Programmed

We live in a world where renewing one’s mind is a constant work.  Use the right tools.

Text for Today – Romans 12:2 – And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The soul (Greek – psuche) is comprised of our mind, will, intellect, and emotions.  The mind is the thinking, reasoning apparatus; the will is the determiner, the decision-maker; the intellect is the data collector; and the emotions are our release valves for attitudes.  From the Greek word for soul, psuche, we derive the word psychology, and other related words.

Most people today use computers, though there are wide ranges of computer literacy among those users.  Try to cause a computer to function contrary to its programming, and it won’t work.  It will argue with you for so long, and will likely shut down after a number of attempts to contradict its programming.  You may read on the screen words like, “This program is not responding.  End now.”  Your computer simply won’t violate its programming.  In order to make it function in a manner different from its programming, it must be re-programmed.

What is 2+2?  You automatically answer, “4.”  That’s easy!  But just for the sake of our discussion, what if math changed, and “2+2” suddenly became “5?”  Your mind would reject that out of hand.  Your will would say “I refuse to accept that.”  Your intellect would say, “That doesn’t match the data I have on record.”  And your emotions may laugh or become argumentative, depending on how it was presented to you.  In order for you to accept that 2+2=5, you would have to reprogram your entire soul.

Welcome to the process known as “renewing the mind.”  All your life you’ve been told that God only heals when it is His will.  Now you hear it’s always His will to heal.  Your soul rejects the new input.  You’ve been told that it may not be God’s will for you to prosper.  Now you hear His greatest desire is that you prosper, even as your soul prospers.  Your soul rejects the new input.  I could go on and on, but you already see the picture.  It’s time to reprogram your soul; it’s time for the renewing of your mind so you can think the way the Lord thinks; the way He reveals His thinking in His Word.  It’s up to you.  Go to the Word of God, go often, go regularly, take up residence in it, and continually speak what the Word of God says about you, regardless of what your senses perceive, or how you feel.  You CAN reprogram your mind, and if you will succeed in your walk with Christ, you MUST.  Get busy!  You’ll be glad you did.  And remember, it’s an ongoing process that takes a lifetime.

Manna for Today – Philippians 2:1-11 & 4:4-9; Ephesians 4:22-24