Renewing Your Mind

Today our guest blogger is Brittany Hudson. You can reach her on twitter at @WidowedWalk or her blog> http://www.WidowedWalk.blogspot.com

“Do not conform any longer to the patterns 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.” Romans 12: 12 NIV

What does it mean to renew the mind? We spend time putting things into our mind to improve it, don’t we? We go to school, read books, we stimulate our thoughts by engaging in conversation with our friends and colleagues, and we attend classes and trainings, all in an effort to come away a better person than when we went in. We have our thoughts and our opinions that have been carefully crafted over the years. We know where we stand on the issues at hand and what right and wrong is. Don’t we?

How to go about attaining knowledge is a well-worn pattern in this world. We pay good money; thousands of dollars to have a person with at least a master’s degree if not a PHD tell us what the truth is about what we want to know. If your science professor told you that E=MC2 why would you challenge him?

According to the bible, worldly knowledge can be a stumbling block to achieving godly wisdom. You have to admit, there are some rather unscientific recordings in there. If you ask most people if it would be possible for a day to be extended by a day simply by praying for it, the answer would flatly be “no”. But Joshua did as recorded in Joshua 10:12-15. He prayed and it happened. No mathematical formula for that one.

In order to renew our minds it is going to take some effort, some pain, letting go of old ideas instead of clinging to aging beliefs. For you to “re”new something, it figuratively means to make new again. The question you may be asking is “why would I want to?” According to the scripture, you need to in order to know what God’s will is. How does one make this happen? In Colossians 3:2 we are called to “set our minds on things above, not on earthly things”. The things that would set your mind on the things of above can only be found in the bible. 1Thessalonians 2:13 says “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us (meaning the disciples), you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God…”

Want to know what God thinks and what His will is? His own word is clear, seek His word in the bible and pray for His direction according to it.