Renew Your Mind

This past weekend I woke up singing a song that I used to sing a few years back. The words to the song went something like this:

Worship, worship Jesus.

Come into His presence with Thanksgiving (2x)

And be renewed (2x)

And be renewed in the presence of the Lord

Repeat

Worship, worship Jesus

Come into the presence of the Lord

While the words in this song rang loudly in my spirit, I knew that I was being drawn by God’s Holy Spirit to come and spend time in the presence of the Lord to be renewed. I needed an attitude adjustment. I’ve been short tempered and just simply exhausted. I just haven’t been myself. And before I managed to breakdown, the Lord saw me and sent his word through a song that would lead me to a breakthrough. He knew exactly where I was headed, but He already prepared a place for me. All I needed to do was to stop and make spending time with Him a priority. I needed to be renewed.

The word renew means to make new again, to be refreshed and strong again. This is exactly what I needed. My mind and spirit needs to be made new. The only way I can achieve this is to spend time with the Lord in his presence. Many of us realize that, however, we haven’t made this a daily practice. We aren’t walking in the truth of what the word says. Ephesians 4:23 simply says, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Think about this…How do you provide ongoing maintenance for your vehicle? You make sure that the car receives an oil change, tire rotation, transmission fluid, etc. We have to do the same with our spirits. We have to continually be renewed and refreshed. This world brings so much wear and tear on our minds and bodies that we cannot afford to ignore the flashing signs of maintenance.  We need to be made new again.

Being renewed can be achieved by taking the following steps:

1. Repentance – Seek repentance for not seeking the Lord and trying to carry the burden yourself. God’s word says “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” Matt 11:28
2. Devotion – Identify a time to be with the Lord and lay everything at his feet. Choose a time when you are alone and not easily interrupted. It may not start out as a lot of time, but every minute counts. A few minutes in God’s presence can change the outcome of any situation.
3. Worship – Sing or listen to a song that will help you to meditate on the Lord. Remove any thoughts about your situation and focus on God’s goodness, his grace and mercy.
4. Be Still – Quiet yourself and listen for a still small voice. His voice sounds like his word. Sometimes his voice will lead you to a scripture that you can look up to learn more about what He is saying. Just be still and listen.
5. Journal – Journal your experience. Write down what happen. How did you feel? What were your thoughts?
6. Repeat the practice

When we consistently spend time in the presence of the Lord our outward and inward appearance will change. We will see the results and so will others. My time with the Lord is during the mornings on my long commute into work. During this time, I can turn off the radio and listen for the voice of the Lord. Sometimes he will send a song or remind me of a scripture. Sometimes, I will be reminded to pray for someone. By the time I get to work, I am happy and I feel free. I have a renewed strength and I am reminded of my assignment. I challenge you to follow these steps towards being renewed. Jesus can meet you right where you are. Be blessed and remember to subscribe to Going Inward. Leave a comment below. I would love to hear how you are finding time to go inward to seek God.