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Life Transformed – Renewing the Carnal Mind – Part 1

August 5, 2009 | Comments Off



Every now and then I run across a book that I want to assign to every ministry client, every small group leader and member. Everyone I know… Life Transformed by John Loren Sandford and R. Loren Sandford is such a book. The subtitle says it all: “How to renew your mind, overcome old habits, and become the person God designed you to be.”

The authors open the book by saying, “Our minds are like computers. Once the mind has ingrained a way of thinking, it maintains a kind of inertia, a habitual track it never leaves unless jolted or forced off track…. It is habitual tracks of the mind that defeat the fruits of ministry more than anything else.”

I just had this conversation with a ministry client last week. She had received deliverance ministry and felt instantly better, but within a couple of days she visited her mom and sank right back into the same old hole she’s always in. What happened? Removing demonic spirits can be effective, even essential, for healing. However, without the ability to renew the mind, the fruit often won’t last the weekend. That’s why I always try to add education on renewing the mind to any spiritual work I do. IMHO, the two must be paired.

rutsThe Sandfords use a term that I’ve used for years in teaching renewing the mind–that is, the concept of ruts. Our habitual thinking develops ruts in our minds. Just like a muddy country road where cars have driven the same path over and over, so the synapses in our brains form ruts. These ruts make it difficult to think differently unless we are very intentional. The Standfords say, “The mind must learn to think in new ways. Habitual tracks of thought must be overcome before the new way of Christ can be built.”

They continue, “Every Christian must deal with a twofold problem in his mind. First, he must root out and destroy the practiced tracks of thinking he may never have realized are bondages. Without help he cannot do this. Secondly, he must seek to build new roots in the Spirit, in the mind of Christ.”

The book then addresses this need in a systematic manner. The writing is clear, understandable, and powerful. The Sandfords emphasize the need to die to sin, to die to our carnal minds, and to live for Christ. Not a popular message these days, but essential. This book is a five-star in my opinion. If your group does book studies, this would be one spend the next year on.

We’ll look at a few more points over the next four posts.

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