Romans 12:3 invites us to spiritual transformation by renewing the mind. So “how” do we do this? Memorizing scriptures, while useful, doesn’t do it and is not what St Paul meant. The interpretation of this scripture is given a few chapters earlier in Romans 8:6, “the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”
A renewed mind is one that is controlled by the Spirit within us, that part of us where God dwells. Control of the mind by the Spirit isn’t minute by minute “words from God.” It’s not making an effort to have different thoughts. It’s transcending thoughts.
Renewing the mind its rewiring the broken “mind of sinful man” where neural pathways are programmed with “death” – thought patterns that pursue the unhealthy need for security, control and affirmation, otherwise known as the “sinful nature.”
One practice that renews the mind is “waiting on God” – silent prayer, meditation, contemplation. The practice is what Jesus’ first taught on prayer “go into your inner room and close the door.” He wasn’t suggesting a physical location but a spiritual posture; one of going beyond the mind into the inner place of the heart. And closing the door to thoughts.
This is the prayer of the heart where we train our distracted minds to submit to our desire to rest in God’s presence. This is the “secret place” where our neural pathways are rewired and the “mind of sinful man that is death” is restructured. Thought patterns that separate us from God are dissolved as we enjoy intimate connection with God’s indwelling presence. The mind doesn’t doesn’t fix the mind. Rising above the mind into the Spirit, into Presence, is what renews the mind and transforms our lives.
This takes the regular and disciplined practice of silent prayer. Contemplative prayer.
Rob Gerhard 
Well said!!
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