Not a mask or a temporary act, but a genuine change. This begins to unveil a deeper insight into the true meaning of transformation.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

In Romans 12:2, we read about being transformed by the renewing of our mind.  If you have ever pondered what that could possibly mean, you are not alone. What does it mean to ‘renew my mind,’ and how would I go about doing so?

"This enduring word of God is none other than Jesus Christ."

The short answer is we renew our minds with the word of God, but let’s delve a little deeper into what this entails.  Our minds have been hopelessly corrupted by the ‘pattern of this world’ and without some lifeline, we would be left drifting endlessly in a sea of worldly thought.  Countless ‘new ideas’ and ‘fresh philosophies’ have come and gone in this world, but the word of God remains secure, steadfast, and sound from age to age. This enduring word of God is none other than Jesus Christ. Jesus is the lifeline, Jesus is the anchor for our souls, Jesus is the hope for the hopeless.

“...In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade…” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Peter describes this incredible inheritance of eternal life for the believer in chapter 1, and in the next chapter he states, “Therefore, rid yourself of all malice and all deceit… craving pure spiritual milk...

"The quicker we submit to God's wisdom, the sooner we will see transformation.."

now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” For those who have been rescued by the Lifeline, for those who have tasted of God’s goodness, there is a call to abandon our old ways and cling to the Anchor of our souls. This means that we train our mind to no longer follow its deceitful desires, but instead follow the Lord Jesus Christ by obeying the word of God. The quicker we submit to God’s wisdom and abandon our own, the sooner we will see transformation take place so that we may be useful to God. When we have truly given up our own mindset, we become an empty vessel for the Lord to fill up.  When we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we become His ‘go to’ instrument.

“You were taught to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).  

"When we live in obedience to His word, our own wisdom begins to pale..."

We have been created to be like God… pure in thought and deed, righteous, holy and just.  These are NOT human qualities!  However, they are ours when we walk in the promise of God in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4.  We discipline our bodies to bow to the will of God and, through that practice and discipline, we find true life. This goes against the grain of our rebellious nature but it is a wonderful truth about God’s word.  When we live in obedience to His word, our own wisdom begins to pale, and our own thoughts are revealed to us as base and wicked until…

Transformation!  A transformed life!

When we can confidently say that what we want to be doing is also what we should be doing, according to God’s word, that is true transformation.  

When the place that God has called us to is the place where we long to be, that is true freedom.  It is then that the shackles of this world have been loosed forever.  No longer chained, but set free from the pattern of this world so that we may walk in obedience to the One who has saved us.

This is the mark of true life transformation. In this new life, our old ways we once operated in will have faded away, and His wisdom will pervade every thought and conversation.  We become the ‘Stradivarius’ in the virtuoso’s hands, the perfectly tuned race car on the track where it belongs. We begin to live and move exactly how we were designed to live and move.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

This is the joy of our transformation!  Live today by God’s word, allowing Christ Himself to live through you. Behold, He makes all things new!