It’s All in Your Mind

the Holy Spirit. As believers present their bodies to the Holy Spirit, He will transform them day by day, week by week, into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is totally opposite of the image of the world. Transformation is not growth. Our verse does not say that by growth we become nonconformed to the world. It does not say by growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ we \Viii have our mind renewed. These verses have nothing to do with maturity. Did you ever observe a new Christian who seems to be living a totally separated life more so than mature Christians? Why? Because whether openly or innately, he has presented his body as a living sacrifice to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is in the transforming business. A mature Christian does not mean a transformed Christian. A Christian can be mature without transformation. In order for a Christian not to be conformed to the world, he must be transformed and he cannot be transformed by restrictions or legislation. It must come by a renewed mind. We are now to our fourth phrase or word, the renewed mind. What is the mind? The mind is not just that which produces thinking. The mind is not just intellectual. The mind is thinking and intellectual, but it is also moral. Romans 1:21 speaks of those who knew God, who became «IJDin in llui,. im.atJiJtaJiJ,.n [mind}... " Their minds affected their morality. A mind that has been touched by sin-and all believers have been touched by sin because they were sinners-does not have the faculty to decide right or wrong. There needs to be a spiritual mind. Romans 1:28 says, "&un tu /Jug, di.J n"'- li1u IJ'J. uJni.n. .lj.MI, m l1ui,_ ~ fµ,d fJ.11.lU, dunt 6lJ.#!I- lfJ. a upm/,.ah mind, ID- do- fJw.u tlti.ng.J, mhi.Jt fLll n.JJ.I. ~ [or are immoral]." The mind is connected to morality. The mind in the Word of God is the faculty by which the soul perceives what is good and true. Sin touches the mind and disturbs the mind. There is only one way to get that faculty back and that is by presenting your body to the Holy Spirit. He changes your mind. What is the renewing of the mind? It is not instantaneous. We believe the Word of God and the Holy Spirit changes us from one glory to another. This is accomplished from within and not from without. We do not change our minds by thought. Our minds are changed from within. You must change the parent before you can change the child. Positive thinking without the Holy Spirit is only a temporary formula. Only a believer possessed by the Holy Spirit and presented to the Holy Spirit can have a changed mind. How do I become a nonconformist? How do I become transformed? By the renewing of the mind. The word is a changed mind. Who does the changing? The Holy Spirit is the Operator in this change, but He will not force this change. The Holy Spirit always works through the believer's mind. Most believers throw good thoughts aside, which have been given to them by the Holy Spirit because they have not been taught that the Holy Spirit speaks through their minds. The Holy Spirit is the person who must renew the believer's mind and He does this when we present our bodies to Him. What about the will of God? How can you know it? There has been much teaching on this and most of it good. Many say that we know the will of God by practicing Proverbs 3:5,6. Would you notice that you have a formula for knowing the will ofGod in Romans 41