt. 6:21 says For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

• Colossians 3:2-3 says, “Set your affection on things above, not on the things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
• Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.”

For we are dead simple means: just as a physically dead person has no desire for the world, neither do we desire the world now we’re in Christ. We are just pilgrims passing through this is not our home. We now see the truth and don’t become attached to the things that are temporal. The Lord Jesus Christ is our life so we naturally are of like kind. Each day we live for Him and the more we plant His Word into our lives we are changed.

• *Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.”

You will understand why we came here as we cover more scripture. I just want to include the full context of thought. The following scripture will help us know how we are to live (think in our mind) so we will be ready for our Lord’s return!

• Colossians 3:5 says, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”

Our members of the fleshly body must be put to death in order for us to be renewed in our mind. You might consider us like a tree with many limbs. We must prune (cut off) the limbs that produce fruit of this world. We will speak more of this spiritual pruning later on in this study and find it comes only by the Word!

• *Colossians 3:6 says, “For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience (disbelief and rebellious):”
• *Colossians 3:7 says, “In which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.”
• *Colossians 3:8 says, “But now ye also put off all of these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”

We are walking in a process of sanctification that is an everyday advancement of renewal. I may be doing some things in my life that you have laid aside. That is fine as long as I’m still growing and climbing closer to my Lord. We all grow at different speeds and intervals as I fore stated.

• *Colossians 3:9 says, “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”

Let’s take just a second here to understand this verse better. The words “put off” was translated from the Greek word apekduomai meaning: to divest wholly oneself. Divest simply means to strip of clothing or to deprive of rank or rights. So we might say our old man has been stripped of his rank, now our spiritual man is in control by the power of the Holy Spirit! The word deeds was translated from the Greek word praxis meaning to practice, practice our habits. We no longer practice these habits of the flesh because we are becoming renewed in our minds daily! Sure there will be days that we fall short: REPENT and pray for strength not to do it again!

• Colossians 3:10 says, “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him:”

We have done established the fact that we are a new creation in our Lord Christ Jesus. WE must grow in Him just as we grew from a baby as fore stated. This way we recognize our Lord and His wishes for our lives. The word knowledge was translated from the Greek word epignsois meaning recognition. The more we practice the Word in our lives the more you could say our Father sees the likeness of His Son. That’s what we are all shooting for to be more like Jesus Christ.

Cover the rest of this chapter in your home study time and look at the deeds you have now put on. For sake of time and space we are going to move to the pruning we spoke of earlier. Please turn to the Gospel of John:

• John 15:1 says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.”
• John 15:2 says, “Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

Just as a side notes we have special entitled: God’s Vineyard that deals specifically with bearing fruit. If you are interested write us and ask for tape #5.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is this great vine and God Almighty is the farmer. You and I are these branches who will either produce God’s fruit or be taken away. Don’t you love how our Lord teaches us from the natural to better understand the spiritually. Just as you and I cut off unproductive branches from our fruit trees, God does with so-called believers.

God is no respect of persons both the believer and the unbeliever will be pruned. The believer will be pruned in order to produce more while the unbeliever will be completely separated.

Q How can we be productive and fruitful for our God?

A. Next verse:

• John 15:3 says, “Now ye are clean through the Word, which I have spoken unto you.”

Jesus Christ states that the channel through which we are made clean is by His Word. Word is translated from logos and means what “He” said and the meaning behind it.

Hold your place here and turn to:

• John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.”
• Psalms 119:9 says, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy Word.”

I just wanted to include these verses of scripture to show just how important the Word is to our renewal process. God’s Word sets us aside from the world and opens up our blinded eyes to the truth. The Word helps us put off the old man and his deeds we looked at earlier.

Back to the Gospel of John:

• John 15:4 says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.”

Abide in Jesus, simply means to live or to stay in Him.

Q. What was the Lord Jesus Christ?

A. The Living Word! We can bear good fruit now because we are a new creation feeding on good food and not junk food of the world. We will look at that fruit later on time permitting.

• John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.”
• John 15:6 says, “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

We can’t do anything on our own but through the strength of Jesus Christ we can do all things (see Ph.4:13)! We can have fruit that will last through the eternity.

Q. What kind of fruit are we speaking of?

A. From verse 7 we see pray, from verse 11 we see joy, and from verse 12 we see love. Let’s look at some more fruit, turn to the great book of Galatians.

• *Galatians 5:16 says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Daily as we take in the Word, our walk changes to things of the Lord, the spiritual or eternal. When we do this we keep ourselves from fulfilling or completing the longing of the sinful nature of the flesh. Yes we are human still and on occasion will fall short but praise the Lord for His Grace!

• Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things ye would.”

• Galatians 5:18 says, ““But” if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”
• Galatians 5:19 says, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,”
• Galatians 5:20 says, “Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation’s, wrath, strife, sedition’s, heresies,”
• Galatians 5:21 says, “Envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you; in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

We have done covered some of these earlier but I wanted to get the complete thought. If these things are in our life habitually then we need to ask our Lord for His help. We can’t do these things continually and produce fruit for our Lord. Sure it’s a process and it takes time but we must let the Word renew us and have the following fruit:

• Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”
• Galatians 5:23 says, “Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
• Galatians 5:24 says, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

There are 9 traits of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that want to work in your life. These can only come to pass in our lives if we allow complete control and Lordship to Jesus Christ! Remember the verses in the Gospel of John about abiding in Christ! This is why (John 15:12) Jesus told us to love one another after telling us to abide in Him. When we abide in Him, meaning to keep His commandments, then we can love one another.

We have covered many verses of scripture that show we must mortify, crucify our flesh. This is all for our benefit, not to be cruel to us. We have looked at the fruit of the flesh and of the Spirit. Let’s cover just a few more in this particular study; turn to the book of Romans:

• Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Q. Are you a brother or sister in Christ, a Christian?

A. If you said yes then this is written especially for you.

Paul says I want to call you near by the mercy of God that you have already experienced. Here is what we are to do: present, from the Greek to stand beside our bodies that have been crucified. Remember we have “put off” the flesh and “put on” the Spirit. So daily as we walk in the Spirit, we present our desires sacrificed to our God. We now have the mind of Christ slowly but surely, as we are obedient to our position in the Lord. It’s not our life anymore but Christ’s, for He is our life.

Q. Is this something great to do on our part?

A. Not hardly, Paul said it was our reasonable service. Reasonable was translated from the Greek word logikos. Kind of sounds like our English word logical; doesn’t it? Well it should because it means just that, logical or rational.

Everybody wants to know what “great thing” God wants him or her to do, here it is: crucify your will and walk where the Holy Spirit leads you! When we do this it’s our logical ministration, ministry, service, work for God Almighty our Father. We must not do this grudgingly out of a have to situation but with thanksgiving for our sins being forgiven.

• Romans 12:2 says, “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.”

Conformed simply means to be fashioned alike. That is what happens when Christians lose their saltiness. Salt adds flavor, it changes things, makes them better and it preserves. We know the works of the world they are manifest of the flesh.

Q. What is a transformer?

A. Just look at the transformer on the light pole outside of your house. That transformer makes it possible for you to have the power you need to run the electrical devices in your home. Without it, they would burn up from too much power! The transformer makes the power change into a form that is useable for you!

So in like matter as we turn from this world to our Lord His Word changes us so we don’t have to burn. In stead we can use God’s power that is there for our benefit. We are changed daily into something God can us for His glory!

This word transformed was translated from the Greek word metamorphoo, sound familiar? It’s the same as our English word metamorphosis.

Q. Can you think of anything from nature you can relate to, as far as metamorphosis?

A. Sure you can, the tadpole that changes into a frog for one example. A tadpole starts as an egg that hatches in the water and has gills and a tail. As the tadpole grows it goes into a complete change and develops lungs. The tadpole looks, acts or lives nothing like a frog and vice versa. They are two different creatures, with different habits and lifestyles. You and I are now a new creation in Christ Jesus growing and changing daily coming more into our Father’s will!

Let’s go to the book of Philippians to end this study:

• Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”

This is a key to the renewing of our minds! We have the natural instinct to be negative in our thought patterns. When we think of what our Lord has done for us with thanksgiving it keeps us rejoicing. If you have no joy then you have no strength (see Neh.8:10). If you have no joy then go back and study the whole chapter of John 15-17 and see if you are hooked into the Vine.

• Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”

When we realize “daily” just how close the Lord truly is (not just in His return) to us, we’ll be more Christ-like.

• Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

This is vital to our changing our thought patterns and finding peace and success. When the world says we should worry, we should give up, we should retaliate with homicide, suicide, stand on this verse. Don’t just stand on it, practice it in your everyday life!

The word careful is translated from the Greek word merimnao meaning to be anxious about. We’re not to be anxious about “nothing” meaning not even one thing.

Q. How do we keep from being worried about things?

A. By prayer and requesting with thanksgiving to our Lord then comes His peace. Just think about how much He loves us, enough to die for us. If Jesus Christ loved us enough to leave heaven and be born of a virgin in the flesh and suffer the Cross then He will take care of us here on earth. God Almighty wants us to come to Him in faith, we have not because we ask not. Look at what happens when we come to Him in faith:

• Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We finally find what we have been looking for all this time peace with and in God Almighty. It’s a peace that goes beyond what our minds can comprehend. Real peace that comes by us knowing that our Lord is in control, it will keep our hearts from worry and despair. The word keep was translated from the Greek word phroureo meaning to be a watcher in advance, i.e. to hem in, to protect. In other words with our renewed mind we now pray daily and we are protected even when we don’t realize it. We are prepared in our minds ahead of the attack of the enemy PRAISE the LORD!

• Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

As we have done studied what we put in our minds “always” determines what comes out in our actions and reactions. Paul here is telling you and I how to reprogram our minds with good things. If we cannot think on these things then we are putting the wrong stuff in our heart. We must replace anything negative with the truth of the Word and prayer to our Lord.

These are all works we can and must do, look at:

• Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit thy works unto the Lord; and thy thoughts shall be established.”

The word established was translated from the Hebrew word kuwn meaning to be erect, to stand up. In other words our though patterns will be of the good of our Lord and not the negative of this world.

I pray that this little attempt to encourage you in the Word has been effective. It’s my heart desire that you find peace of mind as you grow in your Lord. If we can help you in some way please contact us. Just remember to be faithful and move forward each day in your Christian walk.

Just remember we will make mistakes, only the Lord Jesus Christ was perfect! As long as we are trying then our Lord will accept and help us each day.

GAP Ministries

 

“God’s Word Will change Your Life!”