Renewing the Mind

September 1st, 2009 → 4:21 pm @ benwiles

8


I am finding myself in a new place in life. I can’t really define it for you yet – that will just have to come over time. Suffice it to say that I am going through a growth process in several areas of my life – both personal and professional. It is a sometimes tedious, sometimes exciting process.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) says: “Don’t copy the behavior of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” The Bible reveals to us in this verse that God brings transformation to our lives by working on our mind. There must be a change in the way we think about God, about ourselves, and about our situation. We all have embedded viewpoints that are unexamined. Things happen to us and we make a judgement about ourselves, or about a particular type of person, or a particular situation. This is especially true when it comes to victims of abuse, but it is still true even in those of us that had a more “normal” upbringing.

Let me explain further. Maybe you are trying to lose weight, but you can’t get past the opinion you have of yourself as someone who will “always be this way.” Maybe you want to get into a career that will allow you to earn more money, but you can’t see yourself as ever being successful. Or perhaps you have decided that you will always be single because “there’s just no good ones left out there.” Whatever judgment you have made, it will invariably lead to self-sabotage. Whether you consciously do it or not, your views and opinions of yourself, others, and especially God, will have a dramatic effect on the decisions you make and how you relate to other people.

This is one reason why having a coach is so helpful. A good coach will help you gain fresh perspective in your life. He or she will listen to you share your dreams and goals and work with you to craft a plan to reach them. In the process, the coach can help you deal with those “dreambusters” that are stopping you from realizing the success God has designed you to have. And I recommend a Christian coach, who will center your discussions around God’s truth.

I leave you with this thought. Whatever God says is truth. It doesn’t matter if you accept it or apply it. It is still truth. If God says the sky is yellow, it doesn’t matter how blue it looks – it is yellow. That is because God is the definition of truth. And He has given us His word (the Bible) to reveal the truth. When your thoughts run counter to God’s thoughts – you’re wrong. Allow God’s word to renew your mind and teach you what you should think about Him, about others….and about yourself.

Once you learn it….live it!

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