A New Mind

A New Mind

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

IMAGINE FOR A MINUTE that you’re sitting in the driver’s seat of your car at the closest airport. You’ve been there before. You start driving home. As you make your way, without being aware of it, you will make dozens—maybe hundreds—of mental assumptions. You turn the key because you assume that will start the car. You step on the gas pedal because you know that makes you go forward. When you want to stop, you push the brake. As you drive down the road, you don’t even look at the speed limit signs because you know the limit is thirty-five in the neighborhood and fifty-five on the highway. You know what exit to take without having to think about it; you know where to turn without really having to make the decision. You could almost do it all with your eyes closed.

But what if all kinds of things had been changed without your knowing? You step on the gas pedal, and your car slams to a stop. You hit the brake, and your car lurches forward. Turn your wheel right, and your car goes left. You get pulled over and say, “Officer, what’s the problem?” He explains that you were going thirty miles over the speed limit. You say, “But it’s thirty-five!” He says, “No, it’s five.” You get on the highway, but it doesn’t take you where you think it will. You’re driving down a road, and when the traffic light turns green, everyone comes to a stop. You try to go home, but the road you live on doesn’t seem to exist.

That scenario sounds strange, but it’s closer to reality than you’d ever imagine.

Your Mental Map

In your head you have a kind of map, a mental framework; some would call it a worldview. It’s the way you think about things, what you believe, the assumptions you have about this world, and the values you hold.

How did you get it? Well, more or less the same way you developed the “map” that allows you to drive home from the airport without thinking. Some of that came by training and some by experience, and it’s all become deeply ingrained in your mind.

Similarly, you’ve been trained to think and to have certain assumptions, values, and beliefs by your parents, your education, and the media. And you also have experiences that have led to your current worldview.

But there’s a problem. A lot of what you believe is wrong. Things you assume to be true are actually lies.

Why? Because we live in the kingdom of Satan, and he is a liar. The Bible tells us that the devil is very real and has a real influence on our world. He’s called the ruler of the “kingdom of the air” and “of this dark world.”^a And Satan lies. Jesus says, “He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”^b

It sounds weird, almost sounds like The Matrix movie, where people were living in a systematic deception but didn’t know it. And that’s not far from the truth. There are things we think are true, but aren’t. And things we think are false, are true.

A Renewed Mind

This is why as God makes you a new you, he wants to give you a new mind. We read that God wants to “transform you into a new person by changing the way you think”^c and that God wants to “renew your thoughts and attitudes.”^d

Why is this so important? Because your thoughts and values and assumptions are the very fabric of who you are. They make up the mental map you’re living by every day. We need to start living by the truth. When we do, Jesus says, the truth will set us free.^e We need a renewed mind with new thoughts.

If the mental “map” you have in your head that allows you to drive from the airport to your house were suddenly changed—if the gas pedal braked and the brake pedal gave your car gas, the streets were all changed, etc.—it would be awkward, and you would have to hesitate instead of assuming. You’d repeatedly pause and ask, Wait, do I have this right? I could get myself in trouble with a wrong move. You also would buy and study a map that reflects the new reality you’re living in.

In the same way, when you realize you’re living in a world built on lies but God has real truth available for you, it’s going to be awkward for a while. And if you’re wise, you’ll hesitate instead of assuming, and you’ll start studying a map that reflects the new reality you’re living in. God’s given us this map in the Bible. So you’ll pause and ask, Wait, do I have this right?

Like, I think that I’m the center of my universe, and the goal of life is to be happy. But is that right? So you’d study your new map, and you’d ask for direction, and you’d realize, No, that’s wrong. The truth is that God is the center of my universe, and the goal of life is to make him happy.

Or, I think I need to get promoted and make lots of money to be someone special. My parents taught me that, and I’ve always believed it. But is it true? And you’d learn, No, that’s wrong! I’m special because God made me and loves me. I need to get my self-esteem from him and rest in his love.

Or, I believe that truth is relative. There’s no such thing as absolute truth. What’s right for you is right for you, but it might not be right for me. We each have to figure out what’s true for us. But, hold on, is that right? And you’d figure out, That’s not true! I’ve been working under a false assumption. If there’s a universal God, then whatever he says is universally true. An absolute God can make absolute truth—truth that is true for everyone, everywhere, at all times.

Or, I feel like I can have sex before I get married. It’s my body. We’re two consenting adults. It’s not hurting anyone. But you now discover, I’ve been wrong! My body belongs to God. God decides what I can do with it. And he says sex is just for marriage.

Our minds need to be renewed. We need to develop a new map, a biblical framework, a godly worldview so that we see things the way God does and so that we align our thinking with truth. And when we do that, the place it will take us to is freedom.

Now What?

• Read Ephesians 4:17-32.
• What does this passage show about how critically important a person’s way of thinking is? Where might your thinking need to be renewed?
• Changing your thinking can take time and be challenging. Ask God for help. Ask him to reveal lies you believe and to lead you to know and embrace the truth that will set you free.