Renewing your mind

By Jennifer Moreno

One of the hardest things to do when you accept Jesus Christ is to surrender every part of your life to him and to let go of your past.

Even as a believer, it is a constant battle to let go of your old self and to renew your mind. It truly is a daily task. If you feel that way, you’re not alone. But one thing I’ve learned in my journey as a Christian is that if you’re going to fully give your heart to God, you must also give your full trust to him.

The renewing of the mind is probably the first step to take. When you believe that Jesus died for you on the cross for your sins, that by his stripes you were healed, that because of his grace you were saved and justified; that’s when you allow your mind to believe that you are new in Christ.

You are no longer defined by your past, you’re no longer that old self, you’re brand new.

The work of God within us is perfect and when we accept Jesus in our hearts, he is sure to impart his Holy Spirit and to help us renew our minds. He has left nothing out and nothing undone, but now as a new child of God we have the responsibility to renew our minds.

Like 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

We must choose to believe this and engrain it in our hearts and minds. We must meditate on this verse night and day because the things of this world will try to steal our peace with Christ. We are ourselves are our own worst enemies, we think more negative than positive.

Ephesians 4:17 shows us that we shouldn’t keep thinking like we used to in our old self. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.”

The renewal of the mind as a Christian isn’t only just thinking positive, it is actively believing in God and his power in you. You have to intentionally make that choice and let go of your past, your past sins, and most important of all, you have to not condemn yourself for your past.

Yes, the consequences can be ever lasting, but that doesn’t mean you should allow that consequence to direct your future. When God forgave your sins, he didn’t say I forgive you, but I won’t forget what you did.

In the Bible in Micah 7:19 it tells us that our sins will be forgotten forever – “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”

So if our almighty God is throwing our sins into the depth of the ocean, why do we choose to constantly remind ourselves of the mistakes we made in our past life? Let us renew our minds and cast our failures, sins and self-judgement into the deepest part of the ocean.

Revelation 21:5 confirms “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

God bless everyone and may grace abound in you!