Studying God's Word Effectively - Session 5 Renewing our minds

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 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

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

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, or change their thinking Matthew 4:17. This is because He brought God's Kingdom back. However, to operate in it effectively they had to renew their minds or change their thinking.  

• 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

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, it was their thinking that caused them to fail. 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.

This impacts you 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 and informed. However, being inspired doesn’t cost you anything and its easier. 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 afford. 

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 that changes our reality.

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 groove on your map. The 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.

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 it 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 continually reading and studying God's word. 

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 Joshua 1:8. No matter the situation, it's about what you know and believe concerning God's word. Perspective ca be the difference in you growing and living victoriously opposed to remaining the same doubting yourself looking for reasons to fail.  

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.