Living the Renewed Life
What are you thinking about right now?
Not the polished answer — the real one. The one happening quietly under the surface.
Most of us move through our days without ever slowing down long enough to notice our thoughts. They run like a ticker tape: fast, loud, constant.
Yet Scripture tells us that what we allow our minds to dwell on shapes not only our emotions, but our entire lives.
Paul writes in Romans 12:2 that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.
That means renewal isn’t optional — it’s the pathway to the abundant life Jesus promised. But how do we actually do this? How do we learn to manage something as fluid and fast-moving as our thoughts?
This has been stirring in me again as we’ve come through a season none of us could have planned or predicted. So much changed in such a short amount of time. And in the middle of all that change, our thought life may have shifted without us even noticing.
So before we step into another year, it’s worth asking: What have I been thinking about? And where are those thoughts coming from?
Your Mind and Your Thoughts Are Not the Same
Something that still amazes me is recognizing that my mind and my brain are not the same. My brain is an organ. But my mind — my thoughts, interpretations, beliefs — is tied to my spirit. It is shaped by what I choose to dwell on.
That means I actually get to choose which thoughts stay and which go.
Paul makes this clear throughout his letters:
- “Think on these things…” (Philippians 4:8)
- “Give no opportunity to the devil…” (Ephesians 4:27)
- “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind…” (Ephesians 4:23)
- “We have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Scripture doesn’t just tell us to be “positive thinkers.” It tells us to be aware. To pay attention. To guard the place where spiritual battles begin — our thoughts.
This isn’t limiting. It’s freeing. God knows our minds are where we can either step into life or drift into fear without even realizing it.
Awareness Is the First Step of Transformation
Renewing the mind begins with awareness. We can’t take thoughts captive if we don’t notice them in the first place.
Here are three simple questions I use myself and often teach in coaching:
1. “What am I thinking right now?”
Pause long enough to listen. Let the ticker tape slow down so you can see what’s actually running across it.
2. “Where did that thought come from?”
Is it rooted in fear? Worry? Comparison? Past disappointment? Or is it rooted in truth? Hope? Scripture? God’s voice?
3. “Does this thought line up with the mind of Christ?”
If it doesn’t align with who God is or what He says... release it.
Take it captive.
Don’t let it build a home it never should have.
But if it does align?
If it carries the tone of His voice, His peace, His kindness?
Lean in and ask, “Lord, what would You like to show me here?”
This is what it means to walk by the Spirit. Not perfectly — but attentively.
Your Brain Shapes Your Life
Joyce Meyer once wrote The Battlefield of the Mind, and the title says it all. So much of the Christian life is learning to recognize which thoughts bring us closer to Jesus and which ones pull us away.
I also love Marilee Adams’ work, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life.
Coaching has taught me that we think in questions.
We shape our lives by the questions we ask.
If your question is: “What’s wrong with me?” you will find evidence every time.
But if your question is: “Father, what are You inviting me into today?” your mind opens to an entirely different reality.
God isn’t asking us to manage our thoughts alone.
He’s inviting us into a relationship where our minds can be renewed daily, sometimes moment by moment.
Renewal Is Both Possible and Powerful
The more I walk with the Lord, the more I see that renewing the mind is not about trying harder. It is about becoming more aware of His presence.
We “lift our heads” (Psalm 24:7) not by fixing ourselves, but by turning our eyes back to the One who restores us.
We “renew our minds” not by forcing new thoughts, but by inviting the Spirit to show us where our thoughts have wandered.
Transformation begins the moment we pause and ask, “Does this thought sound like Jesus?”
If the answer is no, you don’t have to keep carrying it.
If the answer is yes, there is more He wants to reveal.
Stepping Into the New Year with a Renewed Mind
As you step into this next season, consider how you want to think. Yes — want to. You have a choice. You get to decide which thoughts you nurture and which ones you lay before God.
Here are simple practices you can begin today:
- Notice your thoughts before you react to them
- Invite the Holy Spirit into your thinking
- Replace lies with Scripture
- Ask better questions
- Choose thoughts that lead to life
- Stay curious about what God is forming in you
Renewal isn’t a one-time event. It’s a rhythm. A way of living awake and aware before the Lord.
And this rhythm becomes easier when we walk together.
A Final Question for You
As you pause today, ask yourself: “What thoughts have I been entertaining that don’t belong in the mind of Christ?” And then invite Him into the process of renewing you — one thought at a time.
With Love,
Pamela