March 4, 2025 • 14 mins
This episode explores the transformative process of renewing your mind and what that truly means for believers and artists. We dissect common misconceptions about renewal, emphasizing that it's an active partnership with the Holy Spirit rather than a passive occurrence.
• Addressing misconceptions about renewing your mind
• The importance of cooperation with God in the renewal process
• Understanding renewal as a pathway to aligning with God's will
If you’re looking to deepen this journey, check out the Foundations Course available now!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the
podcast, where we hope youconnect with God to bust through
the roadblocks that have heldyou back for years, create the
work you love and really livethe life you know.
God created you to live as anartist in His kingdom.
I'm Matt Tama, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friends, so gladthat you're with me on the
(00:24):
podcast today.
You know I get a lot ofquestions from students either
in my foundations course or inthe mentoring program, or even
just people chatting me uponline asking about this phrase,
renewing your mind.
Because, depending on what partof the body of Christ that
you've come from or maybe you'venever heard any teaching about
renewing your mind there can bea lot of misconceptions out
(00:46):
there about what that actuallymeans.
You know a lot of people thinkwell meaning, that renewing your
mind is something that happensto you, that something that you
can go to the altar, get prayedfor and, bam, your mind gets
renewed and listen.
I wish that was the way it was,but in my experience and in
reading God's word, I'vediscovered that renewing your
(01:06):
mind is not something that Goddoes to you, but it's actually
something that God does with you.
And when you understand theprocess of how to start renewing
your mind and what it's reallyfor, it really is very, very,
very empowering.
But it's really important tounderstand a few details, and so
I want to kind of break thatdown for you today.
(01:28):
Wherever you are in yourjourney whether you're an
experienced, you know, maturebeliever or have been walking
with the Lord a long time, oryou're just kind of starting to
learn about what realtransformation means in the
kingdom I hope this is going tobe really valuable for you today
.
So here's my thoughts on this.
I really believe that thetransformative power of renewing
(01:49):
your mind is not about thissort of magic potion, if you
will, to avoid all problems inyour life or trying to instantly
see all of your desires ordreams materialize, sort of like
the new age idea of law ofattraction or that kind of thing
which we don't embrace, or orthis kind of sort of like the
new age idea of law ofattraction, or that kind of
thing which we don't embrace, oror this kind of, you know,
living in a state of positive,toxic positivity, you know where
(02:13):
, where you don't look atanything bad, that everything's
positive.
You're always, you know, headin the clouds and not really
looking at the reality of life.
That kind of approach for me isat best I would say a setup for
disappointment in your life.
That kind of approach for me isat best I would say a setup for
disappointment in your life andat worst it can really be a
manipulative sort of distortionof faith and of your
(02:33):
relationship with God, sort oftrying to treat God like a slot
machine or whatever.
Renewing your mind for me is allabout recalibrating, I think,
what I call the internalframework of your heart and mind
, that is, your mind, will andemotions, what we refer to a lot
of times as your soul, and alsoyour body, your physical body,
(02:53):
bringing those into alignmentwith the truth of God's Word,
not only through His power butalso intentional cooperation
with the Holy Spirit.
Remember, the Bible says inRomans 12, too, that we don't
conform to the pattern of thisworld, that is, we don't do life
, think about life, interpretlife, respond to life the way
(03:14):
everybody else does.
But in other words, we've gotto be transformed, fundamentally
changed, as we renew our mindand that by testing you may
discern what the will of God is,the good and acceptable and
perfect will, In other words,when you learn to think
differently, when you learn todiscern differently, when you
learn to see life through thelens of the kingdom of God,
(03:36):
empowered and led by the HolySpirit, that's when real life
changes.
And so I believe that realtransformation in the kingdom,
in accordance with this idea ofrenewing your mind, is about
supernatural transformation fromthe inside out.
It is not listen now, it is notjust this admonition to
(04:01):
encouragement to think positive.
Well, just think positivethoughts and everything will be
fine.
This is, this is where listenthis is so important.
This is where new agephilosophy and where pop psych,
psychobabble and all this kindof stuff can really get mixed up
with the truth of God's word.
Thinking positive is great,it's wonderful to have a
positive outlook on life andeverything, but that in itself
(04:24):
is not transformative.
Real transformation happens bythe Spirit of God and through
His Word.
And when you begin toexperience that supernatural
transformation, empowered by HisSpirit, it empowers you to see
and hear and walk and respond byfaith to the things that God's
leading you to, whether you'rein an easy time, a challenging
(04:47):
time, an abundant time or a timeof trial.
I mean, remember Paul talkedabout in 2 Corinthians we don't
walk by sight.
We walk by what, by faith.
And so this power of God that'sat work in you and me, and for
us and with us, is not, again,not just something God does to
(05:09):
us, but it's something he doeswith us.
In other words, it getsactivated by your faith-filled
yes.
See, it's this divine powerthat happens through the
renewing of our mind thatenables us to stay the course,
that enables us to call thosethings that are not as though
they were.
It enables us to rise abovelife's circumstances.
(05:30):
It enables us to continuepressing forward despite
setbacks that we may have in ourlife, difficulties, challenges,
all that, Just like Paul saidin Philippians 3, he said I
press toward the goal for theprize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus.
How do you keep present whenthings are going wrong, when you
feel like you're walkingthrough a difficult season, a
(05:51):
trying season, a challengingseason, a season of rainy
despair, and you're like, how doyou keep going?
You keep going by the renewingof your mind, by this power that
is working inside of you.
This, this is why this is somuch more than just well, just
think positive.
Well, just put your mind on thebright side.
No, nobody can do that forever.
(06:12):
We can only live.
We can only live as artists, wecan only live as people called
in the kingdom by the power ofGod, through the transformation
that only comes through therenewing of our mind, when we
learn to think differently andsee differently and discern
differently.
See, renewing our mind allows usto stand firm in this sort of
(06:35):
tension, if you will, of the notyet.
In this sort of tension, if youwill, of the not yet and also
the even so, I'm going to praisehim.
Right, I don't see it yet, buteven in the middle of not
understanding, I'm going to holdthese two things and I'm going
to say God is my refuge andstrength, and him will I trust.
It's the anchor, this renewingour mind process, this principle
(06:56):
in the kingdom.
It's this anchor in our lifethat keeps us steady and it
keeps us from going off courseas we trust his promises, as we
believe his word that says Iknow the plans I have for you,
says the Lord plans to prosperyou and not to harm you, to give
you a hope and a future.
It's an anchor, while we trustin the scripture that says you
(07:19):
know, I'm working all thingstogether for your good, because
you've been called according tomy purpose.
And it's this transformation,this renewing of our mind that
enables us, like Paul says inPhilippians 4,.
He says, hey, listen, I'velearned, in whatever state I'm
in, to be content.
I know how to be abased, I knowhow to abound everywhere and in
(07:43):
all things.
I have learned to be full andto be both hungry and both to
abound and to suffer need.
But I can do all things throughChrist, who strengthens me.
But you can't have access,listen, you can't access that
strength on a day-by-day,moment-by-moment basis, unless
(08:05):
you are leaning into the processof allowing the Holy Spirit to
renew your mind.
Listen, renewing your mindrequires that cooperation,
because that's how the kingdomof God operates.
In other words, we've got tolearn to appropriate by faith
what God has already given us bygrace.
(08:26):
I'm going to say that again.
You got to learn to appropriateby faith, that is, take hold of
through agreement, the thingsthat God has said in his word,
has promised, has given you as aresult of the new covenant, as
a child of God.
You got to learn to grab thosethings by faith, day by day,
moment by moment, and receivethe benefits and blessings and
(08:48):
responsibilities that God hasgiven you by grace.
Listen, this is not somethingthat you got to do on your own.
This is not just again.
Well, just think positive andeverything will be great.
We'll just look on the brightside.
No, again, nobody can do that.
Remember, in Ephesians 2, Paultalks about hey, we're leaning
into this grace, why we'rewalking in a grace-filled life,
(09:12):
why, so that nobody can boast?
None of us can say I made it bymyself.
I made it because I thoughtpositive.
I made it because I manifestedmy dreams into diaries.
No, you didn't.
You made it because you learnedto lean into the power of God.
You made it because you learnedthat even in your weakness, he
is made strong.
(09:32):
You learned that, even thoughyou didn't feel like it, God's
promises were yes and amentowards your life and they were
true.
And as you leaned into that,even in a place of weakness,
God's power was made perfect inyou.
Come on somebody, Woo, that'show the kingdom of God works.
(09:52):
You just got to remember.
And that's all this podcast isabout today.
Remember that renewing your mindis this transformative,
God-ordained, Holy Spirit-ledprocess through which we align
intentionally our body and oursoul and our mind with this
spiritual reality that isalready ours in the Spirit,
(10:15):
because we're new creations.
In other words, listen, yourspirit's already been made a new
creation.
But through renewing of yourmind, through coming into
agreement with what God's wordsays, who you are, what you can
do, what you can have, who he is, what he's promised, as you
begin to intentionally alignwith that, your spirit, your
(10:36):
soul and your body come intoalignment with what your spirit
already, your soul and your bodycome into alignment with what
your spirit already enjoys as anew creation in Christ.
Listen, my friend, if thatdidn't encourage you today, as I
say, if that didn't light yourfire, your woods wet.
I hope that you realize thatwalking in the kingdom of God
(10:57):
and thriving in the kingdom ofGod will not happen if you try
harder, will not happen throughall the pop culture and
psychobabble of this world.
It only happens through theinside out, God ordained process
of renewing your mind andleaning into the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, learning to hearHis voice, learning to walk with
(11:19):
Him every day.
Listen, I want to pray for you,my friend, today, because when
you start to get this, major,major change can happen, start
happening quickly in your life.
And, Father, I just thank youfor that right now.
Lord, I thank you that you havemade a way, you've made
provision for us to see real,measurable change in our life,
(11:39):
not because we're good enough,not because we did it in our own
strength, but because, God, weuse the faith that you gave us
as a gift to appropriate thethings that you've already
restored to us by grace, and wethank you that when we do that,
your Holy Spirit is there tolead, guide, empower and
encourage us along the way.
Thank you that this reality ispossible for every one of us,
(12:02):
because we love you, becausewe're called according to your
purpose, because we're yourchildren.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
Hey, listen, my friend, I'm soglad that you're with me today.
If you are looking to, you saywow, Matt, this is so, so good.
I would love to be able to divemore into that.
You can absolutely do that inwhat we call the Foundations
(12:23):
Course.
It's available right now.
It's an on-demand course that'savailable on our website.
You can start at any time.
You can join us inside of ourFacebook community and walk this
journey inside of a communityof people that are committed to
seeing their lives transformedby the power of God, seeing
their art come alive, notthrough their own you know their
(12:46):
own power and their own tryingharder but learning how to
co-labor with the Lord and whathe has for them in their art, in
their life, in their business,the way God intended, Again,
from the inside out.
Check out the Foundationscourse.
All the information is at thelink right here you can also, if
you're just listening and wantto go, you can go to
matttommymentoringcom forwardslash foundations and find out
(13:11):
all about the course Superaffordable, available now.
We'd love to see you inside andstart helping you really begin
to break through in these areasso that you can walk in all of
the purpose and plans that Godhas for you in your life.
I love you, my friend.
Remember until next time.
You were created to thrive.
Bye, hey.
(13:32):
Thanks so much for spending afew minutes with me today on the
podcast.
Listen.
I hope it's been a hugeencouragement to you on your
journey as an artist.
Hey, also, before you leave,make sure to hit the subscribe
button so you don't miss any ofthe other episodes of the
Thriving Christian Artistpodcast, and also be sure to
connect with me on Facebook,Instagram or at my website,
which is matttommymentoringcom.
(13:54):
Until next time, remember youwere created to thrive.
Bye-bye.
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the
podcast, where we hope youconnect with God to bust through
the roadblocks that have heldyou back for years, create the
work you love and really livethe life you know.
God created you to live as anartist in His kingdom.
I'm Matt Tama, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friends, so gladthat you're with me on the
(00:24):
podcast today.
You know I get a lot ofquestions from students either
in my foundations course or inthe mentoring program, or even
just people chatting me uponline asking about this phrase,
renewing your mind.
Because, depending on what partof the body of Christ that
you've come from or maybe you'venever heard any teaching about
renewing your mind there can bea lot of misconceptions out
(00:46):
there about what that actuallymeans.
You know a lot of people thinkwell meaning, that renewing your
mind is something that happensto you, that something that you
can go to the altar, get prayedfor and, bam, your mind gets
renewed and listen.
I wish that was the way it was,but in my experience and in
reading God's word, I'vediscovered that renewing your
(01:06):
mind is not something that Goddoes to you, but it's actually
something that God does with you.
And when you understand theprocess of how to start renewing
your mind and what it's reallyfor, it really is very, very,
very empowering.
But it's really important tounderstand a few details, and so
I want to kind of break thatdown for you today.
(01:28):
Wherever you are in yourjourney whether you're an
experienced, you know, maturebeliever or have been walking
with the Lord a long time, oryou're just kind of starting to
learn about what realtransformation means in the
kingdom I hope this is going tobe really valuable for you today
.
So here's my thoughts on this.
I really believe that thetransformative power of renewing
(01:49):
your mind is not about thissort of magic potion, if you
will, to avoid all problems inyour life or trying to instantly
see all of your desires ordreams materialize, sort of like
the new age idea of law ofattraction or that kind of thing
which we don't embrace, or orthis kind of sort of like the
new age idea of law ofattraction, or that kind of
thing which we don't embrace, oror this kind of, you know,
living in a state of positive,toxic positivity, you know where
(02:13):
, where you don't look atanything bad, that everything's
positive.
You're always, you know, headin the clouds and not really
looking at the reality of life.
That kind of approach for me isat best I would say a setup for
disappointment in your life.
That kind of approach for me isat best I would say a setup for
disappointment in your life andat worst it can really be a
manipulative sort of distortionof faith and of your
(02:33):
relationship with God, sort oftrying to treat God like a slot
machine or whatever.
Renewing your mind for me is allabout recalibrating, I think,
what I call the internalframework of your heart and mind
, that is, your mind, will andemotions, what we refer to a lot
of times as your soul, and alsoyour body, your physical body,
(02:53):
bringing those into alignmentwith the truth of God's Word,
not only through His power butalso intentional cooperation
with the Holy Spirit.
Remember, the Bible says inRomans 12, too, that we don't
conform to the pattern of thisworld, that is, we don't do life
, think about life, interpretlife, respond to life the way
(03:14):
everybody else does.
But in other words, we've gotto be transformed, fundamentally
changed, as we renew our mindand that by testing you may
discern what the will of God is,the good and acceptable and
perfect will, In other words,when you learn to think
differently, when you learn todiscern differently, when you
learn to see life through thelens of the kingdom of God,
(03:36):
empowered and led by the HolySpirit, that's when real life
changes.
And so I believe that realtransformation in the kingdom,
in accordance with this idea ofrenewing your mind, is about
supernatural transformation fromthe inside out.
It is not listen now, it is notjust this admonition to
(04:01):
encouragement to think positive.
Well, just think positivethoughts and everything will be
fine.
This is, this is where listenthis is so important.
This is where new agephilosophy and where pop psych,
psychobabble and all this kindof stuff can really get mixed up
with the truth of God's word.
Thinking positive is great,it's wonderful to have a
positive outlook on life andeverything, but that in itself
(04:24):
is not transformative.
Real transformation happens bythe Spirit of God and through
His Word.
And when you begin toexperience that supernatural
transformation, empowered by HisSpirit, it empowers you to see
and hear and walk and respond byfaith to the things that God's
leading you to, whether you'rein an easy time, a challenging
(04:47):
time, an abundant time or a timeof trial.
I mean, remember Paul talkedabout in 2 Corinthians we don't
walk by sight.
We walk by what, by faith.
And so this power of God that'sat work in you and me, and for
us and with us, is not, again,not just something God does to
(05:09):
us, but it's something he doeswith us.
In other words, it getsactivated by your faith-filled
yes.
See, it's this divine powerthat happens through the
renewing of our mind thatenables us to stay the course,
that enables us to call thosethings that are not as though
they were.
It enables us to rise abovelife's circumstances.
(05:30):
It enables us to continuepressing forward despite
setbacks that we may have in ourlife, difficulties, challenges,
all that, Just like Paul saidin Philippians 3, he said I
press toward the goal for theprize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus.
How do you keep present whenthings are going wrong, when you
feel like you're walkingthrough a difficult season, a
(05:51):
trying season, a challengingseason, a season of rainy
despair, and you're like, how doyou keep going?
You keep going by the renewingof your mind, by this power that
is working inside of you.
This, this is why this is somuch more than just well, just
think positive.
Well, just put your mind on thebright side.
No, nobody can do that forever.
(06:12):
We can only live.
We can only live as artists, wecan only live as people called
in the kingdom by the power ofGod, through the transformation
that only comes through therenewing of our mind, when we
learn to think differently andsee differently and discern
differently.
See, renewing our mind allows usto stand firm in this sort of
(06:35):
tension, if you will, of the notyet.
In this sort of tension, if youwill, of the not yet and also
the even so, I'm going to praisehim.
Right, I don't see it yet, buteven in the middle of not
understanding, I'm going to holdthese two things and I'm going
to say God is my refuge andstrength, and him will I trust.
It's the anchor, this renewingour mind process, this principle
(06:56):
in the kingdom.
It's this anchor in our lifethat keeps us steady and it
keeps us from going off courseas we trust his promises, as we
believe his word that says Iknow the plans I have for you,
says the Lord plans to prosperyou and not to harm you, to give
you a hope and a future.
It's an anchor, while we trustin the scripture that says you
(07:19):
know, I'm working all thingstogether for your good, because
you've been called according tomy purpose.
And it's this transformation,this renewing of our mind that
enables us, like Paul says inPhilippians 4,.
He says, hey, listen, I'velearned, in whatever state I'm
in, to be content.
I know how to be abased, I knowhow to abound everywhere and in
(07:43):
all things.
I have learned to be full andto be both hungry and both to
abound and to suffer need.
But I can do all things throughChrist, who strengthens me.
But you can't have access,listen, you can't access that
strength on a day-by-day,moment-by-moment basis, unless
(08:05):
you are leaning into the processof allowing the Holy Spirit to
renew your mind.
Listen, renewing your mindrequires that cooperation,
because that's how the kingdomof God operates.
In other words, we've got tolearn to appropriate by faith
what God has already given us bygrace.
(08:26):
I'm going to say that again.
You got to learn to appropriateby faith, that is, take hold of
through agreement, the thingsthat God has said in his word,
has promised, has given you as aresult of the new covenant, as
a child of God.
You got to learn to grab thosethings by faith, day by day,
moment by moment, and receivethe benefits and blessings and
(08:48):
responsibilities that God hasgiven you by grace.
Listen, this is not somethingthat you got to do on your own.
This is not just again.
Well, just think positive andeverything will be great.
We'll just look on the brightside.
No, again, nobody can do that.
Remember, in Ephesians 2, Paultalks about hey, we're leaning
into this grace, why we'rewalking in a grace-filled life,
(09:12):
why, so that nobody can boast?
None of us can say I made it bymyself.
I made it because I thoughtpositive.
I made it because I manifestedmy dreams into diaries.
No, you didn't.
You made it because you learnedto lean into the power of God.
You made it because you learnedthat even in your weakness, he
is made strong.
(09:32):
You learned that, even thoughyou didn't feel like it, God's
promises were yes and amentowards your life and they were
true.
And as you leaned into that,even in a place of weakness,
God's power was made perfect inyou.
Come on somebody, Woo, that'show the kingdom of God works.
(09:52):
You just got to remember.
And that's all this podcast isabout today.
Remember that renewing your mindis this transformative,
God-ordained, Holy Spirit-ledprocess through which we align
intentionally our body and oursoul and our mind with this
spiritual reality that isalready ours in the Spirit,
(10:15):
because we're new creations.
In other words, listen, yourspirit's already been made a new
creation.
But through renewing of yourmind, through coming into
agreement with what God's wordsays, who you are, what you can
do, what you can have, who he is, what he's promised, as you
begin to intentionally alignwith that, your spirit, your
(10:36):
soul and your body come intoalignment with what your spirit
already, your soul and your bodycome into alignment with what
your spirit already enjoys as anew creation in Christ.
Listen, my friend, if thatdidn't encourage you today, as I
say, if that didn't light yourfire, your woods wet.
I hope that you realize thatwalking in the kingdom of God
(10:57):
and thriving in the kingdom ofGod will not happen if you try
harder, will not happen throughall the pop culture and
psychobabble of this world.
It only happens through theinside out, God ordained process
of renewing your mind andleaning into the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, learning to hearHis voice, learning to walk with
(11:19):
Him every day.
Listen, I want to pray for you,my friend, today, because when
you start to get this, major,major change can happen, start
happening quickly in your life.
And, Father, I just thank youfor that right now.
Lord, I thank you that you havemade a way, you've made
provision for us to see real,measurable change in our life,
(11:39):
not because we're good enough,not because we did it in our own
strength, but because, God, weuse the faith that you gave us
as a gift to appropriate thethings that you've already
restored to us by grace, and wethank you that when we do that,
your Holy Spirit is there tolead, guide, empower and
encourage us along the way.
Thank you that this reality ispossible for every one of us,
(12:02):
because we love you, becausewe're called according to your
purpose, because we're yourchildren.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
Hey, listen, my friend, I'm soglad that you're with me today.
If you are looking to, you saywow, Matt, this is so, so good.
I would love to be able to divemore into that.
You can absolutely do that inwhat we call the Foundations
(12:23):
Course.
It's available right now.
It's an on-demand course that'savailable on our website.
You can start at any time.
You can join us inside of ourFacebook community and walk this
journey inside of a communityof people that are committed to
seeing their lives transformedby the power of God, seeing
their art come alive, notthrough their own you know their
(12:46):
own power and their own tryingharder but learning how to
co-labor with the Lord and whathe has for them in their art, in
their life, in their business,the way God intended, Again,
from the inside out.
Check out the Foundationscourse.
All the information is at thelink right here you can also, if
you're just listening and wantto go, you can go to
matttommymentoringcom forwardslash foundations and find out
(13:11):
all about the course Superaffordable, available now.
We'd love to see you inside andstart helping you really begin
to break through in these areasso that you can walk in all of
the purpose and plans that Godhas for you in your life.
I love you, my friend.
Remember until next time.
You were created to thrive.
Bye, hey.
(13:32):
Thanks so much for spending afew minutes with me today on the
podcast.
Listen.
I hope it's been a hugeencouragement to you on your
journey as an artist.
Hey, also, before you leave,make sure to hit the subscribe
button so you don't miss any ofthe other episodes of the
Thriving Christian Artistpodcast, and also be sure to
connect with me on Facebook,Instagram or at my website,
which is matttommymentoringcom.
(13:54):
Until next time, remember youwere created to thrive.
Bye-bye.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com