Creatures of Habit Must Change

“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)

by Alexandra Copeland

It’s no secret to most of us that the greatest battles we face in life take place in the mind. Most of us struggle with the humility and flexibility to release those thoughts and beliefs that are causing us to miss the mark in terms of our faith. We perhaps read the Word for ourselves or we received teachings on the Word that were taken out of context, and because we haven’t renewed our minds rightly, we end up believing something that is false and not the heart of God. When this happens, we end up in a place where we’re not satisfied with our lives, not satisfied with our relationship with God, and not walking in the victory that He intends for every believer. 

We are creatures of habit. We like rituals, traditions, and repetition. These things bring us a certain degree of comfort. We like engaging in processes and activities that have become habit and don’t require a whole lot of forethought and concentration. It’s like driving. A person who takes the same route to work every day will hop in their cars, get on the highway, and before you know it they’ve arrived at their destinations. They may turn on the radio, stop at their favorite morning spot and pick up a cup of coffee, or get some gas, but for the most part everything about this daily routine is on automatic. It’s not uncommon to lose a sense of timing when something is routine like this, because your mind isn’t as engaged as it would be if you were taking a different route for instance. 

In most cases, the mind will take the path of least resistance. In other words, it will revert to what it is used to if it isn’t stimulated to do otherwise. This may not be a problem when it comes to cleaning the house, our jobs, or mundane tasks, but when it comes to the Word of God, this mode of thinking and operating will need adjustments. God has told us in Ephesians 4:23 to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. Renewal is a process that must be engaged consciously. Life forces our brains to establish certain pathways that lead to thoughts. Our lives ultimately conform to thoughts as we resort to the mode of thinking and moving that we’re accustomed to. 

Some of this programming is faulty. It doesn’t speak the truth about God’s love, and it doesn’t speak the truth about our new identity in Christ. Wherever there are points of conflict, the lie or faulty programming needs to be rerouted or eradicated. New and right information needs to be obtained, so that our minds can be renewed. 

Heavenly Father designed us in such a way that our thoughts have significant consequences. We are spiritual beings, and with spiritual beings, the things that are unseen are more real than those that are seen. Faith cannot be seen, but everything that we see exists because of its producing quality. Thoughts cannot be seen, but they are necessary to activate faith and continually fuel its engine into manifestation. 

When a perpetual sourness overtakes our lives, we can be assured that wrong believing and faulty wiring is the culprit. Most of us are lacking in the humility department and won’t admit this, but the problem is never that God is punishing us or that He has refused to bless us. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He expands where there is invitation, and without our humility to accept that renewal is necessary—without repentance—there is no invitation. 

The example of Jesus Christ is our goal. Operating in his faith is our target. Demonstrating his love is our obligation. God has not required that once we become born-again we know all there is to know of Christ and execute the fullness of his reality immediately. It is a process that takes time. In terms of our spiritual journey in growth and maturity, Jesus Christ knows where we’re supposed to be, when we’re supposed to be there, and how to get us there. When we’re at point A in our journey forward, and we should be at point B, there’s a problem. We’re not where we’re supposed to be according to God’s plan. He has designed life in such a way that it will let us know when we’ve veered off the path.

The lessons of Christ’ love and faith will continue to cycle back if we have neglected or refused to learn them. We see them as hiccups in our routines or raveling threads in the familiar fabric of our existences, when really they are calling cards for change. Something in the way of our thinking and believing needs some alteration, so that we are in harmony with where God is taking us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We’ve had our hands glued to the steering wheel and we want it to remain that way, but it can’t. Jesus Christ is Lord! He’s in the driver’s seat of our lives, and he is speaking to us through the circumstances we face, through God’s Word, and through the Spirit that indwells us. 

God wants the best for us at all times. A cursory belief in this truth isn’t going to cut it. We must be fully persuaded in the goodness of God. Our hearts must swell and so must our minds when it comes to processing the bigness of our Father’s love. 

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) tells us, “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.” Through Jesus Christ, our precious and powerful Lord and Savior, God has proven His love for us. Our responsibility and privilege is to prove our love for Him by not allowing ourselves to be conformed to the world, and instead, renewing our minds to what His Word says. So, we can’t ever become stuck in our way of thinking, because the nature of our spiritual journey is to continually change, grow, mature and evolve into the full stature of Christ.■

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