Character: Part Five

By Carol Dickey
Ephesians 4:23 (AMP) states, “Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude].” As we renew our mind, we will begin to understand and cooperate with God’s purposes for our life, rather then fighting against His purposes.

Renewing our mind is a two-part process: 1) taking off the old and 2) putting on the new!

What we believe determines how we behave.

When you and I believe the wrong thing, it works its way out in the form of wrong behavior. Right thinking paves the way to right behavior. In Colossians 3:9,10, the Bible tells us about laying aside our old ways and putting on the new.

In our society women are told in a thousand different ways that in order to be lovable they must be beautiful and that lasting relationships are because of physical appearance. While few women would admit buying into that line of thinking, fewer could deny having acted on it.

On the other hand, men are told that the key to their happiness is a newer model vehicle that requires less maintenance.

Repeated exposure to the lies of this world takes its toll. Over time, many lies get woven into the fabric of our thinking. We are not always aware that they are there. In fact, often we are unaware of the ideas that form the basis of our decisions and attitudes.

Our mental picture of God may be that of Santa Claus and if you are more nice than naughty, He will be generous to you in the end. Maybe you think of God as a tyrant and no matter what you do it will never be enough to quench His anger. Sure He loves me, because the Bible says He loves me, but He does not like me.

If you believe the world is flat, you are not going to stray far from the shore. If you believe happiness is found in the accumulation of possessions, you are not going to be very generous. If you believe that people cannot be trusted, you are not going to have many close friends. If you believe you cannot change, you will not. If you believe God accepts you on the basis of your performance, you either will perform yourself to death or give up all together. This is why you promise, commit and rededicate yourself over and over again without ever making any progress. Until we deal with our belief system, our behavior will never change!

Renewal is a daily ongoing process. It does not happen all at once. Transformation is not a one-time event; it is a way of life!