I think this blog will "blow your mind" as we explore the third and final New Testament verse which has the word “transform” in it. "Lord, HOW does transformation occur?" (Part 1 here)
Ever wonder how the Bible defines "mind"?
“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).
Thayer’s definition of the Greek word for mind (G3563 - “nous” and “noēma”) is, “the faculties of perceiving and understanding and feeling.
This involves much more than left-brain Western analytical thinking. Perceiving would be the result of receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit, and feeling (emotions) we relate to our hearts. So this verse on the mind and transformation is NOT talking about ME utilizing left-brain logic. Notice in the verses below that the word “mind” is NOT referring to clear, logical thinking. Ask yourself, "Does this broaden my understanding of what the Bible means when it says "mind"?
“When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end” (Ps. 73:16-17).
Perception is the result of revelation from the Holy Spirit. So, this renewing of our minds involves being in the presence of the Lord and asking for and receiving divine insight. (Click here for an extended blog on this topic.)
Now let's do a deep dive into how our minds operate. It is a whole lot more than utilizing logic as a left-brainer would do or seeing pictures as a right-brainer would do.
The Bible says we select the spirit that will guide our thoughts
“Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false” (2 Thess. 2:10-11).
- Notice that we do not work up a love for the truth. It is a gift, freely given by God to all. I consider this to be a function of the Spirit since it is the Spirit Who leads us into all truth (Jn. 16:13). If my supreme love is not “a love for the truth” but instead is a love of money, sex, fame, or pride then God sends me another spirit, “a deluding influence.”
- I experience a seared conscience, and the resulting deluding influence could perhaps be called “demonic derangement syndrome” – where logic and reason are now overwhelmed by evil spirits. Now I am controlled by things like pride, lies, deceptions, sensuality, lust, accusation, bitterness, destruction, or any other evil impulse. I can no longer think clearly or reason intelligently.
- Everything is slanted in our minds: “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:15).
- I still think I am a Christian: “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:16).
- If you are trying to counsel such a deranged/deluded person, begin by binding all demons operating within them and pray, releasing the Holy Spirit to convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:8). Rebellious teens or unfaithful spouses would fall into this category.
To summarize: We are vessels (2 Cor. 4:7), designed to be filled, empowered, and guided by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is not filling me, then evil spirits come and fill me. There are no spiritual vacuums. Where light does not shine, darkness consumes. We can look around and easily discern the two types of people operating. Some people have lost their minds. They can no longer think clearly about anything because they are operating under a spirit of delusion, rather than the Holy Spirit. Now I am aware not to try to use logic with them. I must bind demons and release the Holy Spirit, and pray for God to break them of their hardness of heart.
One can have the Holy Spirit illumine their mind, revealing truth
- “Then He opened their minds (G3563) to understand the Scriptures” (Lk. 24:45).
- “For WHO HAS KNOWN (ginosko = intimate, experiential knowing) THE MIND (G3563) OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind (G3563) of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Note: we experience the mind of Christ, when we come into His presence, ask for His wisdom, and receive His revelation - Ps. 73:17).
- “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind (G3563)” (Eph. 4:23).
- Receive the love of the truth so as to be saved (2 Thess. 2:10).
One can have a demon deluding their mind
- They "received a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false” (2 Thess. 2:11).
- “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind (G3563), to do those things which are not proper” (Rom. 1:28).
- “Inflated without cause by his fleshly mind (G3563)” (Col. 2:18)
- “Constant friction between men of depraved mind (G3563) and deprived of the truth” (1 Tim. 6:5).
- “These men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind (G3563), rejected in regard to the faith” (2 Tim. 3:8).
- Explore even more verses with “MIND” in them: 2 Cor. 2:11; 3:14; 4:4; 10:5; 11:3; Phil 4:7.
How to deal with a scoffer or mocker (One under the influence of demons)
- A scoffer/mocker does not have a love for the truth. There is no value in discussions with them. You will not win. They will just hate and scorn you. So bind the demons, pray for the Spirit of Truth to be released in their hearts, and move on to those who have received a love of the truth. Once again, we see the truth of Titus 1:15; we are in the presence of one with a defiled mind.
- “He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; Reprove a wise man and he will love you” (Prov. 9:7-8).
Realize that the word “mind” means different things to different people
- To the left-brain person, the mind means the place where I think using logic and reason.
- To the right-brain person, the mind means the place where I think using pictures and emotions.
- To God, the mind is the organ He created to receive His revelation as flowing thoughts (God’s voice) and flowing pictures (God’s visions), and where man chooses to respond to God with praise and worship in both known and unknown tongues (1 Cor. 14:15). The mind is one of the organs used by God in biblical meditation (see this blog).
Here is how the out-of-control mind gets reigned back in.
Asaph’s mind was distorted by unbiblical thinking and picturing (Ps. 73:1-16). It was healed when heart perception (revelation from God) kicked in. This occurred when He came into the sanctuary of God (Ps. 73:17). So we see the mind controlled by ungodly beliefs and pictures runs amuck, and when one comes to God for His perspective, revelation occurs which restores light, faith, and hope. I am not to control my mind (Jesus didn’t - Jn. 14:10). Since the "self" is crucified (Gal. 2:20), “self” performing on its own, outside the leading of the Holy Spirit, is considered a dead work (Heb. 6:1,2). Satan was the one who suggested the idea of "dead works" to Eve: “YOU can know.” And thus the “mind” ascended to an exalted position it was never intended to have.
When our minds are functioning as God intended, we are reasoning together with God (Isa. 1:18). We are experiencing the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). We are allowing the flow of the Holy Spirit within to guide our reasoning process.
Delve deeper - prayerfully reflect on these verses
- Caution about the mind: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).
- Repentance for “dead” works = Operating outside of the Holy Spirit’s flow: Jn. 6:63; 15:1-13; Heb. 6:1; Jer. 2:13; and this blog.
Journaling Questions
- Lord, please remind me of times when my mind has been guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
- Lord, please remind me of times when my mind has been guided by the flesh, myself, or demons.
- Lord, what are the insights and adjustments You would have me make in the way I allow my mind to be?
Personalize this blog
Tune to flow and write a summary of how the Bible defines and describes the functioning of a godly, anointed “mind,” and what impact living with this kind of mind has on one's life. Perhaps make a list of the adjectives the Bible uses to describe a healthy and an unhealthy mind. Does this show that the mind involves much more than you previously thought it did? See Part 1 of this series here. Part 3 is here.
Personalize this series of blogs on what transformation is and how it occurs.
Transformation (G3339 metamorphoō) means “to change into another form” (Thayer's definition). The word shows up a total of four times, three of which we have covered in this two-blog series, and the final occurrence is here: "He was transfigured (same Greek word as translated “transformed”) before them; and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them" (Mk. 9:2-3).
Lord, what do You want me to know about what transformation is and how transformation occurs? What is the role of Your Spirit in the transformation process? How do I keep the task of experiencing transformation a work that YOU do rather than a striving that I do?
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