HAS YOUR MIND TRANSFORMED YET OR ARE YOU JUST A COPY CAT?
“….Be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind….” (Romans 12:2 KJV).
*
The bible says, “…And BE
NOT conformed to this
world: BUT BE YE
transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God…” (Romans 12:2 KJV). Here we can
clearly decipher that there is a clear distinction between being conformed and
being transformed.
It is pretty obvious that the believer or
follower of Christ is not to copy life patterns from the world, but aim,
instead, for an higher, transformed lifestyle which is in accordance to the
will of God.
To be conformed to the world is to copy
life patterns from men and women who do not know Christ or the Living God of
creation and are considered heathens from a biblical perspective. “…Thus saith the LORD, Learn NOT
the way of the heathen…” (Jeremiah 10:2 KJV). “…And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes,
neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round
about you…” (Ezekiel 11:12 KJV). “…I will do these things unto thee, because thou
hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols…”
(Ezekiel 23:30).
The way to avoid copying the patterns of
heathen lifestyles is to renew your mind. The mind houses all that’s in the
heart, which includes evil thoughts. “… For out
of the HEART come EVIL
THOUGHTS—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false
testimony, slander…” (Matthew 15:18-19 NIV). Therefore, the mind,
before Christ, is basically an instrument of evil.
The bible says, “…as he [or she] thinketh in his [or her]
heart, so is he [or she]…”
(PROVERBS 23:7 KJV). What this verse tells you is that thoughts are in the heart thus “…thinketh IN
his heart…” We’ve always understood that thoughts are associated
with the mind. In addition, the thoughts are IN the heart. “…..out
of the HEART come EVIL
THOUGHTS—murder,
adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander…”
(Matthew 15:18-19 NIV). The thoughts, from your
mind, are IN the heart.
The renewed mind, after salvation in
Christ, is to become an instrument of righteousness influenced by the Holy Spirit
and thus making you able to make choices based on what the will of God is in
order to behave accordingly.
The renewed mind will reveal behavioral
actions for the believer that proves God’s will and what God considers a good
and acceptable lifestyle. The acceptable lifestyle is the perceptive part of
Christianity. It is what makes you a true Witness for Christ like Christ was
for God.
A heathen lifestyle will always, no matter
how big or small, be in opposition to God’s will for your life. "…A little yeast works through the whole batch
of dough…" (Galatians 5:9 NIV). A holy lifestyle is all that will be
acceptable with God and no other. God does not endorse straddling the fence,
where you are part-time heathen and part-time believer. "… You must purge the evil from among you…” (Deuteronomy 21:18-21 NIV).
God is ONLY pleased when his people live holy and separate themselves
from all forms or appearances of wickedness. “…Abstain from all APPEARANCE OF EVIL…” (1 Thessalonians 5:22
KJV).
When the word says be NOT conformed it is
not an option. “…Therefore,
come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “…And do not touch what is unclean…” (2 Corinthians 6:13-17 NASB). It
literally means NOT to copy, in any form or fashion, the heathen lifestyle.
This includes habits, stlyes,
behaviors, actions, practices, or speech. Whatever the current, wicked and
idolatrous culture and age; do not conform to it. “…ye
shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be
mine. …” (Leviticus 20:26 KJV).
God wants his people to be influenced and
governed by the biblical lifestyle and pattern their lives after the example of
Jesus Christ. Many believers think they are NOT conformed to the heathen
lifestyle and are in fact transformed from it, yet either consciously or
unconsciously they are indulging in many of its patterns and practices. “…thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and …art polluted with
their idols…” (Ezekiel 23:30).
Most non-believers, especially from the 21st
century, find so-called followers of Christ to be hypocritical and are turned
off from Christianity. Some believers still cherish patterns of thinking and
practices from the heathen lifestyle. “….These people honor me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me…” (Matthew 15:8 NLT).
Their mind is still devoted to some aspects
of the heathen lifestyle and they either secretly or overtly follow carnal
pleasures whether than aim at wholly cultivating the biblical lifestyle. “.. For
everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its
desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
(1 John 2:16-17 NLT). A little sinful thinking is still some sinful
thinking and some sinful thinking is too much.
Therefore, the one solution to this
problem is to transform the mind by allowing it to be renewed by the WORD of God in order to cultivate holiness and holy living WITHIN the heart and through the actions of the believer. Believers are to influence the
heathen lifestyle; not the other way around. “…LET
YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE before men, that they may see your good works…”
(Matthew 5:16 KJV), “…Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your
Father which is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:16 KJV).
Renewing the mind will result in an authentic transformation
of the heart, affections, emotion, lifestyle patterns, and other heathen practices.
“…In this world we are like Jesus…”
(1 John 4:17 NIV). In reality the believer is a new creation. “…Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2
Corinthians 5:17 KJV).
Without allowing the mind to be renewed the believer
would be useless to the Christian lifestyle and would most likely be full of
hypocrisy. “….apart
from Me, you can do nothing…” (John
15:5 NIV). “Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited
sepulchres, which
indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead
men's bones, and of all uncleanness… ” (Matthew 23:27 KJV).
Being full of hypocrisy is the result of a
continual conformity to the world and a limitation to external conduct and habits that are
NOT impacted by true transformation that comes ONLY from REnewing the mind. “…thou …art polluted with their idols…” (Ezekiel
23:30).
Whatever your mindset is you are proving
to those witnessing your lifestyle who’s WORD you are choosing to follow. Only
a wholly devotion to renewing the mind will prove you are God’s disciples. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
A divided mind, that is still embracing some aspects of the
heathen patterns of thinking is, unfortunately, unsuitable for truly
demonstrating the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God.“…A double minded man is unstable in all his ways…” (James 1:8 KJV).
A believer chooses to allow their minds to be renewed for the purpose
of doing the will of God. ONLY the renewed mind is suitable for truly
demonstrating the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God. “For it is God who works in you
to will and to act
in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV).
The renewed mind is, through the POWER of the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT, enabled to do the
will of God, which is proven by one’s conduct. The renewed mind that seeks and depends upon God’s
indwelling guidance in all matters of life will commit their actions to him. The renewed
mind that wants to demonstrate God’s good, perfect, and acceptable will be empowered to bear spiritual fruit and
promote God’s glory in the world. "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My
disciples” (John 15:8 NIV).
The WORK of the indwelling Holy Spirit enables the renewing of the
mind, through the Word, by removing the defects and stains of
sin from the former heathen lifestyle. “Create in
me a clean heart, O God…” (Psalms 51:10 KJV). The heart “…is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked…who can know it [except God?]” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).
Depending upon the WORK of the indwelling Holy Spirit is pleasing to God, because it
also influences holiness and separation from sin, which ultimately glorifies God in the world. . "My
Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so PROVE to
be My disciples” (John 15:8 NIV). Therefore, “…BE YE transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God…” (Romans 12:2
KJV).
Dr. Pensacola H.
Jefferson
YADA Counseling Ministry
MOUTHPIECE FOR GOD'S HEART
Colton’s Point,
Maryland
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