Transformed

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Filters. There are filters every place we look in our lives. Can you name some? In the coffee machine, in the car, in the washing machine, dryer, and even in our body. Filters help coffee taste better, machines run better and the body we live in remain uncontaminated. God’s word speaks about filters for the mind. What is a filter on the mind?

“Take every thought captive to obey Christ” suggests a filter. To take captive means to trap, seize, control, secure, and conquer. To stop those ungodly thoughts Paul tells the Corinthian believers, and us, that we must destroy arguments and opinions raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive. Corinth’s multi-cultural multi-god environment was a threat to their faith in Christ and obedience to him. We could say our culture today threatens us the same way. Our mind makes us unique among God’s creations. And our God has not left us and our minds defenseless.

Filtering the input that comes into our lives and into our minds is imperative. The more we think with the mind of Christ and extend his grace toward others, the more we are transformed. When we take time for godly input, to study God, his works, memorize, meditate on his words and walk in his ways, we build stronger filters. Don’t let worries, worldly thoughts, and emotions enslave you. Process them with your “Jesus filter.” Take them captive. Here are a few scriptures you can use to filter some thoughts through today. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Write more personalized ones if you like and make your filter stronger.

I have been accepted by Christ. Romans 15:7
My old self was crucified with Christ, and I am no longer a slave to sin. Romans 6:6
I will not be condemned by God. Romans 8:1
My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in me. 1 Corinthians 6:19
I am a new creature in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17
I have become the righteousness of God in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21
I have been set free in Christ. Galatians 5:1
I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3
I am chosen, holy, and blameless before God. Ephesians 1:4
I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise Ephesians 1:13
I am God’s workmanship created to produce good works. Ephesians 2:10
The peace of God guards my heart and mind. Philippians 4:7
God supplies all my needs. Philippians 4:19
I have been made complete in Christ. Colossians 2:10
I have been chosen of God, and I am holy and beloved. Colossians 3:12
Excerpts from list by Dr. Kenneth Boa, president of Trinity House Publishers

By Donna Burns

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17-24

When I was younger, the amount of input we received from our culture was smaller, and it took more time. I remember television being essentially 3 or 4 channels, some number of newspapers, and letters and conversations from family and friends. Timing was also much longer. It might take days or weeks for information to make its way to us through one of these pathways. It seemed easier to control what we saw and heard. There also seemed to be a little more balance with the stories conveyed. I know I have my own perspective, and some might recall things differently (especially during the latter stages of the Vietnam war), but this is what I remember.

Today, however, we literally have minutes-old (sometimes seconds-old) information in our hands. Technology allows what used to be limited, which allowed for processing time, to be unlimited, causing a sense of urgency. Information we wouldn’t have known can inundate us now, which can drive us to being full of fear or anger (or both). Allowing the input we experience every day to cause retreat to old ways is not hard to do. As a matter of fact, it’s the easiest thing to do.

Being new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) gives us the Almighty to call on for calming fears (Psalm 34:4). Our companionship with the Holy Spirit is our bulwark against anger, and many other things (Galatians 5:16-21). Just as Paul declared his own weakness to reflect the power of God (2 Corinthians 12:10), God’s power can be reflected through us in our own weakness. If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking “easy to say, difficult to do,” and you’re correct! It is hard – our fallen nature battles against the spirit (Galatians 5:17)! The way to overcome this battle is to realize freedom comes with surrender.

Just like me, we’ve all experienced this inundation of inputs driving us back to our old ways. Taking these things captive can mold our minds to be particular in our listening to inputs in the future, focusing on the healthy and not hurtful. One way to elicit that response is to realize when they’re either happening or going to happen.I do this by physically listing those times of success or failure when I’ve been drawn back to old ways. If this is a struggle for you, perhaps making a similar list for yourself can help you.

By Rich Obrecht

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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. Romans 12:1-2 NIV

As a teenager, I began to understand the truth in these verses. I often spent hours lying in bed, thinking and worrying that I would never be able to change, never date anyone, and believing my situation was hopeless. It was easy to fall into a destructive thought cycle. As I grew in my Christian walk I learned that if I put those thoughts into words, either on paper, or by talking to someone else – the insurmountable mountain I had created in my mind became a much more climbable hill. I learned that there was a solution to whatever my problem happened to be.

In the past 21 years I have become intimate with processing grief. My husband and I have attended GriefShare frequently over the past year since our precious son Joshua passed away. Often a person who is grieving will relive the final scenes of loved one passing away, or will get stuck thinking of regrets, thoughts of, “if only I had …” fill in the blank. I believe the text in Romans is key to breaking the cycle of destructive thinking. We need to be transformed in our minds, in our thinking, so that we can live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.

Paul gives us a practical lesson in how to transform our thinking in Philippians 4:6-8. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

I believe this battle for our healthy thoughts is difficult, but it is one we can win. First pray and ask God to help and give insight. Next, recognize the destructive pattern of thinking and confess it to God. Then work to realize when you are getting into a cycle of destructive thinking, stop, and replace the unhealthy thoughts with healthy, uplifting and God-honoring ones instead. At times, this might be something we need to do every hour, or even every 5 minutes. With God’s help and his perspective, it is a battle we can win. God’s peace can reign in your mind.

By Grace Hunter

There are many ways to connect with Scripture, but today we invite you to write a prayer based on Philippians 2:5-11 by contextualizing the words to fit your personal situation. Read this example and then take the time to craft your own prayer based on this poetic section of Philippians.

“Lord, Jesus,
I invite you to transform my relationships – with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers – as you transform my mindset. Help me see people as you see them. Help me to treat people as you treat them. Help me to love people as you love them.

In all my relationships, I want to transform to be more like you. I want to confidently know who I am, much like you knew who you were when you became human and laid aside your divine qualities. I want to more freely give up my own determined rights and felt needs, much like you took the nature of servant. I want to show up for people in a way that resembles your sacrificial-love and humility.

But, I desperately need your help. Self-sacrifice is incredibly hard for me. It means some things in me must die. Teach me, Jesus, how to die to the right things just as you sacrificially died for the right reasons. Empower me, Jesus, to obediently let my pride die and surrender to your way. Fill me, Jesus, with your Spirit so I might be exalted with you to a new life of joyful fellowship with God the Father.

For your sake and for your glory, I pray.”

By Yvonne Biel

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,  he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:3-8

I’ll be honest – this isn’t one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Why? Because it requires me to look beyond myself. Most of us, if we’re completely honest, are hard-wired to look out for ourselves. It’s not always natural to look out for the best interest of others. Why? Because that means we could be neglecting ourselves in the process. But, speaking out of the other side of my mouth, it’s one of my favorite passages, because it gives me such a clear glimpse of what Jesus was all about.

If we want to be people transformed by the power of the Gospel, which means to be transformed into the wholeness of Jesus, we have to pry our fingers off of our own control and start to look towards others.

The Scripture here teaches us to value others above ourselves. This echoes the words of Jesus when He said, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as the ransom for many.” (Matt 20:28). Jesus, the King of Kings, who deserves all of our praise and adoration, didn’t demand it. He took on the very nature of a servant… Powerful words that reframe what relationships should look like. We should have a posture of being for the other, and this requires vulnerability.

I think we hesitate sometimes to truly be vulnerable in relationships because it means we could be hurt in the process. If I focus on putting the other person first, especially if I open up and share about my life and express a deep interest in theirs, it could mean that they might use that vulnerability, that others-first posture, to exploit me in some way. Self-sacrifice is becoming vulnerable and risking being hurt for the sake of others. That sounds scary. But I’m convinced that the only way we will experience the deepest joys and depth in a relationship is to open ourselves up to also being willing to experience the deepest pain. This is the nature of Gospel meeting humanity. After all, Jesus humbled himself, even to death on a cross.

The highest call in a relationship is to give of ourselves to the other, even if there is a cost. It’s in this way that we follow the pattern of Jesus. What if today, you made it your intention to put others you are in relationship first? What if, practically, you made it your goal to serve them in some way? Maybe its showing up with food or a killer dessert (I’ll send you my address if you need it!), or to share more of yourself with a trusted friend. It’s how we live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus – and you’ll both be glad you did.

By Larry Boatright

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11

I don’t think scripture was intended to be embraced without question. It’s far too good and far too true to be read and not questioned. You see, it is in the questioning that insight is found.

The text above is one that causes me to question. At first I read this text and I am grateful that Jesus is so humble and selfless to serve me to the point of death. Then I realize he is asking me to do the same and I have some questions. Is the call of Jesus to become a doormat? Is this text beckoning us to be selfless to the point of being abused? That is what Jesus did isn’t it?

Verse 4 gives us the call. “let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.” How does one do that? Is that even healthy if the interests of others are evil or broken? The following verses tell us the secret to following Jesus’ example in this. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death.” Jesus’ obedience was not to his murderers, it was to his loving Father. Jesus knew that he was loved and that his Father also loved all those who might harm him. For Jesus, looking out for the interest of others does not mean doing what others want. It means doing what is in their best interest. Ultimately that meant dying to show his love for them.

As we navigate relationships we must learn to love as Jesus did. True love pursues what is best for others even if it difficult for oneself. True love also does what is best for others not always what others think is best. Discerning the difference requires a spiritual maturity that is connected to the heart of God.

It takes a tremendous trust in God’s intentions towards you to trust him with the potential pain of being used for others. Read Psalm 38:15-22 and reflect on the fact that God is always pursuing what is best for you. You no longer need to fight for your own interests because he is already doing it for you. If God is looking out for you, now you can be free to look out for others.

By Aaron Bjorklund

So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4

If you could spend a day with your favorite famous person, who would it be? What would you talk about? What questions do you want to ask them? We have the amazing opportunity every day to spend time with the King of all Kings, the creator of the universe, which is an even greater privilege. You don’t even have to wait your turn! God is available immediately. Talking with him is as close as a prayer. He’s always by your side.

But you can’t be united with Christ and not be changed.Spending time with Jesus not only transforms you, it can transform your relationships. Jesus is relationship., He’s part of the triune Godhead with the Father and the Holy Spirit. You can’t know Jesus and not know the Trinity, and not relate to them. You can’t know Jesus’ love without knowing the love between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The love and relationship between them are life-giving. They lift up one another, they have the same love and the same mind. They want it for you.

Study your relationships with others. Would you say the most life-giving ones are from those who spend time with Jesus? Jesus’ character is reflected in those who spend time with him. Their walk, their ways, and their words make it evident. They are humble, comforting, compassionate, and think of others. Would others say their relationship with you is life-giving? When we experience relational human tension, we can come back to being united in Christ, to the Trinity. Paul says this will bring encouragement and joy when we relate like the Godhead relates, with the same mind, the same love, being in full accord. Celebrate those transformed relationships that are life giving to you by writing a note or giving them a gift card from Solid Grounds!

By Donna Burns

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:1-11 NIV

When I was a teenager and read Philippians for the first time, I fell in love with this book that uses various forms of “joy” 16 times. Phil. 2:1-11 is a favorite passage. When we look at how God transforms our relationships, we need the foundation of Phil. 2:6-11 as we are transformed by the Holy Spirit daily, so we are able to live Phil. 2:1-5 daily. In John 3:16, it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” At the moment we believe in Jesus, we become a new creation, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in and with us. This happens in an instant, but our transformation into the person God already sees, and wants us to be, happens over time.

As we learn to surrender to God, to his will, to his leadership, and to his teaching in the Bible, our hearts, minds and very lives become transformed. Jesus gives us a wonderful example – in washing the disciples’ feet, then he says, “ ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet,’” John 13:12-14. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he modeled looking out for the interests of others by feeding the hungry, healing the sick and demon possessed, and teaching the people about God’s kingdom.

Paul writes in Romans 12:9-21 about how to actively love our family members, our neighbors, and fellow Christians. In Colossians 3:12-14 he says, “…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Do you think you might need to show more compassion, kindness or patience with someone in your life? Perhaps you need to forgive someone. Read the passage in Romans 12:9-21, the one in Colossians 3:1-17, and Philippians 2:1-11 this week. Ask God to continue the work of transforming your life and heart so you can better display these characteristics in your relationships, and submit to his leading.

By Grace Hunter

In light of this week’s conversation about transformation and spiritual practices, let’s spend time intentionally surrendering to God’s work through stillness, breath prayer, and meditating on a few verses about trust.

Stillness Consent to stillness. When you agree to stop and opt to let go of the need to be in control, you allow yourself space to trust God instead. Stillness is saying “yes” to God’s invitation to rest and become more present to the Spirit of God within you.

Note: If this is not a regular practice for you, this may be difficult. But, that’s okay. Simply ask the Lord to meet you in the state you find yourself in and continue to attempt stillness using breath prayer.

Breath Prayer Use breath prayer to help still your whole self. Find a comfortable seat with your feet on the ground and your hands gently resting on your lap. Sit up straight and take several deep breaths to prepare for this practice. After you are comfortable, begin praying while you breathe in, “I am made in God’s Image” And as you breathe out, pray “I am not God.”

Meditate on Trust Once you find a place of stillness through breath prayer, meditate on a passage about trust. Take it one word at a time, stopping to think about each word very slowly. Consider what the word means, how the concepts feel, and where in your body you react to the words.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”Proverbs 3:5-6

By Yvonne Biel

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.- Deuteronomy 6:6-9

If there’s one thing that universally transforms – it’s love. Love mixes in with our emotions. It exerts itself through our strength. It reaches our very core. No wonder God commands us to love him with every part of ourselves – with our passion, our essence, and every ounce of our physical strength. Just think about how love feels. It grabs us, compels us, transforms us from within. But, do we truly love God like this? Do we offer him our whole lives and surrender every ounce of ourselves to a dynamic love relationship powerful enough to transform us?

Or do we relegate God to one designated hour in our day… or week? Do we hope for transformation by learning about Jesus in the book he commissioned his people to write or by hearing from him through a pastor’s Sunday morning sermon? Imagine trying to fall in love with someone by only thinking about them once during the day or reading about them in a book or hearing about them in a talk someone else prepared. That’s no way to nurture love and it’s sure to avoid total transformation.

If we want to see spiritual transformation in our life, we must enter a lifestyle of love. And the way we nurture love for God happens when we welcome God into our everyday rhythms and practice posturing our hearts toward him from a place of love. Since we are people full of heart, soul, mind, and body, we need practices that take God beyond our intellect or understanding and into our eating and sleeping, our adventuring and dreaming, our relating and retreating. Look at God’s further instructions in the Deuteronomy text. He describes a scene where people are talking about God, teaching about God, walking, sitting, and lying down with God.

Spiritual practices are training grounds to help us personally fall in love with God. That’s why both consistency and creativity are key. Establishing rhythms of being with God like journaling, retreating, napping, playing, singing, or designing things are all beautiful ways to fall in love with Jesus, his way, and his heart. Also, practices like reading the Bible with your family while sitting at the dinner table, talking about what God’s been teaching you with a friend on a hike in the mountains, or noticing how the natural world teaches you Kingdom lessons are more ways of bringing God into your everyday. Be consistent about bringing God into your everyday and get creative about it. Consider what creative spiritual practice you might engage in consistently this week and practice it. If you notice it growing your love for God, keep it up! Let your practices open the doorways of greater love for God and further transformation in his Spirit.

By Yvonne Biel