Mindsets to Renew Your Mind

The key to making progress on the road to soul-healing is in your mind…or you could say it IS your mind. Romans 12:2 makes this point clearly by saying let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. And the result of this transformation? You will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

It’s obvious that no one is perfect, and we won’t achieve perfection in our lives here on earth. But we do need to keep pressing toward the mark of perfection in Christ every single day. The apostle Paul says it this way in Philippians 3:12 (AMP):

Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. — Philippians 3:12 (AMP)

Pressing on toward our goal of being Christlike begins with our thoughts. Joyce has wisdom to share about how we—as believers in Christ—are supposed to think and how we can pursue the right mindsets…

The first thing we need to understand is that when we become new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), what is normal for the world is no longer normal for us. There’s a way we’re supposed to live that reflects the image of Christ in the world.

For example, many people think it’s normal to worry, but as a Christian, worrying is not a normal way of thinking. Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything...(ESV). This doesn’t mean we won’t ever feel worried, but when we do, we can pray and give it to God so we can have His peace while we go through the challenges of life.

First Corinthians 2:16 says we have the mind of Christ. This means no matter what our circumstances may be, we can have God’s wisdom, discernment and peace to guide our decisions in the midst of them. We can live with these mindsets:

• The Made-Up Mind: Colossians 3:2 (AMPC) says to set your minds and keep them set on what is above…not on the things that are on the earth. The only way we can accomplish what we really want to do in life is by determining what God has put in our hearts to do and then setting our minds to do it. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can make up your mind and stop overthinking your decisions.
• The Humble Mind: Philippians 2:5 (AMPC) says, Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus…. A person with a humble mind is peaceful because they can wait on God’s timing and follow His direction; they don’t constantly struggle with wondering why or when. And they aren’t judgmental or critical of others.
• The Focused Mind: We live in an age of distraction! It’s amazing how much information is coming at us most of the time through technology, the media, and the busyness of the world around us. I’ve decided that the world probably isn’t going to change, so I have to change. I’m learning how to keep my mind on what I’m doing, rather than thinking about several things at once or what I want to do next.

Ephesians 4:23 (AMP) says to be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude]. Choosing to focus on God’s Word and spending time with Him in prayer will keep you on track, one day at a time, in your journey of healing.

Spend some time meditating on the key scriptures you read in the teaching today: Romans 12:2, Philippians 3:12, Colossians 3:2, Philippians 2:5, and Ephesians 4:23. Journal about what they reveal to you about the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and how you can replace wrong thoughts with right ones.