Dharius Daniels - Mastering Your Mind

Today, I want to talk about mastering your mind. Mastering your mind, ladies and gentlemen. As we eavesdrop on this conversation that Paul is having with people in Rome, we can gather this summary from several of Paul’s statements. Here it is for my note-takers: you do not change your life by changing your life; you change your life by changing your mind. I’m going to say that one more time: you do not just change your life by trying to change your life; you change your life by changing your mind. This is the essence of what Paul is attempting to articulate to the people in this place called Rome. They are newer Christians; some of them are coming out of the Jewish tradition, while others are coming from the Gentile tradition. Paul is writing to both of them, saying it doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter if you have a PhD or no degree. It doesn’t matter if you come from off the street or Wall Street. It doesn’t matter if you graduated magna cum laude, summa cum laude, or thank you, Lord. It does not matter; he said the transformation is tied and tethered to the renovation of your mind. The enemy understands this reality, which is why he aggressively and consistently attacks us in the area of our thinking. Solomon put it this way: as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. We will always behave in a way that is consistent with how we see ourselves. I am telling you, and Paul is telling us through this passage today, the importance and the priority of mastering our minds.

It’s interesting here because Paul, in verse 1, is talking to believers in Rome about, first of all, getting a revelation of God’s mercy. He says, «In view of God’s mercy, ” see, did you hear what I just said? I said, „In view of God’s mercy, present yourself as a living sacrifice.“ He says your sacrifice to him should be a response to his mercy toward you. I need to pause right there because I know there’s a lot of conversation in Christian circles about the gift of grace. Grace is when God gives you what you don’t deserve, and if he’s ever given you something you don’t deserve, I need you to wave at me right now. Come on! Okay, but I think we ought not just appreciate and celebrate the grace of God; we also, as Paul says here, need to appreciate and celebrate something else: that’s the mercy of God. Here it is: in his grace, he gives me what I don’t deserve. I’m going to find the honest people now, but in his mercy, he doesn’t give me what I do deserve. I’m going to say that one more time: in his grace, he gives me what I don’t deserve, but in his mercy, he doesn’t give me what I do deserve. I know you’ve learned how to praise him for grace, but I’m looking for the honest section; I said I’m looking for the honest section because I want to know, will you praise him for mercy? Is there anyone honest enough to say there are some things I sowed that I did not reap? Y’all missed that! Now, watch this; because in mercy, God interrupts his own law. Y’all come get me today! God initiated the law of sowing and reaping. He says you reap what you sow. We reap positively if we sow positively; we should reap negatively if we sow negatively, but God, in mercy, will often interrupt a law he created. So, there are some things you sowed that you could have reaped a different way. Where’s my honest section? I said you could have reaped a different way, but somehow, in some way, God intervened, and he held back judgment, and he held back justice. I want all the perfect people right now to be quiet, but for those of us who say I shouldn’t even be here right now, I shouldn’t even be able to sit in a church right now, my name should not be good right now, but somehow, someway, he looked beyond my faults and saw my needs. Mercy! You say, „In view of God’s mercy, let your response to mercy be: I’m a living sacrifice. You’ve been too good to me; you’ve given me too many chances; you have demonstrated so much patience with me. I now have a revelation of your mercy that has produced appreciation in my heart, and I’m willing to present myself as a living sacrifice.“ But Paul doesn’t stop there. We read it in verse 2. He says, „And don’t be conformed.“ Wait a minute! He says, „Do not conform to the pattern of this world.“ Don’t miss this now. He says, „Don’t be molded by; don’t succumb to; don’t be like.“ Is it Play-Doh or clay? Play-Doh! Wait a minute, don’t judge! Y’all are judging me! I mean, what is it? Clay or Play-Doh? Y’all know what I mean. Don’t be Play-Doh in the hands of culture! What does that mean? It means Paul is telling them: listen, are y’all ready for this? He’s saying do not make decisions regarding the way you’re going to manage your life based on the patterns and trends that are popular in culture. He said, „Look at what culture is doing relationally and don’t conform to that. Do not give up your value and your virtue for a Coke and a smile.“ He says, „Look at what culture is doing financially. Don’t be conformed to that. Look at what culture is doing professionally. Don’t be conformed to that. Because I’ve got another way, and my way is not just right; my way is better. If you do it my way, I’ll open doors.“