God Wants Us to Renew Our Minds

Jack Hartman – “Trust God for Your Finances” Chapter 5

If we want to prosper here on earth, our minds must be renewed 

Our souls must be brought into line with God’s laws of prosperity

One of the biggest obstacles to learning and applying God’s laws of prosperity is the tremendous difference between them and the world’s system of prosperity. Many of us have followed the world’s system for many years and it’s not easy to change from long-standing habit patterns. 

However, that is exactly what we must do.  In order to understand and apply God’s laws of prosperity, we must stop conforming to the world’s system and “renew” our minds with God’s laws of prosperity. If we do this, we will be handling our finances exactly the way our Father wants us to and our lives will be transformed. “Be not 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)

What does the word “renew” mean? It means to make new. It means to completely change. For example, when we see urban renewal in one of our cities, that portion of the city is totally altered. It is made “brand new.” This is what we must do with our minds before we can understand and apply God’s laws of prosperity.

Our minds are like computers and they must be “programmed.” With God’s laws of prosperity, most of us need to feed a great deal of new data into our “computers.” Are you willing to “erase” the tapes which have governed your lifetime financial habits so that you will line up with God’s laws of prosperity instead of the world’s system of finances?

If you are, God says that this will “transform” your life. This means that your life will be “completely changed.” In fact, the Greek word “metamorfosi,” (which means metamorphosis – a complete change) that is used in Romans 12:2 is the very same word that is used in Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:2 to describe the “transfiguration” – the complete change – of Jesus Christ. This gives us some indication as to how greatly our lives can be transformed by the proper renewal of our minds.

Our Father, like any worldly father, wants very much for his children to prosper and to be successful and healthy. In fact, his Word says that he wants this “above all things” – more than anything else. “Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”  (3 John 2)

Of course, our Father wants us to be successful, healthy and prosperous, but did you notice the five word “qualifier” at the end – “even as thy soul prospers?”  Many people who quote this specific verse of scripture seems to stop with the word “health.”  We must not leave out the final five words. These last five words are the cause of the prosperity and health that are Father wants so much for us.

We will experience this prosperity and health that he wants so much for us in exact proportion to the degree that our souls are “prospered” – to the exact degree that our souls are made brand-new.

What is the “soul?” The soul is the combination of our minds, our wills and our emotions. In order to prosper, our souls must prosper and in order for our souls to prosper they must be made “brand-new” – they must be reprogrammed with information from God’s Word.

A prosperous soul is a soul that is filled with God’s Word. God wants us to constantly engage in the process of converting our souls from the world’s ways to his ways. If we follow God’s laws, even the most simple child will receive our Fathers wisdom.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7)

God’s laws will never change. We are the ones who have to change. In order to prosper, we have to change from the way that we have always handled our finances to the way that our Father tells us to handle our finances. The time to do this changing is now. Prosperity will be “automatic” for us when we get to heaven.

All of God’s children will enjoy His prosperity and abundance in heaven. However, prosperity obviously isn’t “automatic” here on earth. If it was, we wouldn’t ever see Christians with financial problems.

If we want to prosper here on earth, our minds must be renewed.  Our souls must be brought into line with God’s laws of prosperity.

What exactly must be done so that our souls will prosper? This question is clearly answered in verses 2-4 of 3^rd John 2. Instead of stopping with verse 2 as many people do, let’s look at all 3 of these verses together.

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”  (3 John 2-4)

The key word is the word “truth.” God’s Word tells us exactly where to find “truth.”  “Thy word is truth.” (John 17:17) The only place to find truth is in the Word of God. Verse 3 tells us that our Father wants His truth inside of us (deep down in our hearts) and that he wants us to walk in truth (live our daily lives based upon the teachings of his Word.) Verse 4 tells us that nothing gives him greater joy than to see his children walking in truth.

This is so clear! We will prosper under God’s laws of prosperity to the exact degree that we fill our hearts with these laws and obey them in our daily lives. This isn’t as easy as it might seem. Most of us will have to change considerably from the way that we have handled our finances in the past. We often nullify the effectiveness of God’s laws because of our “tradition” – because of the way that we have always done things. “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.”  (Mark 7:13)

As we constantly line up our thoughts, feelings, and emotions with God’s Word, we will think and talk and act more and more like our Father thinks and talks and acts. Our Father doesn’t ever think about financial or other shortages. There is no place for such thinking in His mind and he doesn’t want us to allow any of that kind of thinking into our minds.

If our minds are continually filled with thoughts of doubt and unbelief, how can we possibly enjoy prosperity in our lives? God wants us to renew our minds because he wants to restore our souls – to make them “brand-new.”

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1 – 3)

When the Lord is our shepherd – when we are the sheep and He is leading us – completely in charge of every aspect of our lives, we will not want for anything. He will guide us to the still waters – away from the angry waves of the failing systems of the world. He will restore our souls so that we will always be aligned with His laws of prosperity instead of frantically worrying about the constant erosion of the world’s man-made system of prosperity.

Our souls must be restored. Our souls must be made new.  We must get rid of our old ways and start out anew.

“Regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude]” (Ephesians 4:22 – 23 AMP)

We must clean up our minds. We must renew them. We must make them fresh and new. Too many of us are trying to solve serious problems with our limited, carnal, unrenewed minds. Our minds may be fine for the normal, everyday situations that we face, but when a serious problem comes along, our unrenewed minds are insufficient.

Our Father doesn’t want us trying to figure everything out with our limited, unrenewed minds. His Word tells us that we shouldn’t rely upon our own understanding. Instead, he wants us to know what His Word says to do and then to do what His Word tells us to do, trusting completely in him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5 – 6)

Christians who haven’t renewed their minds in God’s Word don’t have the “spiritual eyesight” to see their way out of seemingly unsolvable problems. In order to solve the really difficult problems of life, we have to put on our “spiritual eyeglasses.”  We have to see these problems as God sees them.

There are no problems – financial or otherwise – that are impossible for God. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) There are no problems that we can’t solve through Jesus Christ. “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Our Father doesn’t want us surrendering to the problems that overwhelm so many people. Jesus Christ paid the price at Calvary to give us victory over all problems. 

“In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19)

Our Father gives us His Word which is full of instructions which tell us exactly what we need to do in order to overcome the problems of this world. He gave us His Holy Spirit to live inside of us and to guide us in the understanding of the truth that is contained in His Word.

“When he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13)

Christians who have paid the price of diligently renewing their minds will focus in on the solution. Non-Christians and Christians who haven’t paid the price of renewing their minds focus in on the problem. “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty, but everyone that is hasty only to want.” (Proverbs 21:5)

Renewal is a law of God. We renew our bodies each day with breakfast, lunch and dinner. We renew ourselves each night through sleep. God wants us to do the same things in our spiritual lives. All of us are growing older physically and God’s Word clearly tells us that we should offset this aging process by renewing ourselves spiritually each and every day of our lives.

“Though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

In the physical world, when we eat our meals, this food is transformed into physical strength and energy. The same principles apply in the spiritual realm. We need to feed our spirits each and every day with spiritual food from God’s Word. If we do this, that spiritual food is transformed into a spiritual strength and energy which is called faith.

We should “feast” on God’s Word. We should “stuff” ourselves with it. Jesus told us that we should feed ourselves with every word from our Father so that we can live our lives as he wants us to live them. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4:4)

If we do the spiritual feeding on a regular and continuing basis, regardless of what we might be going through on the outside, we will always be full of joy on the inside. “Your words were found, and I did eat them, and your word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16)

Our Father doesn’t want our imaginations running rampant about the financial problems of the world and how bad they might become. He wants our minds renewed to the point where they can cast down these negative thoughts and focus totally on the promises in His Word.

“Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

If we don’t continually renew our minds, we leave them wide open to doubts, fears and anxieties about the worldly situations that surround us. Our souls cannot prosper unless our minds are under control and our minds won’t be under control unless we can cast out all negative imaginations and bring every one of our thoughts completely in line with the Word of God. If our minds are properly renewed, we will decide what we are going to think about. We will refuse to let any external situation control our thought process.

Too many Christians focus so much on the problems of the world that they ultimately become part of those problems because they are so identified with them. Instead of focusing so much on the problems that surround us, we need to redirect our attention to the solution.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Our Father has more than enough to meet every one of our needs. Too many of God’s children are focusing on inflation, interest rates and unemployment instead of meditating constantly upon his promises. God’s Word isn’t dependent in any way upon the condition of a man-made economic system!

We can live peaceful, joyous, prosperous, healthy lives in this world. Jesus Christ has paid the price for our peace, our joy, our prosperity, and our health. However, once again, this peace, joy, prosperity and health are not “automatic” while we are on this earth. We will experience them only to the degree that we renew our minds on a  daily, continuing basis.

In order for us to prosper as our Father wants us to prosper, our souls must prosper. In order for our souls to prosper, God’s Word must dominate our lives. God’s instructions to us must be the absolute center of our lives. Everything that we think and say and do must revolve around his instructions to us.

Jack Hartman