Renewing Your Mind: What God Taught Me About True Transformation
- meetgodattheedgeof
- Jun 8
- 3 min read
Romans 12:2
[2] Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
This past Sunday, I was listening to a brother talk about what the Lord put on his heart. It was about transformation, something I've heard many sermons on and even read books about. It was different this time; the Lord had begun a work in my heart a while ago, and at that moment I was ready for the Lord to give me a deeper understanding.
What is transformation? How do I transform?
I had just gone through this, I researched this, and now I'm hearing it from someone following the leading of the Holy Spirit. No such thing as coincidence.
Transformation starts in your heart. Our desires change. Sure, temptation is still there, but we desire the opposite because the Lord now rules our heart.
Once we start to desire the things God has for us, our mind is radically changed. Renewing your mind is changing our focus from me to others, from my wants to God's will, and from "I'm not ready" to "Here I am Lord."
One thing I learned that was difficult is that our desire to obey or follow the Lord cannot be in anticipation of a reward or relief.
"I gotta do this right so the Lord brings me into my promised land!"
"I need to make the right choice so the Lord blesses me."
What I got from the Lord is that my obedience is expected when He asks, where He asks, and with whatever provision He's given. That's it!
I found myself in certain situations being dutiful with the wrong focus. When my focus was just on completing the task or making it through, I missed so much around me.
God does not want us to focus so much on the work that we miss the opportunities to help, speak life, or share our testimony.
The story that stands out the most is in 1 Samuel. Samuel's mom, Hannah, could not get pregnant, so she was ashamed. So she prayed and asked God to bless her with a child, and if He did, she would dedicate him back to the Lord.
In that moment, she had no idea if being obedient and keeping her promise would bring a reward. She was content knowing her child was born and the Lord was using him.
As we know, because of her obedience and keeping her promise to the Lord, she was then blessed with seven more children years later.
What I learned from this is that the rewards come in God's timing, or not at all, but my task is to obey by resting in His promise of giving me what I need each day to live out my calling, and that is enough.
Renewing your mind is learning that obedience itself is enough because God Himself is enough.
Thank you, Father, for one more day.
Amen.
2 Corinthians
3:16-18 [16] But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [17] For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
