Mensa Otabil - Renew Your Mind
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We are halfway through our journey. This is the 20th day of our 40 days of power, right in the middle. Romans 12:2: «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.»
We know the physical barriers that confront us. Sometimes they can be walls, mountains, a river, or chains that hold us back and keep us from becoming what we must be. But sometimes the barriers we have are not physical; they are mental. They could be an idea, a thought, a feeling, or an emotion that holds us back. You don’t see the barrier, but it restrains you. Mental barriers can sometimes be more formidable than physical ones. Most of the fights we engage in life are mental struggles-things in your mind that are warring against you. It can be a battle with low self-esteem, fear of the unknown, a sense of inadequacy, and many more, where you just feel like, «Oh, I can’t do it. I can’t make it. I’m down. I don’t think I’m good enough.»
The Lord gives us victory in both physical and mental battles. The way to overcome our mental barriers is through the renewing of the mind. That’s what the passage tells us — the renewing of the mind. The renewing of the mind helps us discern what is the right thing for us to do: the will of God. The passage uses three adjectives to describe the will of God: good, acceptable, and perfect. The will of God is good; that means anything God wants for us is beneficial. When we know that God’s will for us is always good and beneficial, it works well to our advantage. It also says that the will of God is acceptable; that means whatever God has for us is desirable, delightful, and not nasty. Then the will of God is perfect; whatever God has for us is the ideal thing.
One of the ways to truly overcome a mental barrier is to be in the will of God because that is when the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is manifested in your life. That’s when you are able to discern and enjoy them. If you’re dealing with low self-esteem, battling something in your mind that tells you you are down, or grappling with an inferiority complex, or maybe an experience from your past that threatens to repeat itself, or something someone said to you that has really brought you down, it’s a mental barrier.
Today you are breaking out of it because the Word of God comes to renew your mind and gives you a different mindset. The renewed mind thinks in line with God’s thoughts. It steps away from worldly and cultural barriers and thinks according to the Word of God. No matter what you’ve heard or what your society tells you, you have to bring your thinking into alignment with what God says. Think in line with God’s Word. The renewed mind breaks out of negative limitations. There are limitations that say you can’t do it, you’re not able, you’re not capable, you lack enough education, you lack enough experience, you come from the wrong side of town, or your parents made a mistake. You don’t bear the iniquity of your parents; you live the life God has for you. Break that negative mindset.
The renewed mind opens up to problems. The mind that is not renewed just looks at a situation and says nobody can do anything about it; it’s never been done, it can’t be done. The renewed mind says, «With God, all things are possible.» Your mind is open to divine possibilities. The renewed mind lives in the realm of possibility and favor, believing that God is favoring you and doing good things for you. Let your mind absorb the thoughts of God and live in the realm of possibility and victory in Jesus' name. Amen. Break those mental barriers.
Let’s pray together. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I align my thoughts with Your Word. I am whom You say I am. I have what You say I have, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.»