The Power of a Renewed Mind
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2, NKJV.
It all flows from the head
I know the verse, “be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” is very popular. But what’s not as popular is what’s embedded within the wording of the scripture: there is so much you have to unlearn before your identity truly matches everything God has written about you. This verse also makes it clear that everything you are comes from everything you think. This means that nothing in your life will change without first changing your thoughts. To renew your mind means to change your mind.
Right now, in this moment, there are multiple deeply embedded thoughts and beliefs you hold, either consciously or subconsciously, that must change. We spend a lot of time working towards what we need to learn, do, fix, adjust, etc. I want you to begin thinking about what you need to unlearn. Part of my personal testimony is that God brought me to a place where I had to constantly go to the root of certain beliefs and realize that there weren’t true foundations under them – just time that passed and experiences that caused the beliefs to become so deeply rooted. I learned that many of the principles we adopt as we go through life that sound so good and so “right” because we’ve lived and hurt and experienced are unfortunately not worthy of directing our lives. True wisdom only comes from God. The only thing that should lead you and direct your steps is the word of God. Not what you think, not what you believe, not your principles, not the worldly wisdom gained over time, only the word of God. The work of renewing your mind means committing yourself to asking God what current beliefs you hold, no matter how good and harmless they seem, are opposite of what He says. Ask Him to uproot every single one of those lies. Then, let the presence and the truth of God fill that space.
“Lord, I ask that you would begin to break down any and every belief I hold that is a hinderance to my destiny. I ask that you would illuminate the thoughts I’ve held onto for so long that are opposite to what you say about me, my life and my future. Please bring these thoughts and beliefs to the forefront of my mind, and as you uproot them, I pray that you would fill the space with your presence and your truth.”
Transformation doesn’t happen passively. You have to work daily to become who God called you to be. You have to commit yourself daily to asking for God’s help in illuminating the thoughts that are deceiving you. Unlearning can be scary. It’s almost like taking off a Band-Aid you didn’t even realize was there and leaving an old wound open. It’s an overwhelmingly vulnerable experience, I know. But it’s worth it. It is worth allowing yourself to become undone because that is the only way that God can build you up into what is accurate according to His design.
Finally, look at Romans 12:2 again and see why this work is so important: “…that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Is this powerful to you? Because it is to me. This means that you are incapable of knowing what the will of God is concerning you until you change your mind! This is the reward that comes with taking your thoughts captive and exercising your dominion and authority over yourself – you grow in your ability to recognize the will of God concerning you. No longer will you have to wonder, guess, doubt, or be discouraged because you will know. When you allow yourself the vulnerability of unlearning and allow God to replace those beliefs with His truth, you reap the goodness of uncovering His will for you.