Revolutionize Your Thinking
and Transform Your Life.
By Bishop M A Lalachan
“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.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)
Change is something
that happens around us and to us all the time. 7 billion human beings share
this in common: we all have to face change. Our lives are in a constant state
of transition. Life is always moving forward; nothing ever remains the same. Change
comes to all of us--whether we prepare for it or not. How we deal with those
inevitable changes--no matter what the source--determines whether they will
ultimately be a positive or negative force in our lives. Yet most people don't like
or govern change successfully and constructively
As we go through
life, our bodies change, our families change, our neighborhoods change, our
jobs change, our attitudes change, our lives change. We know that God wants to
transform us by the renewing of our minds…what does that mean? Why do we need
to change the way we think? Our thoughts tie into everything. How we view
God, ourselves, and others. How we process information, circumstance, joy, and
pain. Bible says "And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Our thinking shapes
our worldview and perspective and on the flip side our worldview and
perspective shape our thinking as well. A truly magnificent change is possible
if we, "with God" have desire to do the changing. We take the
initiative and God will do the completion. We'll do our best and God will do
the rest. Filling our thoughts with godly truths and principles are vital. Let
God transform you by changing the way you think. Let God-ordained change be
initiated to the world through you. View times of transition from God’s
perspective. Find tremendous opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment.
Change comes to all of us, whether we prepare for it or not. Don’t let it
derail you, but discover the principles that enable you to put the positive
power of change into service in your life.
Institutions are
constantly changing, perhaps in response to events or process improvements, and
the introduction of new technology, organizational restructuring or mergers. The
greatest challenge for leaders are often to achieve the behavioral shift that
is often required to achieve the planned benefits, even when it is recognized
that change is required. Change management needs to be practiced for some time,
to ensure sustainability. Lasting cultural shift will only be achieved through
clear leadership, creative planning, and skilful communication and by
developing a coherent strategy that will drive and sustain real change. There
are a lot of things pulling at us in life… many times others are driven by
their own motives to want us to do certain things, behave or act certain ways because they want
something from us or for us. God’s Word is a great resource for us to determine
what is good, acceptable and perfect in our lives because He wants what is
ultimately best for us.
To live differently,
we must think differently, to think differently, we must have a purpose and
passion to change and it does not easily happen, we must make deliberate choice
daily. Bible shows us how to change and improve our selves to become what God
wants. Jesus said the same
thing in John, "you
will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). First we should not allow
ourselves to be poured into the world's mold. This will only cause us to look
like the world, to act like the world and to talk like the world. Instead we
should be transformed by renewing our minds with what God has said. The
only way to replace the error of the world’s way of thinking is to replace it
with God’s truth, and the only infallible source of God’s truth is found in his
revealed word, the Bible. There are no shortcuts. There is no magic formula for
renewing our minds. We must fill our minds with God’s word. As Jesus prayed to
the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
Many people struggle with change and crisis in life, especially in our highly technological world, but taking control of our thoughts is essential. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." The Bible has much to say about the heart of man. The word “heart” in the New King James Version of the Bible is found 835 times in 775 verses. When the Bible speaks of the human heart it is speaking of the mind of a man, a man’s will, a man’s emotions or feelings, a man’s conscience, or any given combinations of these. However, the word may also have reference to the whole inner being of man combining all these elements into the one whole that makes up the man. The “heart” includes the mind and all that proceeds from it. Someone said that every sin we commit, we commit twice, once in our thoughts and again when we act upon those thoughts. It is easier to rid our lives of sin if we attack it at this fundamental thought level rather than waiting for it to become rooted in our lives by our actions and then try to pull it out.
In Proverbs 23 it says, as a man thinks in his heart so is he (Proverbs 23:7). Our actions are a result of what we think. Intellectually we may believe something to be true, but our real convictions come out of our actions. This is why it is so important to renew our minds with word of God. To take the scripture and implant it in our hearts so that it is in alignment with what God has said. If what is in our heart is scripture then we will act based on that belief system. All external changes, if the mind was not changed, would be useless, or would be hypocrisy. Christ seeks to reign in the soul; and having its seat there, the external conduct and habits will be regulated accordingly. God expects that, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be radically changed.
Bible portrays many
different metaphors to express the change that should take place in the life of
a believer begin with spiritual rebirth, spiritual growth, spiritual journey
and spiritual reproduction. Let us carefully consider the following scriptural
verses.
We are "born
again" (John 3:3,5); born from above, of the spirit and not the flesh.
We become "a new
creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Cor 5:17).
We are rescued from
the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God's son (Col. 1:13). Our
citizenship and our allegiance have been changed.
We have become
adopted sons of God (John 1:12-13; Rom 8:15-16).
We are "made new
in the attitude of your minds" (Eph 4:23).
We "put off your
old self" and "put on the new self" (Eph 4:22,24; Col 3:9-10).
We "live by the
Spirit" and not by the flesh (Gal 5:16; Rom 8:13).
We become
"instruments of righteousness" rather than "instruments of
wickedness" (Rom 6:13).
We have "been
buried with him through baptism into death" in order that "we may
live a new life" (Rom 6:4).
"I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal
2:20).
We have "been
set free from sin and have become slaves to God" (Rom 6:22). We are no
longer "slaves to sin, which leads to death", but have become
"slaves to ... obedience, which leads to righteousness" (Rom 6:16).
Each of these
metaphors, in a different way, emphasizes the magnitude of the change that is expected.
Paul instructed us how to shape our
thoughts “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if
there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about
these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Christ is our ultimate
example to tag on. One of my ideal verse is about our Lord is that “He “loved
righteousness and hated wickedness” (Hebrew 1:9) the holiness of Jesus Christ
manifested itself in a love of righteousness and a hatred of iniquity. It is
not enough to love righteousness; iniquity must be hated as well. On the other
hand, it is not enough to hate iniquity; righteousness must be loved as well.
There are those who profess to love righteousness, but they do not seem to hate
iniquity. They are strong in applauding right, but not equally strong in
denouncing evil. There are also those who profess to hate sin, but they do not
seem to love righteousness. They are strong in denouncing evil, but not equally
strong in applauding right. Jesus Christ's holiness was complete as well as
spotless; he loved righteousness and hated iniquity.
Lack of knowledge and
motivation are a major reason people do not change to please God. They do not
have sufficient desire to change. Instead they want to please themselves or
their friends and family. Often they are too concerned with the things of this
life. Until our motives are right, little else in this study will help us.
God's word is the best source of guidance for self-help and motivation for
self-improvement. People sometimes convince themselves, "I just can't
change. It's too late. Besides, I'm only human." They are not just
belittling themselves; they are denying God's word. They will fail simply
because they will give up instead of persisting and using God's divine power.
Change of our
attitude and character does not come easily; we must make deliberate choice
daily. Bible shows us how to change and improve our selves to become what God
wants in the second letter of Apostle Peter.
Peter said, “By his divine power,
God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received
all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of
his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and
excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises
that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption
caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond
to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral
excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with
self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance
with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly
affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more
productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting
that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and
sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called
and chosen. Do these things and you will never fall away. Then God
will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-11NLT)
As we study the attribute of the
holiness of God and the Son of God, let us be mindful of the importance of this
divine attribute. “The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy the whole earth
is full of His glory. In Isaiah 57 verse
15 when he said, “For thus says the high and exalted one who lives forever, My
name is holy.”To be holy is to be distinct, separate, in a class by
oneself. When we think of God’s holiness, we think of His utter
separation from sin because everything in the creation is affected and
influenced by sin. The primary meaning of holy is ‘separate.’ This means that the one
who is holy is uniquely holy, with no rivals or competition. We see clearly God’s distinction from us in the matter of His
moral, perfection. As Habakkuk the prophet wrote, “Your eyes are too pure to
approve evil. You cannot look on wickedness.” When the Bible
calls God holy it means primarily that God is transcendentally separate.
Exodus 15:11 says “Who is like Thee among the gods, O LORD? Who is like
Thee, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? The holiness
of God is not simply a doctrine to which we give assent. Rather, the doctrine
of the holiness of God should guide and govern our lives. For God
to be holy is for Him to be holy in relation to every aspect of His nature and
character. It reminds us that His love is holy love, his justice is holy
justice, his mercy is holy mercy, his knowledge is holy knowledge, and his
spirit is Holy Spirit.
When things are made holy, when they
are consecrated, they are set apart unto purity. They are to be used in a pure
way. They are to reflect purity as well as simple apartness. Purity is not
excluded from the idea of the holy; it is contained within it. To
be holy is to be morally pure and free from defilement. Everything that comes from God, every manifestation of God’s nature is
a reflection of His moral perfection.
In
Hebrews chapter first we read, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers and
the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken
to us in His Son whom He appointed heir of all things through whom all things
He made the world and He, the Son, is the radiance of His glory and the exact
representation of His nature.” So if I want to know anything about God, the
clearest representation of that, that I will ever be able to comprehend is
manifest in Jesus Christ.
There is nothing more excellent than
this truth, of which the Church is the keeper and preserver here among men, the
ministry of the word being appointed to that end and purpose: for it teaches us
the greatest matters that may be thought, that is, that God has become visible
in the person of Christ.
Paul said “Beyond all
question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared
in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached
among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” (1
Timothy 3:16 )
Great is the
mystery of godliness, the mystery that God has revealed to us in
the gospel in order to make men godly. The glory of the Lord - The splendor,
majesty, and holiness of God as manifested in the gospel, that God was clearly
and distinctly seen in the gospel. In the gospel we were permitted to look on
the full splendor of the divine perfections – the holiness, justice, goodness,
mercy, and benevolence of God - to see him as he is with undimmed and unveiled
glory. Paul
said “As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are
becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) as in a glass-in a
mirror, namely, the Gospel which reflects the glory of God and Christ, From glory to glory-from
one degree of glory to another. As Moses' face caught a reflection of God's
glory from being in His presence, so believers are changed into His image by
beholding Him. The holiness of God
should guide and govern our thoughts, words and action.
To say that Christ is
absolutely holy is to say that He is absolutely pure. Bible declares that "For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him."Hebrews 4:15 "For we have not a high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." The holiness of Jesus
manifested itself not merely negatively in not doing or speaking wrong, but
also positively in speaking all that God desired, all that was right to do or
speak. A full manifestation of holiness does not consist merely in doing
nothing wrong, but in doing all that is right. The holiness of Jesus manifested
itself in constant and never-failing victory over temptation. It was not merely
the negative innocence that results from being shielded from contact with evil,
but also the positive holiness that meets evil and overcomes it. 1
John3:3 — "And every man that have this hope in him purifies himself,
even as he is pure." Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
To get
what you want, change who you are by simply changing the way you think, speak
and act. "People
do not attract that which they want, but that which they are." To attract good people, you must be good. To attract godly
people, you must be godly. To attract faithful people, you must be
faithful. Instead of going to change and work on others, you go to work on
yourself. Act like the person you want to become. Before you
can do something, you first must be something.
Strive not to become a man of success, but rather seek to become a man of God. You
become valuable when you value what God value.
Transformation comes when you allow God’s Word to change your thinking. As your
thinking changes, your feelings, decisions, actions and attitude will change. “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of
your mind. And put on the new nature created in God's image, in true
righteousness and holiness.” Eph. 4:23-24. (Amplified Bible) Divine Character is the foundation upon which all else
is built.
“This is the message
we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there
is no darkness at all. 1 John1:5,” When Jesus spoke again to the people,
he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”— John 8:12 " The
dazzling white light that glorified the face and garments of Jesus on the Mount
of Transfiguration was the outshining of the moral purity within. Everything we need for
life and godliness comes through the knowledge of him. In other words, applying
the word of God is what affects your life. Life and godliness is a byproduct of
knowing God and what he has spoken.
Life is not just party and pleasure always.
It is also pain and despair. The choice is either to act like a victor or like
a victim. It is not our position but our disposition that determines our
destiny. Adversity builds or reveals character. Under adverse circumstances,
some people break records and others break themselves. The greatest buildings
have strongest foundations. This is why Paul said to be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. We are so hectic with the world and it's
philosophies that it is hard to escape its corruption and not to internalize
some of those viewpoints, but through the knowledge of him we are able to
escape the corruption in the world because our beliefs are based on his
principals.
People with Divine character, good values and
positive attitude are the right foundation for the success of any society or a
Nation. In other words
the success of an individual, institution, or inhabitants, depends on the
quality of their people. Most people fail not because of lack of ability or
intelligence but because of lack of right desire, direction, dedication,
discipline, diligence and divine attitude. Divine attitude refers to the
consistency of godly Character that matches thoughts, words and actions. A person with a Divine character is like a
fruit of all season. Ability without the Divine attitude is wasted energy, good
look without godliness is irritation and Position and Tittles without divine
Grace and Agape Love is tyranny and tragedy. Therefore daily start our day with
God’s thoughts. Remember that “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.”
(Romans 12:2. NLT) God Bless you
(The author is the
presiding Bishop, Believers Church, Patna,
Diocese)
