HOW TO RENEW OUR MINDS (Part One)

 

AIM:    To help us understand why our minds need to be renewed and how we can renew our minds

TEXT:   Rom 12:2, Eph. 4:23

Memory Verse:  “and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewal of your mind” - Rom 12:2a              

INTRODUCTION

With the mind, we exercise the power of reasoning, conceiving ideas, and judgment. Man is a spirit who has a soul and lives in a body, and the mind is the centre of the soul; the centre of our intellect, reasoning and emotions and the place where decisions are made. The fight between the spirit and the flesh for who gets control over the man takes place in the mind; our minds determines our lives (Prov 4:23; 23:7, Mat 12:34-35, Mat 15:18-19).

Our minds have been programmed with natural "established attitudes", including beliefs, thoughts, ideas, opinions, convictions that we have concerning ourselves, others, objects, activities, and even God and these have been formed through the influence of parents, educational system, society (books, television, movies, etc.), religious training, personal experience, etc.

When we got born again, our minds did not get born again; only our spirit. There is therefore need for constant renewal of our minds, to put off the garbage in our thinking and put on the mind of Christ. In this study, we will look at how we can renew our minds to conform to the mind of Christ.

DISCUSSIONS

·         Characteristics of a mind that needs to be renewed – a mind that needs renewing is;

§  A depraved/reprobate mind (immoral, does things which are not proper) - Rom. 1:28

§  A mind set on the flesh and not subject to God’s Law - Rom. 8:5;7, Eph. 2:3

§  Haughty - Rom. 12:16

§  Blinded by unbelief - 2Cor. 4:4

§  Corrupted from simplicity and purity in Christ - 2Cor. 11:3

§  Futile (incapable of producing results, useless, not successful, not worth attempting)- Eph. 4:17

§  Set on earthly things - Phil. 3:19

§  Alienated and an enemy of Christ - Col. 1:21

§  Vainly puffed up - Col. 2:18

§  Defiled - Titus 1:15

§  Mention others

·         Characteristics of a renewed mind – a renewed mind is;

§   Steadfast, stayed/focussed on God - Isa. 26:3

§  One that loves the Lord - Matt. 22:37

§  The mind of Christ - I Cor. 2:16, Phil. 2:5

§  One that meditates on Godly things - Phil. 4:8

§  Set on heavenly things - Col. 3:2

§  Contains the laws of God - Heb. 8:10; 10:16

§  Girded for action - I Pet. 1:13

§  Mention others

To be continued.....