Renewing Our Mind

 

Paul admonishes us not to conform our thoughts, words and action to this world, but to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us and to renew our mind (Romans 12:2).

We feel remorse for our ungodly thoughts and behavior, repent of them as sin, and submit to God's Spirit as He renovates us into the fruitful character and divine nature of Christ (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:4).

Satan uses the enticements of the world to distract us from our commitment to God. He lures us away through the lusts of our eyes and flesh, as well as our pride in our accomplishments (1 John 2:16).

When these temptations stop working on us, then the devil uses worthy responsibilities, as well as the expectations of others to sidetrack us to use our time for good things rather than to devote our time to God's will for us.

If we say "No", we may disappoint someone else, but we please our Lord and God. When we boldly choose to focus on God's will, we submit to His Spirit as He renews our mind and directs our steps (Ephesians 4:23, 5:26; Proverbs 3:5-6).

As we regularly ingest God's Word, we sorrow over our sin to the point of repentance, which helps us to walk in the good, acceptable and perfect will of God (2 Corinthians 7:9; Romans 12:2).

Our former Adamic nature dies and our soul is reprogrammed by Christ and His Spirit in us, as well as the life and light of scripture, which sharply divides our soul and spirit (Colossians 3:3; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 4:12). 

Prayer:                                                                  

Father God, life gives us choices, on a daily basis, to either walk in Your Spirit or to succumb to the devil and our flesh. Thank You for convicting us when we walk on the path of destruction and for helping us to find our way back to Your true and righteous path for our life.

Help us to live according to Your ways and to cherish Your love throughout our life. We want to serve You with our whole being and to love You with our whole heart by Your Spirit, whom You graciously provided for us. We give You all of the praise and glory for the many benefits, which You shower on us with each moment of our life.

Thought for the Day:

In repentance, we find freedom from sin; and by reading God's Word and hiding it in our heart, we renew our mind and walk in righteousness, peace and joy, which His Holy Spirit births in our soul and spirit. 

- Romans 14:17; Psalm 119:11;

Living in the Will of God

Living in the Will of God is not difficult, but it does take practice. The biggest hindrance is that we humans want to do things our own way.

We make a pros and cons list in our head about any action before we do it; and that usually causes us to miss God’s will. Human logic has no place in walking in the Spirit.

As we live in God’s will, the only consideration we make, when a thought enters our mind, is do we feel complete peace about it and is it aligned with God’s Word.

If we have any reservations or if the thought is not scriptural, then that thought is from the world, our flesh or the devil. In this case, we need to continue to wait on God in prayer.

Did you ever notice that God is never in a hurry? God also never gives us a detailed plan for His will ahead of time. He rarely tells us what to do until the moment He is ready for us to do it.

This is for our safety more than anything. Otherwise, if He revealed His will before His timing, we would jump ahead of Him or attempt to do it for Him.

Even if the task God calls us to do is unpleasant, His joy is our strength and His peace is our confidence (Nehemiah 8:10; 2 Corinthians 3:4).

Satan may attempt to distract, discourage and derail our attempts to walk in the will of God (Luke 4:13; 1 John 2:16). However, God always helps us to discern His truth over Satan’s lies (Galatians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Living in the center of God’s will is the happiest place on earth.

Prayer:
Father God, we have so much assurance that we can trust You with the specifics of our life. Thank You for keeping us in the palm of Your hand and that no one can deter us from living in Your perfect will for our life (John 10:28-30).

We are so grateful that our security and our future do not depend on our human capabilities, but on You and Your faithfulness to us. Remind us not to rush ahead of You, or to work for You, but to follow Your Spirit each moment of every day.

Thought for the Day:

Our future is in the capable hands of our Creator and our hope is secure in Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:19