How to Renew Your Mind with God's Word
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what God's will is, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect," says Romans 12:2.
What does this entail, and how do you go about renewing your mind?
In this article, I'll show you how to renew your mind with God's word using two simple approaches that have helped me transform my thinking.
Let's get started!
The Importance of Mind Rejuvenation
The Bible encourages us to renew our minds by changing our thought habits and beliefs.
What is the significance of this?
Simply defined, it is so that "you may demonstrate what God's will is, which is good, acceptable, and perfect."
This is only feasible with a refreshed mind.
Did you know that doubt is caused by an unrenewable mind?
God is frequently hampered when a believer's mind is filled with doubt and fear, leading to "double-mindedness.
Many plans that God has for His church have been put on hold as He waits for us to regenerate our thinking.
Until this occurs, the gift within us (the Holy Spirit) will never bear fruit and reach its full operational capacity.
With that in mind, we can see the gravity of this calling on the life of every born-again believer. This calling is significant because its realisation and implementation will enable the spirit of God to execute God's will here on earth.
2 Simple Ways to Renew Your Mind
You may be thinking, "That's great, but how can I put this into practice?"
The answer is straightforward, but maintaining its application will be difficult.
Through meditation and application of the word, you are refreshed in mind and transformed into the image of Christ.
Renewing your mind with God's word
Let us first discuss how to reflect on God's word in order to rejuvenate your mind and apply it to your life.
Step 1: Get rid of all distractions.
Practically speaking, meditation on the scriptures necessitates a time commitment.
Sometimes I just need to get away from everything, so there are no distractions. I'd either go somewhere quiet and alone, or I'd close my room door and hang a "devotions in progress" sign on the handle.
This way, my family understands that this is a private moment between me and the Lord.
In summary, it's preferable if you can find a private location where there will be no distractions. I'll add that I either leave my phone outside my room or put it on aeroplane mode to avoid being distracted by it.
Step 2: Reflect on Scripture
Start reading the Word once you are free of distractions and your mind is fixed on committing this time to God.
The purpose here isn't simply to read a few chapters. You should read slowly in order to get the meaning of the words beyond the surface level.
If anything piques your curiosity, linger on it and think about it. This is biblical meditation in action.
Scripture meditating
Move on to the following verse when you've finished the one you were thinking about.
Ponder, meditate, absorb, and pray it in before moving on to the next passage.
When you read a God-given promise, such as one in Isaiah 53:5, the first thing you want to do is receive it. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to assist you in believing it and demonstrating how to use it in your life.
Step 3: Put the word into action in your life.
"But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves," James 1:22 says.
The next stage is to start incorporating the word into your daily life. Allow the truth to take hold of your life by acting on it rather than simply accepting it.
As an example:
If you are concerned about your future career or how things will turn out in your life, meditate on the scriptures that apply to you.
verses to refresh your mind.
As in Matthew 6:30:
"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?"
As you bring your worries to God, remember this passage and pray to Him. If I was experiencing anxiety and fear about the future, I would pray as follows:
"Father, I appreciate you for keeping an eye on me. I am grateful that you will look after me, provide for me, and clothe me. As you have stated. I appreciate the fact that I can put my trust in you and rely on you. I hand over my concern to you.
This is how I would interpret that verse in my own life.
Now, if that dread or anxiety arises in my head, it does not engulf me and cause me to worry.
Instead, the truth of God's word (Matthew 6:30) would come to mind swiftly, and I would "defeat" that doubt with God's word. And as time passes, my mind will stop thinking along the lines of doubt and worry, instead totally trusting and believing what God's word teaches, resulting in a life of peace through confidence in God.
How to Renew Your Mind Through Scripture
Another crucial way for us to renew our minds is to declare the word.
This is a practice that stems from Philemon 1:6: "that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus."
This is what I mean:
Declaring the word means declaring the word over yourself and speaking God's truth into your life. When you say it like you mean it, you will feel the spirit move within you.
As an example:
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, "therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.
This verse can be turned into a declaration like this:
Scripture affirmations to declare over oneself from John G. Lake Ministries' "New Man" study
I start speaking these declarations over myself in a strong voice while I'm driving or outside. I don't yell them at the top of my lungs (though you can), but I also don't say them quietly and softly.
Here's how I put these pronouncements into practice throughout the day:
I begin by declaring the word for 5 to 10 minutes or more.
Then I pray in tongues to cement the word and strengthen myself (1 Corinthians 14:4).
I then meditate and reflect on what I said before.
Repeat as necessary.
Your order may differ from mine. This is not meant to be a formula, but rather a suggestion.
I strongly advise you to watch the "New Man" seminar series by John G. Lake Ministries. The information is considerably more detailed than I can provide here.
The effect of repeating the word in this manner over a long period of time is astounding.
It is exactly the same as when a preacher proclaims the truth on stage until he or she comes "under the anointing," as some would say (which, by the way, is not true; that preacher is no more anointed than you are).
What is actually happening is that the preaching or declaration of the word stirs up the spirit within that preacher.
When the Spirit of God is given such control, amazing things happen!
With time and practice, any born-again believer can do the same thing. True prophecies flow from that point in the spirit: physical and internal healing is given to others, God's kingdom comes, and God's will is done.
It all boils down to mind regeneration, which leads to single-mindedness and faith.
If our minds were only renewed by these 17 declarations, our lives with Christ would look very different.
It's amazing to realise that you can have all of Christ's riches simply by committing to renewing your thoughts. Because it is your unregenerated thinking that is preventing the spirit of Christ from doing what He desires.
Remember what I mentioned earlier? Application is considerably more difficult to maintain than learning. However, if you have grit, you will achieve God's goal for your life.
God's kingdom will come, and His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
You can refresh your mind like never before by reading, declaring, meditating on, and applying God's word.