Old Ways of Thinking

This morning I find myself meditating on two sets of verses from Paul.

Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
[12] "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Romans 12:2 NIV
'Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is---his good, pleasing and perfect will."

My meditation is drawn to these two sets of verses, as I was recently thinking about my own thought patterns, and how easy it was for me to slide back into old ways of thinking. I know as the Lord draws me onward, there is often a required change in the way I think. This is the heart of repentance, changing the way we think, and then acting inline with this new way of thinking. I don't regard repentance as something I only do after recognizing my sin, but rather a continuous process of lining my life and thinking up with God's purpose and will.

Paul in the verse from Romans, speaks exactly to this issue, calling us to step out of the pattern of this world, the way the world thinks and the way the world acts, and renew our minds, or change the way we think. This has transforming power in our lives. This is one of the areas the Holy Spirit leads us and guides us. We need to allow the Lord access and then follow His guidance and direction.

I know that for my mind this includes freeing myself from things of this world that affect the way we think. For me it is TV and non-Christian music. I find myself affected by both. I grew up listening to what is now classic rock, and enjoy that music. However, I find that if I start listening to it, my way of thinking begins to change, maybe revert is a better word, and I find myself thinking in a more worldly manner. Watching television has the same effect. So in my own walk, I have chosen to minimize both of these influences.

In the verse from his letter to the Philippians, Paul again nails it right on nose. He says we need to press onward, forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. He is right, this is a struggle that takes effort on our part. Oh how I wish that wasn't the case, but it does require my active participation, and constant vigilance. His encouragement is that there is purpose in each of our lives, significant purpose, and he calls onward and upward. He calls us to forget what is in the past, and this would include thoughts and ways of thinking, things that anchor us to the past. He calls us to forget them and set our sights on Jesus.

Ultimately if I find myself struggling with sinful thoughts or mindsets, I can trace it back to some old patterns of thinking that I have slid back into without my recognition. Once I recognize this, I call to mind the new realities I have experienced in the Lord, realities of my true identity in Christ as chosen and loved son, my call in Him to step into leadership roles within the Body of Christ, and my position in Christ. From these new, real points of reference, I am able to free myself from my old ways of thinking and press onward and upward.

I like the way Bill Johnson says it - "I can't afford to have a single thought in my mind that isn't in God's". In other words, the pursuit of the Lord requires us to stop thinking in our old ways, the ways of the world, and start thinking like the Lord. Seeing ourselves the way He sees us is a big first step. That is what Paul calls us toward. So let us forget what is in the past, let us recognize what God has taken hold of us for a purpose, and let us press onward towards fulfilling that purpose. We need to embrace the process of change, so that we can bear all the fruit the Lord knows we can produce. Amen Lord, please help me!