Renewing Your Mind or Dulling Your Senses?
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Hey beautiful, happy Tuesday!! β I hope your week has been going well so far, and if it isn't I hope this will give you a boost of encouragement to get your week turned around! π β I was thinking about todayβs email topic - renewing the mind - and thought I would be using the obvious verses of Romans 12:1-2 (and yes these verses absolutely apply to this email!), but as I was wondering what was on the heart of our Heavenly Father to share with you today this question came to mind : "Are you renewing your mind or dulling your senses?" I pondered the answer to that question in my own lifeβ¦ β β With access to so much information these days it can be easy to become disengaged, numb, and almost mindless as we over-consume information at rapid speeds. Between the TV, the news, podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and reels/TikTok we have access to more information in less time than ever before. β Before we know it we can rack up hours of use on these platforms (and others) without even realizing it and without even remembering what we actually read, watched, or listened to. β And the craziest part is that it has become so normal to be in this pattern of mindless content consumption. Not only does it take our mind off the present moment and disconnect us from whatever is happening around us, it also wastes hours of valuable time we will never get back. (I know because I have fallen into this pattern myself!) β Due to this "normal" way of life we almost become like information hoarders. Learning a lot of things (if we retain anything at all) and then doing nothing with it. Letting the information pile up in our minds like stacks of books, articles, or magazines (if you want to get a visual), making us believe we are accomplishing great things when in reality we are just creating bondage that is keeping us chained up and unable to truly move in what God has purposed us to do. β How does this relate to our spiritual lives? Well, these same habits we use to learn new things in a general sense tend to be the same habits we have in our spiritual walk with God. β Because many times we are learning something new in God's word, receiving an idea or strategy, or being called in a specific direction, but instead of making a move we brush it off, procrastinate, and/or are not actually utilizing the information we received from God in an active way. β What does this look like in a real life situation? Maybe it look something like going to church on Sundays, listening to the worship + the sermon from our pastor, being convicted or getting fired up (hopefully) and then not opening our bibles again the rest of the week or applying anything we learned on Sunday to our day-to-day lives. β Inactivity leads to laziness and that laziness is a very slippery slope leading straight to a lukewarm heart towards God. β Lukewarm? Yikes! Have you read the verses in Revelation 3 about being lukewarm and the lukewarm church? It is not good... β We can find the specific verses in Revelation 3:14-22: β 14 βAnd to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
βThese things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
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15 βI know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
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16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
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17 Because you say, βI am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothingββand do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and nakedβ
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18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
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19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
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20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
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21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
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22 βHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.β
β βΈοΈ Pause: Let's stop here for a moment βΈοΈ Thankfully there is an opportunity to turn this situation around right here and right now through repentance! (Which we actually talked about last week. If you missed that email and want to check it out you can find it here. ) β And if you are feeling God speaking to you and tugging at your heart through these verses - please do not hesitate - respond to His prompting right away and repent. TODAY is the day of salvation! π β βΆοΈ Now we can resume... βΆοΈ So if we desire to be zealous for God, as Revelation tells us to be, how can we do that instead of being over-consumers of everything coming our way? β β What would that look like? π€ β Maybe it would look like making a plan or writing out the steps from what you learned in a way that applies to your life. β Maybe it would look like taking it to God in prayer because it sparked something in your heart. β Maybe it would look like picking up the phone to call someone because they came to your mind + it was information you could share with them to help them in whatever they are walking through right now. β Or maybe it would look like something completely different than I just mentioned! β But the point in all of this is it wouldnβt look like just ingesting another super helpful piece of content and then doing nothing with it (and then ultimately forgetting all about it). β So what do you think, Reader? Did any of this resonate with you today? β Is there something you have been procrastinating on that the Holy Spirit has been prompting you to do? β If so, don't wait another moment. Because it isn't promised. β You are precious. Your life is precious. You matter. And your life matters. Not only to God but also to others. β So instead of dulling your senses by mindlessly consuming another piece of content (such as this email!) I challenge you to apply it to your life somehow. β I challenge you to take a step and be intentional with your time. I challenge you to be intentional on where you are putting your focus and how you are respond to God's promptings as He leads. β You are seen. You are heard. YOU ARE LOVED! β In Christ's love, ~Sarah β PS: Want to keep the conversation going or need someone to pray with you? Reply to this email - I really will read it and I really will respond. We are in this together, beautiful friend. You are not alone! |