ONE VOICE – ONE PURPOSE

Devotionals for International Women’s Day 2025 

Day Five of Seven

One Voice, One Mind

Toli Baruah, New Delhi, India 

Question for reflection:
When was the last time you really took a good look at your mind? 

Romans 12: 1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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.

For me, understanding my own mind is one of the most difficult things to do. I need time, space and a curious heart that is feeling safe at the same time. 

If we are dissatisfied with our spontaneous responses to certain situations, and we can notice that we are responding in this same way to similar stimuli over time, then maybe it is a good time for us to pause and reflect on the state of our mind. Many wise people have understood it is good to think about our thoughts, such as King Solomon in Proverbs 4:23 (Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. GNT: Good News Translation). 

Most of us must have read or heard about how our thoughts define who we are and that they determine our choices and the pattern of our lives. Cognitive psychologists say every little thought carries an emotional charge, pulling us away or toward some emotion like anger or joy. So, how we experience life and how we live has a lot to do with our minds. None of us are as objective as we would like to believe about ourselves. There are always situations and topics that can make us lose perspective and bring out parts of us that we seem to have no control over. There can also be desires and dreams that seem to have an unusually strong hold over us.

The Greek word anakainōsis which is translated in Romans 12:2 as renewing describes a complete change for the better, a makeover of the mind and soul. ("G342 - anakainōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (nasb95)." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 15 Feb, 2025.) So, when Paul is writing about being “transformed by the renewing of your mind,” he is talking about the need to keep changing and growing until God’s will is pleasing to us in such a way that we do not even have to keep denying or pushing ourselves to do His will. This is a state of mind where what we desire is aligned with what God desires and where we are no longer attracted to the world, its ways and its pride (1 John 2:16) in the same ways we were before.

Since the verse starts with the word “Therefore,” and from the message of the previous chapters, it is obvious that this work cannot be done on our own at all. We need to be already saved by God’s grace and mercy. We also need to voluntarily offer ourselves to God as a sacrifice that is holy and pleasing.

So, when we understand how powerful God is and how blessed we are with His grace, we will be able to understand His mercy. Without fully appreciating God’s mercy we cannot understand and develop a desire to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the point that we are no longer the same as we were before. This is a lifetime process, and we need to be patient with ourselves, acknowledging that God is going to do the slow work in us even as we keep offering ourselves to Him.

Then the passage talks about “holy and pleasing,” which means our sacrifice must come from a pure heart that trusts God, as opposed to being preoccupied with our own performance or our own motives. 

This kind of worship is true and proper and reminds us of John 4:24 where Jesus says we must worship in spirit and in truth.

When we worship, we are entering the presence of God. It is an opportunity for us to examine our minds and hearts in the light of God’s glory. 

I know that it is never easy to think about our thoughts. I wonder, if I were to label my thoughts, how would I do that? To identify the levels of thoughts in my mind that conform to the pattern of the world, I must spend enough time with God in such a way that I am not only asking and talking but also contemplating and listening. 

Verse two in this passage says, “do not conform to the pattern of this world.” We conform to the world when we desire the world more than we desire God.

Patterns are persistent habits and habits are hard to break. Patterns are repetitive and keep coming naturally; one does not have to put in much effort. But much effort and intentional planning will be required to break worldly ways of thinking. 

The verse goes on to say that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. For the mind to be renewed what will it take? How will we gain the mind of Christ?

We need to be intentional and prayerful about our mind. 

An important process for renewing my mind or to have a makeover of my mind is to learn how to identify my current ways of thinking. 

Do I assess my thoughts -- especially when I am feeling negative emotions? Another way to check is to find Scriptures against or for my thoughts. If there are no Scriptures which support my thoughts and motivations then it is good to change my thought and replace it with biblical conviction. This also requires us to be growing in our knowledge of the Bible. A deeper way to assess our thoughts is to examine our motives and goals. What do I want to achieve in a particular situation? If the motive is selfish, for example, to glorify myself or to get my way; or if the motive is malicious, for example, to dishonor someone, or to harm someone, then I should simply confess. Confessing shows that I agree my motives come from wrong thinking, hurtful to myself and to God, and I can choose to change my mind. Sometimes we can seem to be doing the right thing outwardly but our minds are worldly and so we do not experience life to the full.

Romans 8:6 

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 

John Ortberg writes in his book, God is Closer Than You Think, “Our goal is to make our minds the dwelling place of God where every distorted belief and every destructive feeling and every misguided intention is being identified and removed. You will know your mind is increasingly set on God when the moods that dominate your inner life are love joy, and peace -- the three primary components of the Holy Spirit.” He also writes, “God is never more than a thought away.”

In recent times one thing that has really helped me is praying through some lines of a prayer called The Litany of Humility. It is included at the end of this devotional. Whenever I struggle with pride or envy, a line from the prayer (may others be esteemed more than I) is something I just utter to God silently. Somehow my heart shifts and my mind feels at ease. The other thing that has helped me immensely is to pray for God to help me so that my thoughts can be noble and lovely and pure and excellent and praiseworthy.

Paul says we will be transformed by the renewing of our mind. What does it really mean to be transformed?

Transformed means I am no longer the same person; the old self is gone and the new has come. If I were to be transformed, I would be a totally different person. My responses would be different. My reactions would be godly. My relationships would be deep and fulfilling. My habits would become less self-focused. My attachments to the things of the world would decrease and my desire for storing up treasures in heaven would increase. My life would revolve less around me and more around Christ and somehow paradoxically my life would become more meaningful and purposeful.

The outcome of a transformed life in Christ will be like someone who is able to reflect Christ in such a way that their light will shine so brightly that others will see their good deeds and praise God. 

How wonderful it will be if all Christians are being transformed even as we all aim for the mind of Christ. How transformative will that be for the world around us, to see this transformation in the behaviour of the church?

Some questions to consider: 

• Do I offer myself to God daily as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him? What will it take to do so?
• Do I make an intentional effort to include God in all my choices and decisions, especially when I am feeling negative emotions?
• How attached am I to the world, its glitter and glamour, its biases and values, its philosophies, and traditions? 

Some practices to consider: 

• Every day take a few minutes to just be still before God in silence and solitude.
• Memorize scriptures/prayers/psalms and meditate on them even as you go through the day.
• Take a moment to pause and reflect on the day in the presence of God before you lie down to sleep.

Sources:

• How Your Thinking Creates Your Reality (Psychology Today)
• The Litany of Humility
• anakainosis

The Litany of Humility 

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus. 

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. 

The Litany of Humility is attributed to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val (1865-1930), who was Secretary of State to Pope Saint Pius X. For printed copies email: Laura@healingheartofjesus.com 

Author bio

Toli became a disciple in 1997 on Delhi University campus, where she completed her Master’s degree in English Literature. She has been married to her husband, Emmanuel, for 22 years and they are blessed with two daughters: Deborah and Lydia. Toli has been in the ministry for more than 20 years. She and Emmanuel currently lead the church in New Delhi. She enjoys reading, being with babies, baking from time to time, and cooking some favourite meals.