A RENEWAL OF OUR MINDS

The average brain weighs about three pounds. It contains 12 billion cells. Each one of these cells is connected to 10,000 other brain cells, totalling 120 trillion brain connections. Dr. Duane Gish has observed that the human brain is the most complex arrangement of matter in the universe. Some have compared the brain to a sophisticated computer, but technology still has a long way to go before it can duplicate the brain’s capabilities. The brain is not only the most complex mechanism in the world; it is the most influential organ in your body. It accounts for your ability to think, remember, love, hate, feel, reason, imagine and analyse. Everything we see, hear, touch and smell is recorded on the lobes of the brain. Your brain elevates you high above the animal kingdom; it literally sustains your life. If you are brain dead, you are dead because the brain supervises everything you do from the involuntary beat of your heart to the conscious decisions of daily life. It also houses your intuition, your conscience and your sexuality. It both houses and constitutes the mind. [Proverbs 23:7] summarizes so well the over-arching significance of the mind as far as YHVH is concerned in this poetic declaration: -- For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…. We may rightly conclude that the human mind is the single most important entity in Creation for as it goes, so goes the person and the society in which they live. Who and what we will be then must have its origin and sustenance in the mind? What we sanction or suppress mentally determines whether we take the high road less travelled or the low road which is far more popular. The degree to which we attain the mind of Moshiach will determine the quality of life we enjoy as well as the eternity we will experience. When we train our minds to become like the mind of Moshiach Himself we will find ourselves well on the way to personal renewal, because we will begin to think, act and do things like Moshiach Himself. -- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of HaShem. -- Romans 12:2. The point of this is simple; the pattern of conformity to the world is broken and a person’s life is transformed only when the mind is renewed. Whether this renewal of the mind will take place depends upon our daily mental discipline. Unquestionably and repeatedly the thought life is identified in Scripture as the very source of godliness or worldliness, holiness or un-holiness. Our thinking may be dominated by Ruach HaKodesh or the evil one. We make the determination; we give the permission, and we exercise the control. Our thought life is the real battleground, and it is in our thinking that the most basic Spiritual struggle takes place. In the Old Testament and the New Testament, the government of the mind is the condition which brings about spiritual transformation at the deepest level of a person’s being and determines whether we are holy and pleasing to YHVH. There are two basic areas that we need to really concentrate, so that we can truly experience personal renewal.

1 – The goal: To obtain the mind of Moshiach:

We know about personal renewal through Ruach HaKodesh and through Vision; now is the clincher, if we are going to be thoroughly and completed renewed, our minds must be like Moshiach’s mind. We need to spend the rest of our lives developing the mind of Yeshua Moshiach. There are three things we need to do continuously for that to happen:

A – We need to know Moshiach:
When Paul writes to the Corinthian church, he mentions the deep secrets of YHVH and quotes the prophets to show that no one can really know the depths of YHVH’s Mind, yet there is one exception to this rule; those who have the Spirit of YHVH can understand the mind of YHVH. He puts it like this: -- For who hath known the mind of Adonai, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Moshiach. -- 1 Corinthians 2:16. This [mind of Moshiach] that Paul talks about is able to discern the things that YHVH Himself is thinking. This, is one of the most astounding statements in the Scriptures; that we, a mere human beings, have the ability to understand what YHVH is thinking. This promise is not made to just anyone, but only to those that know Moshiach through the indwelling of Ruach HaKodesh. In fact, just a couple verses earlier Paul stated this: -- But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of YHVH: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. -- 1 Corinthians 2:14. While the concept here is profound, the point is very simple; to possess the mind of Moshiach we begin by knowing Moshiach through the salvation experience. If you are a Moshiach follower, you can have the mind of Moshiach.

B – We need to surrender control:
We allow many things to control us; sin, our schedules, our friends, our culture, but for some reason we have trouble allowing YHVH to control us. We need to recognize that someone or something is going to control our minds and it is up to us to decide who or what it will be. There are only two choices: i – our sinful nature – or – YHVH. -- For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. -- Romans 8:6. Notice the contrast here; it is between the sinful nature and Ruach HaKodesh. The first leads to spiritual death and the second to life and peace. Until we surrender control of our minds over to Ruach HaKodesh, we will not be able to possess the mind of Moshiach in all its fullness. This mind of Moshiach that the Bible talks about is something that seems to move in and out of our possession in varying degrees. When we are fully surrendered to YHVH, we can discern His will and His way with clarity and precision. When we are not fully surrendered to YHVH, the things of YHVH are no longer clear to us and we are not able to understand His will for our lives and might even begin questioning YHVH’s intentions for us and the world in which we live. Many of us live life trying to live right dab in the centre of this. We allow our sinful nature to control us most of the week and let YHVH take over on Shabbat or when we are at some type of believers gathering. But we cannot hope to obtain and continuously possess the mind of Yeshua Moshiach on a part-time basis; if that is the case we will always be torn between having our way and letting YHVH have His Way. YHVH cannot bless us unless He has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There is no bargaining with Him. If we are going to exist in the heavenly realms, thinking heavenly thoughts and being able to discern the heavenly mind of YHVH, we must give up the sinful nature which is controlling us. We do that, when we let go and let YHVH take over.