Romans 12:2 “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.”
We have already mentioned that all believers come into the kingdom of God with a mindset that thinks as this world thinks, which we have also established is a mindset that is in direct opposition to God’s word. And so that is the reason why the apostle Paul in the above quoted passage of scripture, encourages the church to no longer be conformed to this world but rather to be transformed, so that we can experience God’s perfect will for our lives. The method that the Holy Spirit teaches us to employ in transforming our lives is through the renewal of our minds. In other words we are to change the way we think. In another passage of scripture the apostle Paul teaches us to bring every thought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). And so we see that if believers are going to experience transformed lives, they are going to have to make a conscious and disciplined effort to change their thinking to line up with what God’s word declares on any given subject.
Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
So how do we change our thinking? God answered that question for us in the above quoted passage of scripture, when He taught Joshua how to have success in life. God taught Joshua that the starting point was to meditate in His word. Mediation in God’s word means that we are to focus our thoughts on what God’s word says about any given subject. When God instructed Joshua to meditate in His word “day and night”, He clearly implied that His word was to dominate Joshua’s thinking. Every time meditation is mentioned in the bible the onus is always placed upon the individual to do it themselves. In other words God does not force His thoughts into our minds, for He gives us understanding of His word and then He expects us to meditate on that word until we become fully convinced in our minds that His word is true and real. Christians will never become fully convinced in their minds about the reality of God’s word unless they diligently meditate on His word.
Michael E.B. Maher
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