Fear No Fear

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2, MEV). Do you know those thoughts you can have that are things you USED to like? They either ticked your fancy, fascinated you, or turned you on. They might have even been those ‘guilty pleasure’ things, that you knew weren’t good but felt so good (like the thrill some horror-movie fans cite as the reason they watch). We’re saved. We’re believers. Why do we have to deal with these thoughts? Because they are deep ruts in the soft tissue of our minds that the old man (the dead one) used to drive through. To fix it, we renew our minds. What does that really mean? It means that when thoughts come up, we test them against the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We find out what the Word says about the thing we keep finding in our thoughts and compare. Are these thoughts in line with the Word? Are they in accordance to His values? His point of view? Are they good thoughts? If not, we replace them by spending time thinking of His point of view on that thing. We don’t take into account our preferences, our feelings, or our opinions. We focus on what He says and take it in. We change our minds to be in line with His, based on His Word. We take up His point of view and make it ours. We renew our minds to His thinking. When we do? Those thoughts wither and die. If or when they come back, we re-apply the Word to them and send them packing. The Word is TRUTH and He uses it to sanctify us (John 17:17). The least we can do is the same kind of effort. Apply the Word to what plagues you. Find out what He says about it. And stick to God’s way of thinking. It’s FULL of life (John 10:10).