Ever wondered what is that one element that pulls you together to be a successful follower of Christ? Even when you face tough terrains of testing, temptations or failures that could traumatize you forever; as a believer, what can you do to surpass these and not allow such hurdles to bog down your faith in Jesus? Want to know the answer? I’ll give you a clue – it’s got to do with the title of my blog. Read on…

Once again, I would like to heartily welcome you to my blog by prayerfully asking the Holy Spirit to guide you as much as He would guide me through these writings and that we may have an intimate relationship with Him.

The title of my blog  has been a huge revelation to me. Since then, Christ has been guiding me to understand the significance of this verse profoundly and incorporating it in my prayer life providing a great deal of impetus to my spiritual growth. So, what better way to kick-start my very first post based on the same verse that gives the title to my blog. This is an introductory blog post so kindly excuse its verbosity.

Living a Christian life, as we all know, is never a cakewalk even though it is the most rewarding life to live! I like to think of it as owning the costliest gem in the world and fighting to regain possession of it when the whole world conspires to snatch it off! Certain times, we don’t feel up to it. We become weary of the challenges and troubles of life.

So, what can we do to keep ourselves in top form in Christ even when the world around us seems to be crumbling and when dreams are not materializing whilst encountering failures?

It’s Your Choice

This world is all about sin, addiction, lust, pride, hatred, strife and the like. Evil prevails and justice is a thin red line. Frankly speaking, the toughest job for a Christian is to live in this world as a Christian! It’s true that in a dark world, we ought to live as the light but sometimes our wick struggles to keep the blaze alight. We could be passive and sit back thinking to ourselves it’s impossible for us to change and live according to God’s plan. But, we would fail miserably to live the right way, make poor decisions and be confused, sad and depressed. Eventually, we might even backslide.

Or else, we can make an effort to not yield to worldly ways and stay grounded as a Christian. Remember, the choice is ours. We are not unique in our problems, everyone goes through a set of hurdles in their lives but the question is not the problem but our approach to it.

Let’s Look at the Key Verse, Shall we?

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]

Interestingly, this single verse has four specifications mentioned. Breaking it down, we see:

1. And be not conformed to this world – we must not be living ignorantly according to worldly standards
2. but be ye transformed – but we must be transformed, changed completely from inside out.
3. by the renewing of your mind – by allowing our minds to be renewed
4. that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God – so that we may recognize the will of God in our lives, which is the will that is best suited for us.

What does the Bible mean by Renew?

Now, let’s see what the Bible says about the word ‘renew’ in this verse. It translates to:

Anakainōsis in Greek which means renewal, renovation or complete change for the better.

It is formed by the union of two words, ‘ana’ meaning repetitive and ‘kainos’ meaning new.

Ana + kainos = anakainōsis

Two things are clear:

1. Renewing is not a one-off process – it is repetitive and has to be done again and again.
2. The change that we undergo makes us new every time and is beneficial for us.

A year ago we had new neighbors move in a few blocks from our house. They had built a beautiful house in that plot before moving in. Now a year later, the once pristine white paint on the walls had trickles of green mold due to the rain and damp atmosphere and the house looked like it needed painting all over again to look as new as it did a year ago!

It made me wonder that if a new house needed refurbishing, how much more would we require as we are constantly weathered by worldly matters. The only remedy for such struggle is the renewing of our minds and transformation from the inside out by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Conform, Reform or Transform?

Believe it or not, these words depict 3 types of Christians in the present world and each of us belongs to one of these:

• To be conformed means to become a part of the system. Often times, we as Christians claim to love Christ but take the shape of the things of this world – its lusts, habits etc. and live a deceptive life far away from Christ.
• Reform means to improve. These people struggle to improve their ways by themselves and to live a fruitful life in Christ, however, they seldom succeed.
• Transform means to be converted or changed into something else. The Bible clearly exhorts us to be transformed and this can only be achieved through the Holy Spirit as we ourselves are not capable of doing so.

Have you seen how a pupa is transformed into a butterfly? The two are incomparable! That’s an exact analogy to the biblical meaning of transformation.

Jesus once said,

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 [ESV]

 

So, according to this verse, what might be impossible for us is possible when done through His intervention.

The 50-50 role

But if we need to survive as children of Christ, we cannot expect God to do all the work for us and sit passively assuming everything will be fine.

Let me give you an interesting parallel. Did you know that the air that we breathe is teeming with all sorts of microbial parasites that when given an opportunity, can make us very sick? Scary, right? Yet, you and I are so oblivious to it that we continue to breathe and stay fine. Why is that? The answer lies in the toils of our internal defense organization called the immune system. Its sophisticated defense artillery makes sure that these germs do not make us sick. However, we must also make the effort to stay healthy by having a balanced diet because our food provides the immune system with the necessary resources to build this tough artillery. On the other hand, you can’t expect much by being ignorant about your health and let the immune system handle it all on its own. It’s a 50-50 role.

What I’m trying to say here is Christian life is somewhat akin to this. We start our lives in the presence of God, we commit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, praying and meditating the Word and we go out into the world as Christians yet we happen to face the various ‘germs’ of this world (sin, lust, pride, anger etc.). The Holy Spirit is our immunity. As soon as we accept Jesus in our lives, the Holy Spirit shields us from spiritual warfare that is wielded at us. But, we have to make a conscious effort in avoiding to conform to the worldly ways and if we don’t, chances are it would breach our spiritual immunity and make us weak in our faith. Again, it’s a 50-50 role.

When do we renew?

Let’s look into the nitty-gritty of renewing the mind. Why is it so important? And when must we opt for it?

• Every time! Renewing your mind is a regular practice and is needed every time in your life.
• When confused, bitter or in grief – Probably, you are experiencing a loss in your life or you’re feeling bitter about the turnout of an event that has crippled your faith or maybe you have been experiencing a set of failures and feeling God has totally abandoned you.

Let me explain how that can impact you through some instances from the Bible:

The Israelites in the desert for 40 years complained most times and rebelled against God and as a result, most of them didn’t reach their destination, Canaan, because they couldn’t interpret God’s plan for them. On the other hand, we read about another story of a young man named Joseph who experienced some really tough trials but reached his goal despite it all. Joseph succeeded where the Israelites failed. What was the difference?

Bitterness and resentment distort our relationship with God and make it hard to hear His voice and understand His ways. Renewing helps to clear the mind of every clouded impression and thought.

• At a crossroads – Probably, you have reached the crossroads of life and you really don’t know what to do next. God knows what’s best for us. The Bible says,

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Jeremiah 33:3 [ESV]

 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalms 32:8 [ESV]

It is evident from these scriptures that God, who is the great ‘I AM’, who knows your past, present, and future, is the only one who knows what’s best for you.

• Swayed by the evils of the world – If there is sin in our lives then it is clear that we have fallen far from God. In Acts 2:37, when the Jews felt guilty about their wickedness, they asked what they must do to change and Apostle Peter answered that they must first repent. We require repentance by asking Him to forgive and cleanse us of all our sins. Renewal removes every bit of the conditioned mindset and repentance is the first step in doing so.
• Backsliding – When we get a hint of backsliding in us, we must act quickly to be back in the presence of God. There is nothing more fearsome than living a godless life in this world. If we leave God then there is nothing left for us to hope in, no one to help us but we may only be tormented further by the evils of this world.
• When we need to grow – Renewing the mind is renewing our relationship with God. It’s like the snooze button of our faith-walk reminding us that we belong to Christ and we must grow unto Him. And when we decide we need to grow we ensure every fleshly or spiritual hurdles must be removed that would stunt our growth.
• When under attack – It is a powerful element to be applied as it releases us from strongholds and attacks from the enemy. If we read the Book of Psalms we see that King David always made it a point to spiritually renew himself before facing his adversaries thereby receiving divine guidance from God.

So, How to Renew the Mind?

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to achieve this:

• Make the choice – Ask yourself: do you live according to the world or the Word? Do you really want to change for God? Often times, believers are uncertain of these questions and go on to live a comprised, self-indulgent life ultimately failing and not understanding where they went wrong.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:20-24 [ESV]

• Abide in God – We must abide in Christ or else like a branch removed from the tree shrivels up, we would not be able to survive on our own.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 

John 15:4 [ESV]

• Prayer and Bible: They go hand in hand. I remember reading in another blog that if you truly love God you would read the Word daily and not make excuses.

If you are a racecar enthusiast, you would know the term pit stop all too well. The driver makes the necessary amount of pit stops to replenish his vehicle with fuel while the technicians change tires and make crucial checks on the other parts to see if everything is ok before the driver enters the circuit.

This pit stop in our Christian walk is the ‘prayer room’ where prayer and Bible meditation are the main activities. If we want to impress God, we must practice these two daily. We pour our heart out to God and ask for His intervention and He makes the required changes and transformations to make surewe are set to go for the race ahead.

• Ask God in prayer to renew your mind – Incorporate Romans 12:1, 2 in your prayer life every time you need a renewing and to know His will for you.
• Seek God’s help in all situations – Don’t do it yourself. Remember you need the help of the Holy Spirit to change you.

The Result

What happens when we constantly subject ourselves to the renewal of our minds?

• Compromise to sacrifice: Till now, we lived a compromised life to fit the worldly norms. But with attitudes transformed, we will be making decisions in life to be a living sacrifice to God; to please Him through our ways.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1 [NET]

• Godly outlook towards world and life. Without sin tainting our hearts, we tend to have a different outlook on the issues of life. We get the bigger picture even during the struggles. We don’t feel downtrodden anymore nor are we exhausted. We adjust according to what God has in store for us. We think twice before letting sin take control of our lives. This is one of the main indications that our spirit is intertwined with the Spirit of God.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11 [ESV]

• Transformed – Transformation, as mentioned before, is a supernatural change. It is not merely deciding to change our perception. But we are surrendering to God to guide us to do His will. We commit all our activities and goals willing to be molded according to His wish.

You’ll be changed from the inside out.

Romans 12:2 (MSG)

• You will know God’s perfect will in your life! The bible says God knows what’s best for us and when we walk by His side we will know it too.

I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:10 (MSG)

• Fear, evil or danger will not overpower you – Even if you stood face to face with danger it would never surpass you. The following verses make it clear:

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

Psalm 91:7 [ESV]

 And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

Zechariah 2:5 [ESV]

 Today this is God’s commandment to us as the church: To renew our minds, so that our hearts will not be swayed by the ways of the world, or hardened as that of the Israelites at Meribah (Psalm 95:8).

Understanding the importance of spiritual renewal has given me freedom and still continues to help me when I apply it in my life. I encourage you to do the same so that you may live a victorious life in Christ. Will you pray this prayer with me?

Prayer:

Loving Heavenly Father,

I submit myself at Your feet. I do not want to be confused or bitter anymore and I ask You for Your forgiveness of my sins and to wash me with the blood of Jesus. Remove my weaknesses and renew my mind as in Romans 12:2 so that I may be transformed from within to discern Your will for me. Let Your Holy Spirit guide me always. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

In Jesus precious name I pray,

Amen.