From Pastor's Heart :

The Transforming Mind

June 29,2018

One of the major keys to a successful Christian walk is the renewed mind, a mind that is renewed with the Word of God. This is because God has designed our mind to be the vehicle in which we express ourselves in this physical world. Whatever we feed into our mind is what eventually will manifest in our lives. It is like a computer, which absorbs and processes information received to give an output. The computer lingo "garbage in garbage out" also holds true with our mind. Our lives are subjected to whatever we put into our mind. We are the master programmer.

Our mind will conform to whatever it is subjected to. Several years ago, I served in a particular Chinese church as a youth coordinator. I had opportunity to work with Chinese youths who were born in the States. Every one of them talks, acts, and behaves just like an American youth. Unless you see their facial appearance, you would not have known that they are of Chinese origin. Their whole lifestyle is conformed to the American's. They have been Americanized even though they are Chinese in origin. If we are to take a child from any origin and place him or her in any country, after a period of time, you will discover that the child becomes conformed to the new environment, provided there is no outside influence. Our mind adapts and conforms to whatever we are subjected to continuously.

Our mind will transform to whatever we are conformed to. When I was eleven years old, my family migrated to the States. At that time I speak not a word of English. I spoke mostly in Taiwanese. My thinking pattern was in Taiwanese. I never thought much of what was going on in my mind. It was not until I was sixteen years old working in a grocery store. A man suddenly asked me, "I am just curious, what language do you think in?" When I thought about it, I realized that my thinking pattern was completely in English. If you ask me when did it happen, I would not be able to tell you. I was not even aware that it had changed. My mind was totally transformed or renewed. What our mind is conformed to, it will eventually transform.

Our mind will achieve whatever we concentrate on. Many years ago, a study was done in a university in Chicago. Measurement was taken on the free throw percentage of two basketball teams. Team A was then instructed to practice the free throws for a certain amount of time each day using basketballs. After a given period of time, measurement was taken again for the free throw percentage. The Team A's free throw percentage improved by twenty-three percent. Team B was instructed to sit in a room and to visualize in their mind shooting the free throws for the same given amount of time each day as with Team A. They were to focus on making the free throws in their mind. After the same given period of time, measurement was taken again for the free throw percentage. They found that Team B's free throw percentage had improved by twenty-two percent. Even though Team B never touched the basketball, they had achieved the similar progress through concentration. What our mind focuses and concentrates on, it will achieve.

When we were born again, we received a brand new nature, a nature just like Jesus. Potentially we are able to express His nature, His character, His wisdom, and His creativity within us; but this new nature can only be manifested through our mind. Our mind, like the computer, no matter how good it may be, it is only as good as the program that is resided in it. Therefore, our mind must be reprogrammed or renewed to what that new nature is composed of in order to tap into its potential. As we put ourselves in the right environment within the Body of Christ, concentrate and focus on who we are in Christ through the Word, we will be transformed and conformed into the image of Christ that is already in our born again spirit.