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.Romans 12:2 NLT
- JUNE 7 -
CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK
When you hear preaching declaring that you need to repent, is your first impression of repentance something that involves mourning and sorrow? If we are to repent, it is important that we know what the word “repent” means in the first place. It is the Greek word metanoeo, which simply means “to change one’s mind.” Repentance just means changing your mind.
This means that even if we do not use the word “repent” all the time on God’s people, every time they sit under anointed preaching of His Word, repentance is still occurring—their minds are being changed about their old beliefs that held them in bondage and receiving the truth that liberates them.
Even as you are reading this, repentance is going on. You are renewing your mind with the good news of Jesus. You are becoming more and more conscious of His finished work and your righteousness in Christ. When you begin to receive the revelation that you are no longer under the old covenant of law, but are now under the new covenant of grace, the Bible calls that repentance!
I want to share a praise report from Dave, who resides in Dallas. His story demonstrates how the truth liberates our minds from old beliefs that keep us in bondage and rob us of joy and victory in our lives:
For a long time, my wife and I believed that though we were saved by grace, it was through our own efforts that we could become the Christians we were called to be. We sat under a ministry that taught you had to walk out your Christian life by doing “good works,” so we both served in the children’s ministry, led Bible study, served the Holy Communion, tithed, and worked at vacation Bible schools during the summer months.
We did all this because we were taught that it would “please” God. The sad thing was that the more we tried to “please” God, the less we enjoyed serving Him. Eventually, it became so much like work that we all but stopped serving and became resigned to living a less-than-fulfilling Christian life.
Then, just over a year ago, we came across your television broadcast. We listened hungrily to what you shared and knew that this was the message and revelation that would change us as Christians.
Every night of the next month, my wife would read aloud excerpts from one of your teaching resources, and we would be amazed at the teachings, examples, and revelations that were in the book (and that would transform our lives). We would discuss them until late at night marveling at the revelation of God’s grace and love. The power of those revelations in the book began a process that is still continuing today.
For example, all the thoughts we had about what would please God were radically changed. No longer were we living under a cloud of condemnation because we didn’t read the Bible long enough, didn’t repent and pray enough, didn’t serve enough, or didn’t give enough to enjoy the blessings of God. Faith and love for the Lord just arose in our hearts when we discovered that it wasn’t about us at all, but about the finished work of Jesus on the cross, that it was His righteousness and His righteousness alone that qualified my wife and I for all the blessings of God.
Joy returned to our lives and our relationship with each other changed. No longer were we condemning each other, but loving each other as we experienced God loving us. It changed our relationship with Him and continues to impact our family to this day, as we continue to sit under the ministry of grace.
Moreover, the joy of serving has returned to us as it is now an outflow of what God has poured into us through His grace. We no longer see serving Him as being a “work” but an honor and privilege. We are so grateful to Him for leading us as a couple to feed on His love for us through the finished work of Jesus Christ!
Do you see that what you believe about God powerfully impacts your entire life? When you allow the truth of His love and grace to replace wrong beliefs about Him in your mind, you will find joy, fulfillment, and victory replacing defeat, exhaustion, and bondage in all areas of your life. Keep hearing and feeding on the word of His grace, and like Dave, see Him transform you, your family, and your ministry from glory to glory!
This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. Joseph Prince