“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
Renew the Mind
One definition that I love for the word, ‘renew’ is “to come back to”. In my Greek word study, the meaning suggests ‘to have a change of heart and life’. These translations add depth to a seemingly simple word. A mentor gave me an even deeper understanding of the word. He explained, when you renew a subscription, you already are receiving the magazine or product. When we are told to be transformed by renewing our mind, we are being challenged to accept that we already have a spiritual mind. We are not trying to discover something new but reconnect with the mind we already had when we existed exclusively in God.
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you;
Jeremiah 1:4-5 NKJV
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Let’s press into the truth; we are alive with a purpose. To be renewed is to submit to the reality that God and I made some agreements before I was lowered into this relm. He needs me to fulfill my purpose. I promised to become that someone. How exciting this is to me!
A good renewing of the mind is in order. There is a passage in the book of Phillipians 2:5-11 which reads, ” Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death.” Thought provoking isn’t it? Many struggle with life. Let’s open our hearts and minds to embrace our inner being. Christ had a purpose to fulfill and so do we. He was lowered into a human frame just as we have been. His life shows us how to become our authentic selves and the impact we can have in this world.
How do I ‘change’ myself?
I am laughing, I am sounding ‘churchy’ today. But it is ok, we are at a serious intersection in our world. Many are fearful. There is much hate and destruction on the planet. This is the perfect moment to nurture the inner being so we can see our light, be a light. I have a few suggestions that have helped me.
1. Read a book that speaks to your inner being.
I am reading a wonderful book entitled, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. In the book he addresses the impact of slowing down and living with intention.
2. Take time to pray and meditate.
There are benefits to meditation. This is one recent article that I enjoyed reading on meditation:
3. Write in a journal daily.
Be alone with your thoughts. Capture them on paper. Have faith in yourself. Love yourself and trust the journey. When we ‘ go on the record’ and are honest, this may sound funny but we let God read our journal. He can then help us to create the reality we desire.
We are alive to continue the love story entitled, For God so love the world that He gave”. He gave “us”! I describe this as ‘love in motion’. Our destiny is to become ‘love’ and share ourselves with this world. Nice morning meditation.
Awaken the Kingdom Within Blog 