We are Called to be Renewed in Our Heart and Our Mind

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
          Ephesians 4:23-24 (KJV)

Hi friends,
     How are you?  Welcome to 2023!  I pray that you will have a wonderful year.  You may notice some differences in me, in DUO Inspirations, and in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations this year.  Do you have differences or changes for 2023 in mind?  Do you feel God is calling you to do something differently or to change in some way?

God Calls Us to Change Not Only What We Do, but also What We Think:

     It is nice to say we are changing, but sometimes a change doesn’t last unless we not only change our behavior but change our outlook as well.  If we are just going through the motions and aren’t totally onboard with this change, we are likely to not follow through for very long.  However, if we do something wholeheartedly as we are called to do in Colossians 3:23, we are more apt to continue doing the right things for the right reasons.

     We can’t make these changes alone.  We need God’s help, so we pray and hope.  A good scripture passage to remember in times like this is Ephesians 4:23-24 (KJV): “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” 
     When we have a whole new outlook, it is like we are a new person.  Our focus is no longer on the things of the past, or on worldly things, or on doing things halfheartedly.  We are now focused on heavenly things and on God’s will.

God Calls for Changes in Me:

     I have been feeling God nudging me to make some changes in my life and to “step up my game” so to speak.  I won’t get into all the personal changes that God has in store for me now.  However, I do want to say that I am called, just as is everyone else, to do things wholeheartedly.  That means, I need to be more focused, not only on what I have in mind to do or the letter of the law so to speak, but I need to be focused on my relationship with God and His will for me.

     God has been showing me that I can’t do that without His help and I can’t do that halfheartedly.  He has been nudging me and making changes in me from the inside out.  He has been chipping away at my mind and my heart, so that I can now feel “renewed in my spirit and in my mind”.  It is such a blessing!

God Calls for Changes in DUO Inspirations:

     Not only has God given me a “renewed spirit and mind” in what He calls me to do in my personal life, He has given me a “renewed spirit and mind” in what He has called me to do through and with DUO Inspirations as well.  Again, this change has to do with focus and with doing things wholeheartedly. 

     Anyone who is familiar with me and with DUO Inspirations may know that I have struggled with focus.  I enjoy doing many things such as sharing my faith, teaching and learning in education, being creative, and encouraging others.  Yet, I could never find a focus statement that described DUO Inspirations and the mission I have with it.  However, through prayer and a “little help from my friends” I now have a more focused statement for DUO Inspirations:

“DUO Inspirations helps Christian women overcome difficult life circumstances and grow their faith by providing tips, resources, gifts, and biblical truth.”

     I am thankful that God nudged me in a better direction and brought people into my life that could give me that help and encouragement I need.  We all need a little help and direction at times.

     You may notice that the new description specifies Christian women.  So, does that mean I don’t want to help women who are not Christian?  Does it mean that I don’t want to help men or children?  Does it mean that I don’t want to help plants and animals?  No.  I will happily help all of God’s creatures if I can.  And, you don’t necessarily have to be a Christian woman in order to find DUO Inspirations helpful in some way.  However, as a Christian woman, I feel that I can probably most relate to other Christian women and may know their struggles a bit better than I would know the struggles of other groups of people.

     You may be wondering what specifically DUO Inspirations will be doing to help others, especially Christian women through their difficult times.  Well, as you can see, the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations will be very much a part of that help.  I believe that the best help in anything is to have faith and to build a loving personal relationship with God.  I very much hope to be able to play even a small part in helping you be able to do that.  Encouraging you in faith won’t only take the form of the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations.  I have other “faith” related products and services in the works.  I will get more specific as they come closer to fruition.  I believe you will also still see new things in the “education”, “creativity”, and “encouragement” categories as they are developed and put in place.  They are all meant to be “tips, resources, gifts, and biblical truth” to help you through some struggle or circumstance in your life.

     I am looking forward to this new beginning and what God has in store for me in 2023 and beyond.  I pray this will help me to focus more on God, His will, and heavenly things.  I pray that this change will help me to be more heartfelt and purposeful in what I do with DUO Inspirations and that DUO Inspirations can help others make meaningful changes in their lives so that they can feel “renewed in their hearts and minds” as well.
 
Note:  A happy side effect in being more focused in doing God’s will and doing things more wholeheartedly, it helps SEO (search engine optimization) for DUO Inspirations, so that more people will see the site and can be encouraged.  It is also the reason that you will see a more outlined post look now. (It feels kind of strange right now, because I am not used to writing in this way, but God is good.  He will help me through it.)

God Calls for Changes in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations:

     So far, I have told you about some changes that God has called me to make personally and in DUO Inspirations as a whole.  Now, I would like to talk with you about some changes in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations.

     I have already mentioned one change, in that the form of the Faith Blog will look more like an outlined essay.  It will have some subheadings and quotes that may stand out a little better.  This outline style is not only meant to keep me more focused and make the blog post easier for you to read, but also it is better for the blog’s SEO.  Yay!

     Another change I hope to add to the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations in 2023 is to host guest bloggers or to have guests in some way.  This won’t happen every week or anything like that, but I do believe that “it takes a village” and that God works through others to help us on our journey.  It is good to hear other people’s perspectives, outlooks, journeys, and testimonies. 

     If you have read the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, you probably know already that my strategy was to mainly choose a verse and “ponder” it’s meaning throughout the post.  I may still do more of that.  However, I don’t believe it will be the only format for the posts.  I am getting excited!  Are you?

     I also hope to add a pin at the end of the Faith Blog posts for you to pin on your Pinterest boards.  In that way, we can all help to bring others closer to God and encourage them through faith and the perspectives of other Christian people.  Truth be told, I am not sure I know how to do that yet, but I believe it is a good idea.  So, stay tuned for that development.  LOL.

     Although the specific focus of DUO Inspirations and in turn the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations is geared towards helping “Christian women through difficult life circumstances and grow their faith…” the general focus of the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations has not changed.  It is still meant to encourage you to read God’s word, to grow your faith, and to encourage you to have a closer relationship with Him.

God’s Word:

     There have been a few scripture quotes for this post.  However, the driving scripture passage for the post is Ephesians 4:23-24 (KJV), which reads, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”  I say that, because it is a new year, a new beginning, and I feel the new heart and new mind that God is giving me.  The whole point of the post is that God is guiding me to change and renewing “the spirit of [my] mind”.  I yearn to show you some of these developments in my posts and business, as well as (if you know me) in my personal life.

     I believe that with a renewal in the spirit, comes a renewal in responsibility.  In this case, as in the case of any Christian faith renewal, we are called to set worldly ways behind and focus only on God and His will.  We are no longer “of the world”.  So, we are called to no longer act in worldly ways, but in godly ways. 

     One way to do that is to hold onto God’s Word and keep it as our compass and lifeboat in life.  So, when life gets tough and we feel like slipping back into our worldly ways, something we can do to help us through the struggle is to remember God’s Word, even make a prayer out of God’s Word. 

     To specifically make a prayer out of Ephesians 4:23-24, one might say something like:

Heavenly Father, thank you for your comfort and guidance through your holy Word.  Help me to know and feel the renewal you have given me in my mind, my heart, and my spirit.  Let it act as my courage and obedience to continue to do your will, so that I can do your will, be closer to you, and portray your righteousness and holiness through my new outlook. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus.  Amen.
 
Note: This is why I have been trying to include a prayer at the end of most of my posts.  I try to model the idea of turning scripture into prayer to keep us focused on God.  Also, I really do pray that encouraging you to read God’s Word and to build a relationship with Him, will have an impact on your life.  The prayer is for me and for you.  God bless.

Now, it is your turn:
     I would enjoy hearing your thoughts about the new look of the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and DUO Inspirations as a whole.  I would also enjoy hearing your thoughts about blog topics and formats, especially if you have new ideas.  Also, if you are a Christian blogger and would be interested in guest posting, please feel free to contact me.

     If you haven't done so already, please consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other "faith" content in your inbox.

Also, if you enjoyed this post, you may also want to read similar posts about:       

*Focus on God
*Thankful

Note:
     I don't do this often.  However, since it is the beginning of a new year and I am making some changes, now is a good time to give you some of my other links, so you can keep up with me in other places.

*DUO Inspirations on Pinterest
*DUO Inspirations on Twitter
*DUO Inspirations on Facebook
*DUO Inspirations Bible Study and Faith Journey (Facebook group)

Edited to Add:  I don't know why this pin image doesn't work.  (I think it might be because I added it after I originally published the post.  I will try again next post and hopefully it will work.)  if you have the answers, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you.