“Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ” Ephesians 4:23 NLT
Paul is talking to the Ephesians about what it means to be a Christian. When we become a Christian, or follower of Christ, we are made a new creation. That new creation, the new thoughts and attitudes, do not happen over night and the old thoughts and attitudes don’t simply go away.
As we mature in our walk with God, our thoughts and attitudes change. While that is happening, we have a mix of old thoughts and new thoughts, old attitudes and new attitudes. We will never be completely rid of the old thoughts and attitudes because that would mean perfection and that will not happen until we are in heaven.
Instead we are to embrace these changes that God wants to make in us and one way to help us with these changes from old to new is to let the Spirit renew us, daily. For us to be separate from this world and how this world lives, thinks and acts, we need to be living, thinking and acting differently, which can be hard since we still have to live in this world.
So how do we become renewed? One way is to remain in constant communication with God, by prayer and reading His word. Another is to let the Spirit flow through you, filling you daily with God’s peace and love. Another way is to let the Spirit work in your life and not fight the changes that God wants to make in you, especially in how you think about how you are to interact with the world around you. Our thoughts direct our actions and how we interact with others. In other words, be willing to hear God’s plan for your life and then be willing to do what God wills you to do, follow His directives.
These are only 3 suggestions about how to be renewed daily, there are more but thinking about these, beginning to do these is a good place to start. When you let God renew how you think and the attitudes you hold, your actions become renewed as well. Being renewed is such a freeing and wonderful place to be that when I let life get in the way of being renewed daily, I miss it tremendously.
When was the last time you were renewed? I pray it will be today.