Our Minds Renewed

God Is Love!

Last month the Lord led me to write about our hearts and how important it is for us to renew our minds with His word. He showed me that it isn’t what we are like on the outside, but what we look like on the inside that is important to Him. He looks at our hearts.

As I was praying about what to write about this month, I really believe He wants me to continue that teaching. I don’t know how many issues I will be writing about it, but I do know He has given me a message about changing us from the inside out.

There is a well known pastor in Chicago who is on TV every Sunday who is having his congregation fast from wrong thinking. God has shown him that people need to fast, not from food, but from the thoughts that are contrary to the word of God. As a result, his congregation is seeing many answered prayers and miracles. I don’t know about you, but I can really use a fast from wrong thinking myself. So, this is for me as well as you. We look around us, we hear of things that are going on in the world, we see and listen to things that once were not even tolerated in movies, radio and TV. As a result, our hearts and minds are becoming hardened towards the way God sees things. We find ourselves believing what the media and those around us say and do instead of what God wants us to believe.

So, let’s start at the beginning and let’s get our minds renewed with what God says about things. As I have said many times, Jesus has paid the price for our sin. He died on the cross and took all the pain, suffering and sin for us so we could be free to choose which way we want to go.

In Deuteronomy 30:19 we find we have all been given a choice. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life that you may live, you and your descendants.” Jesus gave us back the ability to walk free of bondage when He died on the cross for us. His last words were, “It is finished”. That meant He had fulfilled all the requirements to bring us back into relationship with our Creator, God and to have dominion over the earth once again like Adam did when he was created.

It is now up to each individual on earth to either accept that sacrifice and receive salvation through accepting the price Jesus paid for us or not. If we accept it, we choose life. If we don’t, we choose death. It is that simple. Once God’s word is spoken (even in the Old Testament) it is still relevant to us today. He never changes His mind. We are still subject to blessings and curses because of what Adam did when he ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Religious teaching has not helped us either. Not only have we been brought up to think contrary to God’s word, but religious teachers have twisted it, taken it out of context or used it to keep us in spiritual bondage. That is why it is so important to study God’s word for ourselves.

For instance: When you hear the word “father” what comes to your mind? I would venture a guess that since you are behind bars, most of your fathers or lack of a father was instrumental in you getting there. That doesn’t mean you can use that as an excuse for the rest of your life. I didn’t have a good father either. When I hear the word “father” I think of a harsh man who is just waiting to punish me…usually for something I didn’t even do.

Religion has taught us the same thing. But our heavenly Father isn’t at all like our earthly father…even the best father on earth doesn’t compare with the love He has for us. Our Father God is not mad at us! He isn’t up there with a big stick waiting for us to mess up so he can strike us. We have to renew our minds to that fact before we can live in real relationship with Him. So, this month, we will look at scriptures to meditate on to get our minds renewed about our heavenly Father.

I believe we need to fast from wrong thinking in order to receive the peace, favor and blessings of God. We have to see Him as He really is; and we need to see ourselves as He now sees us through what Jesus did for us on the cross. Remember: the scripture verse for this whole teaching is Proverbs 23:7; “As a man thinks within his own heart, so is he.” There is another verse that comes to mind that ties in with that one: Hosea 4:6; “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” What we don’t know can hurt us (contrary to the saying we have all heard).

So, for this whole month, let’s all look at some scriptures that will begin to renew our minds to God’s word. Let’s get our minds renewed to the truth of God’s word…not the lies of the devil that we have been subject to all our lives. We can and will change from the inside out and God will be blessed. When He is blessed, He blesses back in return. Hallelujah!

We will start with a scripture most of us have heard but that really doesn’t sink in until we meditate on it. It is found in II Corinthians 10:5: “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” This means we should not believe things contrary to the word of God; and when we see circumstances and have thoughts come into our mind that don’t line up with His word, we are to throw them out and put scripture in their place.

I know that is easier said than done…but through practice and perseverance, we can do it. It is a matter of choice. We can live by God’s word or by the world’s forces of darkness. Have you heard or read the scripture that tells us to “crucify the flesh”? It actually says: “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires. (Galatians 5:24)

What is the flesh? It can’t be our physical bodies because if we crucified our bodies, we would all be dead!

I believe the flesh is the way of thinking we have all grown up with. There is only one thing that will crucify that, and that is the word of God. Until the word of God is presented to us, we follow the crowd and believe what everyone else believes. Religion puts laws and restrictions on us to “crucify the flesh”. But, we can’t do it in our own power. We can be self-disciplined just so long, and then we will eventually give in to that old way of thinking and acting.

Look at Galatians 5: 19-21. “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing and things like these…” Notice this scripture calls these deeds of the flesh. It doesn’t call them “the flesh”. The deeds follow after what we believe and think on. In other words, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” If his flesh thinking is in control, he will follow the flesh. If God’s word is in control, he will follow the word of God.

Now look at John 6:63. This is Jesus speaking. “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” Now go back to Galatians 5:16: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” So if we put it all together, we see that God’s words are “spirit” and they bring life. As we speak His word it will override the desires of the flesh. Notice, it doesn’t say it will override the flesh. It says it will override the desires of the flesh. It will override the thinking that is contrary to God’s word and we won’t carry out the deeds that are contrary to His word.

Of course, we must learn His word in order to change our thinking and renew our minds. This is a daily walk…and as long as we are on earth, we will continue to learn more and grow more. So, I would like to give us all (including me) a few scriptures to read, meditate on and speak daily. That is the way to renew our minds. It doesn’t happen over night and it is a process, but it will be well worth it in the end. We will end up with the fruit of the Spirit working inside and coming to the outside. That is found in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, (and) self control…”

So, here are the things we need to mediate on and speak over ourselves every day this month;