My Dear Friend,

"Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," wrote Paul in Romans 12:2. If he was with us today, the great apostle may have written, "Reprogram your thinking so you may be a radically changed Christian." And he would be correct.

Christian reprogramming is exactly what we need! Our "hardware," or brain, specifically our cerebrum, needs no change, but our "software," or habitual thought patterns, does. To understand Christian reprogramming, let's first describe computer reprogramming.

Computer reprogramming is "the process of making changes to a system in order to . . . improve performance, correct errors, or adapt to new circumstances." Doesn't this describe just what we Christians need? To "make changes" to our intellectual "system," or consistent viewpoint on life? In order to "improve performance," or live in a more Christlike way? In order to "correct errors," or detect and eliminate all remaining carnal (unspiritual, unbiblical) thinking? And to "adapt to new circumstances," or fully transition to our new life as a sanctified Christian in a sinful world?

Why, then, are we who should be wholly changed, hardly changed! We do not think down Christian lines outside church meetings.

When assembled for weekly worship, prayer meetings, or Christian conferences, we have one mindset. We talk church talk, discuss biblical topics, amen inspiring testimonies, sing devotional songs, ponder powerful sermons, and pray fervent petitions that are usually spiritual and in line with God's will. There is absolutely no doubt about it: in church we are spiritually minded people.

However, the minute we walk out the door all this changes. As if a switch was turned off in the "Christian" part of our cerebrums, we revert to our old mentality, conversations, and decisions. We talk worldly talk constantly and spiritual talk rarely. Money, politics, social issues, sports, entertainment, pleasure, the latest scandals, how to be successful - these topics dominate our every thought, word, and act. It's as if we never met Jesus, or never had a single God-thought cross our minds.

This pattern is repeated Sunday after Sunday, prayer meeting after prayer meeting, conference after conference: in these consecrated gatherings we see a biblical, mental vision of our Christian likeness - what Christ has called us to be in Him - but then immediately and completely lose sight of it when we leave. So, the vision is not, it cannot be, made real in us.

All our new, in-church spirituality evaporates and our old, out-of-church carnality dominates. The problem is not that we have never been born again, filled with the Spirit, or reminded of our new walk with Jesus and kingdom gifts, ministries, and commissions once or twice a week. So, what is our problem? What's wrong with us!

Enlightened by the all-knowing, perfectly discerning Holy Spirit, James identified the root. We are hearing God's Word but not practicing it (see James 1:22-25). Consciously. Seriously. Persistently. As if our lives, destinies, and eternal rewards in Christ depended on it. We are not focusing on examining our own obedience or disobedience, and no one else's. Every hour of every day. With steadfastness and earnestness. Digging deep to build a solid-rock foundation for our developing house of Christian character.

To be, in James' parlance, a "doer of the Word," or one who consistently puts God's Word into practice, we must be mentally reprogrammed to think down Christian lines when not in church.

Here are some practical guidelines for Christian reprogramming:

• Start reading more. Reading is brain exercise. Despite a plethora of information available to us today, our brains remain our most underused body part. We get snippets, a quick devotional thought, a tweet here, a post there, but rarely read through books or magazines. If something is not short, we simply don't read it. And our brains are suffering mold, rot, and dysfunction - making us more easily led by corrupt media outlets, fraudulent politicians, and heretical preachers.

• Three reading suggestions: First, read God's book! Bible reading waters your mind with Spirit-given, spiritual life-giving thoughts. Thoughtfully read Scripture portions, long or short, every day. Second, also read excellent biblical devotionals, commentaries, Christian living books and magazines, and Internet articles. Third, read anything else with virtuous, historic, or thought-provoking content (see Philippians 4:8). Here's the rule: if it's not excellent, exclude it!

• Take a deep dive into serious Bible study. Begin by examining yourself and confessing any unconfessed sin. Life obedience is the key to Bible study. Then ask the Holy Spirit to interpret His Word. As you patiently read, stop and research each topic, person, or key word or phrase that pricks your attention. After reviewing it, use your concordance to look up other related references. Also, pore over other references that come to mind, or that are one of your chain references, or that you've previously written in your Bible. Never rush this process. Fully explore each biblical "mine" you discover until you've gotten all the truth-riches - and spiritual edification - it contains.

• Start thinking more. God told Isaiah, "My people doth not consider," or reflect sufficiently (Isaiah 1:3). Be different from the often empty-minded public. Think about everything that interests you. Like reading, meditative thinking is brain exercise. When reading, consider both statements and their implications. Read the lines and read between them. Think through controversial issues. What's the real underlying truth behind the superficial public chatter? Consider why or how troublesome conditions have developed. Listen to people's words, then compare their actions. Ponder God's hand and biblical principles at work in your circumstances. Examine doctrines: are they solidly based in Scripture? The more you think, the better you think.

• Begin writing. State your own thoughts in your own words for your own benefit. Writing engraves information in our memories where it remains ready for spontaneous personal or ministerial use. Don't be flowery; be precise and to the point. If initially your thoughts are scattered or unclear, rewrite them until they are sharp and clearly expressed. This refocusing of your thoughts helps you grasp the real essence of a subject, doctrine, or Bible text - and help others see it clearly!

• Another key factor is self-control. It is a vital "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-23). With the Spirit's divine help, you can control your thoughts at all times. But you must cooperate. When convicted of wrong attitudes, emotions, desires, or motives - greed, hatred, envy, impatience, pride, unbelief, doubt, fear, or lust, for example - let conviction inspire change. Recall what God's Word - which expresses His thoughts perfectly - says about that issue. Then receive and practice it. And when these wrong thoughts resurface, deliberately override them again with the right ones, and move on.

As you steadily practice these things, a wonder, a true miracle, is underway: God's mind is being increasingly formed in your mind. Your thought patterns are being renewed or reprogrammed, and you are being transformed. A foundation of biblical rock, of strong Christian character, is being securely laid in your soul (Matthew 7:24-27). And there's more.

• Further internal discipline is needed. Learn to "cast down imaginations [reasonings]" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), or quickly reject all suppositions masquerading as facts: daydreams, fears of rejection or failure, rumors, thoughts about what others are thinking, guessing their motives, snap judgments, heresies, and so forth. Be the active judge of your own life-court. Keep your mind focused on your own spiritual business, and let Judge Jesus manage others. They are in His jurisdiction, not yours.

• Change your basic outlook. Every new morning brings a new day to show God anew your seriousness about practicing His Word. See every new test, then, as not another "Oh, no!" but another "Oh, yes!" - not another problem but another opportunity to please the Lord, and seize it! Pause for a moment, and ask, "What Bible verse or principle fits this new situation?" Then act on it. In this way every new day will yield new obedience, new growth, and new joy, as you realize your new internal programming is progressing. And pleasing the Lord!

Admittedly, Christian reprogramming is a monumental task. But it is an Everest we can, and must, climb - all the way to the summit of thorough, unprecedented, undeniable, personal transformation. The secret of success is total dependence on the Holy Spirit. Jesus personally appointed Him our Paraclete, or "one called alongside to help." He will make this "climb" easy if we lean on Him wholly.

Ask Him to remind you of His Word day and night to link your thought patterns to His. Ask Him to alert you the instant you turn from righteous to unrighteous thoughts. Ask Him to bless your reading, studying, thinking, and learning, and show you God's Word and ways at work all around you and in the histories of Israel, the church, and the world. Ask Him to reveal the root of your persisting sins, flaws, and adversities, and prescribe His perfectly wise solutions.

Thank Him for His help constantly. Acknowledge His guidance. Bless Him every time He convicts or corrects you. Humbly confess you cannot climb your Everest without His oxygen - yet with it you are more than a conqueror.

Then, the next time you leave church, you won't leave Christ's mind behind. You'll be a radically changed believer. Quickly recognizing which Bible Words fit your life situations. Close to Jesus. All day long. Spiritually minded. Full of life and peace: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6). And thoroughly spiritually reprogrammed.

For Christian reprogramming,

Dr. Greg Hinnant

GREG HINNANT MINISTRIES