Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Day 4 ~ Why is this so hard?

Thanks for stopping by today. If you've landed here for the first time, we are on Day 4 of a series I'm calling 31 Days of Renewing.

Yesterday, we talked about how we do not, in ourselves, have the power to renew our minds, but that change is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It sounds simple enough.

But we all know it isn't.

We know what we should do.

But we don't do it.

We're in good company. The Apostle Paul (the very same guy who has exhorted us to renew our minds) had the same problem. In Romans 7, he tells us that he doesn't understand his own actions - he doesn't do what he wants to do, and does the very things he hates (verse 17).

Why? Why is this so hard?

There are a lot of reasons. But here's one that I've found to be true in my own life.

Forgetfulness.

In her book, Grace for the Good Girl, Emily Freeman makes this statement.

Satan's biggest, most effective weapon against good girls may not be lust or slander or adultery or addiction. It is forgetfulness (p. 170).
What do I forget?
  • I forget what I was.
  • I forget Who saved me and at what price.
  • I forget why I'm here.
But remembering is the first step to renewing.

What about you? What do you think is your biggest obstacle to a renewed mind? Tell us about it in the comments and come back tomorrow as we wade deeper into what renewing our minds looks like.

Related Posts:

  • 31 Days :: Day 13 ~ How do we know what's true? Whatever is true . . . think on these things. Phil. 4:8 (ESV) Yesterday, we asked this question . . . How do we know what's true? Well, if God is true (John 3:33) then He is our ultimate standard for truth. And the only w… Read More
  • 31 Days :: Day 14 ~ Even when the truth hurts? Do not be anxious about anything . . . whatever is true . . . think on these things. (Philippians 4:6 and 8) According to the Internet (and let's not even get started as to whether or not the Internet can be considered tru… Read More
  • 31 Days :: Day 12 ~ What is true? Whatever is true . . . think about these things. (Phil 4:8 ESV) What is true? The dictionary defines true as "Truth, Reality. The quality or state of being accurate." The Greek word used here is "alethes" and it means "t… Read More
  • 31 Days :: Day 15 ~ Blessings? I've always loved music. One of my favorite ways to worship is to be completely alone (which these days, is beyond rare), sit down at the piano, and play hymns while I warble out some dreadful alto and let the ancient wor… Read More
  • 31 Days :: Day 16 ~ What is honorable? Philippians 4:8 ~ Whatever is honorable . . . think about these things.  (ESV) As we continue our 31 day journey into renewing our mind, today we're going to talk about what it means to think about things that ar… Read More

2 comments:

Lucilu said...

Forgetting...
That's really insightful. I agree that is a big problem. Maybe another one of my problems is "the tyranny of the urgent." Everything that's begging for my immediate attention wins. Often times I set aside my "schedule," my own needs, and displace responsibilities. It's hard to get the right balance.

Lynn Huggins Blackburn said...

Lucilu-"the tyranny of the urgent" is a big one for me to.