Building the Bridge - by Coker Deborah Jean

Dear woman,As I promised, I would always bring our conversations and revelations back to you, so here we are. Let’s dive into the mystery of Scripture. Still rooted in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We’ve discussed what conformity and transformation mean. We’ve explored why transformation is essential in our journey as women. But how does this transformation happen? Why must the mind be renewed? Why not the spirit, which we know is already aligned with God? The Mind as a Bridge I was talking with my friends, my tribe. These are women on the same journey of transformation. (Side note: If you don’t yet have a tribe, I highly recommend asking God for one.) We were encouraging one of us who was feeling low and unworthy of God’s promise, and as we shared, the Holy Spirit began to teach us something profound: The mind is the bridge between the spiritual and physical realms. He explained that the spirit, soul, and body share a kind of spiritual portal—an interface where information and intention from heaven are meant to be downloaded into earthly manifestation. But here’s the catch: the mind is the bridge. Whatever flows from the spirit must pass through the mind before it manifests in the body or the natural realm. Purpose and the Need for Mind Renewal When we are born, we are not born purposeless. There is always an intention behind our creation. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” —Jeremiah 1:5 This shows that God doesn’t create and then assign purpose—He creates purpose and then forms the person. Paul echoes this in Romans 9:20–21: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” Everything God does is intentional. There are no accidents with Him. But here’s the mystery: though purpose exists in the spirit, it requires a renewed mind to bring it into reality. I once heard a mentor say, “Satan cannot tamper with what God has said concerning you, but he can tamper with you.” How does he do that, though? By attacking the mind. When a child is born, we say he has no mind of his own, but he has a spirit and a body. Over the years, a mind begins to form, shaped by experiences and cultural, parental, environmental, and personal biases. The enemy often, if not always, focuses on the mind, creating weak structures that cannot carry the load of purpose. I have often noticed that my insecurities were not formed as an adult but as a child, mostly during my teenage years, and these things tend to participate in my journey as inhibitors, especially when it has to do with walking in purpose. Not just me, so many people in the Bible first refused their calling due to one mind inhibitor or another. Moses said he was a stammerer, Jeremiah said he was too young, and Gideon also gave God his own excuse. By the way, what are your inhibitors? But every single one of them was created for the very thing they were called to. So, what was the problem? A child who was constantly silenced or overlooked will not respond to leadership the same way a child who was encouraged to speak would. Even if God calls both into visible influence, one will wrestle harder. Not because the calling is unclear, but because the mind was trained to shrink. And before purpose can be embraced, the mind must be reconfigured. Conformity seeks to maintain rather than challenge. A few affirming words might provide a quick fix. Therapy might guide you closer to your purpose. But these approaches still operate within an existing worldview. They do not fundamentally change the mind. They simply work around it. Conformity demands that your willpower do the fixing. Transformation, however, comes with the most accurate understanding of what needs to be done and offers to work on you rather than requiring you to work on yourself. Transformation understands humanity's fallen nature, the spiritual misalignment and inevitable confrontations that arise, and comes adequately prepared to address these realities. It guides you through both the foundational and intricate aspects of discovering your purpose. Whenever I get a request from friends or acquaintances to join me in working with the teenagers in Modernesty, I suggest they go to God first. And if there is a yes, the first thing I say is this. Always keep in mind that you are not only dealing with a person, but with a spirit too. You have to see beyond this being some charity work to boost your spiritual CV. Only the Holy Spirit can guide you to what that spirit needs. You cannot allow your emotions or righteous anger to cloud your discernment. Why?Because you cannot guide someone into purpose with a mind that is still conformed. You cannot discern clearly with a mind shaped more by culture than by Christ. And you cannot carry spiritual weight with mental structures that were never renewed. Transformation does not guess or improvise. It works with a blueprint, an already weighed and measured model, Jesus. As I said in the previous letter: “If I created a universe, it would have to rely on my knowledge as its truth. Because that would be the foundation, the building blocks of its existence; therefore, if a God created this universe, then the building blocks of its existence can only be sustained by the knowledge of God.” Transformation works with this understanding. Purpose begins with a renewed mind. I have said enough. Until next time.

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