The Importance of Reading your Bible-It Renews Your Mind!

May 31, 2023

The Importance of Reading your Bible-It Renews Your Mind!

What does it mean to renew your mind?

To have a clear understanding of what the Lord means by the renewal of your mind let’s take a look at Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul discloses, “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.” Paul through the leading of the Holy Spirit is letting us know that in order for us to truly transform the way that we think; we have to completely change our thought process.

The word “conformed” in this passage of Scripture is the Greek word syschēmatizō which means to conform one’s mind and character to another pattern. In other words, you change the entire way that you used to act, think, and speak when you were living as a non-believer. The day that you invited the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart you became a new person.

2 Corinthians 5:17 details, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” The old you is no longer your identity but your new identity is hidden in Jesus Christ. That means that the Lord is going to hold you to a certain standard because He will expect you to live a life obedient to His Word.

This is an ongoing process and does not happen overnight. The main thing that you want to take into consideration is that there has to be a willingness to make significant changes. If you do it because you feel forced to, it will not work. You want to have such a deep love and reverence for God that you want to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

The primary way that you are going to be able to successfully transform your frame of mind is by studying, digesting, and applying the Word of God to your life. His Word is powerful and sharper than a double-edged Sword, Hebrews 4:12. It is like a mirror showing you the difference between what is right and what is wrong; what is pleasing to the Lord and what is not.

You will have the Helper, the Holy Spirit as your guide, John 14:26. He is the One that will lead you, convict you, and aid in the transformation process. It will not be easy because your flesh will want you to live a life that is contrary to the Word of God. I know this first hand! When I first got saved the very first thing that the Holy Spirit dealt with me about was my mouth!

Every other word was unpleasant and not representative of how a Christian is supposed to speak. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I was able to change the way that I spoke and conducted myself around others. The people that knew me before I got saved could tell that something was changing about me but they didn’t know what it was. One key indicator that you are moving in the right direction as a believer of Jesus Christ is that your family and friends will see the change in you!

I am going to break down some verses of Scripture pertaining to the renewal of your mind that you can meditate on.

Also, check out my articles pertaining to this topic: The Importance of Renewing Your Mind, 5 Ways to Change your Mindset from Positive to Negative, and Holy Spirit-The Spirit of Power, Love, and a Sound Mind!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Here we can see in these verses of Scripture that the Apostle Paul is teaching us that our warfare is not physical but spiritual. Our weapons are not carnal (having the nature of the flesh) but are spiritual and mighty through God. We are fighting against an adversary that wants nothing more than to kill, steal, and destroy, John 10:10.

He will shoot fiery arrows (thoughts) at your mind to try to build negative strongholds in your life. Paul is telling us in these passages of Scripture that we are to cast down all arguments or anything hostile to the Christian Faith and bring them captive. You will know when a thought needs to be cast down because it will be contrary to the Lords’ Word.

That is why it is imperative that you get into your Bible and study it daily. How else are you going to know what the Word of God says if you never read it for yourself? It is not enough to rely on a Pastor or Bible study to teach you the Holy Scriptures. God is very clear on this topic in 2 Timothy 2:15 it states, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

We are all responsible for studying the Lord’s Word for ourselves so that we can understand the true doctrine of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Comprehending the Bible is what will help us make permanent changes in the way that we think. This is critical when it comes to the overall renewal of your mind. The Scriptures are living and powerful and have transformative power over any adverse thought against God’s Word!

Ephesians 4:22-24

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

These passages of Scripture out of the Bible disclose to us the necessity of renewing our mind. Here the Apostle Paul is telling us through the leading of the Holy Spirit the reason why it is important for us to change our old ways. Before you became a believer of Jesus Christ you were living in the World fulfilling your deceitful desires.

You didn’t have the Lord’s principles and stipulations guiding you and leading you in the right direction. So, the result is living in sin without any morals or convictions. This is exactly how the devil establishes strongholds in your life. The thing that a lot of people fail to fully understand is that the Word of God is our protective Sword against the schemes of the enemy.

The Lord isn’t giving us provisions because He doesn’t want us to “have fun” or enjoy our lives. It is quite the opposite. He is doing is out of love because He knows the destruction that sin brings. Remember the wages of sin always leads to death, Romans 6:23. This is why it is imperative that we get into the Word of God so that we can have a clear understanding of what it means to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

The Bible explains our main problem when it comes to comprehending the repercussions of iniquity and that is a lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

One of the primary reasons that Christians remain chained and shackled unable to break free is because of a lack of information. If you are not renewing your state of mind which requires reading the Word of God, the enemy will take full advantage of your ignorance. He wants to make sure that you don’t comprehend the principles and guidelines outlined for us in the Bible.

The result of a lack of knowledge is a life that isn’t fully submitted to God. You can’t follow the regulations that the Lord has in place for us if you don’t know what they are. James 4:7 details, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Here we can see that the Lord is making it plain for us: if we submit to Him (reading His Word, applying it to our lives, and allowing it to transform us) the devil will flee.

The reason that he will not stay is because you are no longer living the life that you used to live before you found Jesus Christ. The “old you” opened up doors for the enemy to come in and wreak havoc. Your sin was a breeding ground for the devil and his demons. The more that you read the Lord’s Word the more doors you will close because you will no longer want to participate in sin.

Sin is one of the leading ways that the devil legally comes into your life to create chaos and destruction. The renewal and transformation of your mind-set will help you make the right choices as a believer of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will empower you, guide you, lead you, convict you, and help you move in the right direction.

2 Timothy 3:16

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

Here we can see that this Epistle written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy is explaining that “All” Scripture is inspired by God. He goes on to distinguish some of the amazing things that the Word of God does. He lets us know that it is used to teach the principles of God, it is used to correct, and it is used to give us the understanding of what is right and wrong.

The Lord’s Word doesn’t just point out iniquity, but also provides us with a solution on how to overcome. That is why it is vital to study God’s Word for yourself so that you can have Scriptures saturated in your heart and mind that you can use when you need them. The enemy’s battle ground is in our mind and we need to learn how to protect ourselves against his attacks.

The enemy will try to tell you that:

“Jesus could never love you, you have done way too much!”
“You are never going to be able to stop your addiction so why should you try?”
“You are worthless, nobody cares about you!”
“It would be better if you didn’t exist!”
“You can’t do anything right!”

The enemy will unleash lie after lie so much so that you begin to think those intrusive and oppressive thoughts are really yours. The devil is a liar and the father of lies, John 8:44. The Word of God will give you the artillery that you need to combat those lies!

Here are some examples:

Romans 8:37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Psalm 139:8 “If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”

The Word of God has the ability to counterattack any deception that the enemy will use against you. The thing is in order for you to have the ability to combat his schemes; you have to have Scripture saturated in your heart and mind ready to retaliate.

Conclusion

The moment that you accept Jesus Christ into your life, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in your heart. He is your Helper and will guide you and lead you in the right direction when it comes to living your life for Jesus Christ. One way that you can tell if you are heading down the right path is that you will no longer accept the way that you used to be before you found Christ.

You won’t want to talk the way you used to, do the things you used to do, or act the way you used to. The Holy Spirit will convict you when you aren’t living a life that is pleasing to the Lord. The question is: will you listen to His still small voice when He speaks to you? The renewing of your mind is a process that can be done but you have to be willing to want to make those permanent changes.

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

The Importance of Reading your Bible-fights the enemy

The Importance of Reading your Bible-has the ability to heal

The Importance of Reading your Bible-Builds Your Faith

The Importance of Reading your Bible-Reveals Jesus Christ

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The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

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