Renew Your Mind Podcast

Jesus endured immense suffering to make us His brothers and sisters, demonstrating God's value for relationships. Yet, we often relegate relationships to the bottom of our priority list, obsessing over possessions and status that only hold value because of the people we may not even respect. Adam in Eden, having a perfect relationship with God, still had a void. Value relationships!

God, unlike many politicians and bosses who only notice people during elections, has been constantly watching over us since creation. He jealously has his eyes on us. As stated in Ephesians, we are His prized inheritance, cherished and valued beyond measure. It's ironic that we often prioritize everything else over what God values most - humanity.

It's fascinating to note that the two women God chose to play a pivotal role in the birth of Jesus were both unlikely candidates. Elizabeth was well past childbearing age, while Mary was still a young, unmarried woman. What seemed like insurmountable limitations became the very qualities that qualified them for God's purposes. While we are responsible for our actions, God remains fully in charge,...

It's very easy to feel insignificant in this busy and big world. It may feel as though nobody really cares. Your birthday might just seem like another ordinary day. But in this season, God is reminding us that even in the most obscure places, and even when our lives may seem negligible, He notices us! In the midst of the big events happening in Mary's time, God noticed her and chose her for a rema...

Comparison has robbed many of us of joy, peace, and fulfillment. It has made us irrational. How could the Israelites reject having God as their King for a man who would cheat them, make them pay taxes, take their sons as soldiers, and their daughters as wives? God, through the work of Christ, has made us royal, holy, and peculiar, but we fight with everything in us to become ordinary.

If you can desire it, you can have it. This is why Peter encourages us to desire the milk of the word; it will cause us to have the energy to go after the word, and hence, we will grow. Pursuit is the proof of genuine desire. Desire fuels action; this is why we need to be deliberate in setting our desires on things above.

Failures can be debilitating, leaving an indelible mark that can paralyze us forever. Peter and his colleagues, after toiling all night and catching nothing, were ready to give up. But Jesus instructed them to let down their nets again. In the same way, God's word to us today is: "Go again, try again, invest again."

God's ways often surprise us. We expect Him to mobilize armies because of the demanding nature of the work, but instead, He typically calls one person. Joseph, chosen to save Jacob's household of about 75 people. Jonah, sent to the great city, Nineveh. Jesus, sent to redeem humanity. God is always calling and mostly an army of one!

The Israelites saw themselves as grasshoppers compared to the people who kept their city shut because they were rather afraid of the Israelites. Fear held the servant with one talent back. It cost Saul his kingdom and diminished Elijah's ministry. Time and again, fear has proven to be able to paralyze us from entering into our promised land. Nothing good comes out of fear

In the depths of despair, when life seems to have hit a dead end, remembering that God is love can be the spark that reignites our trust. Like Naomi, we may feel bitter and broken, but God's love whispers hope. The hymnist says, "His love, in time past, Forbids me to think, He’ll leave me at last. In trouble to sink: Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review confirms His good pleasure. To help me quite...

We relate to others based on our self-image and perception of them. Abraham trusted God to resurrect Isaac because of how he saw God. When we truly view God as love, our faith remains steadfast, even in waiting, knowing every circumstance is infused with His loving care. This engraves in our hearts a knowing, that we can never be disadvantaged in life.

The eye is the light of the body. It all began to go wrong when Eve noticed the forbidden fruit. Similarly for David when he saw Bathsheba and Israel when Achan saw the gold. This timeless principle remains: we become what we continually behold. When our focus shifts from Jesus to the storms of life, we begin to sink. Guard your eyes

God is our ever-present help in times of trouble. Yet, we often find ourselves in desperate seasons, feeling abandoned and without assistance. The story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda serves as a poignant reminder. Despite being surrounded by the miraculous, he struggled to access it for years because he had no help. Is there really no help? or are we denying ourselves the help surrounding us?

The devil is a musician, not a singer. He needs an instrument to create his destructive melody. He works by setting snares and gaining footholds through deception. Just as he deceived Eve, he seeks to manipulate us with lies. But when we choose to believe God's truth, thus submitting to him, we can now resist the devil's. There's only one response from him: he flees.

Understanding the nature of the Devil is crucial for a vibrant Christian life. Ignoring or misrepresenting his existence can significantly impact our faith. We must acknowledge his influence while avoiding superstition or obsession. A biblical awareness of the Devil's identity and tactics empowers us to live wisely and victoriously, avoiding superstition and fear.

Embracing freedom from the flesh requires prioritizing what's truly important in the midst of tempting moments. Through faith in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we receive the power to resist the flesh's demands, cultivate self-control, and fix our hearts on eternal things. By surrendering our desires daily, we can experience the transformative power of dying to ourselves and living for...

The world often exploits our bodily desires to lead us astray. Since the fall, human desires have become corrupted, causing the flesh to crave things that contradict the spirit's intentions. The flesh has its own agenda, and its primary desire is to dominate and control; it seeks to be the master of our lives rather than submitting to God. If you invest into the flesh you will reap destruction...

As children of God, we are called to stand apart from the ways of the world. We should reject the wisdom and weapons of the world, instead embracing God's perspective and truth. Our goal is to continually replace the world's viewpoint with God's, that we may truly live out our faith as Christians. As ambassadors of Christ, we are sent into the world as salt and light, representing His...

As Christians, we face multidimensional opposition from three primary sources: the world, the flesh, and the devil. These constantly seek to undermine our faith. The system this world operates in targets us with the pride of life, lust of the yes, and the lust of the flesh. Invest intensely in renewing your mind from the ways and wisdom of the world.

David did not just go through strange places but also met people who vehemently opposed his journey. He had to deal with a demon possessed king who was his father-in-law, Nabal, a selfish and ungrateful person, Doeg a wick and evil person, the people of Keilah who he protected with his life but later wanted to surrender him to Saul. Regardless, David maintained his composure because he knew His Go...

The journey from the wilderness to the throne is a path we cannot script. David's life is a testament to this truth, as he navigated unimaginable places as part of God's preparation for his eventual reign as king. Ironically, one of the safest places for David turned out to be among the Philistines, his former enemies. This unexpected twist reminds us that God's ways are higher than ou...

Embracing the journey of life with God means we're always at an advantage. With this perspective, it becomes easier to generously share the harvest's spoil with those who couldn't complete the journey with you due to genuine exhaustion. Even if you feel defeated, lost, or disadvantaged, remember that you will fully recover and reclaim all that seemed lost. Nothing will be lost!

The journey is a very exhausting one, but you must remember it was God who told you to go on this journey. He will provide help on the way, but mostly not the kind we expect. This is where some miss it. What good will a black injured slave be to David? But he was the one who led David to the camp Amalekites. Don't miss your help on this long journey

Imagine the peace and contentment we'll experience when we recognize that the shoes of promotion and demotion belong solely to God. We often think we desire justice more than God does or that we want to give people their due rewards more than God does. But let's not forget that vengeance and self-promotion are not ours to wield - they belong to God alone. We should trust in God's perfect justice a...

Jonathan accepted God's will for his life, even if it meant a village boy ascends the throne in place of him, a prince. He was willing to be on the bad side of his father, the king, to be on the good side of God. Be content with where God places you. Whatever your lot, it is well with your soul. As for God his ways are always perfect