Online Reporter
GREETINGS beloved nation, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Romans 12:2 (KJV) says, “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.”
The NLT states, “Do not copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good, pleasing and perfect.”
Last week, we spoke about how, as believers, we should have the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ and how Jesus had the mind of His Father, God—the mind of the Kingdom. We also discussed how the mind is a spiritual gateway that both God and the devil can utilise. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that, as Christians, we are not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. This means that in order not to be conformed to the world (i.e., not to copy its behaviour and customs), we must be transformed. And how are we to be transformed? Our minds must be renewed.
But what is the transformation of the mind? The KJV Dictionary defines transformation as “to change the natural disposition and temper of man from a state of enmity to God and His law into the image of God or into a disposition and temper conformed to the will of God.” As believers, we are called to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. But we might ask, why do our minds need renewing? What are they being renewed from?
We said that the mind is a spiritual gateway for both God and the devil, meaning that God can influence our minds just as the devil can. When we allow the devil to influence our minds, we become capable of great evil. This is why the world is in its current state. The way we mistreat people, commit brutal murders, rape women and children and engage in acts of violence and crime — all these evils are the result of the devil influencing the minds of men.
The Bible tells us in Genesis 6:5, “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.” When God saw the wickedness of mankind, He decided to destroy humanity through the flood. Men’s minds were being used for evil deeds.
If our minds are not renewed, we conform to the world, meaning we copy its behaviour and customs. We desire the things of the world and the consequences can be disastrous. In Genesis 19:17, 26–28, the Bible recounts that God intended to destroy Sodom because of its extreme sin and perversion. Lot and his family had to leave and they were instructed not to look back.
However, Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Interestingly, at the same time, Abram — later named Abraham —was on a mountain watching the destruction of the city, yet nothing happened to him. They both looked at the same thing.
Lot’s wife looked at Sodom, and her imagination longed for what she was leaving behind. The Bible does not specify how long she looked, but she looked long enough for her imagination to desire the city, and she was judged along with it.
Similarly, the children of Israel, when they left Egypt, kept thinking about Egypt and longing for the things they had left behind. Exodus 16:3 records, ‘There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted.’ They continually grumbled and complained to Moses. Though they had been freed from slavery, their minds were not transformed —they were not renewed.
It took one day to extract Israel from Egypt, but it took forty years to remove Egypt from Israel because they still carried the slave mentality. They needed transformation through the renewal of the mind.
Our minds have great potential. Genesis 11:6 states that, when God saw the people imagining the city they wanted to build, He said that humanity was capable of doing whatever they could envision. The mind of a believer should not only be renewed to avoid conforming to the world but also to realise our potential as beings created in the image of God. We can become whatever we imagine and accomplish whatever we set out to do. Our minds need to be transformed so that we can learn to know God’s will for us.
The mind is a spiritual gateway. If we allow the devil to influence it, we can cause great harm in our lives and in the world. Conversely, if we allow the Holy Spirit to influence our minds, we can achieve great things.
Once again, I invite you to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you shall be saved.
May God bless you all and this beautiful nation of Zimbabwe. Amen.
n For prayer and counselling please contact: [email protected] or WhatsApp number: 0772494647
