Reaping a harvest in our minds

A few years ago, Dave and I helped my in-laws plant some vegetable seeds in their garden. We tilled the soil, threw out the weeds, made some mounds and rows, and then planted the seeds. We knew that it would be at least a week or two before we saw the first shoots breaking through the soil…that it would be a month and a half before we saw the first vegetables beginning to form…and that it would be a few months before they would be ripe. So we let it begin growing and trusted nature to take its course— with the warmth, the rain (and occasional watering), and the sun. And we checked on it and pulled the weeds every week. Several months later we had full-grown vegetables and were excited to enjoy fresh squash, beets, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and more!

Renewing the mind is a lot like planting a seed. We begin with the decision to plant that seed— a new thought or way of thinking & imagining that lines up with God’s Word in an area where we want to see change or victory in our lives. We plant that seed as we begin thinking and speaking and even acting in accordance with the new thought. Initially, it doesn’t seem like anything is happening- the seed is buried and we are not able to see when it begins to germinate and grow. We simply hope and trust that the process has begun. We trust that the simple act of planting that tiny seed will in time produce full-grown fruit that nourishes us and others. We trust that God’s Spirit will water the seed and shine His Light upon it. And we do our part— we regularly renew our mind with that same thought or imagining and we check for and pull any weeds that we find. This can be hard sometimes, and hardly anyone really likes weeding. Yet God has entrusted us with this part of the process. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are told, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” As we take captive those contrary thoughts and demolish them, we are effectively pulling out the weeds in our minds. Before we know it, if we look carefully enough, we will begin to detect small signs of growth and life! It may not look like much at first but will mature and flourish with time!

Exercise:

— Take some time to consider what kind of “fruit” you would most like to harvest. What would you delight to see sprouting and flourishing in your mind and in your life? Don’t dream small — nothing is impossible with God! He has assured us that we WILL be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

— Ask the Holy Spirit to shine His light on any weeds that He would like for you to pull— deceptions, lies, unhealthy or contrary thoughts, etc.

Prayer: God, thank You that You know us intimately! You know every detail of our thoughts and minds, and You understand fully what kind of thinking will produce more life in us. We ask You to help and empower us as we endeavor to plant seeds of grace, truth, love, and hope in our minds. Please point out any areas that are holding us back and help us to skillfully and diligently weed those thoughts and imaginings out. Thank You that through the Holy Spirit you have more than abundantly equipped us to do this!