RENEW

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” – Romans 12:2

Attitude is a critical determinant of what people do with their lives; while change is a constant in creation and in nature. However, for things to become different in your life the primary thing you need to change may not be your career, job, circumstances, environment, income or relationships; it’s YOU. That means: you must first change your attitude, which could have been good or bad, positive or negative. Your attitude is determined by the collection of the dominant thoughts in your mind. So to determine the proper kind of attitudinal change, you must acknowledge the Scriptural Standard: “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Phil.2:5). This is like asking yourself at every instance this probing question: “What Would Jesus Do?” But since, thinking should precede doing, a more probing question would be: “What Would Jesus Think?”

The implication is: Before you ever do anything, you need to think like Jesus would think! The next relevant question would then be: How do I know what Jesus thinks? You can know with absolute certainty what Jesus thinks by going into the Book in which His words are recorded – the Bible. Therefore, if you be a sincere Follower of Jesus, what is required of you is: to read and study your Bible and do what it says! Joshua 1:8 connects “Good Success” to your disposition to God’s Word. Good Success will never come to you unless you’re willing to change your attitude, which would happen through what you feed your mind with – either the Word or the world! It’s also important to understand that success will never manifest around you until it’s established within you. Developing the right kind of attitude within you is thus a scriptural, spiritual assignment.

Whatever may be the area of life you are having challenges, you most likely require a change of attitude or renewal of mind. If you’re having trouble in your marriage, you probably need to eliminate negative attitudes about your spouse so you can embrace a new mind-set. If you’re having concern over your children, perhaps you need to get rid of your old attitudes about them and adopt a new approach. If you’re having friction with your boss or on your job, you must jettison your old reactions to him or her or your attitude to the job and imbibe a fresh outlook. To replace the old with the new, you must change from inside-out; you must renovate your thinking: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). Ephesians 4: 23 conveys says likewise: “And be RENEWED in the spirit of your mind.”

The Greek word for renewing is anakainosis which means: “renewing, renovation.” When you renovate a house, you replace what isn’t working or wanted with what is: you may take out the old unsafe electrical wiring and put in the new or pull out the old flooring and fix-in the new. In renewing your mind, you replace the old ways of thinking with the new. The New Living Translation of Romans 12:2 says: “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…” You and no one else bring the change in your life; you determine your attitude and the kind of day, week or future you will have. You can replace fear with faith, hatred with love, complaining with gratitude, bitterness with forgiveness, judgment with acceptance, stress with strength, and feeling sorry for yourself with reaching out to help someone else. How is your mind being renewed? In what ways are you being transformed? How aligned is your life with God’s good, acceptable, and perfect Will?