Rom 12:1-2 says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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.” Last week we talked about who Jesus is and how to be saved. This week, I’d like to talk about living the overcoming life after you get saved. Often times, people will truly get born again; but they don’t produce much fruit - even after many years of being saved. Why is this? Let’s get into The Word.

Before you get saved, many different things can shape your way of thinking such as experiences, parents, books, media, teachers, friends, etc. You write things on the tablet of your heart (Prov 3:3) that may not necessarily be truth; but they are true to you. Often times people don’t even know why they believe what they believe. After salvation, your spirit is sealed (Eph 1:13); you are made righteous and holy (Eph 4:24); you are washed, sanctified, & justified (1Cor 6:11). However, your soul (mind, will, emotions, intellect) and body are the same. The transformation is in your spirit. Your old habits and thought patterns don’t instantly change when you make Jesus Lord of your life. There’s something you have to do.

The Bible says we are not to be conformed to this world. That means molded, shaped, or poured into the same mold as the world (Jam 4:4, 1Jn 2:15). We are to be transformed (literally, “metamorphosed”) by the renewing (or renovating) of our mind. This requires meditation on God’s Word consistently. You can’t just read it once or twice. You must let the water of the Word “brainwash“ you (Eph 5:26). Your brain gets dirty in the world, and it needs to be washed off. Until you do this, you will never know what God’s will is (Rom 12:2). If you don’t know God’s will, you will not walk in victory as a Christian.

You are as you think (Prov 23:7). If you see yourself sick, then you’ll be sick. If you think you’re a failure, then you’ll continually fail. Football fans know about “icing the kicker”. Can you affect a kicker’s talent, strength, or ability by calling those timeouts? Nope - but you can mess with his head, and that can affect his kick. The mind is a battlefield. That’s why it must be renewed in God’s Word. Why do boxers stare each other down before the fight? To get into their opponents head. A physically weaker fighter can beat a stronger opponent by messing with his mind. You must take your thoughts captive.

Satan likes to mess with Christian’s heads. He’s like the squirrelly little dude behind the curtain on The Wizard of Oz. Pull back the curtain, and you’ll see the devil isn’t near as big as most Christians think he is. He’s a liar, a deceiver, and a trickster (Jn 8:44, 2Cor 4:4, Eph 6:11).

We must pull down (Gk- destroy, demolish) the strongholds in our minds (2Cor 10:3-6). Strongholds (Gk- fortresses, castles) here refer to imaginations, which are thoughts or reasoning contrary to the Truth of God’s Word. If a thought in your head is opposed to God’s Word; then destroy it with the Holy Ghost wrecking ball - The Word of God.

Once you know the Truth, then you can take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. So, when a lie flies across your mind; you can take it captive and make it obey Christ. If you use the excuse that you can’t help what you think on; then you call God a liar (see Phip 4:8).

Gird up (prepare for action or battle) the loins of your mind (1Pt 1:13). Meditate on God’s Word day and night (Josh 1:8). Put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:13-17). This is the only way to live the victorious Christian life. Until you do this, you may love Jesus, and be going to heaven; but it’s likely your going to have a messed up life, and a messed up way of thinking. That’s all the space I have for now. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!