Level: 2, Lesson: 3
RENEWING THE MIND
OUTLINE

Meditating on God’s Word is allowing the Word of God to invade our imaginations, or the part of us that sees in pictures. As we meditate on the scriptures, we begin to see the life and power of God evident in our lives.

Renewing our minds is a result of meditating on the scriptures.

Romans 12:2: "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."

Through the renewing of our minds, we can know the perfect will of God and are changed to look and act more like Jesus.

When you are born-again you receive a new spirit which is perfect, yet our soul needs be transformed.

II Corinthians 10:3-5: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

A stronghold is a system of thought empowered by emotions. It’s a way of thinking or a mind set.

The primary weapon God has given us in dealing with strongholds, is the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

John 6:63: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are the only two things that can expose a stronghold for what it is and pull it down. By pulling down the strongholds, our minds become renewed.

Renewing our minds is exchanging the pictures that the world has painted for us, for the pictures that the scriptures give us.

You’ll see the power and life of God manifested in you as you renew your mind.

RENEWING THE MIND
Lesson Text

In II Corinthians 10:4-5 we read: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (NKJV). A stronghold may be an intense struggle with drugs, alcohol, violence, depression, a lust for power, or any other addictive thought pattern that preoccupies our minds to the point of being obsessive.

Even though these perceptions may be destructive to our lives, we continue to hold fast to them because they have become so much a part of our makeup and behavior. It takes a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God to expose these thoughts as incorrect. It is only the Word of God with the work of the Holy Spirit that has the power to expose these well-dressed lies.

God’s Word is the only thing that the Holy Spirit can use to destroy destructive reasonings.

Scripture is the standard or rule by which we are to judge whether what we are believing is correct, regardless of how strongly we may feel about it. His Word never changes—it is always the same. Our opinions may change, and we may deal with different perceptions in life, but God’s Word endures forever.

When we pick up the Bible, we need to remember that it is the book with God in it. It is not just black words on white paper. As we meditate on the Word of God, we attack and tear down the strongholds in our thought lives.

As we read what the scriptures say about mediating on God’s Word, we begin to discover how it is accomplished.

God told Joshua that he was to meditate on His Word day and night " . . . that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it." (NKJV) The principle is that we do what we see in our minds. The mind has two basic functions: memory and imagination. We are created by God to perform what we first see in our minds. Every action is first proceeded by a thought picture. For example, adultery does not come upon a man or woman like a seizure. The thoughts and fantasies of adultery are played over in one’s mind long before the act of adultery takes place.

When we meditate on God’s Word, we allow the Word to paint a picture for us. This process is the process of "renewing" our minds.

When we meditate on God’s promises, we can begin to see ourselves receiving and experiencing those promises, consequently making them a reality with our actions.

RENEWING THE MIND
(Additional Information)

Romans 12:1-2: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And 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) Many people think that if they fulfill the conditions of verse one that everything else will automatically work out. Yet Paul goes on to state that we also have to renew our minds. There have been many people who have had a genuine commitment to the Lord, but they didn’t renew their minds through God’s Word and they suffered many problems that they didn’t have to.

(Romans 12:2) The Greek word that was translated "conformed" here is the word "suschematizo," meaning "to fashion alike, i.e. conform to the same pattern." This scripture is telling us that we should be different than the unbelievers. Most Christians recognize this, but they seem at a loss of how to accomplish it. This verse goes on to give us the answer. The key is our minds. As he thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

If we think on the same things that the world thinks on, we are going to get the same results. If we keep our minds stayed upon God through the study of His Word and fellowship with Him, then we’ll have perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). It’s that simple.

(Romans 12:2) The Greek word that was translated "transformed" here is the word "metamorphoo" and is the same word that we get our word "metamorphosis" from. It is describing a complete change like that of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. This word is also the same word that was used to describe Jesus’ transformation when His garments became white as the light (Matthew 17:2).

Making our thinking line up with God’s Word will effect this complete transformation in our lives.

(Romans 12:2) When a person gets born again, he becomes a totally new creation in his spirit. This spiritual salvation is complete. He doesn’t need any more faith, joy, or power. That person is complete in Him (Colossians 2:9-10).

However, it is not God’s will that we just be changed on the inside. He wants to manifest this salvation in our physical lives. That takes place through the renewing of our minds. Man is a spirit, soul, and body (I Thessalonians 5:23). Our spirits are as perfect as they will ever be in heaven. If we will change our thinking so that we believe what God says in His Word, about who we are and what we have, then this agreement between our spirit and soul forms a majority and our flesh will experience the life of God that has been deposited in our spirits.

If we fail to renew our minds, we can live our entire time on this earth without experiencing the abundant life that Jesus provided for us (John 10:10).

(Romans 12:2) The dictionary defines "prove" as "to establish the truth or validity of by evidence or argument; to be shown to be; turn out." Therefore, this is speaking of how to physically display God’s will in our lives. This is a promise that if we fulfill the requirements of these two verses, we will prove - not might prove - but WILL prove the good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Finding God’s will for our lives is not hard when we do what these verses instruct us to do. It is impossible to miss God’s will once we commit ourselves to God as living sacrifices and begin to renew our minds. Finding God’s will for our lives only becomes hard when we are not totally committed to God

Here are some questions to think about for this lesson

Level 2 Lesson 3 Questions
RENEWING THE MIND

1. What does II Timothy 3:16 say that scripture is profitable for?
2. According to John 6:63, Jesus words are what?
3. How are we transformed according to Romans 12:2?
4. According to Romans 12:1-2, how do we find God's good, acceptable and perfect will for our lives?
5. Explain in detail the meaning of Proverbs 4:20-23

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