How Transformation Works
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:6-8 (NKJV)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
We are to be transformed and changed from being people who live by their flesh, the lower sense-dominated nature, to those who live and walk by their spirits. We are to become more and more like Christ.
This is a process. One’s spirit is born-again and made perfect at the new birth, but the rest of us is not. The flesh will not be changed until we are raptured and we receive our glorified bodies. The soul (mind, will, and emotions) is changed gradually as we invest time in pursuing the things of God. As we spend time pursuing God, our soul leans more towards the things of the spirit and away from the things of the flesh. As a result, the spirit becomes more and more dominant and positive change occurs.
The main avenue for transformative change is the renewing of the mind,. How do we accomplish this? We do it by being intentional in what we focus on and think about.
Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. John 17:17 (Amplified Bible Classic Edition, AMPC)
We become less like the world and more like Jesus when we spend time in the Word of God. Whatever we spend our time looking at is what we think about. Consider commercials. You are watching television and a commercial for a big, juicy cheeseburger comes on the screen. If you see that commercial enough times, it will make you think about having a cheeseburger. And if you think about it enough, you will eventually act on your thoughts and go get a cheeseburger. What we look at affects what we think and, ultimately, what we become.
Do you want to become transformed more and more into the image of God? Then focus on God by spending time in His Word. God and His Word are one and the same. The written Word is simply God- His thoughts and feelings- on paper. To become more like God, look more at God. In other Words, study your Bible to affect real change.
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 8:5-6 (New Living Translation, NLT)
When we read, study, and meditate on the Word of God, it feeds our spirit man more and more. When the spirit becomes stronger, the flesh becomes weaker. And our soul then goes the way of the spirit instead of the way of the flesh. That is the renewing of the mind mentioned in Romans 12:2. We are basically in a tug of war between our spirit and flesh. They are straining against one another for control of the soul. The way to make the spirit dominant over the flesh is by staying in the Word of God consistently.
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. John 6:63 (New International Version, NIV)
The Word brings genuine change in any believer who will invest the time to ingest and digest it. Crack open your Bible and read, study, and ponder what it says, and you’ll be on your way to real transformation.
