A Renewing of the Mind
Jared made a very interesting comment the other night. He had just come back from California with the Weber State University Argument and Debate Team where he spent four full days immersed in the “real world.”
You’ve got to understand something first. Jared was born with autistic tendencies. He didn’t talk by the age of three and we had to start from the beginning by teaching him to make baby sounds with a speech therapist. His social skills were nil. I had to bribe him to play with kids at recess in order to get him to interact with children his age! The next bribery mission was to teach him to look someone in the eye, shake their hand and ask what they’d like when they rang the doorbell instead of opening the door and promptly slamming it again without a word to anyone. But all that is for another article.
The point here is that Jared was born with restrictions that are labeled as autism and God removed them one by one through the promptings and power of the Holy Spirit. Now Jared is taking Argument and Debate at the college and has been offered a scholarship for tuition next year if he will lead the Homeschool Argument and Debate Team! Glory be to Almighty God!!
But I digress…
Where was I…? Oh yeah! His comment. Well, before I get to his comment, let me give you the background. You know, me being female and all gives me the great ability and the prerogative to paint the whole picture for you instead of going straight to the point. Ain’t that grand? 
The Testing Fire
So, he ventured out with thirty other young men and women to a Debate Competition in California for four days. He left Thursday morning and came back on Monday night.
The first day, he sent me a text message which said, “Mom, it’s pretty bad here; it is very worldly in this bus. Pray for me?”
The language was of the worst of profanities with God’s name being abused continually; the jokes were disgusting and the talk full of depravity; sexual innuendos rampant between both sexes; and the debates were tough! All in all, quite a jump into the fire, wouldn’t you say?
I believe that God had grown Jared so well that He felt it was time to test him in the fire. See, Jared has a love of God in him that is amazing, and a supernatural, non-judgmental love for people that comes from The Source. I know that God was teaching Jared how to handle all the different worldly influences that were being presented to him by immersing him in it for over four days. (The article Safe Zone explains more about these worldly influences.)
The Living Water
Well, Jared being Jared, launched into many conversations about God and what God had done in his life. He was happy the whole trip long and glorified God in all things.
He had an opportunity to witness to two homosexuals that were on this team. It was all done in love, and Jared never mentioned homosexuality. Unfortunately, someone felt that the witnessing was in reference to this condition and complained to the leaders. So, a leader had to pull Jared aside and tell him to back off somewhat, and reach the people, who did not know God, with love through being an example.
Well, Jared is a man of God, and his whole desire is to please God, not man. So, he continued in his love and glorifying God. He was able to witness and befriend a young man who had been in 143 foster homes during his life.
He was able to talk to a young woman who carried a lot of pain since her dad died when she was five. He spoke to her about healing, forgiveness and deliverance through the blood of Jesus.
And Jared was able to laugh and enjoy the debates, even though they were difficult for him.
The autistic tendencies show up in him when he reads something. For him, the translation from reading to comprehension in his brain takes longer than usual. He has to read something more than once and it takes him a long time. In addition, translating his thoughts into words also takes extra time and doesn’t come easy for him. He often gets frustrated because what he’s trying to get across just doesn’t come through. So, you can imagine how tough it was to be given some cards that had to be read quickly and then use that information to debate!
Well, God in His infinite love, furthered his education in this area and taught him to read and comprehend quickly by reading out loud, listen and formulate responses quickly, and speak clearly by enunciating his words.
Jared’s Springs of Living Water never dried up during this trip. He struggled sometimes, but he went to the One who is his Rock, Comfort and Wisdom.
And he found the key to maintaining a clean spirit in his heart and mind despite the language, stories, jokes, and circumstances that constantly surrounded him.
Which is the part of the story where I get to share the comment he made to me…
Now the Comment is Presented!
After he told us some horror stories of the world out there, I asked him, “Jared, how did you keep a positive attitude and a joy of the Lord during all this?”
Jared answered with a knowing smile, “A renewing of my mind.”
There it is! That’s what this website is all about! Besides having a loving, close and personal relationship with God, a renewing of the mind keeps us constantly with His Joy in our hearts and His Love without judgment shining through!
Now, Jared’s mind was already transformed by the renewing that was done since the year 2004 – (how? Read on, it’s all presented towards the bottom of this page) – but he didn’t stop there.
When this young man was bombarded by the world over the last few days, every free moment he got he renewed his mind by reading the Bible. He carried a prayer in his heart. He kept his mind on Christ.
Isaiah 26:3 NIV You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
He kept his thoughts positive.
Philippians 4:8 NIV Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
In all of this, his whole aim was to love; love without judgment and to encourge all he met. He was able to touch many lives and plant many seeds. Who knows when and where God will reap them?
John 13:35 NIV “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Transform the Mind
Jared had spent the previous six years transforming his mind by not watching mainstream television, or movies that were inappropriate. He spent time (a LOT of time) in the Word – the Holy Bible. He read good books – classics that brought out the best in him. Music came from Christian sources only. The Message Bible says it this way:
Romans 12:2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
He kept his thoughts obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
And he prayed – constantly. I can’t tell you how many times I can hear him say a quick prayer while he is studying, or doing dishes, or walking around doing tasks.
James 5:16 The Message The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
He also had support. We do not walk alone on this earth. We were meant to help each other. He has a large network of people that he turns to when it gets a little too rough. Prayers, encouragement, praise and worship, hugs – all these have helped him over the years.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
A Challenge for You
I know, I know… if you’ve read a lot of these articles, you already know that I’m repeating what has been said over and over again. I’m harping here. But I cannot impress enough how a renewing of the mind helps out so much in the world out there and in the world of our children’s minds.
So, I’m going to issue a challenge – renew the minds and hearts of your children by eliminating any thing that is not of Godly value from your homes.
Deuteronomy 7:26 Don’t bring anything He hates into your house. If you do, you will be completely destroyed along with it. So hate it with all your heart. It is set apart to be destroyed.
I’ve written specific articles on a lot of these:
- Home – Make your home a safe haven from the world: The Safe Zone
- Media – Get rid of the worldly influences in the home: The Antichrist in our Living Room and What I Saw on TV
- Books – Why Classics? Here’s Pete’s take on it (the IQ side of it) and mine (the EQ side of it).
- Bonding – Keep your children’s hearts in your hands: A Bonding Moment and Why Bond?
- Homeschooling – If possible, get them out of mainstream school as the influence there is tremendous: Who is with your Children?
- Music – Music is one of the most powerful influences in our society. Pete (the brilliant one) has been commissioned to write this one.
- Ah yes… and let’s not forget Discipline – this renews the mind also! A Discipline Moment
Oh, there is so much more on my heart concerning our children! If you could see the difference between the paths taken by my two oldest children and my three younger ones, you would realize how important all of this is.
Even my most strong-willed, defiant, hard-headed child has blossomed under these influences and has a heart for God. She is teachable, loving, forgiving, and out doing the Lord’s work.
The two eldest have seen the difference and have made the changes in their own lives! What a powerful testimony to God’s Holy Spirit sending His promptings and direction our way!
And it all began with a renewing of the mind…
