A RENEWED MIND

Over the past two days, we've talked about intrusive thoughts and how to take mastery over every thought. Today, let's look at the renewed mind.

In Philippians 2:5, Paul exhorts us:

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

To let means to permit, to allow, to yield. It is a deliberate choice to submit our way of thinking to the pattern of Christ.

Having the mind of Christ means allowing your thoughts, attitudes, and responses to be shaped by His truth. 

The renewed mind is not the creation of a new mind, but the transformation of the one you already have. It is the process of bringing your thinking into agreement with God's perspective.

The mind of Christ has the capacity to think, believe, and respond in a way that aligns with the Father's will because it is led by the Spirit rather than by the flesh.

Paul expands in  Ephesians 4:22

put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

 Paul doesn't simply say, "renew your mind' he says 

 "be renewed in the spirit of your mind." 

This speaks of the governing influence behind your thinking , the inward disposition that shapes how you perceive, reason, and respond.

A mind submitted to darkness will produce thoughts consistent with darkness. A mind yielded to the Holy Spirit will increasingly reflect the life and character of Christ.

God's desire is that we be sanctified by the truth.

 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth (John 17:17). 

As we continually expose ourselves to God's Word, believe it, and obey it, our minds are renewed. We stop conforming to the patterns of this world and begin to think from His perspective.

A renewed mind has learned to recognize truth, reject lies, and consistently stay on God's perspective. It is a mind that is continually being shaped by the Word and led by the Spirit over emotions . 

Romans 12:2 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Consistency conformity to the world is proof of unrenewed mind .

INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS PT 2

If you're new here, welcome! Please adjust quickly to the fact that we apparently have devotional sequels. 🤣 Completely unplanned.

Yesterday, we said that intrusive thoughts are unwelcome, uninvited thoughts that desire to settle into the seat of your mind. The remedy is not to entertain them, but to bring them into obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Today, let's go a little deeper into the renewing of the mind through meditation.

Biblical meditation is not the emptying of the mind, as seen in some worldly practices.

 Rather, it is the filling of the mind with God's truth. It is the intentional replacement of lies with truth, fear with faith, and old patterns of thinking with the mind of Christ.

One of the fascinating things about the brain is that it forms neural pathways. Every repeated thought strengthens a particular pathway. The more often you think a thought, the easier it becomes for your brain to travel that route. It's like walking through a grassy field. The first walk leaves barely a trace, but repeated walks eventually create a well worn path.

This is why what you meditate on matters. The thoughts you repeatedly dwell on become the paths your mind naturally follows.

When Scripture calls us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) it isn't merely asking us to think positive thoughts. It is inviting us to consistently dwell on God's truth until our thinking is reshaped by it. As you repeatedly meditate on God's Word, your brain strengthens new pathways that make His truth easier to recall and live from even when an intrusive thought comes knocking.

On the other hand, if we continually rehearse fear, shame, lust, anxiety, or lies, those thought patterns also become familiar routes. The brain naturally follows the paths that have been travelled most often.

So when an intrusive thought comes, don't panic simply because it showed up. Instead, ask yourself, "Does this agree with the Word of God?" If the answer is no, then it does not deserve a seat of meditation in your mind.

Feed the truth, not the lie.

The more you meditate on God's Word, the more familiar His truth becomes not only to your spirit, but also to your patterns of thinking. Over time, what once required intentional effort begins to become your natural response.

"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." — Psalm 1:2

The mind follows what it meditates on. So choose wisely what you give a permanent seat in your thoughts. 

DailyWell-Peace ✨

INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS

Last night, I found myself mulling over intrusive thoughts.

As the name suggests, intrusive thoughts are unwelcome thoughts that suddenly enter our minds needing our meditation on them. They don't define us, but if we choose to dwell on them, we give them the opportunity to make a home in our minds.

One of the biggest contributors to intrusive thoughts is anxiety and of anxiety this is what your Father says ;

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)

And;

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ( Philippians 4:6)

The mind which is the centre of our thoughts is meant to be guarded, shielded, and sheltered by the peace of God. And this isn't ordinary peace, It is the peace that surpasses all understanding.

So when an intrusive thought creeps in, God's invitation isn't to panic, it is to take that thought captive and bring it into obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Taking a thought captive looks like filtering it through the lens of God's Word.

Is it True,Is it noble,is it pure,is it lovely,is it of a good report? 

Does it agree with God's character?

Does it align with what He says about me?

If the answer is no, then it doesn't deserve a contemplation seat in my mind lest it sows a corrupt seed .

In Isaiah 26:3 God gives us this beautiful promises ;

I keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on Me, because he trusts in Me.

Perfect peace is possible. Not because everything around you is okay but because your mind is stayed on the One who is faithful 

Set your mind things above where Christ is because you've been raised with Him.

DailyWell-Peace ✨