Intentional Renewal
52 Weeks of Transforming the Mind | Colossians 3:2
New Weekly Series
What started out as an attempt to change my approach to a frustrating situation and make the best of a challenging experience, turned into a complete transformation of my mind and spirit. Deciding to set an intention for an attitude shift, turned into 60 days of setting intentions that renewed my mindset and outlook on life. This is a new series where I share those intentions one week at a time and highlight the ways it pushed me to grow my light and faith.
Intention 1: Treat the challenges of the day as opportunities or gifts.
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When we are faced with a mental, emotional, or spiritual challenge, we may be compelled to act or respond out of anger, frustration, or any similar option. But that’s not who we really are or want to be. And that’s also not how we want to represent the Spirit of Christ. To better prepare for the next challenges, we can aim to see them as opportunities, or even gifts. opportunities to: 1-pause, 2-stretch our spiritual ‘muscles’, and 3-respond in a way that opens the door for light rather than darkness. This mindset shift was a game changer for me. I pray it can help you too.
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Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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Lord, I do not know what the opportunities/gifts are or should be. These challenges are quite trying and I want to navigate them in a way that can help me be better and reflect Your Spirit. Help me to calm my heart and learn how to better reflect You in the challenge. Help me to practice and embody it with a spirit of courage. And help me to see these experiences in a new light.
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Intention 2: Seek to please God rather than man.
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I once heard someone say something like “being a people pleaser is fruitless because people are never pleased”. Whew! And it makes sense because so often we are looking for more or working toward the next thing. It’s hard for us to identify when we’re satisfied in our own lives, how could we possibly know when our work is enough for others? But God tells us exactly how we can please Him. And the best part is, no matter how hard our walk with Him is, He is more than able to carry us through. When we are weak, He is strong. We know His grace is sufficient for us, 2 Corinthians 12:9. So I will work to refocus my energy away from satisfying my fellow man and seek the fruit that comes from pleasing the Lord.
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2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
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Lord, how is it that Your strength is made perfect in weakness?! Wow. It’s a huge weight lifted to know that not only do I not have to be strong, but to know that my weakness shows how powerful You really are. And that’s worth seeing. Not my strength, but Yours. Thank You for who You are.
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Intention 3: Dwell on the positive things rather than negative ones.
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Not sure why my brain does this, but the negative things that happen throughout a day get so much of my attention. It’s strange because I wouldn’t consider myself a negative person, but the moment something doesn’t go the way I hoped or planned, it’s all I can think about. Even if the day is 90% positive, I will dwell on the 10% chaos and subsequently ruin my mindset and outlook. But good can and should be much louder in my world. It should fill the space in my heart and consume my spirit. So my focus moving forward is to enthusiastically meditate on the positive throughout my day and life rather than allowing my brain to dwell on and settle in the negative.
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Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
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Lord, help me to be drawn to the light like a moth to a flame. Help me not settle in darkness because it feels familiar. Help me resist succumbing to its weight. I know my spirit will shine brighter by dwelling on things above rather than below. Please give me the strength to set my eyes on You. Thank You.
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Intention 4: Ask questions before making judgments.
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I have found myself in countless situations where I internally criticize people for doing things I think are ill advised. And then make judgments about their judgment. But that really doesn’t do anything for me except make me angry, closed off, and prideful. And that’s not at all how I want to move in the world or how I want my spirit to be. A better response would be to suspend judgment altogether and mind my own business. But if the situation calls for some engagement on my part, I would be better off asking the person questions to understand their perspective. Because more often than not, there’s plenty of context I’m missing to understand why a person is doing something. So I need to focus my attention on my own plank instead. Check my prideful attitude thinking I’m right and know everything and push myself to be more compassionate and understanding.
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Matthew 7:1-5 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
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Lord, help me to remember how limited my perspective is. And help me to be mindful that my goals and objectives are not the same as everyone else’s. What doesn’t make sense to me may be exactly what another person needs. Help me to pay more attention to my own faults and flaws and spend more time correcting those rather than criticizing others.
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Intention 5: Talk to God when I’m unsure.
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I don’t need to have all the answers or figure it out myself. God has that covered. I do need to trust that He has a plan and will make it clear to me when I’m ready to know. In the meantime, don’t allow the unknown to consume my thoughts. Ask God for the clarity and trust that He will provide it when the time is right.
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Psalm 143:8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.
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Lord, because of my own nature to control things I feel like I have to have every step of my life sorted out in a particular fashion. But that mindset is draining considering how many unknowns and uncertainties are in my life right now. But because of my own pride, I rely largely on myself to get all the answers, which is discouraging when I don’t know what to do. So I need help remembering to talk to You first, rely on You to make the way clear, and trust Your path. Thank You for Your patience and grace as I navigate this season. I love You.
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Intention 6: Keep a record of other’s goodness and kindness towards me.
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I recently heard someone say, “never forget a kindness” and that really stuck with me. The bible tells us not to keep a record of wrongs, but I love the idea of keeping a record of the ways people have been kind and good to me. I know it would be a long list and a great way to meditate on all the love and joy in my life.
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Luke 17: 13-16 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
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Lord, thank you for all of the people you have put in my life. No matter how long the season, you have prompted connections that have changed my life in infinite ways. Even if the interactions were challenging, they still contributed to my growth in some way. But I especially thank you for the people who have made a point to show me great love and kindness. Help me to remember their goodness as it is another source of fuel for my fire.
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Intention 7: Run right over the devil when he’s in my way.
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Setting these intentions has made me more aware of my own mind and how I can better detect when fear or doubt are showing up. Instead of creeping in like a fog in the night, they’re starting to show up like tornado sirens. And I know neither of those things come from God. At some level it’s probably Satan trying to come for me and shift my focus on things below. So I’m going to get in my gospel chariot and roll right over him. He’s not getting any of my time or attention today. No thank you.
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2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
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Thank you for helping me to recognize what is going on within my spirit. To better understand what it looks like when it is filled with Your Light versus being occupied by earthly distractions. Please help me to roll right over the devil when he’s trying to pull me away from You.
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Intention 8: I will refrain from joining others’ turbulence.
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When I engage with different people in life, my characteristics of empathy and compassion often prompt me to adopt some level of their energy and attitude. But that doesn’t actually serve either of us. And I’ve realized now that most of the energy I’m around day-to-day isn’t worth taking on. It dims my light rather than grows it. So instead, I can work to stay rooted in peace and grounded in love. And hopefully that will influence them more than their mindset influences me. Ultimately, I want to be so anchored in Christ that the chaos around me does not produce chaos within me.
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Proverbs 4:23-25 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
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Please help me filter the things that come into my heart and mind and protect my spirit from taking on the turmoil of the world. I believe empathy and compassion are part of my ability to be a strong encourager, but I don’t want that to let me be influenced by my surroundings more than I influence it.
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Intention 9: Look for moments of awe and wonder.
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This is somewhat of a twist on practicing gratitude, which can be hard when my mind is spinning. Instead of trying to recall the things I’m thankful for, I can look for the ways I see God’s hands throughout my life. This pushes me to look for His impact more closely, which also forces me to be present and pay attention to the things right in front of me.
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Psalms 77:11-12 I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.
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Lord, Your glory is all around us but I often look past Your creations because I expect them to be there. But the fact that Your work shows up in my life everyday is a gift and I want to purposefully look for those awesome and wonderful moments with each breath I take. Thank You.
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Watch ‘short’ version on Youtube: click here
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