Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
Romans 12:2
Before going on a road trip, I usually prepare ahead of time-make sure there is enough gas in the car, get my navigation set, and all other things. Depending on how long the trip is, I will frequently stop by the gas station to refill the gas tank. While driving, I have the power to control the steering wheel and direct the car in which direction I want it to go with the help of my navigation. If I decide to lose concentration, the vehicle steers off in all directions and eventually crashes. If I also choose not to use my navigation again, I will make all the wrong turns and eventually wind up somewhere unknown.
Similarly, our mind is a powerful driver carrying every thought we have, negative or positive. Our mind can steer out of control with so many thoughts if not controlled, and that is why it is usually the first place the enemy starts to attack when he wants to get to us. We can hear in our minds things like, “you cannot do it,” “you are worth nothing,” and the list goes on and on.
I have realized that nobody can tell me who I am or what I can and cannot be. I know who I am, and I know this through God’s word (our navigation through life’s journey). I know that I am a child of God and that God fearfully and wonderfully made me for a purpose. I tell my children that, and to back that up, they have read it themselves in the bible.
Let us take control of our minds and not let our minds or other people’s minds control us. God gave us a spirit of self-control so we have the power to control it using His words, with the help of the Holy Spirit. That renews our minds every day.
We constantly have to remind ourselves and our children that we can control those thoughts with the word of God and steer that vehicle in the right direction. We cannot control it with the word of God if we are not constantly reading and meditating on the word. So, it is important to read God’s word every day with the guidance of the Holy Spirit (our helper). It is even better to start very early in the morning before doing anything else to set the foundation that will carry us throughout the day.
One day, my daughter came running to me saying that her brother said she is dumb, and that hurt her feeling. That was a nice educational moment for me to all my kids. I addressed that issue with her brother, but I asked her, do you think you are dumb? She said no. Perfect! That is the first step.
The first step is to know who we are using the word of God and be confident about it. When we have that confidence, no matter what others say (because people will always say something about us – that’s how life is), it will not affect us. That was her first practice. I reminded them again that they are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
God’s word is our evidence, and we have to let His words be evident in our everyday lives. When the enemy knows that you confidently know who you are, he will try, but he will lose each time-and eventually, he flees from you.
So let us not conform to the world’s standards (the world will challenge us), but to let God transform us from the inside, which leads to a renewal of our minds every day. The world seems like it is getting more challenging by the day and even more challenging for our beautiful children.
We all have work to do!
Like we prepare for that road trip, prepare them (children) ahead of time, so they do not live in fear, anxiety, and anger from what others think, or said they are and are not. Let us teach our children the importance of reading and meditating on the word of God, the importance of being confident, and taking control of their mindset. More of the teaching comes from our (parents) actions, so let us lead by example.
Let us invite God to renew our minds-the vehicle of our thoughts, and let Him take the wheel.
May God bless us all and our families!
Ngozi