“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
We all should study before taking a test. Studying refreshes what you heard in the classroom or at work. It also brings things to the forward thinking part of your brain and pushes the “I think this was it” thoughts to the back. This produces an approval of the truth and you can reproduce that fact or figure knowing that it is right.
Our verse today tells us to not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Too often, we seem to view and judge things through the world’s eyes. We draw on our experiences to judge the situation while in reality, our experiences are the problem. Good or bad, they have a way of guiding us into repeating certain thought patterns based upon what happened to us in the past. For example, you may have had a poor childhood or a bad boss or a nasty neighbor and when situations arise that are similar, you say to yourself, “Here we go again.” Or due your own past experiences, you may say to yourself that all men are scum or that big brother is always watching waiting to pounce on us. Some of these trauma responses are justified while others are just reproductions of what the world would tell you. It is worldly wisdom not Godly wisdom.
Paul is telling us that we need our minds transformed and renewed so we don’t conform to the pattern of the world. The real question is how do we do this? Most people think, “How can some Jewish fisherman and Jesus, who lived 2000 years ago, help my situation?” While they did live in another time and a different culture, the Bible is the living word of God for a reason. Jesus told us in the first chapter of Acts that he would send a helper that will guide us and live in our hearts, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the odd man in God’s baseball game that sits in the dugout. No, the Holy Spirit is what Jesus had while walking on this earth. He represents the power of heaven living in our hearts just like he did with Jesus. Once we have established the fact that God is real and that He speaks to his people though the Holy Spirit and his Word, we are in a position to test and approve what God’s will is. The Bible tells us that His will is pleasing and perfect.
The simple test is to do an audit of yourself. Look back and see how you behaved and treated negative situations. What was the outcome? How did you handle it? Did you display the attributes and fruit of the Spirit? (Galatians 5:22-23) Or did you use the world’s way of handling things through force and anger? You see, we need to renew our minds every day and just like studying for a test, the transformation takes some time to be fully complete. Don’t be too harsh on yourself but continue to read and study the playbook from God, his Word, every day.
Someone told me that they went to church but didn’t really study the Bible or read it on a daily basis. Well, that is like showing up to a test, expecting to get a “A” while knowing you only attended class every 7th day. Yes, you may be taking the test, but failure is almost a done deal. Reading and studying the Bible is the start of renewing your mind. Test what you are hearing. How does it line up with the Word of God? Start small by googling different questions you have about the Bible. You might just find yourself renewing your mind and thinking very differently about life.
Prayer: We have all been guilty of “stinkin thinkin”. Help us to renew our minds every day with your Word. I pray that all of the worldly ways of thinking will be swept away and that the promises of your Word will fill our hearts and minds. This will allow us to walk by faith and not by sight. Help our minds to be renewed by your word in Jesus name, amen.
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