The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but by ye transformed by the renewing of our mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” But that process takes time. How do we make future decisions based on past information? And not just any decision, but one that will glorify God to the fullest and put us in divine alignment with the path that God wants to take us, one that would propel us into our destiny.
All our present habits, mannerisms and thought patterns are the results of past “programming” from parents, teachers, peers, co-workers, television, and a variety of sources. This programming is often referred to as “old tapes,” since our minds retain everything. Some old tapes are good. We may be programmed to stop at a red light, or brush our teeth every day, say thank you when appropriate and act according to certain social standards. We accept these tapes without thinking about them, but we also accept other tapes such as “I have my father’s temper,” or “I’m lousy with math,” or “You make me sick,” or other negative confessions that come out of our mouths on a regular basis.
When the subconscious mind is full of negative tapes, it’s virtually impossible to stay in a positive frame of mind unless those tapes are changed. We must find a way to once and for all remove the triggers that throw us back into the process that has us play those old tapes. Psalm 6:4 — Return, O Lord, deliver my soul; oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.
Let’s look at this in several different parts to analyze how the soul works.
First let’s examine the mind, but I want to look at this a little differently. Let’s look at what I call the real mind of a person, which is the heart. It’s important because the mind as we know it can deceive us, but the heart shows the real intent and behavior of a person. But just as there is what I call the real mind, there is another mind. Let’s put it this way: there’s a subconscious mind that you use on a daily basis for behaviors you have already been trained by time and circumstance to know what to do and not do. For example, if you come to a red light, you already know that you should stop. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 23:7 (a), for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. So the heart of a man determines what he’s really thinking, and it will come out in his actions.