Tag Archives: be transformed by the renewing of your mind

August 8, 2023 · 5:49 AM

Remove Your Mask

When I teach the DISC personality assessment to a team, I help them understand how they are wired, how they communicate and why they behave certain ways in certain circumstances. One of the things we discuss in team dynamics is how over 70% of people feel they have to be someone they’re not at work. That same statistic holds true for being around other groups as well. The people in that category put on a mask in order to become that personality either because they feel the dynamics require it, because it’s expected of them or because they’re afraid of what people would think if they knew how they really are. We then discuss how tiring it is to try to be someone you aren’t. Sooner or later it gets exposed somewhere in your life, often in a blind spot.

On the night Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter followed behind the soldiers to see what would happen. As he stood in the courtyard of the High Priest watching them beat Jesus, a young girl walked up said she had seen him with Jesus. Peter immediately denied it and said he didn’t know what she was talking about. He moved to another part of the courtyard and another girl said the same thing. Peter denied it again swearing by an oath. Then the crowd noticed and also said his accent gave him away. He began to curse and swear to prove he didn’t know Jesus. That’s when the rooster crowed and Jesus looked at him. He mask had been exposed so he ran away and wept bitterly.

The first part of Romans 12;2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes]” (AMP). You and I no longer need to wear a mask that makes us look like the world. We have been transformed into a new creation. Our minds must be renewed by God’s Word that shows us how we are to live. This new life is who we truly are and it is not the way the world lives. There is a constant pressure to fit into a world where we don’t belong, and that pressure is not from God. As believers we can’t succumb to it or we will suffer the way Peter did that night. The good news is that also like Peter, we can become who God had created us to be and live with boldness the way he did after the resurrection. It’s time we took off the superficial mask and lived a transformed life.

Photo credit Unsplash

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September 21, 2022 · 5:42 AM

Refusing To Assimilate

When we go to Israel with our church, part of the trip is to see the sights. The other part is to get to know the people. We visit with Israeli’s, Muslims living in Israel, Christian Arabs, Messianic Jews, Jews and immigrants. The immigrants are brought in and placed in high rise apartment buildings where for a couple of years they are taught the language, the customs and the culture. Once completed, they become citizens. The process works well except for people from Ethiopia. They struggle to assimilate into a first world country. It’s difficult for Ethiopians to go from a rural, agrarian lifestyle to the high paced world of what we are accustomed to live in. They actually have their own building, farm land and a different time table to help them adjust since they don’t readily accept the culture.

In Daniel 1, King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and took the best looking, brightest young men of Israel back to Babylon. Daniel was among those captured. The king said, “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men. Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon” (NLT). He was trying to assimilate them into Babylonian culture. Most men were indoctrinated, but Daniel and his three friends refused to assimilate. They showed that it is possible to live and learn in a culture without accepting it and allowing it to change your beliefs.

Romans 12:2 says, “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes” (TPT). We live in a culture that is trying to get us to change our beliefs, our way of thinking and our way of living. It is trying to get the Word of God to conform to its standards rather than the

other way around. We cannot allow ourselves to be shaped into its mold which is why we must be transformed from the inside out. We can go through all the indoctrination of our culture and still live a life that is holy and acceptable to Christ. In order to have the resolution that Daniel had, we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit and have a steady diet of God’s Word going into our mind. It’s not easy to do, but is necessary as believers to live according to God’s laws and customs rather than the world’s.

Photo by Gabriel Rodrigues on Unsplash

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September 9, 2019 · 6:00 AM

Think Differently

Several years ago, Apple was floundering as a company. They had lost their soul and direction. They decided to bring Steve Jobs back as the CEO to see if he could turn it around. One of the things he did after revamping their product line was to change advertising agencies. The agency that won pitched him the idea of the now famous “Think Different” campaign. The commercial showed different geniuses from history with a voice that started off, “There are people who see the world differently. They see things in new ways.” While the commercial went on to advertise Apple, it’s a reminder that you and I ask Christians are called to think differently.

Proverbs 23:7 tells that our thoughts determine who we are. We must then learn how to control them or at least stop the negative thoughts that lie to us. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that we must bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We can’t just allow idle thoughts or negative thoughts to float around in our heads. We must capture them and change them. It’s easier said than done, I know, but it starts with challenging the thoughts that don’t like up with what God says. When those thoughts come in, you counter with who God says you are and what He’s promised to us as believers. God knows that the way to change our lives is through changing our thoughts.

Isaiah 8:11 says, “The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does” (NLT). Why would God do that? Because we are called to be and live differently. We are to be set apart and to see the world in a different way. We are to change culture rather than to be a reflection of it. The only way to do that is to think differently and to see the world as God does. He transforms us by the renewing of our thoughts and in turn, we transform the world. Don’t get caught up today thinking and seeing the world the way others do. Pray and ask God to change how you think and see so that it reflects how He sees it. In turn, you’ll begin to fulfill your purpose and help others along the way.

Photo by Cristofer Jeschke on Unsplash

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