When we are born-again, our spirit comes to life, and we can now fellowship and commune with the Spirit of God. As we grow and mature, our understanding is enlightened and we begin living in harmony with Him. “They that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons (daughters) of God.”

Our brains, our thinking process on the other hand has to be renewed when we are born again. Our brain thinks somewhere around 30,000 thoughts a day. That is 1,250 thoughts per hour or 21 thoughts per minute! If we are used to thinking negatively more than positively, we will have our work cut out to reverse those statistics! If we are not proactive, those negative thoughts will form negative thought patterns which can become strongholds in our minds. That is how we live a defeated life that lacks the joy and peace of our salvation.

Science has shown that our brains can be retrained to think differently. This is called neuroplasticity. Our brain has many neuro-pathways that are like highways. Once you get on one of these roads/ highways, it will always take you down the same road/direction unless you become proactive and retrain your brain to think differently (reroute the road). Romans 12:2 exhorts us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I am reminded of the exhortation Paul gave to us in Philippians 4:8: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Most of us have not trained our brains to dwell consistently on those kinds of thoughts while rejecting the thoughts that are contrary (false, dishonest, unjust, impure, ugly, bad report).

Paul admonishes us in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (which are a group of thoughts or patterns). Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Renewing our minds is a daily process. New thought patterns take time. Like a new habit, 20-30 days of consistency can change a negative thought pattern. Filling our mind with God’s truth – His written word will ultimately crowd out the negative, harmful thoughts that fill our minds and get our attention. There are numerous ways to do this but simply reading and speaking out scripture is a good habit to make a part of your life daily. Committing scriptures to memory helps to redirect your thoughts in the right direction. Meditating (taking time to process what that scripture is saying to me) is the next step in renewing your mind.

We also have to become proactive – identifying the lies we have believed that do not line up with the truth of His word. We must break our agreement with deception (our enemy’s weapon). I heard someone say “You only know a lie is a lie if you know the truth.” Becoming so familiar with the truth guards you against believing the lies. Like counterfeit money, those trained to identify the false only handle and become so familiar with the real, so that the counterfeit jumps out at them. Once we identify a lie then we have to reject the lie, cast it down, and demolish it (see 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 above).

The last and most important thing for us to do is to replace the lies with the truth. As I stated above, memorizing and meditating upon the Word, displacing those old ways of thinking, and asking should be a joyful experience. When we begin to think, say, and do those things that align with truth, it sets us free to be who God created us to be. “The truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)  “He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.” (John 8:36) “It was for freedom that Christ came, to set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) What amazing declarations from the Word of God!

Many people in the Body of Christ do not realize that they are living their lives with less than all that God has provided and desires for them. “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)  “All of God’s promises are yes and amen.” (2 Corinthians 1:20) There are hundreds of promises in the Word of God that we as believers have access to. But because we are ignorant of His Word and have not renewed our minds to these truths, they may not benefit us. We have been too busy splitting doctrinal hairs and not embracing the spirit of the Word. I once heard two groups of theologians from the same seminary arguing/defending/rejecting certain truths based on a little Greek word “en”. Pages and pages have been written on the “real” or “true” interpretation of that little two-letter preposition which according to Google means “in” or “at” but can also mean “by”, “with” or ”among”. For me, that is just too technical and I believe that the Spirit of God which lives in me and every born-again believer can give the correct meaning of scripture without creating unnecessary confusion, doubt, and unbelief.

Have you ever read a familiar passage of scripture that spoke to you during a particular season in your life? And then you read it again in another season and perhaps gained more insight or even a different perspective because of the place you are in currently. I certainly have!

I love the Word of God which is a “lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. (Psalm 119:105) The whole chapter of Psalm 119 (176 verses) is about the Word of God. That is how important it is. God’s Word is His will and the desire of His heart which He expresses to His sons and daughters to help them have a clear, lighted pathway. It will guide us and direct us on our journey through this earthly pilgrimage and prepare us for our eternal future with Him.

I have noticed over the long journey I have had with the Lord that the more I know Him and follow His ways, the more I walk in the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit. That is the description of the Kingdom of God and I confess that I like living in His Kingdom far more than the one that many people live in – the kingdom of this world. I continue to renew my mind (forming new neuro-pathways) because I still have areas that need transformation. My desire and goal is that every thought is based upon the truth and every decision that results from my mind being renewed will bring glory to Him.