A MIND RENEWED INTO CHRIST by Ray Prinzing

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23)

The negative forces seek to control with all their propaganda and brainwashing. Many a battle is being fought and won in the mind, making it a vital necessity that we “put out of the way once for all everything that would impede the free action of your mind, be calm and collected in spirit, and set your hope perfectly, wholly, unchangeably, without doubt and despondency, upon the grace that is being brought to you upon the occasion of the revelation of Jesus Christ,” (I Peter 1:13, Wuest).

With the Lord’s dealings with our thinking, there also comes a stripping away of the façade and masquerade, which we have put forth because of our ‘thoughts’ of the past. We thought we ought to act a certain way to have an image of spirituality, which was not a true manifestation of what we really were, but super-imposed as a disguise of what we thought we should appear. Now we are challenged to “change your outward expression to one that comes from within and is representative of your inner being, by the renewing of your minds,” (Romans 12:2 Wuest).

We rejoice in the truth, “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” (Col. 1:27), because it is His Spirit dwelling within. Yet, because of the trappings of the carnal mind it has been difficult to give expression of this INNER LIFE OF CHRIST. Now, the more we are “renewed in the spirit of our mind”, the more we can LIVE OUT that which HE is BECOMING in us. This is more than just the mental gymnastics of our own self-efforts. It is the energizing of His Spirit upon our human spirit, which in turn takes dominion over our mind and brings our mind into subjection to the Spirit of Truth. May it become the ‘norm’ of our life to just be thinking HIS thoughts, that we might “shew forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light,” (I Peter 2:9).