Please, renew your mind

by Gbenro Selere

Edited by Bibi Babatunde-Ikotun

Hi everyone, first of all, I'd like to say a big thank you to Bibi for an opportunity to share my thoughts on her blog. I don't take this for granted. Please be kind to me as you read, I am not yet a prolific writer but I believe this will bless and encourage you. 

Pedicure and Cleanliness  

Every lady can probably relate to this, but I hope the message can appeal to both genders. I recently had a pedicure, and while having my feet scrubbed and my nails cleaned, I had a revelation from the Holy Spirit that I would like to share.

You know when doing a pedicure, there are 3 things involved:

• Place the feet in hot/mild warm water to soften the skin
• Clear old cuticles from the nails and polish where necessary
• Scrub underneath the feet

This process although sounds very brief actually takes about an hour or more for a proper clean. This pedicure session that I did was after taking a 6 months break from getting one done. Imagine, 6 months' worth of dead skin accumulated, toughen cuticles, and you can imagine the hot mess my feet were. All of this requires hours of cleaning which annoyed me but at the end of it all, I was in awe and amazed at how transformed my feet got.

Okay, I'm done telling you about my Pedicure session, sorry to those still on lockdown. lol

After this session, the Holy Spirit gave me insights by asking me an important question.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your feet looking clean like that always instead of waiting 6 months to get it cleaned? Of course, I said yes!

Then another question was posed...Why do some believers choose to accumulate all the dead skin for months before coming to me to be sanctified? Why am I a once in a week thing (Sunday service only)? Why are there CEO Christians (Christmas and Easter Only) Christians? or why are there only cross over service Christians? Why have I become a spare tyre to many when I am meant to be the steering wheel? Why?

These questions puzzled me but I got clarity. It not only spoke to me but to my brothers and sisters in the faith who choose to live life on their terms and only come back home when things are really bad. There's more to God than a once in a time thing we do when we want something. 

As believers, we live in a world or in a time where your thoughts and actions for the day are determined by who you’ve chosen to lead you every day when you wake up i.e. the flesh or the Spirit.

When we choose to live by the Spirit each day, we wake up and ask the Lord to renew our minds through our daily fellowship with him. We pray for Him to help us conform more to His image. This in fact is like a pedicure session, purifying us by the Holy Spirit (hot water), cleansing our minds, and then scrubbing us clean of that which is not of him that may try to take root in us like pride, pettiness, jealously, immorality, pornography etc

Psalms 119:9(NIV) How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.

Now we also know that after a pedicure session, your feet will still get stained (yes) by dust and whatnot, and that’s how all the unwholesome contents we see on TV, social media and internet can pollute our minds. Putting just a little bit on us each day, and then our adversary the Devil looks on and observes to see if you will go for your daily cleanse or will you allow the distractions of the world to keep you from living in the spirit.

Galatians 5:16 (NIV) So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

An unrenewed mind is as strong as the unregenerated man aka someone that isn't born again! For each unwholesome content consumed in tiny pieces here and there, it impacts your mind way beyond your understanding. If you're not renewing your mind daily and thoroughly, your heart may become hardened and insensitive to the move of the Spirit. Your flesh may begin to lead you and cause you to do things that do not align with your new creature nature in Christ Jesus.

Romans 12:2 (NIV) - Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Dear friends, let’s remember to pray each day, read our bible and meditate on the message of God's grace. We've been washed clean of every iniquity when we said yes to Jesus. All our sins have been blotted out, God is not counting our sins against us thanks to the blood of Jesus. Renewing our minds is an important part of our time here on earth as we await the return of our Saviour to take us home. I'll wrap this up with this verse

Colossians 2:13-14 (NIV)When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[a] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Remain blessed!

Note from Editor-in-chief

Hello everyone, thank you so much for reading to the very end and also I appreciate all your birthday wishes. It means the world to me that you care, God will continue to bless and enlarge your coast in Jesus name, amen.

Our mind renewal and sanctification process is very necessary for our time here on earth. Please, don't stop at being justified, make a conscious effort to be sanctified daily. 

Many people don't yet speak in tongues and the devil tries to deceive many that this gift does not belong to them. Listen, if you're saved you can pray in other tongues. I shared insights on how to pray in tongues in my latest Youtube video, check it out here. God bless you. 

With love,

Bibi Babatunde-Ikotun