Romans 12:2 "Transformed Minds"

--> Romans 12:2
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

I probably don’t have to explain why we need our minds to be transformed, but I’m going to anyway. It’s because we believe lies. We believe lies and just coming to Jesus and being saved doesn’t dispel the lies –or not all of them. And just knowing what the Bible says doesn’t dispel the lies. I wish it did, but it doesn’t. I wish that all we had to do is memorize some Scripture and all of the lies and all of the hurtful effects of those lies would vanish, but that’s not the way it works. We continue to live here in this fallen, broken, sinful world, and we continue to believe the lies of the one who caused it to be fallen and broken and sinful in the first place. Can we all agree with Jesus on something?

If you are alone, go ahead and read this out loud. “The devil is a liar and the Father of lies. When he lies, he is speaking his native language.” That’s what Jesus said. Read it again in agreement with Jesus. “The devil is a liar and the Father of lies. When he lies, he is speaking his native language.”

Not only is the devil a liar, but he is a very good liar. He has been around since the beginning of this world. He has been practicing and perfecting his craft for eons. He is smart. He is a schemer. He is deceptive. And we are deceived.

The worst part is that because of the nature of deception, we don’t even know where we are deceived. If we knew that what we were believing was a lie, we would quit believing it, but we can’t just quit believing what we believe –so there you go –we are deceived. We need for our minds to be renewed and transformed by the healing, freeing truth of Jesus.

Let me tell you some incredible news that the world can’t understand but that is, nevertheless, life transforming, hope giving, spirit filling, mind renewing reality if we are willing to open our hearts and let it penetrate. Are you ready? Listen –this is Good News, indeed!

You are of infinite worth in God’s eyes. Your value isn’t based upon what you do or don’t do –or what you know or don’t know. Your value isn’t even based upon how good you are or how bad you’ve been. God loves you with an everlasting love that is not dependent upon what you bring to the table. I wish there was a way that I could help you understand this with your spirit and not just your mind –this is critical.

This is truth that sets us free. If we even start to get this we can quit playing by the world’s lie-based rules that keep us competing with one-another in order to achieve value, and we can step up into lives of significance, lives of grace, lives of meaning –the lives that Jesus promised.