Is Your Mind Starting To Go?

It had better! If you want a new life, if you want to become a godly person, if you desire to be more like Christ...then your mind has to go.

I don't mean that your mind has to go the way of senility or insanity. I mean that your current mind--and the way you think--has to go. Let me explain.

God began transforming our family in a big way several years ago. We began studying the Bible very hard, and were convicted of many things in our lives that needed to change. Let us take, for want of a better example, me helping my husband. Now, I've told you before about my former attitude toward helping my husband. It was not so good. I grew up believing that marriage was to be 50/50. I truly did. That was one of those lies that we hear so much from the world we believe it. So now I read and understand that I am to be my husband's helper.

Fine. I will go implement that now, Lord.






Yeah, it doesn't work like that, come to find out.

You can try to just "implement" what you read in scripture. Go ahead. Put it on your "to do" list. Make it a "goal." It is not going to happen. You may have some success at first--but this new thing will not become a part of who you are. When stress hits--you will more than likely return to your old attitudes.

How do I know this? Experience. Pure experience, folks.

So how do you change? How do you become more godly or more Christ like? Well, my first response a few years ago would have been, "I can't. God has to change me." That is true, you know. But I don't think we are just puppets for Him to move around and change. We play a part in this, too. Check out this verse...

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2-NIV)

Be transformed (changed) by the renewing of your mind. Your mind must be made new. Really, you must get rid of your old mind and start thinking with a new mind. When S. and I were in high school we heard a speaker talking about this passage. He said, (now don't laugh, I'm about to show my age), "you must take out the old tape and put in a new one." Yes folks, he meant CASSETTE tapes. OK, I know. If you are too young for that one, feel free to substitute "CD" if it makes you feel better.

The point was good. Whenever you come across a situation, your mind starts working. With my old mind the situation would go like this:

Husband: Can you come outside and help me for a minute?
Wife: Sure.
Wife's mind: GAAH! Does he think I'm just sitting around? It's not like I'M not in the middle of something! You know, I could use some help here too. But NOOOOO, let me drop everything and run to help you. No problem!

Not pretty, huh? I'm ashamed to say those used to be my thoughts. That is NOT the mind of Christ. How can I change that? By the renewal of my mind.

Great. So how do we renew our minds? How do we make them new? Well, I'm still thinking about that one. All this just "came together" for me today. I haven't had much time to study it. I suspect it is a mixture of prayer, time spent in His word, and the power of the Holy Spirit. But this much I know--I have to be transformed and it does not happen by my effort to be a better person--but by the renewing of my mind. We must renew our minds in order to truly change.