Renew Your Mind
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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 12:1-2
I saw a very strange picture in one of my recent dreams. It was of a man who had green electrodes placed deliberately by a doctor all over his head. What a strange image to suddenly see! Obviously, electrodes aren’t mentioned in the Bible, so I started to do a bit of research into electrodes and how they’re used.
Electrodes can track brain activity through tiny electrical signals produced by nerve cells. They’re often used in tests for epilepsy or sleep conditions for example. I felt that this picture was showing me that I needed to monitor my thoughts closely, to track what was happening in my mind rather than just let thoughts happen without any scrutiny.
But why were the electrodes green? This colour is often used in the Bible to describe new life, restoration, growth and flourishing. God seemed to be saying that as I went through this monitoring process, my spiritual life would grow and even flourish.
I was led to the verses in Romans 12, where Paul encourages us to ‘renew our minds’. This seems to tie in well with the image I saw. We know that God knows our thoughts: Psalm 139:2 says ‘You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.’ God our loving, heavenly Father knows all about us. He knows what makes us tick, He understands our weaknesses, He rejoices in our joys and feels for our sorrows. He calls us to renew our minds, but what does that mean?
I saw a video recently about this topic, which was so helpful. A young man was sharing about his struggles before he became a Christian, and afterwards too. He wanted to change his unhelpful thought patterns but realised he was going round and round in a cycle. He would try his best to change lifelong habits, doing well for a time but then faltering, ending up back where he started. I wonder if that sounds familiar? It does to me. He described the way that thoughts create neural pathways in the brain and that these get entrenched with repetition over time. How can we break out of this cycle?
As we encounter God, transformation happens, particularly in our attitudes and mindset. This transformation happens naturally, flowing out as a result of the encounter rather than from our own efforts. We find ourselves thinking in a different way, and the Spirit enables us to create new pathways, forge new habits and resist old ways of thinking.
Prayer
Thank you Father that you created me. You know everything there is to know about my life, my fears, my understanding, my uncertainties, my delights. You know me better than I know myself and you want the very best for me because of the perfect loving Father you are. Thank you Lord for this reminder that, as well as my words and actions, even my thoughts are important to you. You don’t want me to be trapped in unhelpful ways of thinking that have become so entrenched over the years.
Lord, thank you that through encountering you, in drawing close to you, in seeing you more clearly, your Holy Spirit can effect change even when I feel disillusioned, dispirited or despairing. As I encounter your light, my way seems brighter; as I encounter your love, my heart seems lighter; as I encounter your peace, my life seem calmer. Renew my mind I pray, form those new thought patterns in me. I don’t want to conform to the thinking of the world any more, and I surrender myself to you fully. I want my ways to be closer to your ways, and my thoughts closer to your thoughts. I pray this in Jesus’s name, Amen.
Liesel Stanbridge
Prayer Co-ordinator