Renewing Your Mind: Rebooting Your Life for 2021

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to hit the reset button after the year we just had. If you’re reaching for that button in your life, then I want to share with you four things that will absolutely help you get rebooted, reset, and ready for what God has in store for your life and art in 2021.

Vision
You know, the Bible says that without a vision, the people perish.  Unless you have a clear view of who God has called you to be, what He has called you to do, where He is leading you, and what He has for you this year, then you may end up very frustrated. 

If you find yourself adrift in a sea of doubt, fear, and uncertainty, then I encourage you to go get with Jesus. Take some time away, a few hours or maybe even a couple of days, to get alone with the Lord. Ask Him to show you what He has for you this year in your life, family, art, and business.    

The clarity you get will form the seed of a vision that you can cultivate in your life. And as you are faithful to nurture this vision, it begins to release clear direction for everything going on in your life.  Vision speeds you down the road when things are good and keeps you on the road when things are bad.  Why?  Because vision informs everything in our life. 

Belief 
What you believe deep in your heart is as important as what you see for your future. When you cultivate God-centric Kingdom-focused beliefs in your heart, they inform and shape all of your thoughts and actions. Why?  Because what you believe deep in your heart is the fruit of the thoughts and ideas you meditate and focus on day in and day out.   

Your beliefs are the faith-colored glasses through which you embrace and engage the vision God has established for your life. Vision gives you the path to follow while illuminating the Kingdom-focused truths and concepts you should be cultivating in your heart and mind. 

Vision, coupled with a well-cultivated belief, also serves as an early warning system against spiritual attacks. When the enemy comes and throws crazy pictures, thoughts, and lies in your mind, you have a strong foundation from which to say, “NO!  This lie does not align with God’s vision for my life or look anything like what He is showing me.  

Renew Your Mind 
A couple of scriptures that I love are  Romans 12:2 and Proverbs 23:7. Romans teaches us to be transformed by renewing our minds, while Proverbs tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  If vision informs your path and beliefs help you engage with God’s plan, thoughts fuel your beliefs. Godly Kingdom-Focused thoughts are great fuel for your godly beliefs, while ungodly, fear-driven lies and half-truths fuel ungodly beliefs. 

The key to effectively renewing your mind can be summed up in three words:

• Recognize
• Replace
• Reinforce

Learning to evaluate your thoughts mindfully will teach you to Recognize when an idea lines up with the Word of God and His vision for your life and when it doesn’t.  Once you’ve identified an ungodly belief, the next step is to Replace it with a truth that lines up God’s Word, His Character, His Nature, and His Plans for your life. Finally, once you have that Godly Truth in hand, you need to Reinforce it regularly through a daily practice of declaring Godly Truths and Affirmations over your life.

Faithfulness
If vision sets our path, belief helps us to engage with God’s plan, and thoughts fuel our journey of faith, then faithfulness is the oil that keeps things running smoothly.  Faithfulness, simply put, is the practice of clearly executing every day the things you need to do as you grow into your calling as a thriving artist. Faithfulness for a creative could look like:

• Spending time creating in your studio
• Talking about your art
• Developing strategic relationships
• Establishing your online and social presence
• Renewing your mind and reinforce your godly truths
• Acting with faith on your beliefs
• Daily embracing and affirming God’s plan and vision for your life​

All this and more while learning to lean into His grace and not our strength, following God’s lead while avoiding the personal pitfall of striving. Faithfulness walked out over time leads to the “suddenlies” we all long to experience. Suddenly, as you’ve been faithful in the little things the Father has put into your hands, you “suddenly'' find yourself thriving in life, art, relationships, and maybe even business.   

2021 is a year of great promise and great potential for creatives. This year we are all called to get serious about embracing vision, renewing our minds, cultivating godly beliefs, and faithfully walking out the plans God has for us.  And as we do this in the context of a community of others doing the same, I promise you will have a reset and a reboot like no other.