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Thursday, January 22, 2009 • Print Article
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A Renewed Mind
Rev. James C. Matthews
"Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God" Ephesians 4:23-24a.
If anything has become evident this past year, it is that we cannot continue to do what we've always done and expect things to change for the better in our lives. The jobs, people and systems that we've come to place our trust in have proven themselves insufficient, and as a result, many of us have come to a crossroads in our lives.
We've come to a place in our journey where we cannot afford to take another step backwards due to a bad decision, nor waste any more time on that which is unproductive in our lives.
I know it may not seem like it, but in the midst of all of this bad news, God has really positioned us, if we make the necessary adjustments in our lives, to never have to circle this mountain again. Do I have your attention? I hope so, because I believe that God is using this trouble to change or transform our minds. Let me explain.
God has shaken everything that has proudly exalted itself as being sufficient or a "source", exposing it as being only an illusion. Governments, institutions and people that once proclaimed themselves as being trustworthy have found themselves in need of help.
To make it in this season of history, we are going to have to think differently and on a higher level to overcome the gravitational pull of our fallen economy and society. Romans 12:2 warns us, "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" and Ephesians 4:23 states, "be renewed in the spirit of your mind". To "be conformed", means to be "patterned after" or to "think like". To avoid the fate that this world's system is suffering, we cannot continue to think and operate like the world. Our minds must be renewed.
The word "re" indicates that there was a former "state of mind" or "being" that is to be pursued. In Genesis 1:26, the bible declares that we were created in the image and "likeness" of God. The root word for "likeness" in the Hebrew is translated, "to think like". We were given the ability to think creatively like God and to cause our thoughts to become things. The only limitation of a creative mind is its imagination. Creators never run out of substance or suffer lack because they do not depend upon anything external for them to be productive.
I believe the shaking that we are experiencing today is designed to awaken believers, who have become sedated by the world's system, to cause them to consider who and what they've placed their trust in. God gave us the ability to know His mind and thoughts (1 Cor. 2:10-16) so that we would not be confined or limited by what the world says we can have or do. Because we've been indoctrinated through education to embrace conformity and not our creativity, many believers are unnecessarily suffering lack that are pregnant with ideas waiting to be birthed, that could provide for their generations.
What creative ideas, innovations, inventions and projects has God placed within you that are waiting to be manifested? These creative "thoughts" are the "things" God has given you to overcome what is overcoming the rest of the world. However, this will require you to renew your mind and know that God is your Source and everything else is a resource!
Pastor James C. (J.C.) Matthews is the founder and Senior Pastor of the multi-cultural non-denominational Dunamis Life Ministries of Dallas, Texas. Pastor Matthews is known for his love of God's Word, unusual wisdom, passionate preaching style and gift of practically applying scripture to everyday. He is the author of the Saved but Stuck: 30 Days to Personal Revival". "I'll Come... When I Get Myself Together" and "My Situation Is Not My Destination - Only Preparation". J.C. Matthews lives in the Dallas / Ft. Worth Texas area with his wife Gena and four children.
• Leave a Comment
A Renewed Mind
Rev. James C. Matthews
"Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God" Ephesians 4:23-24a.
If anything has become evident this past year, it is that we cannot continue to do what we've always done and expect things to change for the better in our lives. The jobs, people and systems that we've come to place our trust in have proven themselves insufficient, and as a result, many of us have come to a crossroads in our lives.
We've come to a place in our journey where we cannot afford to take another step backwards due to a bad decision, nor waste any more time on that which is unproductive in our lives.
I know it may not seem like it, but in the midst of all of this bad news, God has really positioned us, if we make the necessary adjustments in our lives, to never have to circle this mountain again. Do I have your attention? I hope so, because I believe that God is using this trouble to change or transform our minds. Let me explain.
God has shaken everything that has proudly exalted itself as being sufficient or a "source", exposing it as being only an illusion. Governments, institutions and people that once proclaimed themselves as being trustworthy have found themselves in need of help.
To make it in this season of history, we are going to have to think differently and on a higher level to overcome the gravitational pull of our fallen economy and society. Romans 12:2 warns us, "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" and Ephesians 4:23 states, "be renewed in the spirit of your mind". To "be conformed", means to be "patterned after" or to "think like". To avoid the fate that this world's system is suffering, we cannot continue to think and operate like the world. Our minds must be renewed.
The word "re" indicates that there was a former "state of mind" or "being" that is to be pursued. In Genesis 1:26, the bible declares that we were created in the image and "likeness" of God. The root word for "likeness" in the Hebrew is translated, "to think like". We were given the ability to think creatively like God and to cause our thoughts to become things. The only limitation of a creative mind is its imagination. Creators never run out of substance or suffer lack because they do not depend upon anything external for them to be productive.
I believe the shaking that we are experiencing today is designed to awaken believers, who have become sedated by the world's system, to cause them to consider who and what they've placed their trust in. God gave us the ability to know His mind and thoughts (1 Cor. 2:10-16) so that we would not be confined or limited by what the world says we can have or do. Because we've been indoctrinated through education to embrace conformity and not our creativity, many believers are unnecessarily suffering lack that are pregnant with ideas waiting to be birthed, that could provide for their generations.
What creative ideas, innovations, inventions and projects has God placed within you that are waiting to be manifested? These creative "thoughts" are the "things" God has given you to overcome what is overcoming the rest of the world. However, this will require you to renew your mind and know that God is your Source and everything else is a resource!
Pastor James C. (J.C.) Matthews is the founder and Senior Pastor of the multi-cultural non-denominational Dunamis Life Ministries of Dallas, Texas. Pastor Matthews is known for his love of God's Word, unusual wisdom, passionate preaching style and gift of practically applying scripture to everyday. He is the author of the Saved but Stuck: 30 Days to Personal Revival". "I'll Come... When I Get Myself Together" and "My Situation Is Not My Destination - Only Preparation". J.C. Matthews lives in the Dallas / Ft. Worth Texas area with his wife Gena and four children.
