Renewing Your Mind

This is the first of my blog articles on managing our thought life. According to Caroline Leaf (Who Switched off My Brain), thoughts lead to emotions, out of which attitudes develop which lead to behavior development. “An attitude is a state of mind that produces a reaction in the body and a resultant behavior” (Leaf, p. 20).

(Romans 12:1-2) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} 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.

I consider, Paul’s letter to the church at Rom, his magnum opus on the Christian life. His charge to us in chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, is given, he says, on the based on the mercy of God. That mercy has led him through chapters on condemnation (chapter 1-3 - our complete incapability to make ourselves right before God), justification (chapters 3-5 - what God did, out of His grace, to declare us to have right standing before Him), sanctification (chapters 6-8 - the new person we have become, in Christ, so that we are able to become what God has always desired us to be), and finally sovereignty (chapters 9-11 - God’s oversight over all that is and will be). In these verses (vs. 1-2), he challenges us with three charges:
1. Offer your bodies as living sacrifices
2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world
3. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

It is crucial that we start with a decision that God has every right to use my life in any way He chooses. He brought me into the world. He will decide when my heart stops beating and, in between, He has the prerogative to do whatever he chooses. He is God and I am not. Paul then addresses change in his usual way utilizing the replacement principle. It is not enough to address what I am going to remove in my life but it is even more important to address what I am going to replace in my life. Replacement is through mind renewal so that transformation will take place. The original word for ‘transformed’ is one from which we get our word, metamorphosis; think caterpillar to butterfly. I am to replace conformity to this world system with mind renewal (renovation, complete change for the better). The world system Paul has in mind is a world in which God is excluded or at least given low priority. When God is excluded from directing our thoughts, anything goes. When mind renewal engages thoughts that honor God, then great results occur. For those of us who have been allowing our thoughts to run whatever course they can, then we have some big challenges ahead.

I have a challenge for you before we proceed too much further. What thoughts, especially rabbit trail thinking, dominates or regularly reoccurs in your mind? Do you have someone who keeps coming up in your thinking? Is it you? Someone close to you? Is it a family member, close friend, someone you regularly encounter, a coworker? Why do you have these thoughts? Take note, write down your thoughts, try to capture the essence of what is happening. Don’t just allow thoughts to run wild. Capture them, monitor them, think about them so you can begin to manage them and not allow them to manage you. This is hard work, which is why most of us avoid this type of process. Remember, if you want behavior change, (metamorphosis) that honors God, then the process starts in our thought life.

From Proverbs 23:7, For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Behavior will inevitably follow our thought life.

For those of you who have put your trust in Jesus Christ and now have a redeemed relationship with Him. you are a new person in Christ (Review Romans 6-8) and are not alone in this process of mind renewal. God is at work in you bringing His life transforming power to bear in the life change process.

Faith Assignment
1. What am I thinking about? Check it out during idle moments, at the stop sign, as you go about your day. At some point it may be helpful to take notes in a journal or some place where you can objectify your thought patterns, especially the rabbit trail thoughts.

2. What are you thinking that justifies negative (toxic) thoughts? Do you want revenge? Do you have unyielded rights? Check out Philippians 4:8 for the kind of healthy thinking that should be dominating our thought life.
( Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

What would it take for you to replace toxic thoughts with these healthy thoughts?

I am on the journey with you. Keep in focus the great outcome and freedom that comes when we cultivate healthy thinking. I would enjoy hearing how you are doing.