| Spiritual Warfare Lesson #6 Renewing the mind. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Lets look at Romans 12:2 in the living Bible Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. The word transform means to change or to alter. A sure sign of your mind being conformed is there will be a change in your life. Your old ways of doing things no longer exist. Now you live only to please God. You no longer want to do things your way, or the way of the world, Now you live by what the Word of God says. The New Testament pleads with us to live the way that Good says to live. No longer living by this world's customs. The way of the world only leads to death. 1st Peter 1:13-14 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: Let's take a look at the word gird. The word gird means to prepare for a military confrontation. When you makeup your mind to do things God's way. You can be sure that you are in for a battle. This is why the Lord warns us to prepare our mind's so that when the enemy of our souls attack, we will be ready for him. We must seek to renew our thinking. This consistent renewal of our minds by the Word of God will eradicate wrong thinking. The word eradicate means to kill. Not only will reading the Word change our old way of thinking, but it will eradicate, wrong believing, scars from the past, hurtful and emotional memories of the past. It is these very areas that satan uses to wage war on our minds. The renewal of the mind does not add to the already completed work of Jesus Christ, It simply puts us in a mental state that enable us to better use our faith and to enjoy the benefits of the redemptive work that Jesus has accomplished for us. For this reason we must understand that spiritual warfare is a life long commitment. It is not a gust of emotion to frighten the devil away for a few moments of time. Real spiritual warfare will take much longer than that. This is why you must study your Bible everyday. Satan is not playing games with us but He is out to kill, steal and destroy. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. But have no fear saint's of God, Jesus has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus wants to teach us on a day to day basis how to walk in the Spirit. Real spiritual warfare requires a life of commitment, purity, and consecration. Any view of spiritual warfare that fails to include these is lopsided and fails to meet the mark. |