By Avery Walker, Staff Writer
We live in a noisy world. Maybe this doesn’t apply to everyone; in general, somebody living in downtown Manhattan lives a louder existence than someone who lives in rural Oklahoma. However, as human beings we are always listening to the voices of those around us. Our parents (whether we want them to or not) give us advice. Our friends regale us with stories and jokes. Our teachers and professors impart to us all sorts of information, ranging anywhere from statistics to literary devices. The rapid rise of the internet and social media has been the equivalent of giving all of these separate voices a megaphone. Now, we’re not only surrounded by the voices of those around us, but are immersed in an information overload from all corners of the globe.
Often, as a believer, it can be difficult to discern the voice of God through all the static. The world is loud and glaring, while God’s voice is described as “still and small” (1 Kings 19:12). But God does not have to shout to be heard over all the noise – He is always discernible for those who know how to listen.
Paul speaks to this issue in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect.” What we pay attention to, whether that is what we read, listen to, or watch, deeply affects our souls. It is like how food enters the body, either nourishing it and strengthening it, or slowing it down. What we take into our minds affects our hearts, our will, our words, and our actions.
When we listen to the voices of the world, we will be deaf to the voice of God, and the result is a life marked by hopelessness. Perhaps you’ve felt this: the endless downward spiral of scrolling through your news feed, the sick feeling of having seen something you shouldn’t have. Our sinful desires often dictate these choices, and we find ourselves caught up in the world and distant from the Lord. However, we can be transformed.
By the grace of God, we are not the ones who must work this transformation. Instead, we are transformed when we accept Jesus Christ. In that moment, before God, we are already something completely new and different; our sin has been exchanged for Christ’s righteousness. We never need to work for our salvation: it is completely secure in Christ. The rest of our lives consists of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification: the process of slowly becoming more like Christ. This is not a linear process, but one that is much more like a long hike. We follow in the steps of Christ, slipping and sliding, losing our way. It leads down into dark valleys, and it is often long and gruelling. If we take our eyes off Christ, we will lose our way. Instead, we must be constantly renewed by turning our eyes back to Christ.
The definition of renewal is “to give fresh life or strength to; to revive.” When we fill our minds with things that turn us toward Christ, we are renewed the way a weary hiker is when he stops to take a drink of water. Every time we seek the truth, filling our minds with “things that are above,” we are renewed, and gradually, the way water carves out a canyon, we are transformed.
Paul gives us a list of attributes to filter what we set our minds on in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” While this is, for many, a deeply familiar verse, it is an extremely effective way to refine the thoughts that enter our mind.
I want to be clear: the renewal of our minds does not come through legalism. It does not look like quarantining ourselves somewhere away from the sinful world, where we will be safe from catching the disease of sin. This does not deal with the heart of the problem, which is that our minds already need renewal, as do our hearts and souls and relationships and everything else. Instead, it looks much more like actively seeking out content that is good, beginning first and foremost with God’s Word.
My prayer is that this column would be a small encouragement in the midst of a world filled with despair. I pray that it would uphold the truth and be a light to those who read it. Most of all, I pray that you, reader, “would be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
