2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) tells us, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed. Behold, the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him)."
This generation has one of the greatest examples of renewing the mind, because of the technological advances that incorporate all of our lives. Many of us are trying to clean up our computers and make them faster. We are constantly being bombarded by spam and pop-ups, that have nothing to do with what we're searching for or doing on our laptops.
Your brain is the greatest computer that has ever been designed. It was formed from the very beginning, to be filled with God's Wisdom and the things from God. After Adam's fall in the Garden, man's soul began directing him, instead of his spirit. The soul programmed man's brain, that controlled the natural man. We all have some understanding about computers, in this day and age (Yes, even me) and most of us have had trouble, trying to keep unwanted things from our computers.
In this new creation man, the brain is able to receive billions of date instantly and has already been programmed by the unregenerate mind or soul. At any moment, our computer brain will "pop-up" with some unwanted, unsolicited data that had been fed into it, during our previous life, before being born-again. Now, we have the job of cleaning up the mind and brain, in order to receive new date from a different source of information. Our old man was at one time, connected only to the natural realm of information. Your brain has stored all this input in it's memory bank and still remembers everything that was fed into it over your lifetime.
As new creations,our mind is again connected to God's Spirit and is transmitting new information, that contradicts previous data stored in its memory bank from the natural realm. We clean up the brain of the new creation, by renewing the mind that feeds info to the brain. The brain controls the natural body, so the info being fed into it, will determine the actions of the flesh.
If you had a computer that only sat on your desk, then you could pay bills, keep records, and balance your accounts at your convenience. But, if you take that same computer and connect it to the internet, then you've obtained access to infinitely more information (both good and bad). It's up to the owner of the computer, to determine what is or is not fed into it.
Our computer (brain) has been opened up again to the infinite things of God's Spirit realm. As we try digesting all the information coming in, we decide what goes into the memory bank and what doesn't. Most of the information is contrary to the information that has been stored there. We're constantly being bombarded with different things stored in our memory bank and are in need of some kind of device that will clean up unwanted things.
Everything we glean from the Spirit of God and His Word, seems contrary to the natural mind of man. If the mind rejects this information, then it refuses to transmit it to the brain. This results in our living by the dictates of the flesh or the same fallen state of man. Renewing the mind of the new creation, depends on the amount of time we spend on feeding new information into it and how much of it we want to receive and transmit to the brain. Your body can't do anything that your brain doesn't tell it to do. Your body can't do anything on it's own, because it can't do anything without direction from the brain. Such influences like drugs and alcohol, will tell or allow the body to do things it normally wouldn't do. These are a few of the pop-ups that satan uses to bring man into bondage, for use in his kingdom.
Keeping our soul under subjection, depends on whether we feed data from the Word or the world into it. Your mind didn't get saved, when you were born-again. For years, the Church has been taught that when we got saved, everything about us was new. Your spirit received Life and communion with the Spirit of God again. Your spirit-man is sealed by the integrity of the Sacrifice Jesus made for it, by His Blood.
Your soul (mind, will, emotions, intellect) is the same as it was. Even though God has deemed it already dead by the Identity in Jesus, your natural body still can only do what it has been programmed to do throughout your lifetime. It's memory bank is filled with unwanted date of your former years and it will continue in its now unwanted direction, until it receives different input from the mind. For many years, we've wondered why we still had desires and impulses to do what we no longer wish to do. We find words coming out of our mouths, that we no longer desire to use and we desire the things we no longer desire, or we seemingly do things that we no longer want to do. The reason we have these pop-ups occurring, is because we haven't cleaned up unwanted data from the unrenewed mind.
For many believers, this becomes a life long struggle between the mind of the flesh and the newborn Spirit of God in our spirit. This struggle has resulted in a life of discouragement and condemnation. If you're computer literate, then you can clearly understand what "renewing the mind" means. Your spirit receives it's info from the Lord and then transfers that data to the soul (mind), which in turn transmits it to your brain, which controls the flesh or natural body. If we put garbage in, then we'll get garbage out. We must be aware of the things we feed our minds. If we feed the world into it like before being saved, then only the world will come out. If we feed on God's Word, then that's what will come out.
Galatians 5:22-24 (Amplified) tells us, "But the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (the work which His Presence within accomplishes) is Love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence) Against such things there is no law (that can bring a charge) And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires."
This is the new data that comes into our spirit, through the new birth. In order to take it from our spirit to our brain (or godless human nature), we bring it up our of our spirit into our mind (soul) and change the information we feed the brain (which controls the flesh). We must feed our new spirit, information from God's Word and His Spirit.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified) instructs, "Strip yourselves of your former nature (put off and discard your old unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (God Like) in true righteousness and holiness."
Because we have failed to renew our minds by God's Word, our conduct and thought life continue making us doubt our new righteousness in Jesus. This leaves us holding onto condemnation and keeps us from accepting what God's Word says about the new creation family of God.
Romans 8:1 (Amplified) says, "Therefore (there is) now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live (and) walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit."
If we will renew our minds by God's Word, then we will not be led after the dictates of the flesh any longer. If we allow the flesh (with its old habits and information) to dictate our position in Christ, then it will only dictate what it remembers from its former life's training. This always brings condemnation and guilt about "who we once were." If we will renew our minds by God's Word, then it will only dictate to you, who Jesus has created you to be. We will either walk under the condemnation of the flesh or in the "Liberty of the Spirit of Life, which is in Christ Jesus," according to Romans 8:22. It all depends on how much we renew our minds. This isn't something that will just happen in your own Christian walk, but is something you must individually do.
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