Renewed Power and Purpose

By: Kathie Welch

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1

The verse above was the verse of the day in an email I recently received. But in that same batch of emails, there were ones with politically charged headlines; 70% discount offers from vendors; and a news alert about possible food contamination. Fortunately, I opened the verse of the day first! I read that verse as if I were the one writing it: exalting God for His goodness, faithfulness, and truth. In essence, I was doing what Paul advised in the book of Colossians, Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

We are living in a time of constant change, and the last few years have included changes we would have never imagined a decade ago. Technology has become so refined that we are never more than minutes away from notifications of the latest current event. But a steady stream of these alerts can overwhelm us, fostering feelings of hopelessness and despair.

But as Christ followers, we have a choice! We can choose not to allow that barrage of notifications (usually bad news) by “setting our minds on things above” as Colossians 3:2 says. We must set our minds on God first thing each morning and again throughout our day. More than ever, we must renew our minds with an unhurried, daily, personal time with God.

Ways we can renew our minds.

1. Praying to God with thanksgiving and worship.
2. Scripture reading and meditating on what we’ve read.
3. Confessing our sins to the Lord humbly and honestly.
4. Listening for that still, small voice that God uses to speak to our hearts.
5. Journaling what we have experienced in our quiet time with God.

Fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word and the fruits of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—Ask the Holy Spirit to help you filter out the garbage that is bombarding your mind. Christ follower, above all, make sure to spend time with God each day. He created you uniquely, so your quiet time with Him is also unique. Ask God to help you "fine-tune" your time with Him so you can glean everything you can from it. Then, He will equip you to make a difference in our crazy world for Christ!

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Renew your mind by spending time with God. Ask Him to fill you with spiritual power and purpose!