I do things that make me wonder if my brain works. For instance, when I first got to New Hope, I was given the simple task of doing announcements at our weekend services. On my very first shot, I was handed a hand-held microphone as I stepped out onto stage. Only thing was, we just had a big special and I wanted to clap with everyone else. So I stuck the microphone under my armpit and came out clapping as I walked to the edge of the stage. Then I proceeded to give the announcements with the mic tucked snugly in my armpit.

It finally came time to pray and as I bowed by head, I saw the microphone there. I wondered why it was stuck there under my arm. And suddenly I realized, it had been there all along!

Ever do something like that? Then you wonder, ìDoes my brain even work?î They say that changing your mind is a womanís prerogative, but sometimes I want to change mine completelyójust put another one in!

The Apostle Paul suggested that this is exactly what we need: a brain transplant! ìHave the same mind in you that was also in Christ Jesusî (Philip. 2:5). Then look at what he said to the church in Corinth, ìBut we have the mind of Christî (1 Cor. 2:16, emphasis added). Paul says we already have available to us the mind of Christ because when we receive Christ, we are a new creation with God in our hearts and in our lives.

Then, once were new, hereís the next step: ìDo not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mindî (Ro. 12:2). Paul says the Lord not only renews our minds, He can literally transform it.

The word ìmindî that Paul uses is a Greek word. There are several Greek words that are translated as ìmindî, but this one has a very distinct meaning. It includes three different levels: intellect, will, and emotions. In other words, Paul is saying that we need to be transformed in these three areas: we need to have our intellect transformed, our will transformed and our emotions transformed. Once we transform our intellect, will and emotions, God is able to transform our minds so that we can think like Christ!

There are three essentials to put into place to begin to think like Christ. It sounds overwhelmingóto think like Christóbut really its readily available to us. Hereís howÖ

HOW TO THINK LIKE CHRIST:

1.      LEARN GODíS WORD!

Itís impossible to have the mind of Jesus if you donít know Jesus. Thatís why Paul instructed the Colossians to, ìLet the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdomÖî (Col. 3:16 NIV). In other words, know God by knowing His Word! Itís not enough to have a passing knowledge of the Word of God. You want the Word of God to actually dwell richly within you because when it does, God is able to transform your intellect.

You see, what we allow into our heads and what we think about shapes our minds. Thatís why Paul tells us, ìWhatever is good, whatever is trustworthy, whatever is lovely, whatever is beautiful, whatever is excellent, think on these thingsî (Philip. 4:8). Take the things of God into your brain and let them shape your mind and the way you think.

Q1: What do you allow into your mind on a daily basis: Radio, TV, friends, Bible devotions, Internet, family? What are some of the key influences of your thought life? Why?

There are two specific ways to learn Godís Word that will help you to transform your mind. The first is to use His Word toÖ

?        Know Who Jesus Says You Are.

Everyone has a tendency to become what the most significant people in his life tells him that he is. Who do you respect the most or love the greatest? Parents, teachers, your spouse? Whoever it is, whatever they tell you that you are, is what you become.

Parents, if you communicate to your kids that theyíre helpless, dumb, lazy, or that they will fail, then they are and they will! On the other hand if you convince themóthrough your actions and communicationóthat theyíre wonderful, bright, valuable, and that they can do whatever they put their minds to, they will! Choose your words carefully!

Those of us who are adults get to pick who is significant in our lives. We have a choice! I would suggest that you pick those voices that can give you the positive messages that you need to hear. But there is one voice, one voice that is more significant than all the rest: ìAs a man things within himself, so is heî (Pr. 23:7). The most significant voice in your life is going to be that little internal voice, the voice that controls what you think. I want to make a suggestion: Why donít you learn who Jesus says you are and let Jesus be the internal voice?

Let His words replace all that junk you learned when you were growing up or still here when youíre in the world, that says, ìI canít. Iím a failure. I donít know how to do this. Iím not going to be able to make it.î Replace that with what Jesus says and that is found in the Word of God. Youíll discover that He says, ìYou are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Godís own peculiar people. You are joint heirs with Jesus Christ of the Kingdom of God. You are saved. You are delivered. You are redeemed. You are healed. You are loved. If God is for you, who can be against you? What could separate you from the love of Christ Jesus, our Lord? Nothing! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.î

Q2: What is your favorite Bible verse & what does it have to say about who you are in Christ? 

Exercise: Do todayís daily devotional reading & see if there is anything God says about you and your identity as He sees it. For a quicklink go to www.eNewhope.org under ìTodayís Devotional Reading.î

You canít help but become like Jesus when youíre placing His Word and His promises, His new identity for you deep into your heart and mind. Then you begin to become all that He says about you. Find out who God says you are. That is the first step in learning His Word to transform your mind, and the second is like it:  

?        Store up His Words in the Well of Your Heart.

Daily devotions is one of the foundations of our church. One reason we ask you to do this is because you have an empty well in your life that God needs to fill up with His Word. Jesus makes an incredible promise in Luke 21:14-15: ìBut make up you mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.î Jesus is saying, ìDonít worry about what to say in tough situations; out of the well of My Word, I will draw forth truth and share it right out of your mouth. I will bring it to your mind and you will be wise beyond measure.î  

So we think, ìGreat! Boy that sounds good! I going to that into practice!î And so we get into a situation and we open our mouths and we send the verbal cue and the guy at the well sends the bucket down to see what it comes up with and pulls it up real quick and we open our mouths and out comes, ìFor God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever should believes in Him should notÖ.î And we stop and say, ìWhat a second, Lord! That has nothing to do with this situation! Whatís going on?î The Lord says, ìIíM SORRY, THATíS ALL I FOUND IN THE WELL!î ìNo, Lord! Thereís got to be more!î ìI LOOKED.î ìWell, look again, way down in the bottom! There has got to beÖ Wait, way down there in the corner, ah there it is, ëJesus wept.íî 

If your well contains just John 3:16 and ìJesus wept,î how in the world can the Lord bring wisdom when you really need it? We must fill our well constantly so that when we need the wisdom of God, weíll have it readily available.

Q3: How are you at memorizing Scripture & ìfilling up the well of your heartî? Share some practical tips for learning Scripture easily. 

If we want to think like Christ, the first thing we have to do is learn Godís Word. That includes knowing who Jesus says you are and then filling the well of your heart with it. The second step is to not only transform your intellect, but also transform your will. Therefore, we must:

2.      CHOOSE GODíS WAY!

ìDo not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it saysî (Jas. 1:22 NIV). Once we choose to learn Godís Word thereís a critical second half of that equation, we must do what it says! We canít just read it and toss it. That wouldnít help anyone. However, if we learn it and then apply it, it becomes life-changing.  

Some people come to me and say, ìPastor, I want to do the will of God and I am willing to do whatever God asks me to do. If He would just show me His will, oh Pastor, I would do it!î I hear this and say, ìDo you own a Bible? Because the last time I checked, God gave us 66 books full of His will and I rarely ever run across anyone thatís got it down.î  

I would suggest that everyone knows a certain degree of Godís will that we have not yet put into practice. And itís a little presumptuous to be begging God to show us more of His will when we havenít done anything with the portion of His will that He has already shared with us.

This is why Ephesians 5:1 says: ìWe should be imitators of God.î To be an imitator of God means to act like a godly person. Do you realize that Jesus never said, ìBe goodî? He said, ìCome, follow me.î What he was telling us was, ìWalk the way I walk, where I walk and how I walk. Talk the way I talk, saying the things that I say and the way that I say them. Do the things that I do. Heal the way I heal. Bless the way I bless. Pray the way I pray. Act the way I act.î

Q4: Learning to follow Jesus often happens in being in community with other believers. Where are you able to connect with a community of believers? Do you learn from them? 

Q5: How are you in applying Godís Word or Jesusí teachings? How can you improve?

God wants to transform our will by having us just get busy doing the things that we know God wants us to do. Itís that simple! In the course of doing this, Jesus knows that our will becomes transformed and we become more and more like Him.  

Choose Godís way and apply it in your life. Itís the only way! So, once youíve learned Godís Word and chosen Godís way, the final step in learning to think like Christ is to:

3.      TRUST THE COACH!

Every one of us likes to do things our own way. We get emotionally attached to what we think is right so we get irritated when the whole world wonít adopt our plan for how we think things ought to be done. And if anyone tries to give us correction, we donít like it! Even when we know we ought to. But we especially donít like to change when someone else tells us to change!  

God wants to get us to be willing to change when He directs us. He wants us to be coached by the Coach, Jesus, so that we can be the best that we possibly can be.

ìTo this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His stepsî (1 Pt. 2:21 NIV). That word ìexampleî in the Greek is hupogravos. Let me explain. In elementary school, you will probably remember that there were perfect examples of alphabet letters that you were supposed to learn to write. Often times you would have these examples and you could put tracing paper over them and trace the outline of these perfect examples. The idea was that it was shaping your muscles, your brain and everything to do it right so the more you did it, the more you were transformed inside to do it perfectly. Those perfect examples that weíre trying to become like, are called ìhupogravosî in the Greek. Peter is saying that Jesus is the Example that you are supposed to trace your life according to, doing this over and over until you have been transformed into the very image of the One that you are imitating.  

Jesus wants you to have the mind of Christ. He wants to turn you into the very image of Himself. In order to do that, He is going to have to transform you in many different areas. You will have to trust to the coach to do things that are going to feel very abnormal. You will discover that as you do, He will begin to transform your mind and then your life. If you will learn Godís Word, choose Godís Way and trust your Coach, one day you will wake up and discover that you are in the very image of Christ Himself.

Final Q: How will you be different today because of what youíve just learned?

Our thanks go to new volunteer, Terry Sawyer. Mahalo NUI!