Grace Agenda 2018 | Women's Seminar | Nancy Wilson: Renewing Your Mind in the Word

so today this afternoon we're going to talk about renewing our mind so let's start by asking God to be with us again father thank you for the lunch break thank you for the talks this morning and for all you've given us to think about I pray now that you'd bless the afternoon particularly now as we turn to your word and what you teach us about our minds in Jesus name Amen so you may have gotten a little handout it's because I'm going to just refer to so many different scriptures and I know it can be annoying when you're listening and you don't have them in front of you so you're not required to use the handout but those should be most all the scriptures I will refer to and then you don't have to wonder where I got that one I think the references are there as well I wanted to start this is about renewing our minds in the word and I hope to make the connections so you'll see how this what we've been talking about the Bible reading challenge but just being women of the word being in the word has a tremendous impact on our of course on our souls but also on our minds and how we think so I wanted to start with the greatest commandment in mark 12:30 Jesus says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength it's a tall order ladies isn't it everything we've got so this is the first commandment this is like the most basic commandment this is what God he's summarizing what he wants from us and that's to love him with everything our heart our soul our mind and our strength and then I want to just pair that verse with Romans 12:1 and 2 I beseech you therefore brethren sistren is that a word by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service 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 right so the reason I wanted to pull these two together Ziff we're commanded to love God with all of our mind we're going to need a new mind right because our old mind is fallen and so we need our minds renewed and restored and the more they are I've just submit to you the more we can love them with all of it because they're you know in a sense as we're growing there's more to love him with right so we're to love God with all of our minds but we just can't do it without our minds being transformed first I looked up the word renew we need to be transformed we need our minds to be renewed and there were so many great synonyms for renew here's a few you'll like these restore replenish refresh repair revive re-establish rejuvenate regenerate reinstate recover and I think all these are great I mean our minds need to be transformed we need to be new women so that we can love God with all that we have we need refreshing we need renewal we need revival right all of these things andrey always means to it means again so we need this renewal over and over it's not like a one-time thing where we show up we're renewed and then we just press on from there it's like no this is a lifelong process of renewal and growth and you may not see it every day the big change it's gradual but you should be able to look back and see how you've grown and see that you've made progress and not to pat yourself on the back but to thank God that he is really doing it work and sometimes we can see it with our eyes but usually we see it by faith because we know he's at work and sometimes he brings things along that help us see how we're doing I think my husband was coding Lewis when he said God doesn't send us trials so we can see how work so he can see how we're doing he sends us trials so we can see how we're doing right there's nothing that reveals to us more how we are doing than when there's a hard time and so renewal is a life long process so I want to talk about how this happens how is it that we can have our minds renewed Donna mentioned I was converted in college my mind was real it really was darkened you know I just didn't get it I knew I was miserable but I also knew I didn't want anything to do with those Christian people and even when my sister shared the gospel with me I was like no don't want to do that but then God just changed my heart and I did do that and he you know that that initial work is pretty amazing because it it was transforming at the moment and it continued to grow but going from darkness to light was pretty dramatic for me and it probably was for some of you but many of you have grown up in a Christian home and have God to thank for that and it's a gradual process but after that initial conversion and that transformation it's been a gradual process little by little but what can we do - what is our part in it what do we do do we just sit here and wait for God to renew us and transform us or do we have a role to play in this when we're converted when we're brought to God we are changed we were blind now we see he opened our eyes he turned us from the darkness to the light and we had eyes to see the light from the turned us from the power of Satan to God so major things happen in our conversion and we walk in that eye look at these two passages that mention renewing renewal Colossians 3 and Ephesians 4 the first one is don't do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds okay you put the old man off so when I was converted or when you were brought to Christ at some point it's you and again I'm not making a big point about having to have a date I do because of my story my children all just gradually a little bitty ages trusted in the Lord and they never knew a time when they didn't so thankful for that but anyway they've put off the old man too just like I have it's just they can't point to a date and a time in a place where it happened um do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds put him off with his deeth including lying apparently so don't lie to each other because you put that off and I put on the new man who's being renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him okay you put on the new man who's being renewed in knowledge this renewals happening according to what according to the image of God who created us in the first place okay we're being transformed renewed into his image that image that was marred in the fall is being renewed it's being restored it's being revived and then in Ephesians 4 it's a little similar but put just a DAB differently that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man which Crete was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness so mouthful that's you see why I gave you the paper it's a mouthful so the first one I just want you to look at these two passages we're putting off the old man and both of them in the first one the old man is a liar right don't lie to each other you put off that old man in his DS and in the second one the old man grows corrupt according to the deceitful lying lust lust our Liars must belong to the old man and the old man is just getting worse the old man is growing too the old man is growing more and more corrupt according to instead of according to the image of him who created him it's according to the deceitful lusts you know you really see here the choices we have you know there's the old man the lying the deceit the corruption and the new man that's being renewed as we walk with Christ and we're making choices when we choose to sin when we choose to listen to the deceitful lusts we think it it slows down that process obviously sin is destructive and repentance always gets us back where we should have been and we we start over we keep going we put on this new man and notice it's according to its created and according to God in true righteousness the truth in true righteousness and true holiness it's not in deception in lies you just want you to think about that and think about what Becca said in her first talk about how we come to read literature and when we come to read the Bible and we don't want to listen to lies whether we're lying to ourselves that's not what this really means okay or if we're listening to lies written by a liar you know in in pop culture or whatever we're listening to them we just want to be courageous women who aren't afraid of the truth and aren't afraid to say that is a lie that's from the old man that is not who I am I'm being renewed after the image of the creator according to true righteousness so line and truth-telling are an important part of of this renewal process is telling the difference and remembering it's the old man who's the liar um one time well it's a long story a long and sordid tale but there was a time when our local newspaper actually have been many times but there was one time in particular there was lying about us I mean just you know on the front page lies and I said very naively it's like but Doug it's lies how can they tell why is mean you know I don't get it I mean right in broad daylight just a lies and he's dead Nancy don't you see that's the only weapon that that Satan has that's it he's speaking as he is speaking in his native tongue when he's telling lies but that's the only weapon that devil has is to deceive us so how important that our minds are renewed you see that that when we are deceived we're listening to the devil's lies God is a truth teller obviously he is the truth Jesus is the truth we have God's Word which is the truth we want to be truthful and we want to embrace the truth and all that it means and all that it is okay this old man I already said it it's growing more corrupt the new manna is growing in true righteousness but there's something else the old man is doing and it's conforming to the world some translations use that passage and in Romans 12 they say you're being pushed into the world's mold you know but the image is good it's like we're being we have choices and we're either gonna conform to the world and it doesn't just mean I don't think externally although there's problems with that but internally buying the lies adopting the lies listening to the lives and that has an impact on us as well that makes us conform to the world and make excuses for the world and accommodate the world so we want to be transformed we want to be a living sacrifice to God and I love that image also that we are on the altar but we're not killed dead or living worse we're living sacrifices serving God and being renewed all right I'm gonna pivot here I hope you can stick with me while I do this so we need renewal we know this is good it's the new man it's the it's a new life of renewal how does God's Word fit in how does reading the Bible fit in it does it actually does and as we read his word we are transformed we're listening to the truth and the truth is washing us in Ephesians 5 this passage on husbands and wives that's why I mean we're gonna pivot just a little but it it's and I'm not gonna go off on a marriage talk here but husbands love your wives just as Christ just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word by the word if if Christ is sanctifying and washing the church with the word and we're part of the church do you see that the reading the word has a washing cleansing impact on us doesn't it you do you experience that when you come to the word feeling washed cleaned up especially if you're confessing your sins and sure going God's Word cleanses us sanctifies us this is just a process we have we have no control over we're not in charge of our own sanctification but we can do all we can to accommodate the Holy Spirit's work in our lives by being obedient and eager hungry readers of the word I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the image of us crawling around under the table looking for crumbs and I just love that no we have a place at the table we have God's Word our ourselves we probably each have shelf of them at home right we have access to the word on our computers on our phones in any number of ways the banquet is is immense so we have we have so many opportunities to be cleanse sanctified and renewed by the word in 1st Peter 2:2 is that verse you've all heard also these are all words we use in describing the word as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word desire it's like a command it's an imperative desire it that you may grow thereby it's a beautiful image of that eating again being fed but he says desire the pure milk there's something in us you know that should be hungry for it and I know one time we were discussing a family that we were having a family discussion I think about people who say well I'm just not getting fed at that church I'm just not getting fed like that was the criticism and someone said well is it that or are they on a hunger strike you know sitting there I'm not being fed and so we want when we come to God to worry we don't want to just tick those boxes and and just do the external and not be fed and washed we want to pray that we'll have a desire ask God to give you just a hunger for his word more and more and more so you can take it in bigger chunks and not feel intimidated as you go through it when I goodness what many years of course I've been reading the Bible and I went through a phase of wanting to like squeeze everything out of every verse have you ever done that like I just need to get everything and I oh I didn't get everything in that verse I should go back and read it again you know you make no progress and my husband would say Nancy just read it you'll be back again next month next year whenever you'll maybe next time you'll get more just read it which really set me free but there is this pietistic attitude I think that we pick up somewhere in it you know we have to get everything like is up to us and it's it isn't it's the Holy Spirit that applies it and we just have to do our duty and being hungry hit it read it hit it again and read it some more and he's faithful and he'll make make the changes in us but we want to desire the word so pray for that don't be afraid to ask God to give you more desire don't be put off if you just don't feel hungry it's like you know I'm coming Lord I'm coming God's Word is a revelation from heaven okay it is the imperishable seed it's the eternal Word of God and it will never change God will never change so we changeable humans need to be tethered to something that doesn't change don't we and God's Word is and his character will never change and we want and we really believe this so we want to set our minds on the unchangeable now in a world is always changing we can be just drug around and I've now lived 65 years I'll tell you the truth and I've seen a few things change and if I was being drug around by all those changes I'd be so miserable trying to keep up with it all wouldn't you and yet God's Word is consistent and it never changes it's a moveable it's the rock and so when Doug and I got married and I made these promises about submitting to my husband and respecting him and that was in 1975 it's like it's still true now I don't have to go back and adjust that day well that was then that was a weird kind of traditional thing at the time we've moved on now we're enlightened and we it's a mutual thing right there's so many areas like that I think particularly in male-female relationship and an identity and all of that today that's so crazy and so we have it we're in the word and as we recognize it's God's Word it's immutable it's for us and we submit to it we are protected from all this foolishness I get going and I need to at least refer to my notes I did plan something to say here um so as we're in the word not only is it feeding us for growing but but his word is protecting us so we have resistance to this the latest thing and and this is the thing I loved about Becca's talk and hear I hear I taught literature for a year taught her literature at low got school and I learned so much from her talk it's really blessed me oh I should have been thinking of it that way but I'd loved what she said about the moral component there the moral exercise so of the same it's not about me coming and finding a way that this isn't exactly saying what I think it is because I don't want to have to obey that that was really good but as we're reading God's Word and we're submitting to it we're getting under God's feet which is a good place to always be ladies stay under his feet then we can resist and all this foolishness that the world has to offer and women we are particularly vulnerable to it we always have been and we always will be Ephesians 4:4 tells us we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting ok we need to grow up and the way to grow up is to be in the word and learning and growing and notice again that deceit that comes to play in this the trickery of men and all these different doctrines it's cunning craftiness deceitful plotting and somehow or other were vulnerable to that unless we are anchored in to God's Word and in 2nd Peter we didn't follow cunningly devised fables when we you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of his majesty again its craftiness its deceit its fables women fall for fables Rachel mentioned this on Facebook I think it was your talk the green the green shakes you know we're just boehner ball and then in second Timothy three about these deceitful men who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins you know if I quote this on Facebook I'm gonna get a lot of hate hate notes wouldn't I like women are gullible what are you saying what are you saying about women that well the Bible says there are some women who are gullible and they become captives loaded down with sins led away by various lust always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth they're always learning the latest thing maybe the latest green shake thing but they're never actually making it all the way to the truth they're never actually getting there they're always looking for something else trying to find an answer somewhere else but that's not what we're called to do we're not go about we're not gonna be gullible because we're gonna be in God's Word and know what the truth is and we're not gonna be loaded down with sins because we're gonna confess our sins and we're gonna be forgiven and walk in forgiveness we're not gonna be led away by deceitful lusts again because we're putting off the old man we're putting on the new so these women who are made captives are made captive by the lying lusts and then they're kept from the truth they're they're tied up they're kept away but God's Word is our anchor we have this hope an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast from Hebrews six so God to word plants us it steadies us it holds us it protects us it keeps us from being tossed around and this helps us discern our way in a world that's very confusing we don't apologize for it we don't make excuses for it we don't cringe about it I was at the grocery store and this gal had a t-shirt on that said I am not ashamed of the gospel and I thought wow you know I don't know if I wear that t-shirt around but way to go maybe I should maybe I should try that you know but to be not ashamed not be cowardly maybe be strategic but but wearing a t-shirt you never know what possibilities there might be but anyway we're not ashamed of what God has called us to do as women we don't make excuses for it which is getting to be harder and harder I think in this world when you go someplace with a bunch of children and you don't apologize a visitor just told us about being on an international flight with three children he was flying I don't remember where he was going had three children and when he and his wife got off with the three kids this gentleman in a pinstripe suit that figure didn't somehow into the story pin striped suit said I tell you I was horrified when I saw you gotta get on the plane but your kids did pretty well and he said well I was horrified when I saw you get on the plane but I was relieved that you you did pretty good isn't that marvelous place that you're brilliant okay all right I want to spend a little bit of time talking about setting our minds getting back to the renewal if our minds are gonna be renew old what does the Bible tell us to do with them so I just want to spend a few minutes on a very practical teaching some of you've heard me say this before I'm just gonna remind you of it you've heard it before scripture has it here for us to do what are we supposed to do with our minds well we're supposed to set them somewhere so does that put them somewhere Romans 8:5 for those who live according to the flesh again the old man they set their minds they set their minds ok they set them on the things of the flesh but those who live according to the spirit the things of the Spirit meaning they set their minds on the things of the Spirit we have these two options our minds are either going to be set on things of the Spirit or they're gonna be set on things of the flesh you know the right answer and then in Colossians the same sort of idea if you were raised with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God set your mind on things above not on things on the earth for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God all right the new man sets his mind on things above sets his mind on things of the Spirit the those who are not raised with Christ are chasing after all these other things things that are on the earth the old man chasing after things that are on the earth there's a lot of stuff on the earth ladies to chase after but we're not supposed to set our minds there and the thing I want to talk to you about briefly in the time left is how do we do this first thing you do is tune in where is your mind all day what's it where is it sometimes we're just going through our day not paying attention what are you thinking about most of us have some kind of conversation going in our head all the time right is it good is it true is it noble is it Just's is it pure is it lovely all those things listed in philippians 4 so the first step if you want to call it it's not like a three-step plan that I have but the first thing to pay attention to is where are your thoughts where is your mind where's your mind where is it going and listen so oh my goodness what am i doing I am just setting my thing my mind on things of the earth right this minute I am setting my mind on things of the flesh and then used to yank it back use you yank it back and you say Lord forgive me for thinking those thoughts for listening to myself go on and on about that he did this I'm under appreciated it could be think of all the different sins we commit that start you know it's like between our ears this is where it happens so many of our troubles are just between our ears it's just our minds we're listening to ourselves instead of talking to ourselves we're listening to pity party or we're listening to resentment we're listening to bitterness we could be covetousness you know we could we could think of many other things that Jen that are start in our minds and then a lot of sins that come out anger it started inside thinking thoughts I deserve better than this he wronged me so forth so so much of our sin and our sadness and our bad attitudes and our discontent etc etc start right here with what we're listening to and we don't even need headphones we just have this soundtrack going in our minds so first thing is to note self all then I'm gonna start listening in and whenever I realize I'm not having my mind the right things I'm sending them somewhere else even if you're doing this like 10 times every five minutes it's good for you to do this such a good practice so so you listen to yourself but then you take charge and talk to yourself but you have to listen first to find out what's happening in there all right then I would just say this is a mental discipline like so much of the Christian life is the mental discipline something you're choosing to do it's like I'm taking my mind off of that and I'm setting it over here and then it goes back in then studying it over here and it may be a lot of work especially at first and especially at certain times if you have a big worry and that's just all you want to think about all day long all day long it's like change the subject stop it I'm just setting my mind somewhere else in Oh let's see is the scripture here things above where Christ is I think well where is Christ he's he's in a wonderful place right he's at the right hand of God and I I call it dumpster diving sometimes our minds were in the dumpster digging around and all this trash and he wants us in green pastures he wants us up feeding in green peaceful pastures no matter what's going on and not in the dumpster digging up old stuff listening to lies feeding lies and you know that's the other thing is whatever we're thinking about if it's good we'll nurture that feed it if it's bad starve it but if you have a worry you have a anxiety every time you're thinking about it you're feeding it right and it gets bigger and bigger or you're greedy over something or you're coveting something every time you're thinking about it it's growing start that thing you know and all of this that I'm telling you is by means of the Holy Ghost I'm not telling you it's a self righteous you know works/righteousness program saying this is just what God tells us to do set your minds on things above so I'm just saying say lord help me give me the strength to set my mind over there and not be jealous of her not attribute motives to him etc etc you know I don't have to tell you especially if you if you tune in say oh yeah I keep remembering that rude comment so-and-so said and and one test you can run remember learning this from my son-in-law Ben years ago he was giving a talk if you say something to someone or you do something and then you're replaying it in your mind over and over and over chances are good you're trying to rewrite the story to make you look better because you have a guilty conscience because if you did the right thing if you did the holy good thing you don't just keep going over and over and over you just like and move on right but if you keep going back it's like well I did have a good reason for saying that and I really you know chances are good you did you said something wrong and your conscience is guilty just confess it and put it right quit rewriting that story acknowledge it for what it is okay practice just practices it's a mental discipline they image I use is if you have a lawn beautiful lawn but the kids are you well you let's say you do this you keep cutting across every time you're bringing in the groceries you know you're just cutting across pretty soon there will be a path cut there right because it's a shortcut it's easier and so the grass dies and it's just a little freeway there and then you say this is awful it's routine it's ruining my beautiful one so you're gonna put up little reminders or something so you take the long way and it's a nuisance but after a while it's it's normal right after a while this is the way we go and that's what mental discipline is it's like you've been just doing this you've just been indulging thoughts whatever may come no control they just come as they want and you're just cutting across you're not setting them anywhere you're just letting them drift off and they always drift to things on earth they always drift to things below things that the flesh they don't just drift naturally unless you are something else they don't just drift maybe after years of practice our minds will just automatically drift to the good um but any rate put up some put up some reminders if you need it so you say I'm taking the long way I'm not indulging this and you say well I wake up in the middle of the night and I worry about I listen I am skilled at that wake up at in the middle of night and then some it's almost as though it's it is it's almost as though there it is someone's there saying why don't you worry about the grandkids this would be a great time and and then some bizarre scenario comes into my brain like what if this happened and yeah I just sick and then I'm awake and I was like oh my word and so then I pray and I think what am i doing this is you know it's but it has any no anyone else ever so that's when it takes discipline to say I am setting my mind on things above the devil obviously doesn't want me to do that or he wouldn't be throwing this at me at 2:00 in the morning so it takes discipline sometimes I had to just like turn the light on and read scripture for a little bit or you know one of those books by my table but I try not to get up because then I'm not gonna go to sleep if I'm up and I want to go back to sleep what whoever went to sleep when they got up you know so that works for me I say no I'm going to the green pastures I'm going up there I'm just not gonna I'm just going to think about God and all the many mercies he showered on me all these years or I'm gonna pray for somebody or you know and the next thing I know this morning but set your mind on things above don't indulge worry don't indulge Envy don't indulge anxieties and all these troubles give them to God and then get under his feet he's going to care for you and as we obey Him every time we faithfully do that I say no I am NOT gonna think about that he's doing a work in me you see that he's growing me up he's giving me practice and he's making me better and stronger and renewing me changing my mind in this something else and transforming me bit by bit by bit and it doesn't happen quickly but it's all those decisions you make day in and day out about what you're gonna think about where your mind is so I encourage you ladies I really encourage you to adopt this discipline it's in God's Word as you're reading God's Word and you want to submit to it ask him to be transforming renewing your minds and ask him to show you when you are indulging worldly fleshly thoughts and be done with that and saying no lord give me the strength to set my mind over here he wouldn't give us the command unless he who is willing to give us the strength as well it's not easy but with practice we get better at it and then when you wake up at 2:00 in the morning you go oh yeah I know the drill this is nothing new no I'm not gonna think about that I'm not gonna worry about that and it is amazing how in the morning you think what was I doing you know okay um I'm just gonna pull it there and say thank you for your kind attention and I'd like to just close in prayer father we thank you that you've given us your word and we're not left without direction and without hope I pray in this particular area we would all grow that you would renew our minds that we would learn to set them where you want them and I pray you would use the Bible reading we're doing and we'll be doing to help bring about that renewal and transformation and we give you all the things amen [Applause]

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Length: 39min 2sec (2342 seconds)

Published: Wed May 23 2018