A Renewed Mind

Have you ever gotten emotional?

Hopefully the answer is a given; emotion, especially as women, is a prevalent factor in our lives. These little feelings have the power to transform our entire day, all on their own. When I took Human Anatomy a few years ago, one of the most interesting parts was the study of what emotions were. Medically, they're just a collection of chemicals and enzymes released from the brain, often due to hormonal factors. My first question was immediately: "Can you have them removed???"

Emotional experiences can feel beautiful, but they can also be painful, annoying, and depressing. More than that, we often give them the ability to control us and the way we live.

This morning, I heard a message that, for the first time, made me realize that I didn't have to continue giving them that power over me.

When we are redeemed by the cross, Paul says we become a new creation and, in Romans 12, that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Sometimes, I think it's hard to let that change take over. I realized for the first time today that I had been trying to live out the Christian life, but I wasn't allowing my mind to be renewed. I wanted to follow Jesus, serve others, and turn outward, but all of those desires passed through the lens of the flesh, because, for the most part, that was still what was in charge my mind.

A lot happened to me this week... so much more than I could ever have time to write down. I spent time running around downtown Kansas City with amazing people, had sleepovers and coffee dates with friends, and went to an incredible worship conference. There were tears, deep conversations about life and faith, and powerful scenes of hundreds of people re-dedicating their lives to Jesus. But that wasn't what moved me the most. I left that week impacted by a small group of people I had gotten to spend some time with, who seemed to live with renewed minds. You could sense the love of Jesus in them so clearly, and the whole time I was just thinking, I want to be like them.

It's amazing to think about the fact that we can think with the mind of Christ; that we can process everything that enters through the lens of faith, and have the ability to think what Jesus thought, and to see people as he sees them.

This is the gift of grace. Grace can't be earned, but it can be accessed. Just because grace is there doesn't mean we've taken a hold of it in our lives; we have to be willing to live inside of it.

Part of the work of grace is that we can live and walk in freedom, not controlled by our emotions. We have the ability to resist the feelings of depression or fear. Jesus set the pattern in Matthew 4, when he resisted temptation with the famous words "It is written". He combated the lies of the Enemy by speaking truth over the situation.

What would happen if we applied that principle to our own spiritual battles?  If, instead of wallowing in guilty, we spoke the truth over our hearts that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Rather than giving way to depression, reminding our souls that there is a reason and a call to rejoice. And as an alternative to loneliness, standing in the knowledge that He is with us always, even to the end of the age.

In Romans 6:14, Paul writes that sin will not have dominion over us. That doesn't mean attacks won't come; it's going to be an uphill battle. But the promise of God is that the Enemy will not that battle; sin will not stand as the victor. Yes, you will still stumble and you won't be able to live perfectly. But you are no longer a slave to sin; you are a child of God, and there is rest in His arms of love.

You have access to a renewed mind in Christ. Are you willing to fight the fight that He is calling you to?

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Worship Song: 

"We Will Not be Shaken",
by Brian Johnson (Bethel Music)