{{item.title | uppercase}}

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Several years ago I began prayerfully choosing a word from Scripture for the coming year. It isn’t anything magical or supernatural -it is just a word to focus on in the coming year. I pray about it and ask God to lead me to a topic for growth in the new year. Some examples of past words are Embrace, Release, Connect, Abide, and Hope. I even bought some large metal letters at the hobby store to spell the word for the year ahead. As a daily reminder, I placed the letters in a prominent place in my bedroom. But having a teenage son full of mischief, sometimes those letters would get jumbled – just to see if I was even noticing!

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Many widows (myself included) found that our minds became renewed because we were desperate to make sense of our situation. We leaned hard into God and in His Word. And in this renewing, God often showed us verses in Scripture we hadn’t noticed before or had forgotten. Little gems scattered throughout His Word.

If you are looking for one possible way to renew your mind, you can try this idea for the new year. If you have your Bible handy, turn to each verse read it, and then read it in the context of the paragraph or chapter. God may direct you to something from these Scripture verses that will be a way He renews your mind. These are topics/words that might help you focus on God this coming year. It is by no means an exhaustive list. And these verses all come from the book of Psalms.

• Courage:

  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
  Psalm 27:14 (ESV)

  
  
• Hope:

  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.
  Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

  
  
• Comfort:

  This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
  Psalm 119:50 (ESV)

  
  
• Thanks:

  I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
  Psalm 9:1 (ESV)

  
  
• Pray:

  O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.
  Psalm 54:2 (ESV)

  
  
• Seek:

  O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;
  Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

  
  
• Still:

  Be still, and know that I am God.
  Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

  
  
• Blessed:

  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
  Psalm 1:1 (ESV)

  
  (the entire chapter would be great to memorize actually)
• Peace:

  May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
  Psalm 29:11 (ESV)

  
  

Any of these eight verses from the book of Psalms could be part of our spiritual guidance for the coming year. And as you pray and seek God’s guidance, you may notice other verses as well. Scripture is so valuable in our healing. Our prayer is that this coming year, you will see measured growth as your heart begins to heal.

Lord Jesus, You are so creative in the ways You lead us. Guide us through Scripture to focus on what You want us to focus on. There is so much in the world screaming for our attention these days – guide us to shut out the noise and consider Your Word as we look at the coming year. Amen