Disciples of Jesus are always going through the process of renewing their minds. The apostle Paul said we should be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Renewing your mind means much more than replacing dreadful habits with better ones, old habits with new ones. The renewing is a restoring to what God originally intended. When Christ returns, He will restore all things to their original design.
All of nature, all the animals, birds of the sky, and fish of the sea will be resplendent in a majesty we have never seen. They will be renewed into what they were created to be. It will be the same with humanity. God makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). Renewing your mind then is to be a part of what God is doing in the world. It is to be a part of His redemption story.
Renewing your mind means no longer conforming to the ways of the culture and those around you. We feed on Jesus and His Word instead of the news cycle of the day. Everything around us changes, but God never does. He is our anchor in the storm, our fortress against all that bombards us every day of our lives. We must begin breaking down destructive thought processes and patterns and allow Jesus to renew our thoughts and attitudes into what is good and pleasing to Him.
When we renew our minds, it will begin a transformation process in our hearts. Instead of desiring the things of this world, we will desire Jesus and His Kingdom. His will becomes our will. No longer will we bother trying to figure out His will for our lives; we will know His will and devote our lives to following it. As we allow Jesus to renew our minds and transform our hearts, our selfish desires will fall away. We’ll see the world in a fresh light and understand our mission in it.
Renewing your mind is not just replacing your thought patterns. It’s a process, not a wholesale swapping out. Jesus created you to be in a relationship with Him and to serve Him. Along the way, our minds have been spoiled and broken down by the world and our selfish desires. Think of renewing your mind more as a restoring than a replacing. A craftsman with a beautiful antique table that has been neglected does not go to a furniture store to buy a new table to replace it. Rather, he does the painstaking work of renewing the old piece until he transforms it back into its original state. This is how it is with our Father and the process of renewing your mind.
No one knows better how to renew your mind than the Creator. And so, renewing your mind requires working closely with Jesus, asking and allowing Him to reshape, restore, and remold your thoughts and impulses into the beautiful work He has always intended for you. Renewing your mind becomes a lifelong process of keeping your eyes on Jesus, feasting on His Words, and obeying His commands. As we renew our minds, we will see more clearly all He has for us and all we must do for His Kingdom. It’s not an optional component of discipleship. Renewing your mind is at the core of what it means to follow Jesus.