...but be transformed by the renewing of your mind... (Romans 12:1,2)

Last Update 01/05/08

The famous quote from Walt Kelly is, "We have met the enemy, and he is us!" We might change this quote slightly to meet the needs of this web page by saying, "I have met the enemy, and I am he." What does this mean? It is possible for our own minds to work against our welfare.

According to The Natures of Mankind Psychology (NMP), life's events in the real world do not cause stress or illness. We define stress as: the body's response to a negative mental response inside a person's personal world. The response can be to an event in the real world or an event in an imaginary world. Stress, a negative body-emotion, is the product of a negative mental process. Body-emotions, such as heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, and so forth, are the body's reactions to negative mental processes. Stress is the result of using negative mental processes (feeling thinking-patterns) to "make sense" of the real world and its external forces or to a personal imaginary world.

In addition, it is how we "make sense" of something that determines how we respond to it with body-emotions and external behaviors. If we respond with negative feeling thinking-patterns, we will have negative body-emotions and negative behaviors.

In addition, the body can become ill when the mind responds with mental processes such as negative feeling thinking-patterns.

For the Christian, negative feeling thinking-patterns can be replaced with positive or spiritual feeling thinking-patterns. The result is a healthy body and positive external behaviors.

MENTAL RENEWING

The purpose of mental renewing is your personal transformation. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). This begs the question, "Transformed into what?" The answer? Into the image of Christ, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Using the Six-Step Mental Process to prepare for Renewing the Mind. Examine the diagram below and study the six-step mental process to change your belief about the possibility for renewing your mind.

Analyze: I am practicing the anger thinking-pattern and life is not pleasant.

Research: I can use the information I just read to start practicing the love thinking-pattern.

Hypothesize: I can reject each lie or deception and choose to replace it with the truth. Each time I do this, I will be renewing my mind.

Propose: Should I discard all the lies and deceptions and replace them with the truth?

Decide: Yes! Only then will I be able to live the Christian life based on God's power and truth.

Initiate: I believe that I can reject each lie or deception and choose to replace it with the truth. Each time I do this, I will be renewing my mind.

When the Six-step Mental Process is completed, you will put your thoughts into action by modifying your Belief System or acting on them or both. Notice that signals sent to the brain, which in turn initiate Observable Behaviors and Body-emotions, can originate from either the Belief System or from the thoughts about how you will carry out your conclusions (Initiate). In this case, the Observable Behavior is...I pray the prayer to discard all the lies and deceptions and replace them with the truth.

Notice, that for each step you complete in the Six-step Mental Process, your existing belief system impacts how you use that step.

What is Your Role in Transformation?

Your role in your personal transformation is to "renew your mind." You can gain control over your thoughts. Personal thought is so crucial in the Christian life that Paul, writing to the Corinthians, directs every Christian to "get control" of each thought. The Greek word (iks mal o tid' z o) has been translated make captive or prisoner; make every thought obedient; get control of, and make prey of. In this context, the best translation of iks mal o tid' z o is get control of. The Greek word no ah ma has been translated mind, thought; method, design, and plot. It is best translated thought. It is also possible that no ah ma refers to your personal plans and objectives. The last part of the verse can be translated get control of every thought (design; plot) so that it is (they are) obedient to Christ.

You can gain control over your thoughts by identifying fleshly thoughts - lies and deceptions - and then replacing them with spiritual thoughts - the truth.

What is the Holy Spirit's Role in Transformation?

The Holy Spirit works hand-in-hand with you to transform you. As you eliminate fleshly thoughts and replace them with spiritual thoughts, the Holy Spirit gains more and more control over your mind.

"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:5-8). The word translated set comes from the Greek word fro nou sin and it means have one's mind controlled by. The implication is that you can choose to have your mind controlled by the flesh or by the Spirit.

Process of Mental Renewing.

First, you must identify a lie or deception the world, the flesh, or the devil has taught you. For example, the thought God willfully causes me pain and suffering is a lie or deception. Then, you identify the truth, for example, God loves me by walking and talking with me and He is gentle, tender, and compassionate with me. Then, you can choose to discard the lie and to embrace the truth by praying a prayer that goes something like this:

God, my Father, I discard the deception that (I must be sad and hurt for the rest of my life because my loved one has died.) and I choose to accept the truth that (I will miss my loved one for the rest of my life, but I am comforted by the knowledge that my loved one and I will share the resurrection and eternal life with the Lord (see 1 Thessalonians 4:14). I choose to make this part of my belief system and act on it in my daily life.

Use the same process for the SAMPLE table below. You can discard each item in the left column- the Sorrow (Grief) Thinking-pattern and accept each item in the right column- the Hope Thinking-pattern. Substitute each specific wording in (the parenthesis) in the table in the prayer above.

As you continue to renew your mind, you will begin to wonder, how can I take all the time that is necessary to practice renewing my mind for all these different issues? A battle over time is always a struggle that you will have to deal with. The world, the flesh, and the devil will always tempt you to use your time to pursue fleshly thoughts. You must be disciplined - by becoming discipled to Christ. Eventually, your thoughts will be filled with God's ways, God's mind, God's thoughts, and God's priorities. You will become stronger and more skilled in controlling your thoughts and having your thoughts controlled by the Holy Spirit. As you progress in this process, you will become more and more like Jesus.

The contents of this web page are exerpted from various Chapters, in the book Natures of Mankind Psychology.

© 2007 by Jerold L. Reed All Rights Reserved

Contact the New testament Psychology Institute for special permission to copy and distribute this information.