It’s All in Your Mind

... 1 @JwpJn. 10 (f),tMj, of, tJu ~ Jlli.nd "(1,o.,. d- UlJh llum.up ,. du tpllll, tJ.WllL unhJ. "'-"-, b,. way nuut. dud u tunDntJ, V-"ll, nol fa. I.Junk o/, /unuJJ nwtt /wp,.hJ, Oum lu lUUJhl h,. llrink,· 1ml l.tJ.. llw,_k ~ attJJllUIUJ, tU fµ,d ludh <llLllL h,. l'DHlJ, man, llu m.uLU/N. o./ /ailh.,, Romans 12:3 Chapter nine told us how, as believers, we are able to have renewed minds. Review again that formula given in Romans 12:1,2. You present your body to the Holy Spirit and He makes you a nonconformist. The Holy Spirit transforms you by, "llu llJUlD.UUJ, o/. gmu. mhul." Can we know whether such renewing is taking place in our lives? The answer is yes. In fact, the remaining part ofRomans 12 lists the proofs or results of the renewed mind. As you read Romans 12, you will see that verses three through eight seem not to be necessary to the context. You can go directly from verse two to verse nine without disrupting your thoughts. But that does not happen in our ·Bible; each word is necessary and important. Verse three tells us that the first proof of a renewed mind is that the believer will not ~iltink. o/. hi.nuJJ nwu /wp,.hJ, t1uut lu tJ .U.IJ ),L l.tJ.. IJuitk." Most Christians think that humilify demands a low estimate of ourselves, but every believer who is a living sacrifice, having his mind controlled and changed by the Holy Spirit. is going to have a right estimate of himself. He is not going to think too highly af himself, but neither is he going to have too low an opinion ofhimself. This believer is going to be able to look at himself as he really is. Verse three says that the Christian with the renewed mind is going to think soberly. -rhis is the word discreetly. Connected with this estimate of self is the phrase, "«L fµ,d lw1h dnJJ. fl,. wuy, mn.n llu #Ull.MUL a/. /a1lh." It is not our effort, but God's equipment. Faith is a gift of God. Jonah declared, "Ja/.o.o.Ju,.n u o/ tlu .12a,d" (Jonah 2:9). All salvation is of the Lord, not just the part that takes us to heaven. The believer with the renewed mind is going to relax. Faith is the Lord's business. Everyone does not have the same measure of faith, but everyone who gives himself to the Holy Spirit has a measure of faith according to the grace af God. Most believers have a poor self-image. Most Christians belittle themselves. With some it is a means of encouraging compliments; with others, it is a serious personal situation. You can be what God wants you to be, and as you grow in Him and are transformed, you will just be yourself. We malign ourselves as Christians. We criticize ourselves. We take a negative attitude. But as Paul wrote here, t:he Holy Spirit wants you to know who and what you are and not only a right estimate ofyourself, but also the means of faith that God has given you. 43