Today I felt impressed to change gears and to minister on the subject of “Renewing the Mind.”

I) From the time, we 1st receive Jesus as Lord and Savior it is a necessity that we begin to renew our mind.

A) This is not something that we’ll be able to say, “I arrived.” As long as we’re on this earth this is something that we’ll need to do continuously.

B) The soul realm, which is the mind, is where we Christians have the most trouble.

1) Satan will try to bring thoughts to every believer but we don’t have to receive those thoughts and we should reject them.

2) Turn with me to 2 COR 10:5.

a) If we want to see more of the Glory of God and to see more the move of the spirit in church, and if we want to have more victory in our lives. We need to guard ourselves against THOUGHTS and IMAGINATION that come against the work of God, the move of God, the anointing of God, or thoughts that come that are in contrast to the Word of God.

b) We need to begin to think like God thinks. And that’s where renewing the mind comes in.

II) Turn with me to ROM 8:6-7.

1) The word “CARNAL” means “FLESH OR FLESHLY.”

a) It also refers to human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and the flesh nature is prone to sin and opposed to God.

2) This V is telling us that the “carnal mind” is the “natural mind,” the “unrenewed mind” and this mind is “fleshly.” “It is prone to sin and oppose God.”

a) This unrenewed mind is very self-centered and it seeks to fulfill the desires of the flesh.

(i) The desires of the flesh can be sexual lust, a lust of things, and a lust to just sit and do nothing or to just sit and watch TV.

(ii) Any of those things can become a God to your flesh.

b) That’s why God says that the carnal mind or the natural mind is enmity against God.

c) The NASB of (ROM 8:7) says, “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God.”

d) Another translation says, “The minding of the flesh [is] enmity against God.”

3) This word “ENMITY” means “hostility or hatred; A REASON FOR OPPOSITION.”

a) That definition, “A REASON FOR OPPOSITION,” is interesting.

b) If you’re having problems in your Christian life, if your praying and believing God for something and it just doesn’t happen, the reason for the opposition might be that we’re not thinking the way God thinks.

(i) To receive the answer to our prayers and to live a victorious Christian life, we have to get our minds renewed to the Word of God, so that we’re not in opposition to God and his Word.

4) The Bible is telling us that “The fleshly mind {is} reason for opposition.”

a) Thinking after the things of the flesh instead of the things that are godly, things that are after the Spirit of God can be the reason for your opposition.

B) If your prayers are not being answered or you’re not walking a victorious life in Christ, it’s essential that we get our minds renewed to the Word of God.

III) Go back to ROM 8:6

A) To be carnally minded, fleshly minded, or just natural minded, thinking as the world thinks, is death.

1) Paul said to TITUS in (TIT 1:15) that the defiled mind or the unrenewed mind is unbelieving.

a) You can’t receive from God without believing.

B) But (ROM 8:6) goes on to say, “To be spiritually minded {is} life and peace.” (KJV)

1) That’s the God kind of life and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

2) Many times people have lost their peace and don’t know how to fine it.

3) And so many do not have the life that God is talking about in this V ZOE, “The absolute fullness of life.”

a) This V tells me that if I get my mind renewed to the Word of God, then I will be spiritually minded and then I will have the peace of God, and I will experience LIFE in its ABSOLUTE FULLNESS.

C) 2TIM 1:7.

1) The words, “sound mind” comes from the root word “Wisdom,” it also means, “a discipline mind.”

a) We have been given a sound mind and wisdom from God, but I seen of many people don’t have a sound mind and don’t use the wisdom that God has given them.

b) Many Christians aren’t walking in it.

2) We have the promise of God of wisdom and a sound mind, but because people don’t renew their minds to the Word of God they lose that promise and don’t walk in the wisdom of God.

a) That wisdom and a sound mind only comes by the Word of God.

D) The Bible says in, (1CO 2:15-16) That those that are spiritual, spiritually minded and walking in the spirit “have the mind of Christ.” (KJV)

1) The spiritual person is the person that has their mind renewed to the Word of God.

IV) ROM 12:2

A) How are you going to know the Will of God?

1) 1st of all this V says that there has to be a transformation, a change.

a) A transformation from the world’s way of thinking or you could say “from the carnal mind to the spiritual mind.”

b) The only way that you get a spiritual mind and know the Will of God is to renew your mind with the Word of God.

B) Eph 4:22

1) The word “conversation” means “manner of life, the way of life or conduct.”

a) We have to put off the old way of thinking.

2) Let’s go on reading EPH 4:23.

a) The NIV says, “To be made new in the attitude of your minds.” (EPH 4:23 NIV)

b) PRO 23:7

3) Thinking comes from your mind.

a) The way you think of yourself is what you will become.

b) Do you want to think of yourself according to the Devil’s standards or do you want to think of yourself the way God sees you.

c) He sees you as blessed, the head not the tail...

d) That’s 1 reason why we need our mind renewed with the Word, so that we can see ourselves like God does.

(i) “As he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he.” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV)

(ii) (COL 3:10) Says, “And have put on the new {man}, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” (KJV)

(iii) The NIV says it this way, “And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:10 NIV)

(iv) The Barclays’ translation says, “And you have clothed yourselves with the new nature, which is progressively renewed, until it reaches fuller and fuller knowledge of God.”

(v) The Word of God renews that new nature, which is on the inside of us.

4) Without renewing our minds to the Word, we can fall back to that old nature, that carnal, fleshly nature.

5) The 1st thing that we need to do is for us to read, study, and meditate on the Word of God.

6) Another thing that we need to do in renewing our minds is to Cast down imaginations.

a) Turn back to 2COR 10:4-5

7) Imaginations take place in our mind. But we have a weapon that can stop those imaginations and that is the Word of God.

8) We need to stop thinking on failure and start thinking on the Word of God.

C) When our minds are renewed to the Word of God, you will begin to think the way God thinks.

1) Paul said in (Romans 8:6), “To be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

a) The spiritually minded person always agrees with the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

(i) For example, if you have a financial problem, you probably sit down and think about what you should do.

(ii) Right away your spirits says, “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom.” (Luke 6:38).

b) But then the natural mind tries to kick in by saying, “Give money away, I’ll have less money to pay the bills and even worse off.”

(i) But then your spirits says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mind house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground.”

(ii) The spiritually minded person, the person that has their mind renewed to the Word of God will side in with the Word of God.

(iii) But the naturally minded person will override the spirit and reject the Word of God.

2) The spiritually minded person is going to act on the Word of God, whether they understand it or not.

a) The Bible says, “By whose stripes ye were healed,” then think that you’re healed and act like you’re healed.

b) The Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ,” then think and act like you can.

c) The Bible says, “My God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” And it also says “Give and it shall be given unto you,” then think that you’re prosperous and act on it.

3) The Christian that has their mind renewed to the Word of God is going to act on it no matter what and when they do the blessings of God will begin to come upon you and even overtake you.

a) When our minds are renewed to the Word of God, we’re going to start seeing the move of God in our lives.

June 30, 1990 TFC Sunday AM From the book “Renewing the Mind” By Casey Treat. Pg. 15-? and WOLCC Sun AM 1/1/95 Sunday, September 13, 1998. & WOLCC Sunday, March 24, 2002