Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind." - Ephesians 4:23 (NKJV)

Ephesians 4:23 gives us the central truth of real life change. If you want to change your lifestyle, you first have to change your mind. Repentance is a Greek word that means to change your mind. But it is not just a mental shift. It is a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior. I no longer want to live for sin. I no longer want the priorities of this world. So I will put Jesus first, and my conduct will follow from that decision. But the mind has to change first.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” - Romans 12:2, NKJV

Conformity with the world is pressure from the outside squeezing you in. As one version says, “Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold.” Don't let the world do that to you, but the verse does not stop at the warning. It gives you the answer. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

That word "transformation" describes life from the inside that expresses itself on the outside. It is pressure from the inside pushing out the life of God, showing itself in everyday life. That is the transformation Jesus Christ wants from each of us as His children.

He does not just want us to imitate Him. He does not just want us to pick up a few of Jesus' mannerisms. He wants it to be natural. He wants it to be something real within that pushes itself out, so that we really and truly do reflect Jesus to our lost world, to our neighbors, to our friends, to our relatives, where we really are showing Jesus to someone else.

How? By the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” - James 1:21, NKJV

If you just heard that, you might think it is saying that if you want to save your soul, you receive the implanted Word. But that is not what it is saying. That word “save” is the Greek word we use for restore. Maybe you have had some furniture that needed to be restored. It is the same piece, but it needs to look new. It needs to be scrubbed. It needs to be painted. It needs to be refinished.

Receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to restore you to the place you were supposed to be all along. It can restore your life. Then verse 22-24 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."

You know how that goes. You glance in the mirror and say, “Looks pretty good.” Then you walk out the door, and sure enough, you missed the hair sticking straight up in the back of your head. You didn't pay attention. You didn't stop long enough to really look.

Renewing your mind works the same way. It does not happen because you glanced at your Bible one time. It does not happen because you quickly listened to a sermon or sat through a Sunday school class and moved on. That just makes you like the man who hears but doesn't do.

So how do you get God's Word into your heart so it renews your mind? Joshua 1:8 describes it, “But this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Everybody wants good success. The Bible promises it to the person who meditates on the Word. But what does it mean to meditate? Do you know how to worry? Yes, we all do.

Worry is meditation in reverse. Worry is meditating on your problems. Worry is meditating on the bad news of this world.

Meditation is the same process, only turned toward God. It is thinking and processing and going over and over in your mind God's power, His strength, His Word, and letting it roll through your thinking again and again.

If you have ever seen a cow chew its cud, you have seen the picture. The cow chews the grass, swallows it, brings it back up, chews it again, swallows it again, and brings it back up again. The cow does it again and again. It is getting every bit of nutritional value out of that grass. That is the picture of meditation.

So if you want to change your behavior, start by meditating on God's Word.

Meditate on God's Word about marriage. Meditate on what it looks like to put God first in your home. Think through all the verses about a husband leading his family, a wife being loving and supportive, and a mother and father raising their children to honor Christ. What does it mean to have a God-honoring, Christ-honoring marriage and family? Meditate on that, and your mind will begin to affect your actions. The next time you want to argue with your spouse, a verse of Scripture comes to mind. The next time you want to lash out at your son or daughter, a verse of Scripture comes to your mind.

Try this for the next month. Every single day, read the book of Ephesians. It is six chapters. It won't take long. Read chapters 1-6 on day one. Do it again on day two. Then day three. Keep going for the whole month. You know what you will discover? You will be meditating.

Every single thing that happens in your life, your mind will go back to a verse from Ephesians. Your mind will be trained and attuned to what God has to say about those subjects.

That is meditating in God's Word. That is renewing your mind, and it is what gives you the power to be restored and changed from the inside out.

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to change your behavior, and what does God’s Word say about that area?

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to renew my mind with Your Word. I know that if I want to change my behavior, I first have to allow You to change my thinking. Teach me to meditate on Your Word. Help me to turn Your promises over and over in my mind instead of turning my problems over and over in my mind. Help me to be faithful to Your Word every day. May Your truth rise to the surface when I need it most. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: The Path to True Life Change (Eph. 4:17-24)