I'm kind of a nerd. I love to read. I devour podcasts. I love to learn. If school was free I would stay in school forever and always study something new. I honestly kind of had an identity crisis after graduating college because I felt like I had to leave behind doing what I do best, being a student.
I've always wanted to be a lifelong learner, there is always more to know and I want to know more. I feel this way about every area of my life, but especially following Jesus.
I want to know God. I want to study God.
I tend to lean more "charismatic" in my beliefs. This means that you probably won't find me at a Bible church (although as you know, I'm obsessed with the Bible.) Instead, you'll find me at a church where people dance in worship, pray in tongues, and pray for God to move in signs and wonders today.
But honestly, sometimes, I feel out of place. For me, pursuing God is often an intellectual pursuit and worship is something I experience in my mind.
I love signs and wonders and I'm all for big moves of God. I want to see the glory of God in my life today. But I also want to know God, to study God, to grow in knowledge of His Word alongside my experiental knowledge of who He is and how He loves.
"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
Lately, I've felt like God is reminding me that He calls us to pursue Him with our minds too.
Following Jesus is a wholistic experience, and that includes our minds. Actually, I think God puts a lot of stress throughout the Bible on our minds, because what we think impacts and forms our beliefs, and then that impacts our actions and ultimately our lives.
To live a life of devotion to God, it starts with a devoted mind.
"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:5-6
To pursue God with everything, we have to also pursue Him with our minds.
Sometimes, I think that gets left out. It is really fun to pursue God in charismatic worship. It's incredible to experience physical signs and wonders and tangible moves of God. Those things have been foundational for my faith.
But often, in the shaking moments when life feels unsteady and the picture of the future seems fuzzy, I need to know God in my mind. I need to have a clear and foundational truth I can hold onto in my mind, because when that truth has wired my brain to believe Jesus is the One true King, everything else falls into place.
Our minds can be renewed and covered by the Spirit of God.
By meeting God in your mind, your actions and attitudes change.
Start by getting back in the Word of God and search and study and look for truth. Ask God to meet you in your mind this week and pay attention to how He moves in other areas of your life.