By: Creflo Dollar
Have you ever known people who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but still spoke, thought, and behaved the same way they did before they got saved? This scenario is not uncommon among Believers. Many times, certain behaviors are attributed to a person needing a spirit cast out of him, when, in reality, the issue is that he has not renewed his mind in a particular area. Mind renewal is the key to living a successful life as a Christian, as well as overcoming the mindsets that keep us bound in ungodly lifestyles.
As a pastor and counselor, I have encountered numerous people who struggle with addictions and all sorts of habits they just cannot seem to break. They are in torment because they know these things are wrong according to the Word of God, but they just can’t seem to find the brakes to stop. To them, change is an unattainable goal.
Whenever I see someone who is born again, but is actively engaged in a lifestyle or habit that goes against the Word, I immediately know their mindset is the problem. They have to change their thinking to line up with what God says about the situation. Without this vital step in the process of Christian development, it is impossible to see lasting change
Galatians 5:16 says something so powerful that we all need to understand and apply to our lives on a daily basis, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” First, we must understand what it means to walk in the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit, we have a mindset that lines up with God’s Word. It is thinking that is sound and subjected to God’s way of doing things. Walking in the flesh is the exact opposite. To walk in the flesh means to have a way of thinking that goes against the Word of God. For example, a “fleshy” mindset is one that believes having sex outside the context of marriage is okay. It is a wrong way of thinking. Walking in the Spirit in this area involves thinking that is in line with the Word, which says marriage is the only framework inside which sexual activity is acceptable.
It is critical to understand that the mind is the control center of our lives. Our dominant thought patterns and beliefs will inform and shape our behavior. Unfortunately, before coming to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, most of us picked up a lot of wrong thinking from our environment, whether it was from family, friends, television, or some other source.
But when we become born again, we must enter into the most important part of our walk with God—renewing our minds. Romans 12:1, 2 says we are not to be conformed to the world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can demonstrate and prove the perfect will of God. Isn’t it exciting to know that renewing your mind has the power to absolutely transform your entire life? You can break any habit or behavior by making a quality decision to renew your mind daily through the meditation and study of God’s Word.
Renewing the mind is not a one-time event, but it is an ongoing process that must continue for the rest of our lives. We can renew our minds to the point where even our subconscious thoughts and automatic responses become aligned with the Word of God. When mind renewal takes place on this subconscious level, we are actually renewing the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). This is the depth of transformation every Believer should aspire to achieve because it is the pathway to genuinely changing our behavior.
You may be thinking your situation is so bad that you simply cannot change. I want to give you some good news today—you can! First, ask God to give you the desire to want to change. That’s right, you have to want to want change first. Then, make a commitment to the process. Find a scripture in the Bible that deals with the area you are dealing with and make it a priority to meditate on that scripture until it is more real to you than what you are going through. When you begin to think, speak, eat, and breathe the Word of God, you will begin to live it. When you find your decisions aligning with God’s Word, you will know renewing your mind is paying off!
Be sure to visit our online Bible Study Center and bookstore for resources and tools to help you renew your mind!
Scripture References:
Galatians 5:16
Romans 12:1, 2
Ephesians 4:23
