Renewing Our Minds

While cleaning the bathtub this morning, a thought came to mind. I really didn't think the tub needed to be cleaned. I just cleaned it last Monday and you couldn't really see any grime on the surface. I knew if I did not clean it today, that by Wednesday or Thursday, it would be obvious that I did not clean on Monday. Sometime we are like that with our spiritual lives. We may think we don't need the Word today. We aren't doing that bad an hour or two into our day. The kids are playing,we've gotten a lot done,and we're feeling pretty good. As the day progresses it is evident we have not went before the Lord in prayer to ask for His grace,love,patience,and kindness today. I know, I have been there. It has happened to me before.

Or we may think, I cannot see any sin in myself so I must be doing pretty good. We're just blind to our own sins. We don't realize the little foxes can harm us badly. The "little" sins don't seem like much,but they are much. Any sin is detestable in God's eyes. It says in Romans 3:10  'that there none righteous no not one.' In Romans 3:23 it says,'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' I know at times I think I'm doing pretty good,but then I strike and I realize my heart is deceitful above all things. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9. God knows our hearts and that is why He wants us to be transformed by the renewing of the Word.

So how can we keep sin out of our lives? Well, I don't believe we will ever stop sinning until we are in heaven. I have heard many sermons on how Christians can be sinless. I don't believe we can. Only Jesus was sinless. We can and should certainly strive to sin less daily. So how can we be more keen on hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives so we can avoid sin?

Here are a few ways:

• read God's Word- There is nothing like being washed in the Word. His Word has all we need. Reproof,encouragement,correction,love,grace,and so much more. Getting into it daily will help our spirits to grow and help us to be more keen to the Holy Spirit's leading.
• pray daily and throughout the day- I think a time of focused prayer is needed. It doesn't have to be long,but take time before you start your day to thank God for the day,ask for wisdom,and to be aware of the Holy Spirits leading. Do it while you put on your clothes,make up,or while you are in the shower if that works for you.
• guard our hearts and minds- This begins with the Word and prayer. Doing those two things will make it easier to guard our hearts and minds. We should be careful what we dwell on daily and who we let influence us daily. Our hearts are deceitful about all else,so submitting it to God daily is the only way to do it.
• guard our eyes and ears- We should be careful what we listen too and what we watch. Those two things will affect our hearts,minds,and actions. Listen to Christian music,be careful not to watch t.v. shows/movies that condone sin and make light of it. That will only desensitize you to sin around you. This is so important as believers.
• have friends who encourage you in the Lord- You cannot hide from the world,but you don't have to dwell with them all the time. You may work with secular people who are not encouraging you,but you can choose who you spend your free time with outside of work. Be sure to have friends who will lift you up and keep you accountable. If you are married,find couples who encourage and challenge you.
• have friends who you can talk with when you do fail (same sex friends; women talk with women and men talk to men)- I would say that your number one friend should be your spouse. If they aren't a believer,make sure you don't cross the line with the opposite sex and be emotionally tied to someone else. I have a couple of ladies (some I have never met,but we have created a friendship online) that I talk too when I am down or I need direction. Some are older and some are younger than me. It's good to have someone to just get another perspective from as long as they don't have a worldly perspective.

We have to renew our minds. It's so important. If you have children,you are responsible for teaching them the ways of God. Our lives will speak the loudest to them. We will be held accountable for our actions by God Almighty. Be encouraged, the things I mentioned are easily attainable,it takes some dying to self and a desire to remain pure before God.

Looking In the Mirror of the Word

The other day I was straightening my hair trying to get the wave out. I was intently focused on getting it just right. I love to fix my hair and put on make-up. Before having kids I never went anywhere without make-up. I just love being a girly girl. Now, if I put on make-up my boys ask me where are we going that day. Ha! Funny how things change isn't it?

The Holy Spirit began to reveal something to me. If we spent half the time in the mirror of God's Word, as we do in the physical mirror perfecting our physique how much more like Jesus could we be? We pay so much attention to our face and hair. I know that it takes some women hours to get ready. We want our eye shadow to look just right and have a dramatic effect to make our eyes pop out. We wax or pluck our eye brows so they look perfect. We make sure every lash is covered in mascara and want them to look full and long. Is that wrong? I don't think it is,if that isn't what drives you. If you know that it is just make-up and our worth isn't in it,then I think there is nothing wrong with it. But if we value our physical beauty over our spiritual beauty,we need to stop and re-evaluate things.

What if we intently looked into the Word of God and let it change us? What if we were so particular about our actions,words,and obedience to the Word? I think our homes would look a lot different. I think even our churches and our society would look a lot different. The Word says in II Corinthians 3:18 that we are changed by the Spirit of the Lord, But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. The Bible is our mirror. It will show us the imperfections,the sins,and the ugliness of ourselves. It is to be our guide for life. What is more beautiful than a soul that is gentle,loving,patient,and kind? That is what God wants us to focus on. He wants us to be beautiful inside more than He does on the outside.

Our society pushes physical beauty and we are bombarded with perfecting our bodies. It's good for us not to get caught up in that. It is very easy to do because the world seems to exalt those with beautiful faces and perfect hair. They look down on those who don't keep up with the latest trends and try the latest work outs. Those who are not slim and trim are looked at shamefully. Even those who are not "pretty" to look upon are rejected. God looks deeper than our Cover Girl and CHI. He cares much more about how we treat others,how we handle disruptions,and how we love our families than how straight our hair is. That is so hard to remember for me at times. I fall prey to keeping up with what the world says is beautiful. It's directly opposite to what God says is beautiful. I'm so thankful He isn't worried about my waist size,my hair,or my face. He doesn't measure us by those things. He measures our worth by what He says about us. He says we are redeemed and we are His. 

Don't let the world,the devil,yourself,or others make you feel less than God says you are. With His Spirit in us,we can strive to walk in the godliness He has called us too.

I have been reading a new ebook called More Than Rules by Bambi Moore,she blogs at In the Nursery of the Nation. It is so convicting. She not only talks about this,but being modesty in our talk also. Check it out if you haven't already.