Renewing Your Mind

Renewing the Mind

Part 1

I wanted to talk about renewing your mind.  Have you ever been in a place in your life where you needed to step back and take a good look at your life?  When you took the time to do this, did you like what you found?  I have to say that I recently took a good long look at my life and realized that I am missing something, I don’t feel whole, I am lacking in so many different areas.  Let me tell you taking a good long look at your life and not liking what you see and being truthful about it is not easy.  But I can tell you that it is completely worth it.  You want to know why?  Because it shows you what you are lacking.  Even as a Christian we have difficulties walking the path the Lord has for us, and sometimes we would rather take our own path thinking that would be better.  All I can say is been there, done that and got the T Shirt LOL. 

I realized that the places where I am lacking are the places that I haven’t allowed the Lord to work in those areas.  So I come to the conclusion that the one thing I need more than me is the Lord God Almighty.  My Savior, Rock and Fortress, the Great Abba Father.  One of the areas I needed help in was my mind.  I don’t know about you but I think too much, worry too much and replay everything in my mind over and over again.  Also controlling your own thoughts and not allowing the enemy or your flesh to scramble your mind.  So I started to read Ephesians and came across this scripture that we probably heard before but this time it’s different. 

Ephesians 4:22-24

(22)  Put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.   (23)  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. (24)  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

We will first discuss putting off the old man.

Ephesians is telling us to put off the old man which is corrupt and unholy.

The Old Man – The un-renewed man, the natural man in the corruption of sin, the sinful human nature.  The flesh which is the whole nature of man, which is devoted to self and earthly things.  The Old Man is “in the flesh”, also works of the flesh.  The old man which is the life we lead before God.    The old man is our sinful nature also known as our flesh. 

So we now know that we are to put off the old man (our sinful, corrupted, and selfish flesh). 

Colossians 3:8-11

 (8)  But know ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  (9)  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;   (10) And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.  (11)  Where  there is neither Greek,  nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, Barbarian Scythian, bond nor free but Christ is all and in all.  

Colossians states what are old man thoughts are, so we know what to look at when we are in the flesh and our thoughts go wrong.  More or less when we have stink-in think-in.

Galatians 5:16-21

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  (17) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish (18) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  (19) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, (22) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies (21) envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Romans 8:12-17

(12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors - not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh (13) For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  (15) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba Father (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.