Most of us don’t struggle with a lack of information. We struggle with a lack of change.

We know the verses, and we’ve heard the sermons. Yet, we still find ourselves reacting the same way, stuck in the same patterns, and returning to the same thoughts we swore we’d outgrow by now.

So we wonder: If my mind is being renewed, why do I still think like this? Why does the Word of God seem powerful for others but muted in me? Why does truth sometimes feel like it bounces off instead of breaking through?

Scripture tells us to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind,” but what happens when renewal feels more theoretical than transformational? What if the problem isn’t that the Word isn’t getting into us, but that it’s colliding with something already inside us?

Mind renewal isn’t just about what you take in. It’s about what you’re willing to let go of.

What is Mind Renewal?

When Christians talk about mind renewal, they are referencing Romans 12:2, which says:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans NKJV)

I don’t know about you, but I want to prove the perfect will of God in my life! 

In short, mind renewal involves trading your thoughts, beliefs, will, and emotions for God’s thoughts. It is the process of aligning every part of your life to biblical truth. As a result, you are able to hear God more clearly and fulfill the plans He has for you. 

My favorite definition of the word renew is renovate.

My wife Becky and I have fixed and flipped several houses. The renovation process involves far more than cleaning carpets or painting walls. True renovation requires tearing out what no longer works so that something new can take its place.

Mind renewal works the same way. It’s a structural change, not a cosmetic improvement.

However, many people approach mind renewal as information overload. They will listen to sermon after sermon and read book after book, but for some reason, transformation isn’t taking place. 

Here is why: mind renewal is as much about what you release as what you receive.

The 2026 WealthBuilders Conference is right around the corner, and we want you to join us for a weekend of worship, prayer, and practical wealth-building workshops! Don’t remain the same—join us February 20-22nd online or in Denver for a transformative weekend. Click here to learn more.

When Information Hits an Idol

Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly calls the Israelites to turn away from their idols. One striking example is found in Ezekiel 14:3–5:

“Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests? Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the Lord, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves. I will do this to capture the minds and hearts of all my people who have turned from me to worship their detestable idols.’” (NLT, emphasis mine)

Just like the Israelites, we often pursue truth in one hand while holding idols in the other. As we read the Word of God, it doesn’t just inform us. It illuminates what already has our allegiance.

God will go to great lengths to dethrone idols and capture your heart, but you have to partner with Him in the process.

And sometimes, we don’t realize what’s sitting on the throne until it’s challenged.

If you don’t think you have idols, try going on a diet.

Several years ago, I was on the Atkins diet and went with a friend to the Cheesecake Factory. While you were finishing your entrée, they would bring a platter of assorted, full-sized slices of cheesecake to the table.

I said, “Get thee behind me,” to the waiter.

I have no idea how it happened, but the chocolate fudge cheesecake jumped off the tray—and I ate every piece.

Related: Who Are You Really Building For? The Spirit of Mammon in the Marketplace

The Idol of Unbelief

Jesus is full of grace and truth (John 1:13). Grace will save you, but it takes truth to change you.

One of the most common idols is the idol of unbelief or, rather, the idol of belief in the wrong thing. Instead of believing in God, a person who serves the idol of disbelief believes in themselves, their money, or any source and/or resource other than God. 

This is the very idol that disqualified a whole generation of Israelites from entering the Promised Land. Hebrews 4:2 (NKJV) says, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”

If you want the gospel to profit you to the fullest measure, information must become revelation, and revelation must lead to transformation.

The Cycle of Change

1. Information

There is more information today than there has been at any point in history. Buckminster Fuller’s Knowledge Doubling Curve suggested that until 1900, human knowledge doubled about every 100 years. By 1945, it doubled every 25 years. Due to the rapid increase in technology, today information doubles roughly every thirteen years.

There are roughly three billion blog posts just like this one published every year. However, just because there is more information available does not mean we are being transformed.

That’s because information must become revelation in order to have lasting value.

Our idols and strongholds can keep the Word of God stuck at the information stage if we don’t tear them down and replace them with truth.

Second Corinthians 10:3–6 explains it this way:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”

God cannot renovate what we refuse to surrender. He will not force His way past the high places in our minds—the prideful opinions, false beliefs, and internal narratives that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.

2. Revelation

Revelation is personal. It is truth that moves from being understood to being known. It is not merely something you agree with; it is something that grips you.

Revelation comes from the Holy Spirit. As Jesus says in John 16:13:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…”

And receiving this truth will require dying to self.

Consider the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Most people are familiar with metamorphosis, but fewer have heard of programmed cell death—the process by which certain cells in the caterpillar actually die so the butterfly can emerge.

In the same way, parts of our old thinking must die for new life to take shape.

Jesus speaks to this reality when He says that new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins (Luke 5:37–38). Old wineskins represent familiar patterns, comfort zones, and internal idols that cannot stretch to hold what God wants to do next.

Revelation often feels uncomfortable because it confronts what we’ve relied on and invites us to trust God instead.

Related: Have a New Dream? Here’s How to Embrace Change and Give God a New Wineskin

3. Transformation

Transformation is the fruit of sustained revelation. It’s where true mind renewal takes place. Over time, revelation reshapes not just what you think, but how you live. 

Second Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) tells us:

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

That is good news!

If you want to join a community of believers who want to transform their hearts, families, and communities according to God’s Word, we want to see you at The 2026 WealthBuilders Conference, February 20–22 in Denver, Colorado and online.

This is a dedicated space for believers who want to steward well, advance God’s Kingdom, and leave a lasting legacy.

It is a time of worship, practical workshops, and prophetic prayer to help you faithfully step into your next season.

If you sense that God is doing something in you through your work—stretching you, refining you, calling you higher—this is a place to pause and listen, grow in wisdom, and be strengthened in community. Click here to learn more and register.