2 “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.”(Romans 12:2NIV)
The Apostle Paul is encouraging the new believers to no longer be conformed to the culture they see around them. He exhorts them to be regenerated and created anew, by the renewing of their minds. With a renewed mind of Christ, the believers’ thoughts, behaviors, actions, and motives will be clean. By getting rid of the old thoughts and opening their minds to the Holy Spirit they will discern what is good and acceptable to God, no longer judging but loving unconditionally, and serving others before themselves.
In last month’s devotional about the renewal of the mind, we learned that the human brain has an amazing way of healing after a traumatic brain injury or stroke. Through the process of neuroplasticity, the brain can repair itself. The damaged neurons revert to an embryonic state and regrow new dendrites and axons, forming new connections that under the right conditions restore lost function in the region of the brain that was damaged. Some patients can relearn how to speak, write, sing, and perform everyday tasks.
This month I am writing about the renewal of the mind that can occur when the mind is damaged not physically, but emotionally. About fifteen years ago I went through a really tough journey. I would laugh and joke about my situation by saying, “My life is like a Country Western song. I lost my marriage, my house, my mother, and my two dogs!” But deep down inside I was hurting so much. I couldn’t sleep. I was lost in an unbroken cycle of feeling sorry for myself and feeling angry because I was feeling sorry for myself. It was an endless cycle.
Has anyone ever told you that it’s not what happens to you that is important – it’s how you react to what happens to you? Well, when someone said that to me, it was the last thing I needed to hear! I knew that my negative thoughts were defeating me, but I didn’t know how to get rid of them. I felt guilty because as a Christian, I wanted to forgive people who had hurt me during the divorce, but I just couldn’t do it on my own.
One night at my recovery class, the teacher shared this Scripture from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. 18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 3: 18-20 NIV).
That’s it! I exclaimed to myself. I cannot forgive these people on my own, but with God’s power I can. I chose to forgive the people who had hurt me. And when those negative thoughts tried to reenter my mind, I denounced the negative thoughts in the power of God’s name. I remember the first morning I woke up and realized that I had slept through the entire night without being attacked by negative thoughts. I felt like a new person.
17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians.” 5:17 NLT
This began my thirst to study God’s Word and use it just as Jesus did when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus had been fasting for forty days and He was hungry. 3 “The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’”
4 “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone.'”
To this temptation and the two that followed, Jesus did not hesitate. He did not take time to think it over and internalize what Satan had said to Him. Jesus immediately answered Satan with Scripture. And what was the outcome? 13 “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”(Luke 4: 1-13 NIV) . Did you catch the last four words in that Scripture verse?
8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8 NIV)
Returning to the Apostle Paul’s message to the Roman Christians, he exhorts them to be regenerated and created anew, by the renewing of their minds. And how is the mind regenerated and created anew? By getting rid of the old thoughts. In other words, don’t think about the unkind words, trauma, rejection, physical and emotional abuse or other stronghold that is holding you captive.
But we all know that it is not that easy. Sometimes the negative thoughts play like a broken record, over and over in the mind. Some people end up believing the lies because they have held them in their minds for so long. They think it is a normal way to feel because of what happened in their past. Damaged emotions are a normal reaction to wounds, but they can be defeated. Overcoming strongholds is an ongoing process. The more I study Scripture and internalize it, the more able I am through the power of the Holy Spirit to defeat the lies and negative thoughts.
12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4: 12 ESV).
Last month we learned that God created our brains with different regions that are responsible for different functions. The occipital lobe in the back of the brain controls sight. The frontal lobe in the front of the brain controls thinking and reasoning, and so on. We do not have control of where in the brain our thoughts, sight, hearing, smelling, taste and touch is processed, and where our short term and long term memories are stored. We do have control on what enters the mind through our eyes, ears, nose, fingertips, and mouth and becomes a memory. And again, the control of what movies you watch, music you listen to, people you associate with, how many donuts you eat, etc. is not solely up to you. The Holy Spirit defeats those strongholds when you surrender them to Him.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4: 23. NIV.)
As I stated earlier, overcoming strongholds doesn’t happen overnight. It’s essential to enlist the help of sacred scriptures and the Holy Spirit if we have any hope of winning such a difficult battle. It’s the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him personally; the difference between reading or recognizing a scripture verse and having it placed in my heart and my mind. It is instantly recognizing a lie, and immediately countering it with Truth. Here are three of my favorite Scripture verses.
7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”(2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)
8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV.)
31 “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” (John 8:31-32 NLT)
Do you want to be set free? God gave you miraculous a brain that can heal from physical damage and actually build new pathways; He gave you a mind that can be renewed! My prayer for you this new year is to ask God for His help with your battles. Ask Him to show you a certain scripture verse (or even a single word!) that you can use to fight your negative thoughts. And finally, find a community that you can trust. Surrounding yourself with people who are also striving to know Jesus will help you stand your ground. If you can find someone you trust who can pray for you, there will literally be “more power to you.” God loves it when we gather together to pray!
6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (John 14: 6 NIV)
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 