Copyright https://www.christianity.com 2025, Christianity.com Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:08:10 -0400 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/8-ways-to-renew-your-mind.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/8-ways-to-renew-your-mind.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” - Romans 12:1-2The apostle Paul writes the first part of Romans to defend against critics of the Gospel he preaches. The famous Romans 8 concludes his argument, which is why Christians over the centuries have found so much truth in that chapter. He spends a couple of chapters exploring the role of Israel and the Gospel. In chapter 12, he begins another section talking about living the Christian life. He shares a secret. We have a choice. We can either be conformed to the ways of the world (its ideas and deceptions and weakness unto death), or we can be transformed. How will we be transformed rightly? By renewing our mind. Our behavior comes from what we believe. About God first, then ourselves and others and how the world works. Some scholars call this our worldview. Behavior modification, or legalism, doesn’t work. That only addresses the outer life and fails. Through the new covenant, God addresses the heart, the thinking, and in so doing, we can live a divine life leading to eternal blessings. But how can we do this? Here are 8 ways to renew your mind. Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Takako Watanabe Mon, 14 Apr 2025 14:20:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/why-is-physical-exercise-important-to-our-spiritual-health.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/why-is-physical-exercise-important-to-our-spiritual-health.html Amanda Idleman https://www.christianity.com/author/amanda-idleman/ God mysteriously created and intertwined our mind, body, and soul to create one being. Each piece of us is connected and precious in the sight of the Lord. How we care for our physical bodies directly impacts our spiritual lives. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”Jesus died not only for our souls but for the redemption of our bodies. When we live again, we will still be embodied creatures. Philippians 3:21 tells us, “Who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” The version of us to come will be a perfected body. Bodies matter now, and they will continue to matter for eternity. Bodies are a fundamental part of God’s design, and as embodied beings, we are called to steward the skin we’ve been given well. When we live slothful, overindulgent, unsafe lives, we are held back in our pursuit of holy living. Exercise is just one vital piece of this stewardship puzzle, but one we often dread, put off, or disconnect this practice from our spiritual walk. It’s exciting to see a wave of ministries, such as the Men's and Women's Alliance, and an emerging conversation in the Christian world that seeks to more concretely connect our bodies to our souls. We are awakening to the fact that God cares about the skin we are in, and we should, too. Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/RyanJLane Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:50:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/how-to-live-free-from-guilt-and-fully-forgiven-in-christ.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/how-to-live-free-from-guilt-and-fully-forgiven-in-christ.html Chad Roberts https://www.christianity.com/author/chad-roberts/ Struggling to feel forgiven? Discover how to silence the lies of shame, align your heart with God’s truth, and walk in the freedom of His grace. Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:40:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-does-it-mean-to-steward-well-what-god-has-given-me.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-does-it-mean-to-steward-well-what-god-has-given-me.html Judy McEachran https://www.christianity.com/author/judy-mceachran/ Everything you have is a gift from God—so how do you steward it well and live like it belongs to Him? Sat, 12 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/the-benefits-of-fresh-air-to-our-mind-body-and-soul.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/the-benefits-of-fresh-air-to-our-mind-body-and-soul.html Alicia Searl https://www.christianity.com/author/alicia-searl/ If you’ve been feeling stressed, sluggish, or spiritually stuck, the remedy might be as simple as stepping outside—discover how fresh air can refresh your mind, body, and soul while drawing you closer to God. Thu, 10 Apr 2025 16:30:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/do-you-believe-gods-promises-are-specifically-meant-for-you.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/do-you-believe-gods-promises-are-specifically-meant-for-you.html Karen Del Tatto https://www.christianity.com/author/karen-del-tatto/ If we were to go through the names of God, each one would basically highlight a promise. And if those promises are tied in so closely with His names and He is our God and we are His children, then how could those promises not be specifically meant for us? Wed, 09 Apr 2025 01:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/20-short-prayers-to-prepare-your-heart-for-easter.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/20-short-prayers-to-prepare-your-heart-for-easter.html Rachel Wojo https://www.christianity.com/author/rachel-wojo/ Do you find yourself rushing to Easter Sunday without fully experiencing the journey? I've been there before. As the celebration of Easter approaches, we want more than surface traditions. What if we were to walk the sacred path from Calvary to the empty tomb?The prayers guide us through the Easter story, beginning with Christ's sacrifice, moving through the tension of waiting, and peaking in the dawn of resurrection. These twenty prayers are inspired by John 12:24, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Each prayer creates space for this Bible story to transform your current life. The prayers are divided into three sections of The Crucifixion, Waiting and Reflection, and Living the Resurrection.Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Kristina Kuptsevich Tue, 08 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/is-remarriage-after-divorce-a-sin.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/is-remarriage-after-divorce-a-sin.html Dana Che Williams https://www.christianity.com/author/dana-che-williams/ Remarriage after divorce depends on the heart, the circumstances, and a willingness to honor God moving forward. Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/short-prayers-to-begin-and-end-the-day.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/short-prayers-to-begin-and-end-the-day.html Jessica Brodie https://www.christianity.com/author/jessica-brodie/ I don’t know about you, but one of the things that captures my heart about the TV series The Chosen is the simple morning and evening prayers Jesus and his disciples offer consistently.In the morning, they say something along the lines of, “Thank you, living and enduring King, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Great is your faithfulness.” And when they prepare for sleep, they offer something like, “Blessed are you, Lord our God and King of the Universe, who brings sleep to my eyes and slumber to my eyelids. May it be your will, O Lord and God of my ancestors, that I lie down in peace and arise in peace.”Both are traditional Jewish prayers—a variation of the Modeh Ani in the morning and the Shema in the evening—and remind me a bit of the simple prayer I was taught to pray as a little girl: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, may angels watch me in the night, and keep me in thy blessed sight. Amen.”The beautiful thing about authentic Christianity is there is no single perfectly correct way to pray. We know the Lord urges us to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV), and prayer can look different for everyone. Still, some mornings and nights are harder than others. Perhaps we are grieving, depressed, or exhausted, and praying feels incredibly hard. Or perhaps we crave a little guidance on what to say as we discover our own unique manner of authentic prayer.If that’s what you’re seeking, I offer a collection of four morning and four evening prayers to help you on your personal journey.Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/ijeab Mon, 07 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/forgiving-when-you-dont-think-you-can.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/forgiving-when-you-dont-think-you-can.html Chad Roberts https://www.christianity.com/author/chad-roberts/ When forgiveness feels impossible, remember: it’s not about saying the pain didn’t matter—it’s about letting God’s grace free you from it. Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:45:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:08:10-04:00