Renewing the spirit of our minds
Mankind has made incredible progress in knowledge based on what we can observe over a few thousand years. Unlike us, God’s Holy Spirit is simultaneously present in every dimension in this immense universe and observes everything. He reads the minds of billions of people every nanosecond of our lives. Compared to God, even the greatest geniuses are simple-minded.
(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 更新我们思想的灵 | 繁體中文 > 更新我們思想的靈)
Romans 11:33 ESV Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Our minds are limited
Mankind can detect and understand only a small slice of reality. There is so much that we do not know. By some estimates, our human eyes can see less than 5% of light in the electromagnetic spectrum. Astronomers have “discovered” and observed 4% of this universe. Scientists approximate that we have only discovered 14% of all animals on this planet.
Praise God that as believers, our faith is not based on the little we can decipher, observe, and analyse, but in the Almighty’s 100% control of and presence in every physical, time and spiritual dimension simultaneously.
Hebrews 11:1 ESV Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The Holy Spirit bypasses our reasoning minds
The frontal lobe of our brains is responsible for complex thinking. It controls our reasoning, planning and some aspects of speech. When the Holy Spirit works through us, however, it is not this reasoning, planning part of our brains that He activates.
The Holy Spirit moves through the thalamus, which regulates the flow of nerve signals from our senses, including hearing, taste, sight and touch, around the brain. The thalamus is crucial for our ability to perceive the things around us, so we are able to determine how to respond. It also controls our consciousness, sleep, and alertness.
A 2006 study at the University of Pennsylvania, led by Dr. Andrew Newberg, used an MRI to scan the brains of people who were led by the Holy Spirit to pray in tongues. The study showed that activity decreased in their frontal lobes and increased in their thalamus. This is why the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 that his mind is “unfruitful” when he prays in tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:14 ESV For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.
To quote Newberg: “Our finding of decreased activity in the frontal lobes during the practice of speaking in tongues is fascinating because these subjects truly believe that the spirit of God is moving through them and controlling them to speak. The part of the brain that normally makes them feel in control has been essentially shut down.”
To follow God in all our ways, we have to set aside our reasoning and wait for His Spirit to guide us.
Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
God does not work according to our reasoning
God’s wisdom defies our logic. We can miss God’s perfect will when we rely solely on our minds and neglect to consult His Holy Spirit. In fact, we can even swerve off His plans for us and incur His judgment. Here are some examples from history.
Isaiah 30:1 ESV “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the LORD, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;
1. God is not limited to our timelines
God designated Abraham to be the forefather of many nations, yet God asked him to sacrifice His only legitimate son, Isaac. Logically, this doesn’t make sense.
Genesis 12:1-2 ESV Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Genesis 15:5 ESV And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
At the end, Abraham didn’t see his son die. God provided a male sheep for Abraham in place of Isaac as a prophetic metaphor. Thousands of years later, Abraham’s descendant would give birth to Jesus, the “lamb of God” who was sacrificed for us all. Abraham would not have understood God’s will but he obeyed Him by faith. Yet by reading this man’s story, we are able to empathise with God’s pain and grief as He watched Jesus crucified.
God’s ways are always higher than ours. His will is not limited to our lifetimes. He makes decisions based on future events we may never witness or understand.
Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
2. God is not limited to our perspectives
The apostle Peter tried to stop Jesus from going to Jerusalem to be crucified. He couldn’t see how Jesus could raise Himself from the dead because it didn’t seem possible. Jesus did not correct Peter. Instead, He rebuked Satan. Our minds can be easily influenced by Satan when we rely on our own reasoning, knowledge and experiences. Instead, we are to trust God even when our minds can’t figure things out, so that we do not fall for Satan’s evil schemes instead.
Matthew 16:22-23 ESV And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
3. God is not limited to our intellect
The most educated and wisest of people in Jerusalem crucified Jesus Christ. They knew all of God’s prophecies about the Messiah better than anyone else. They debated if Jesus was the Messiah yet failed to recognise Him because they only operated within the confines of their human intellect and wisdom.
1 Corinthians 2:7-10 ESV But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
No human scholar, philosopher, theologian, scientist, doctor or mentor with the greatest intelligence will compare with God’s Spirit. There is only one instructor we are to turn to, and that is God Himself.
Matthew 23:10 ESV Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
Renewing the spirit of our minds
Our human minds can block us from experiencing God in His fullness. God is spirit. The primary basis for our relationship with Him is spiritual, not intellectual. We show that we belong to God when our minds and thoughts obey the “Spirit of God” over and above our human logic.
John 4:24 ESV God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Romans 8:9 ESV You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
The mind is part of our “flesh”, which was the human nature that we chose to die to once we accepted Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
| 1. First, be in awe of God | Proverbs 1:7 ESV The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
| 2. Know God’s Word | Ephesians 6:17 ESV and take …. the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, |
| 3. Submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance | 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 ESV Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. |
| 4. Think from God’s point of view | Colossians 3:1-2 ESV If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. |
| 5. Discern God’s will | Romans 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. |
| 6. Make godly choices | 1 Peter 1:13-14 ESV Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, |
| 7. Watch out for Satan’s schemes | 1 Peter 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. |
God doesn’t call us to stop using our minds afterwards. He tells us to be “renewed in the spirit of our minds“. Once our thinking obeys God’s Holy Spirit, we will discover His will, plus His abundant life and peace.
Ephesians 4:22-24 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Romans 8:5-6 ESV For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Idolatry of the mind
Satan will lure us to exalt our intelligence and logic. Through lies and deceptions, he seduces us away from our simple, childlike and sincere devotion to our Heavenly Father.
Matthew 18:2-4 ESV And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
This is how the entire human race became corrupted at the beginning. Satan succeeded in getting Eve to think about her situation from her limited human perspective. As a result, she sinned against God. Satan continues to lure us into thought patterns that corrupt us.
2 Corinthians 11:3 NIV But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
1. “I can’t trust anyone / I need to get this right.”
Where we have been let down or badly hurt by people in the past, we can develop a fear-based defence mechanism against more disappointment or pain. Our intellect and reasoning become paramount because we don’t dare trust anyone. Subconsciously, we are driven to think of all the possibilities and try to minimise risk. Through this ungodly “training”, our defence mechanism eventually stops us from intrinsically trusting God. This grieves His Holy Spirit.
Fear is the enemy’s number one tactic, because it elevates and magnifies our issues and blocks us from seeing God’s love, power and omniscience.
When Jesus allowed Himself to be led to the cross to be crucified on our behalf, He took on the risk of rejection by us. He loves us so much He risked His own life. Would a God who loves us so much then not continue to guide us into all of His goodness?
Isaiah 26:3 ESV You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
2. “I can figure this out on my own.”
Other times, we believe that our intellect will save us. We may even elevate our thinking capabilities above God’s will. Our mistaken pride in our own abilities blinds us to the fact that we know infinitely less than we think we do.
Proverbs 1:29-33 ESV Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
3. “God gave us intelligence.”
God does not favour the intelligent of the world because He knows we will only credit ourselves and forget Him. Instead, He often chooses those whom the world considers foolish, weak and despised because they will not be able to deny His power and glory.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 ESV But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 3:18 ESV Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
4. “It is good to think of all the possibilities.”
There are endless possibilities we can think of but only one (or maybe none) will be God’s will for us. We end up wasting time and effort in trying to map out different scenarios just so to satisfy our insecurities.
When we trust God, however, He will lead us into His will even when we make poor plans. We can’t make a fatal mistake when we place our future in His hands.
Proverbs 16:9 ESV The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
5. “Reading God’s Word is enough.”
It is absolutely critical to study God’s Word but it becomes dangerous when we limit our knowledge to an intellectual understanding and like a Pharisee, never truly know Him and His intention. It is His Spirit that reveals God as a real Person to us. It is like reading a letter written for us by a stranger and one written by a loved one. We can read many nuances in the latter and won’t catch the same in the former.
Moreover, the Bible brings the Truth that will set our minds free from mental strongholds. It is difficult for our mind to battle itself, without the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
As we read the Bible, we ought to invite the Holy Spirit to teach us God’s spiritual truths. It is the Holy Spirit that brings God’s Word to life, not our minds (the flesh).
1 John 2:27 ESV But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
John 6:63 ESV It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
6. “Spiritual things are intangible and hard to be certain of.”
While such a statement is true in some respects, we need to remember that God is spirit and it is our responsibility to know Him spiritually. Our Father in heaven calls us not to place our faith in the tangible things of this earth, but in Him who is intangible yet more real than anything we can see with our eyes.
1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Submitting our minds to the Holy Spirit
One of the greatest gifts that thinkers can give ourselves is to confess that our minds are severely limited, compared to our Creator’s, and repent of gripping onto the control panel for our thoughts. As brain research shows, we can block the Holy Spirit when we over-activate our frontal lobes of reasoning and not pause to receive from God through our thalamus, to receive sensory signals from Him. Our busy conscious minds can mute all gentle subconscious inspirations from the Holy Spirit.
The key lies in stilling our minds often and remembering to exalt and praise God, and then wait for Him to send us His messages. This is the stillness that God refers to in Psalm 46:10. It is a mental state more than a physical one. When we place all of our faith in God Almighty, we can still experience a peace of mind that is beyond understanding even if we are in a war zone.
Psalm 46:10 ESV “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Often, it is when we are simply resting our minds that we manage to hear His quiet messages. A restful mind that fully trusts that God is in control and relinquishes the need to understand everything is one that can be renewed in the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:17-18 ESV Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
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