Early one morning, I awakened, overwhelmed by thoughts of the staggering amount of responsibility facing me. I’d obviously forgotten to place God in charge of my life—and thus, I was forcing myself to take responsibility for my problems instead of giving them to Him. 🫣 Nonetheless, the weight pressed down before I even set my feet on the floor. I lay there in bed, feeling pulled in so many different directions that I didn’t know what needed to be done first. I’m not gonna lie—it was frightening. At that moment, my thoughts were: “This is not how I want to live. Lord, what do I do?”
Do you ever get this way?
I lingered in bed as the worry-fest began, then God answered my prayer and whispered a truth I’ve read countless times:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2
Ah, my good Father reminded me where transformation begins. Not with tackling the mountain of tasks before me, not with perfecting my schedule, not with trying harder, but by renewing my mind. I must anchor my thoughts in the One whose thoughts are higher than mine. Then everything else—my words, my deeds, my thoughts—will follow suit. So, I got out of bed, brushed my teeth, got my coffee, and asked God to teach me. This devotional is the result.
To begin, we must remember that transformation begins in our thoughts.
New thoughts!
God begins with our thought life because everything else flows from it. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) If my mind is filled with fear, I live in fear. If my mind is saturated with God’s truth, my life reflects His wisdom and peace. Here are a few gems about this principle:
- Philippians 4:6–8 reminds me not only to pray instead of worry, but also to carefully choose what I think about: dwell on what is true, noble, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy. I can worry about how I’m going to get ready for a trial at work, or I can pray for the eternal souls of the people involved and ask God to show me how to handle the temporal.
- Colossians 3:2 calls me to “set [my] mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” My focus must shift upward. I can think about my pile of responsibilities until I exhaust myself, or I can ask God which ones to think about and tackle now. He is faithful to sort it.
- Isaiah 26:3 promises, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” I can rob myself of peace by burying myself in my substantial to-do list, or I can ask God to remove what doesn’t belong there and give me HIS list.
Renewal of my mind begins when I choose to stop rehearsing the fears produced by what I view as “staggering responsibility” and replace them with God’s perspective—He runs the universe, and if my stuff is His will, then it’s no big deal for Him to accomplish. The renewed thought life produces a…
New words!
Our words reveal what fills our minds and hearts. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) When my mind is anxious, my words are short, sharp, and not edifying. But when renewed by God’s Word, my speech changes, too. When God’s Word and His Spirit dominate my thoughts, then I speak life, healing, love, grace, encouragement, and wisdom:
- Proverbs 15:4 – “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
- Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.”
- Proverbs 16:24 – “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”
- Proverbs 10:11 – “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.”
- Isaiah 50:4 – “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”
- Colossians 4:6 – “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
- Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Renewing our mind changes our words, and we speak in a Spirit-filled manner, which points others to Christ. But even more than that…it changes what we do!
New deeds!
The renewed mind and Spirit-controlled tongue prepare us to live differently. We become children of light and love, and a witness to the marvelous gift of salvation and all of the benefits of living for God’s glorious purpose.
- Ephesians 5:8–9: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth).”
- Galatians 5:22–23, 25: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
- 1 Peter 2:12: “Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
A renewed mind produces renewed words and deeds.
That transformation doesn’t stay hidden—it shines. The Spirit within us is revealed through our attitudes, conduct, and good works, so that people see the real us—that is, the born again soul dominated by Christ, which glorifies our Father.
But, my friend, renewal of the mind is a daily practice.
Transformation of the mind must happen daily. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16: “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” Each morning, I must surrender my anxious thoughts, invite God to reset my perspective, and let His Word shape my mind. I must spend time in His presence, praying His promises, and allowing Scripture to redirect my thinking. The mountain of responsibility will still be there, but with a renewed mind, I will turn it all over to Him.
When my mind belongs to God, He sorts my life.
Reflection Thought
Where are your thoughts leading you today—toward fear, or toward faith? Which specific thought do you need to surrender to Christ and replace with His Word?
Prayer
Father, I confess that I often let my responsibilities weigh me down until I feel paralyzed by fear and confusion. Thank You for reminding me that true transformation begins with my mind. Renew my thoughts with Your truth, fill my words with Your grace, and guide my deeds to glorify You. Keep me steady, Lord, and let Your peace guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus. In His name, I pray, Amen.
