Romans 12: 2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I wrote the second part of this post in August but it’s even more true for me today–more than a month later. September was a busy–busy month for me. I had a new book release (GAME ON) and along with that more than 30 guest visits on other people’s blogs and…my husband’s birthday, our 15th anniversary, two camping trips and a week-long visit with my brother and sisters from out of state and two chemotherapy treatments.

Yes, I’m back on chemotherapy in hopes that it will restore my hearing to what it was in May before I started having “episodes” with my hearing once again. It’s been more than four years of treatments for my brain tumors, losing more of my balance and my hearing. And I hate to admit it but I’m discouraged.

And that’s why I am posting RENEWING YOUR MIND again. I need to be reminded that renewing your mind is something that needs done–all the time. If we don’t then we can start to believe the devil’s lies. What sort of lies? That God doesn’t really love us  or we wouldn’t be going through this. That we’re all alone in our struggles. That we might as well accept our situation because it’s not going to get better…the lies can go on and on.

It’s up to us to not listen to those lies and to keep our focus on how good God is and how much He loves us and that God still has a good plan for us no matter what our circumstances are at the moment and we do that by….

RENEWING YOUR MIND

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. But exactly how do we do that? The “experts” say we do that by reading and studying God’s Word. And I think they’re right. Of course, there are other things (going to church; praying; being thankful; praising God are a few examples) we can do as well but reading, studying, and believing God’s Word are surely the best ways.

But why do we need to the renewing of our minds?  Life can be really difficult. First we have our own personal problems such as chronic illness, money problems, and difficult family relationships to name just a few. Then there’s the state of the country and the world to worry about, not to mention all the difficulties of our friends and families. Let’s not forget about all the tragedies we see on the nightly news

If we don’t renew our mind on a regular basis, sadness, sorrow, worry, anxiety, and even anger are going invade our thoughts. And by regular basis I mean every day–or more. The more we dwell on the negative–on how helpless we are or how “bad” the world is the more negative we become. Before you know it, we’ve lost the peace and joy that is our spiritual birthright.

And that’s why we need the renewing of our mind on a regular basis. But like the infomercials says–wait…that’s not all! Yes renewing our mind will keep us in a good place spiritually, but it does so much more than that. The second part of the verse says, Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.  As we renew our minds, we will begin to know God’s will for us.

How good is that!

GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!