How to Study God's Word Effectively - Session 5 Renewing our minds

Jul 1, 2024 | by Teacher Michael Carter

Studying God’s causes us to have a renewed mind - Romans 12:1-2

When getting saved, our spirit is reborn but our minds and bodies were not. Therefore, whatever our thoughts were concerning God, ourselves, others and our world were, remained the same once we were born again. And you cannot bring some of that old thinking into this new relationship with God. Nor can you grow in His kingdom and operate in it effectively without changing your thinking. And you cannot experience God above how you think. You MUST renew your mind. Matthew 12:34 | Proverbs 23:7

Changing your thinking is the process of converting or renewing your mind with God's word. Psalm 19:7

It is the process of exchanging how you think with God's perspectives. This is necessary if you desire to continue your growth and experience God's influence and liberty. You can change your geography, but if you don’t change how you think, your life will remain the same. You'll just take that bad thinking wherever you go. You will not change or move forward in your life aside from changing how you think. There is no liberty or life transformation aside from a continual mind transformation. John 8:32

Again, this is the power and the impact of reading, studying and applying God's word, it renews your mind.

How we interact with God, people, and life, often depends on our thinking.

As believers, there is a direct correlation between how we think and God's influence in our lives. This is why Jesus told them to repent in Matthew 4:17. The word used here means to change your thinking. This is because He brought God's Kingdom back. However, to operate in it effectively they had to turn from their sin and renew their minds or change their thinking.

Failure to renew your mind will hinder your growth with God and His influence in your life.

It will cause you to approach life based on your thinking and not God's word and perspectives
It will hinder your faith and growth in the operation of God's word and kingdom
It will thwart your ability to live forward and walk in God's best for your life
It will hinder you in discovering God's will and purpose for your life

If you desire to grow and experience God's influence, you must renew your mind.

Think about the children of Israel in Numbers 13. They had a distorted mindset concerning who they were. It was their thinkin in regards to their perspective of themselves that hindered many of them from entering God's destiny for their lives. They saw themselves as grasshoppers. And it caused many to die in the wilderness. God had delivered them from Egypt, given them land and called them His people, destined for victory.

Yet, one of the reason they failed was their thinking about themselves. Change of geography doesn’t matter as much as changing your thinking. Otherwise, you'll just take that distorted self image with you and still be hindered. The children of Israel called themselves grasshoppers. They developed that image of themselves over the years of being slaves and the absence of God's word. That distorted self perception of themselves was their reality. So, when God came along and declared them to be His people, many of them could not overcome their thinking of themselves as slaves destined to lose and be subjugated. Many of them died in the wilderness. Only those who changed their thinking by lining it up with God's word entered the promise land.

Think about Gideon in Judges 6

As you read the story you find God calling Gideon a mighty man of valor. He responded by telling God about the frailties of his family and how he was the least amongst them. Gideon putting out a fleece was not about his faith in God. It was about his need for affirmation because of his distorted thinking of himself. Again, how we think about ourselves impacts our self esteem and confidence. Once he received God's affirmation and changed his thinking about himself, God was able to use him to lead the victory. Consequently, he later become a Judge in the nation. Our lives are elevated and lined up with God's will and His perspectives of us when we study His word and renew our minds according to His word.

The power of renewing your mind through studying God's word impacts your perception of yourself.

This impacts your self esteem and expectation of your self. As we study and renew our minds concerning who God says we are, and what we are capable of doing, our value self esteem and confidence rises. We will start to believe that we are who God says we are, and we are capable of doing what He says we can do and accomplish.

One of the greatest challenges in the life of the believer today is to renew their minds.

This is because it requires a concerted disciplined afford and a commitment to reading and studying God's word. Most prefer to be inspired or even in some cases entertained, opposed to being informed. You need to be inspired, yet you need to be informed as well. Being inspired is easy, it doesn’t cost you anything. Whereas reading and studying takes an commitment of costly time and an effort. If it's not perceived as important, most won't do it. Renewing your mind requires your diligence and afford. But, the results are a renewed mind and a transformed life.

Our minds are likened to the most advanced computers in the world.

Yet, like the most powerful computer, with all of its abilities, it requires power and programming to work effectively. God's Spirit provides the power. We do the programming by reading, studying and applying His word. It renews our minds and causes us to develop the mind of Christ.

1st Corinthians 1:11-16 The mind of Christ is God's perspective unveiled to us in our thinking. It can impact every area of our lives.

Every human being has what is called a map of reality in their minds.

It's been recording and engraving thoughts opinions and perceptions since you were born. The interesting thing about this map is that it can record, write and believe something whether its true or not. If you believe it, it becomes your reality. And it impacts your actions and behavior. Renewing your mind through reading, studying and application rewrites your inner map. Reading gives you information. Studying makes it clear and relevant. Application makes it real and reinforces it.

Over time, your mind will become renewed and your map or reality will be changed. Your living out God's word in your life, making new grooves on your minds map. These new groves overlay the old and becomes your new reality. You're washing your mind of the mess of this world.

You're renewing your mind to be empowered and liberated with God's word. And you are exposed to God's perspectives and possibilities.

Studying God's word renews your mind and causes your faith and expectation in God to grow. 1st Corinthians 2:11- 12

When God's will is unveiled to you through His word and Spirit, except it and agree with it. Don’t singularly look at things according to its circumstances, your thinking or understanding. Look at them from God's perspective outlined in His word. Exchange your perspective with His. Believe it, apply it and walk in it. It will build your faith and raise your expectation. This is the power of applying, reading and studying God's word.

Now you see why it is so imperative to continually read, study and apply God's word. Joshua 1:8

It will cause you to develop the mind of Christ, rewrite the map of your reality, liberate you and position you to experience God's best and success. No matter the situation, it's about what you know and believe concerning God's word. Your perspectives can be the difference in

you growing and living victoriously opposed to remaining the same doubting God and yourself, looking for reasons to fail.

Are you desiring God's influence and grace to be manifested and flowing in your life?

It starts with knowing His word through studying it effectively. It will renew your mind and raise your trust and faith in Him. Glean insights from His Spirit through His word. Exchange your thinking with His. This will cause you to renew your mind and develop the mind of Christ.

A renewed mind converts the soul and lines you up with God's will for your life. It transforms our perspectives and unveils God's possibilities and will for our lives. Therein is the power of studying God's word and renewing our minds.

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