Articles
Renew Your Mind
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans
12:2 (NIV).
The Bible tells us how we can find out what God's will is for us and how
we can fulfill it. According to Apostle Paul, we need to be transformed by
the renewal of our minds. We must not conform to the pattern of the world.
What does this mean? It means we shouldn't act like everyone in the world
just for the sake of "fitting in" or being like everyone else. To renew our
minds, we simply have to be careful what we are "feeding" our minds. There
is an expression, "garbage in; garbage out." If we give our minds nasty
things to think about, then our behavior is very likely to match those nasty
kinds of thoughts sooner or later. But if we fill our minds with good
things, then it becomes so much easier to act in ways which make God and us
happy. Think about all of the different ways you spend your time. Are you
filling your mind with good or bad things?
What about television? Do you watch nasty things which are not pleasing to
God? Anything which the Bible tells us is wrong is not good to watch as a
television show or a movie. Senseless violence and meanness is found on
those popular wrestling shows. Many comedy and drama shows act like it is
okay to be disrespectful to parents, teachers, police, and others in
authority. Some shows pretend that leading a homosexual lifestyle is okay.
Some shows are about witchcraft and magic. All of these things disgust God.
So we shouldn't fill our minds or time with those things.
There are a lot of reading materials which aren’t good for us, either. We
should avoid all material which portray the following as being acceptable:
violence, witchcraft, sorcery, false religions, disrespect for those we
should respect, and anything else which the Bible teaches is wrong. The
popular Harry Potter series of books is just one example of reading material
which should be avoided, since it contains sorcery, disrespect for
authority, cruelty, violence and a false religion.
We should also be very careful of the friends we spend our time with. What
do we fill our minds with when we are with them? Are they helping us to put
good things in our minds or are they unknowingly hurting us by filling our
minds and time with bad ideas and things?
Begin renewing your mind. Start paying attention to what you're filling your
mind and time with. Remember, "garbage in; garbage out." Take time to read
the Bible. Be sure you pray each day. Spend time with friends who also love
God and want to please Him. Do your best to fellowship with other Christians
continuously. These are some of the best ways to fill your mind with good
things. If you want to know what God wants you to do so that you can please
Him, start renewing your mind today.
Source: Kimberly B. Southall
http://www.bright.net/~1wayonly/renewyourmind.html
|
