As we continue our series on being a dead man walking, this week we consider mindset renewal and the role it plays in bringing believers into the newness of life Christ won on the cross and at His resurrection. Understanding that man is a tripartite being; meaning we are spirit, we possess a soul, and we live in a body – we can then appropriately and without error, divide the Word of God according to this make up. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, it is our Spirit that was made new, thus the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation”. Nothing in our flesh was technically altered, but we know that our bodies will be transfigured at the Lord’s second coming, “the mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:53). And lastly, of the soul, we read from Scripture that it has to “transform through the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2).
This journey of transformation is not a suggestion, as if it were to bring inconsequential niceties to the believer, but it is a life-giving command. Without it, we become those Apostle Paul spoke of when he said, “Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of the heart” (Ephesians 4:18). This is the reality: without the renewing of our mind, we are excluded from the life that lives in our very spirit. We own the treasure in technicality, but we do not experience the pleasures locked within because our minds have not been sharpened through renewal to bring manifestation to those realities. This is not an exercise that you can outsource to another person, nor is it one that God can do for you. You have to do it yourself, you are the one to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil: 2:12). Through diligence, intention, submission and with the help of the Spirit, you put in the hours! You cannot experience a new life with an old mindset; for you to see something new in your life, something new has to be cemented in your mind. This is exactly what Jesus taught, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wineskins will be ruined” (Luke 5:37)
Another key thing to note as well, brethren, is that the word “blindness” as used by Apostle Paul also refers to hardness of heart. That means some of us have conditioned our hearts to unbelief and rebellion through small continuous acts that have multiplied into a heart of stone. That’s right, when one hears the Word of God and quickly obeys, they teach their heart to believe and to do. The opposite is also true, when you hear the Word of God but do not do as it says, you teach your heart laxness – you literally code rebellion and unbelief into your very own system. It filters into your subconscious, and soon enough without conscious thought or effort on your part, you can only act in that fashion. This is what the Scriptures referred to: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, an evil man out of the evil treasure of this heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). A seed planted in the heart grows, there is no discrimination between a good and a bad seed. The principle remains: seed – time – harvest, so if you continually plant rebellion and unbelief in your heart, very soon rebellion and unbelief will be spilling out in your life without your active participation.
So guard your hearts, brethren! Do it with all diligence. Be mindful of everything you invest in your mind, for all that finds root will eventually find expression in your life. Feed yourself with the knowledge of all that God has done for us, so that you are able to walk in that reality. Remember, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he!” (Proverbs 23:7)
Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your Word. It is a treasure that You have given to Your children. Your Word is able to build us up, and give us access to the inheritance we have in Christ Jesus! We pray that You may continually shine our hearts with light and understanding, that our eyes may be opened so that we fully comprehend these Scriptures. In the name of Jesus! Amen.
