Gospel Life Learning | Faith and Soul Care Podcast

How to Find Joy and Purpose in God | Greek Word: Meno for Abide or Abiding | John 15:11 Teaching | Abide in Me Meaning

Abiding in Christ: The Gateway to True Joy

We’ve now reached part three of our series on living intentionally and finding purpose in God. In previous discussions, we explored the Greek words peripateo and phroneo. Today, we’re focusing on another key word: meno, which is deeply connected to abiding in joy through Christ.

Jesus said in John 15:9-11:

Listen to this article with the audio:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love."

That word remain is also translated as abide—the Greek word meno. He continues:

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

There it is, directly from the words of Jesus. How do we find joy in our daily lives? Jesus tells us: Remain in my love. Abide in me.

What Does It Mean to Abide?

The Greek word meno means to stay, dwell, or continue. It is an active and ongoing process. However, it’s not about striving harder to be with Christ or trying to accomplish more for Him. Instead, it’s about resting in His love and staying connected to Him in our daily lives.

Notice that Jesus connects abiding with joy. He doesn’t say, “Try harder, do more, and you’ll eventually find joy.” Instead, He tells us that true joy is a natural outcome of abiding—of remaining—of staying close to Him.

Think about how often we seek joy in fleeting ways—through accomplishments, comfort activities, or even experiences we believe will bring lasting joy, like a vacation. But the joy Jesus offers is different. It doesn’t require striving. You don’t even have to leave your living room to experience it.

This joy isn’t based on circumstances, location, or possessions. It’s found in the steady, unshakable relationship we have with Christ.

Practicing the Act of Abiding

One of the most powerful ways to abide in Christ is through praying in the Spirit.

What does that mean? For me, it’s a time when I set aside my own thoughts, words, and agenda, simply resting in God’s presence. I quiet my mind and ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for me—to pray for the things I don’t even know to pray for.

This isn’t about striving to find the right words. In fact, I’m not speaking or even forming words in my mind. It’s about surrendering and allowing God’s Spirit to move within me, aligning my heart with His will.

I often lie down or get into a peaceful posture, quiet my thoughts, and say:

"Holy Spirit, I’m giving You this time. As I rest, intercede for me. Pray for what I don’t even know to ask for—the challenges ahead that I can’t yet see."

Then, I simply rest and remain aware that the Holy Spirit is working within me. In these moments, I feel the Holy Spirit’s comfort like a warm embrace. And you can experience this, too.

This is meno—remaining in Christ. It’s not about effort. It’s about quieting and surrendering.

If joy feels distant, perhaps the answer isn’t to do more but to rest more deeply in Him—to create space for Him to linger, to simply be with Him, and to trust that He is interceding for you when you ask Him to.

Abiding is the gateway to true joy because it keeps us connected to the very source of life, peace, and joy—Jesus Himself.

So today, ask yourself: Am I abiding or striving? Am I making space to rest in Christ's love, or am I caught up in striving and all the turbulence that's naturally present in life? If you are longing for more peace, comfort, and joy, start with abiding. Let go, be still, and trust that as you remain in Him, His joy will remain in you.

At the end of this three-episode series on finding purpose in God and living intentionally with Him toward your purpose, here are a few questions to reflect on.

Oh, and I want to mention again—in the prayer journal, there are note pages where you can do these reflections and write notes. There are plenty of pages for each week, with extra space for any reflections you're doing, goal setting, sermon notes, or Bible studies. It's all in there, as well as the common pages for your prayer requests and praying pages.

Reflection Questions

So here are a few questions to reflect on:

Where am I walking without awareness? Are there routines that I'm stuck in that lack purpose? A few months ago, I surrendered my routine of scrolling news—doom-scrolling. I limited it to 20 minutes a day, and now I'm maybe at 20 minutes three times a week. I don't even feel the compulsion to do it anymore.What routines are we just doing? Some people call it buffering. We're buffering life with these routines in an unhealthy way. We're stuck in routines that don't have meaning or purpose.
What simple gifts in my day am I not recognizing? Am I overlooking them? What can I do daily to practice gratitude for the small joys? The prayer journal has a place for this—every day's prayer page includes sections for thankfulness, confession, requests, ongoing prayers, answered prayers, and a place to write down something good that happened in the day, even if it's something teeny tiny—something you can view as a gift in that day. There's also a section for something good that you accomplished, no matter how small. This practice is proven to help keep our minds and perspectives right. It also helps ward off depression. Taking time to notice the little gifts in each day is psychologically proven to help prevent you from falling into a depressive spiral, especially if you do it when you start feeling the blahs—that depression creeping in. If you know, you know what I'm talking about.

What is my mind set on? Am I focusing on eternal truth, or am I letting my mind get caught up in temporary distractions?
Am I abiding or striving? How can I create space to rest in Christ's love this week?

Tools to Help You Abide

I’ve mentioned a few resources that I have to help you --

The Gospel Life Learning Prayer Journal – It has sections for you to write down and keep track of these practices so that with each quick notation you make in the journal, you are engaging in small. You can find this on Amazon. It's new—it was just published last month. Go to Amazon and search for "Prayer Journal Sherry Elaine" or "Prayer Journal Gospel Life Learning," and it should come up as the very first result. reflections that will lead you to experience more purpose and joy in each day and week.

Upcoming Women’s Connection Cohorts – Another upcoming resource is the online Women's Connection cohorts and course that we will be going through together. Get on my email list at either sherryelaine.com/cohorts or gospellifelearning.com to get first notification when it launches.

Final Thoughts

Living with intention isn't about perfection. It's about alignment—mindfully aligning your steps with focus and keeping your heart on God's purposes. That way, you're not just existing through the day, not just surviving, not just coping, not just going through the motions—but truly living with joy, purpose, and peace.

Thank you for joining me today on the Faith and Soul Care podcast. If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to share it with a friend. Until next time—walk intentionally, savor the simple joys and gifts from God, and abide deeply by praying in the Spirit and abiding in Christ's love.

Get those hugs from the Holy Spirit.

Until next time, Gratefully,

Sherry

More Resources:

If you would like to learn simple, practical ways to walk with God every single day, then you would really enjoy Closer to God: Simple Methods, Starting Today

If you need motivation to eat healthier or lose weight while also growing
closer to God, then you would enjoy Weight Loss for Christians, An
Extraordinarily Simple Way to Conquer Cravings

If you want to learn more deeply and fully about what Jesus taught, then you would enjoy Words of Jesus - Bible Study on Christ's Teachings

New! Prayer Journal Designed! I love how the journal turned out! It has all I need for prayer tracking and reflections and re-setting my mind with struggles I am facing.

The author also interacts with her readers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GospelLifeBooks

Instagram: @gospellifelearning

Youtube: Gospel Life Learning
Find more of the author's books at Amazon here.

More Resource Channels:

Gospel Life Learning Facebook

Gospel Life Learning Instagram

Gospel Life Learning YouTube

Sherry Elaine - Books Authored

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Finding Purpose in God: How to Set Your Mind & Rewire Your Brain Weekly as a Christian | Greek word for "set your mind" | phroneo | Colossians 3:2 | Spiritual Growth

How do we find purpose in God? How do we pray in the Spirit? And how do we abide and set our minds in Christ?

In our last episode, we explored what it means to live intentionally and find purpose in God. We looked at how intentional living isn't about trying harder or going after big goals but about being more mindful of the small joys and opportunities that God has for us within our normal, everyday living—right where we are.

We talked about how small daily choices and habits, like how we spend our free time or downtime, shape our lives in powerful ways. We reminded ourselves that our purpose in God is not something we have to actively do or create. Rather, our purpose in God is to stay close to Him, and then the rest we discover along the way.

This aligns with the verse: "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things—all your needs—will be added unto you as well."

Welcome to Faith and Soul Care! I'm Sherry, your host, and whether you're listening to this podcast or reading the transcript on the blog, welcome!

Listen to this blog post on the podcast here:

I want to remind you that my women's online connection cohorts will be starting soon. Be sure to visit my website at SherryElaine.com, go to the Cohorts tab, and sign up for the notification list. This will be a facilitated time where we will have weekly live teachings and interactive discussions online to learn more and go deeper into topics related to drawing closer to God, living with more intention, overcoming stress, and finding purpose and joy in each day.

Setting Our Minds with Focus

Today, we're continuing this conversation by diving deeper into two powerful biblical concepts: setting our minds with focus and abiding in joy through the practice of praying in the Spirit.

Let’s explore how the Greek words phroneó and ménō reveal the key to living intentionally with a heart anchored in God’s truth and joy.

**1. The Greek Word Phroneó—Setting Your Mind with Focus**

Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

That phrase, set your minds, comes from the Greek word phroneó, which means to have a mindset or to direct your thoughts intentionally. This isn't a passive practice. It’s an active, deliberate focusing of our mental and emotional energy on eternal truths rather than on the temporary distractions or upsets that occur throughout our day.

I love how Priscilla Shirer describes these distractions as daily turbulence in one of her studies. If we don't have a strategy for dealing with this turbulence, we will find ourselves fighting misguided battles.

It is so important, especially in those moments of turbulence, to engage in the act of phroneó—to intentionally focus and take a moment to sharpen our minds. Think of it like a professional photographer adjusting the lens on a manual camera.

Or, if you wear glasses or contacts, think about how the eye doctor adjusts the lenses during an eye exam. At first, the letters on the chart may be blurry. But with the right adjustment, suddenly, everything becomes crystal clear.

Imagine trying to take a picture of a beautiful landscape, but when you look through the camera lens, everything is blurry. You could just leave it that way and accept it as reality. Or you could take the time to adjust the focus, sharpen the image, and bring every detail into view.

Our minds work the same way. If we allow distractions, worries, and turbulence to remain unchecked, our thinking becomes clouded. Over time, both small and big problems will keep us in a fog, stuck in a rut, and drained of our energy and joy.

Then, we feel lost, overwhelmed, and disconnected from our true purpose.

But when we intentionally adjust our focus—aligning our thoughts with the deep truths of God’s Word—we begin to see problems and solutions more clearly.

And what else happens when we see life through the lens of God's truth?

We begin to see His hand at work in our lives. We recognize His guidance and experience greater clarity and focus in our purpose.

Just like a photographer must continually refocus depending on the lighting and movement of their subject, we too must regularly reset our minds—phroneó—on God’s truth, especially in the areas where we struggle.

The world will constantly shift and pull at our attention, but we have the ability—through prayer, Scripture, and intentional reminders of God’s truth—to bring our focus back to Him.

A Practical Way to Refocus

One way I implement this practice is through weekly reflection. I write down what I’m struggling with—whether it’s a difficult situation or a negative thought pattern. Then, I find a Scripture verse that directly speaks to that struggle, and I make it my verse of the week to meditate on and pray over.

In the prayer journal I recently designed, there’s a weekly page dedicated to this type of reflection.

Here’s an example:

During the week of March 2nd, I was struggling with the thought, I’m not doing enough. I am disappointing God. That was the underlying belief running in the background.

The verse I chose to meditate on was Romans 5:1—

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The truth I took from this verse is: I can never do enough—but that’s not what God asks of me. I have peace with God because I am justified through faith in Jesus Christ. I am called to rest in Him and allow Him to work through me, rather than striving to please Him through my own effort.

If you’re interested, my prayer journal is available on Amazon. You can search for "Prayer Journal Sherry Elaine Gospel Life Learning."

Final Thought

The clearer our focus on God’s truth, the clearer our path to purpose becomes.

In our next episode, we’ll continue this discussion by exploring the practice of abiding in Christ and praying in the Spirit as key strategies for living intentionally.

I originally planned to cover it in today’s episode, but this one has gone longer than expected! So, be sure to join me next time as we dive into what it means to abide in Christ and experience true joy through the power of prayer.

See you then!

Sherry

More Resources:

If you would like to learn simple, practical ways to walk with God every single day, then you would really enjoy Closer to God: Simple Methods, Starting Today

If you need motivation to eat healthier or lose weight while also growing
closer to God, then you would enjoy Weight Loss for Christians, An
Extraordinarily Simple Way to Conquer Cravings

If you want to learn more deeply and fully about what Jesus taught, then you would enjoy Words of Jesus - Bible Study on Christ's Teachings

The author also interacts with her readers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GospelLifeBooks

Instagram: @gospellifelearning

Youtube: Gospel Life Learning
Find more of the author's books at Amazon here.

More Resource Channels:

Gospel Life Learning Facebook

Gospel Life Learning Instagram

Gospel Life Learning YouTube

Sherry Elaine - Books Authored

With Grace,

Sherry

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Living Intentionally and Finding Your Purpose in God | Greek word peripateo | Hebrew word simchah | Ephesians 5:15-17 | Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 Exegesis

Have you ever found yourself going through the motions, maybe days or even weeks just blurring together—routines and obligations making you feel like you're in a rut with no sense of purpose or joy in your days? Today, we're going to explore what Scripture says about living intentionally. And I'm not just talking about being productive or setting goals, but about intentionally seeking and finding the joy in life that God wants for us.

Listen to this post here, and subscribe to the podcast:

Today, we are diving into the topic of living with intention—living with intention to find joy in life and to enjoy each day. And we’re looking at this from a biblical perspective.

Starting in Ephesians 5, it reads:

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."

Are we living like that—making the most of every opportunity of the day? And what does that really mean? A lot of us have jobs, responsibilities, and obligations. We may not always find joy in them. Some of us are lucky if we do. But are we just supposed to give all that up—all that security—so that we can "make the most of every opportunity"?

Let’s come back to the word live. "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise." In the Greek, that word translated as live is peripateo—which literally means to walk or to walk around. It implies how we are going about our lives, how we're walking through our reality, how we are conducting our lives—the way we approach our habits, our decisions, and our daily choices.

Paul, in Ephesians 5:15, is urging us to walk carefully—to do it with wisdom, not as unwise, and with awareness and intention. He’s talking about noticing the opportunities in our day and making use of them. It’s not about rushing through life, chasing after opportunities, or just grinding toward goals. It’s about pacing ourselves with purpose and being aligned with God’s will.

So, the first key from a biblical perspective is that intentional living begins with mindful walking. This is the way of the wise, and it is the opposite of the way of the unwise.

Then, Paul goes on to say, "because the days are evil." I believe what he is saying here is that if we are not intentionally careful with the way we go through life—our habits, our decision-making, our perspectives—then the days themselves will just take us along. They will pull us away from what is good. Some of us naturally lean toward the worst-case scenario. We focus too much on problems and on fixing things, instead of being mindful of the joy that God has for us in each day.

We want to look for the bits of good—the joy that God has for us in each day—because He is with us in and through each day.

Next, the Bible carries a theme that life itself is a gift, and we are to enjoy life as a gift. For this, we’re going to look in Ecclesiastes at the Hebrew word simchah—spelled simchah (s-i-m-c-h-a).

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says:

"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy (simchah) and to do good while they live, that each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil. This is the gift of God."

Are we eating, drinking, going about our days, doing what we normally do—but also finding satisfaction in it? I can't always say yes to that. But Scripture says that’s the gift of God! Finding satisfaction in the toil—in the hard things—that is His gift to us. Are we looking for it? Are we living for it? Are we finding both small and big purposes in our daily lives?

The Hebrew word simcha means joy, gladness, or delight, but it's not just surface-level happiness. It’s not just about having a good time. It’s a deep-rooted sense of joy that comes from recognizing life as a gift from God.

And interestingly, this verse in Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon—a man who experienced both the heights of success and the emptiness of chasing after meaningless pursuits. He went after things he thought would bring him joy, but they ended up leaving him empty—sometimes even in despair.

So, what was Solomon’s conclusion? The simple joys—the everyday eating and drinking, going to work, doing good, and looking for the good—those things are not to be overlooked or taken for granted. They are sacred gifts.

It reminds me of the saying, Happiness is the journey, not the destination. Living intentionally means that we pause to savor the blessings in life. And I promise you—they are there, every single day. We don’t rush past them in search of something more, something bigger, or something better to fulfill us. True happiness comes when we recognize the little joys right where we are.

And as I mentioned earlier, this is one of the things we’ll be doing together in the Online Women’s Connection Groups—helping each other practice this and holding each other accountable. Just to give you a little more information, each cohort will last for two to three months. We will go through this together, learning spiritual practices, prayer practices, and mindset shifts—practices that help us overcome depression, anxiety, and stress. Practices that help us keep the right perspective and thrive in our relationships.

If you’re living day-to-day feeling blah, feeling fearful, feeling anything but purposeful and joyful—if you’re not getting enough of that—then you’ll want to be part of this group. It is going to be transformative, and I cannot wait to start it.

So if you’re not on our email list, get on it! My websites are SherryElaine.com and GospelLifeLearning.com.

This was Part One of this topic on living with intention. Part Two will be coming out within the week.

Bye for now!

Gratefully,

Sherry

A Decade of Gospel Life Learning and What is Next in March and 2025

Hello Friends,

It’s hard to believe, but Gospel Life Learning has been online since 2014. The blogcast (blog + podcast) then began in 2022, and now—by God’s grace—it’s consistently reaching over 1,000 unique readers and listeners every month. Those are very small numbers in terms of internet traffic, but it's larger than I ever would have expected, and it keeps growing month by month. The best news is that the increase in the blog's traffic appears to be directly related to a huge increase people around the world searching and googling to learn more about Jesus! I wrote more about this here, related to Bible sales, and I also shared about the recent edition of the Words of Jesus Bible Study that I finally published just before January.

I started writing for one simple reason: I love to write, and I love to study God’s Word deeply. My peculiar, special interest is studying the meanings embedded in the underlying Greek and Hebrew. I also love to talk about what I’m learning, sometimes all the time (just ask my family). But not everyone in my real, offline life always wants to hear about it. So, in 2014, I found a sufficient outlet by writing into what seemed like the void of the internet. No plan really, no schedule. I wrote when I felt like it - which of course, was often, but typically less than 15 posts a year. “If God wants me to have an audience, He will bring them," were my thoughts. Ten years ago, the only person reading regularly was my mom. I remember that I would check my blog stats and see that maybe five people had visited the entire month. One of them even stayed on the site for 45 minutes (that was my mom). But I kept writing, because my heart loves to put into words what I learn. Some people love to garden, some love to cook, some love to paint… I love to study Jesus, biblical backgrounds, and Koine Greek meanings, and I love to write about it.

And here we are, a decade later. I am humbled.

So now, for a few updates:

Recently, I've renamed the Gospel Life Learning podcast to Faith and Soul Care for easier discoverability and to perhaps bypass internet platforms that filter out and shadow-ban content with “gospel,” “God,” and “Jesus” in their titles. You don’t have to do anything if you’re already subscribed—in your podcast library, you’ll see the name has already changed, but all my past episodes are still there. Also, looking ahead to Fall 2025, I’ll be hosting online connection cohorts for women. These will be small, intentional groups designed for discussion and practical faith-building—helping women grow in soul care, biblical understanding, and emotional resilience in a supportive, Christ-centered space. More details will come this summer! And one more thing—keep an eye on your inbox, because later today, I’ll be sending out free, downloadable pages from the prayer journal I recently designed which you can use in your quiet time.

This month, I’m continuing to share biblical reflections, soul care insights, and deep-dive studies into God’s Word. If you’ve been here for years or just joined, I’m so grateful you’re walking this journey with me.

Here’s what’s coming in March:

A new podcast episode on Abiding in Christ—what that really means from the Greek text.
A blog and episode on biblical joy, especially in seasons of discouragement.
Practical ways to apply soul care and spiritual growth in everyday life.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to the Faith & Soul Care podcast—formerly Gospel Life Learning—so you don’t miss any new episodes. You can also catch up on any of the recent "blogcasts" that you may have missed. And as always, I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply and let me know what topics or studies are on your heart.

Gratefully,
Sherry

I regularly share free downloadable study resources, free individual and group Bible studies; free online events and online conferences. We may also send monthly updates when a new blog post or blogcast series begins. Sign up by providing your best email address below. and you will receive my contact email where you can request the downloadable prayer journal pages for free if you haven't received them yet.

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What is the Soul? Greek Word for Soul | What Is Soul Care? | 3 Biblical Ways to Care for Your Soul

What is the Soul?

(Podcast, Video, and Transcript for this topic is found within this blogpost.)

[Readable Transcript Below this Audio:]

What is the Soul?

Today we're diving into this topic: What is the soul? But first, hold on—I have some major announcements. Let's move to that briefly, and then I will get right back to the topic.

Announcements and Updates

Hey friends, I have some exciting updates for you! First, just a quick heads-up: my podcast will be getting a new name soon. But don't worry—if you're an established reader or listener, nothing is changing about the heart of what I share.

Next, I have something special to share! The new prayer and reflection journal that I designed is now available. If you've read the book Closer to God: Simple Methods Starting Today, the journal was designed to help you put those teachings into practice—deepening your prayer life, strengthening your faith, and giving you a place to write down where you're doing well, where you're struggling, and where you sense God is working. It helps you stay grounded in truth each day. (Links to both the book and journal are below this post with other resources.)

To make it easy for you to try it, I'm offering a free downloadable week of the journal so you can see how it impacts your prayer life and your overall sense of purpose while using it.

If you're already on the email list, you will be getting a copy of the journal pages sent to you this week in your email. If you are not on the email list, then go to SherryElaine.com or GospelLifeLearning.com, click the tab for free resources, and sign up on the form there.

And now for some really big news! Coming later this year, in Fall of 2025, I’m going to be launching online Women's Connection Cohorts. This is going to be a space where we can gather, learn, and grow together in small, purposeful groups.

These groups will be hosted online through Zoom, and there'll be a time of encouragement, deep discussion, and faith-based personal growth. So if you're wanting to keep close to God and also live with more purpose—less affected by stress and with a clearer sense of purpose—then this will be something to be a part of.

We will be starting with limited openings as we run the first round. So, if you want to be the first to know when sign-ups begin, head over to SherryElaine.com, click on the Cohorts tab, and sign up for the notification list. You’ve got to be on that list to be notified!

I’m so looking forward to sharing these resources and opportunities with you. Stay connected, and let's keep growing together.

Now, back to topic: What is our soul?

We will start by looking at the Greek word for “soul” in the New Testament. Like we often do, we’re starting with the Greek—what does it mean when Scripture references the soul?

The Greek word used most often in the New Testament for soul is psuche (pronounced “soo-kay”). You might recognize it when you see it— (p-s-u-c-h-e)—as it is the root of our English words like psychology and psyche.

The word psuche or soul points to our inner life—our thoughts, emotions, motivations, wants, and desires.

In John 12, Jesus says, "My soul is troubled," expressing inner turmoil. The psuche is the part of us that experiences joy, sorrow, turmoil, and everything in between. It’s also the place where our relationship with God is lived out most personally and most deeply. The soul—the psuche—wrestles with these questions of hope, confidence, trust, meaning, purpose, and connection with God.

Understanding psuche also involves recognizing how the soul interacts with our body and spirit. The Bible often distinguishes between these three aspects of humanity: body, soul, and spirit.

For example, in 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul encourages us to take care of these three things—our body, spirit, and soul—in preparation for Jesus. The soul seems to serve as a bridge between our physical body and our spiritual spirit. It's where our earthly experiences and our eternal identity meet.

This is why caring for your soul is so vital. It's where the battle for your thoughts, faith, and emotions takes place.

Let’s not forget that the biblical perspective on the soul is that it is eternally valuable. As we see in Matthew 16, Jesus emphasized that gaining the whole world would be meaningless if it cost your soul.

Your soul is eternal—created to be in relationship with God. This truth helps us prioritize what really matters. Material wealth, status, and worldly accomplishments are fleeting. But the state of your soul and your relationship with Christ has eternal significance.

So, we know now—the soul is so precious and valuable. But how do we care for it? How do we nurture it?

Here are three biblical principles that help us align our psuche—our soul—with God’s purposes:

Resting in God
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus invites us:
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Resting in Jesus means surrendering our burdens, trusting Him fully, and finding peace in His presence. I mentioned earlier the women's connection cohorts that will be forming soon. This is something we’re going to go through together—how do we truly rest in God, and what daily practices can we do to ensure that we are giving our burdens over to Him fully?
If that’s something you’d like to dive deeper into, then make sure you’re on the email notification list at sherryelaine.com.

Intentionally Renewing Your Mind
Romans 12:2 teaches us:
“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
Our psuche—our soul—is deeply impacted by the thoughts we dwell on.
Meditating on Scripture and focusing on God’s truth reshapes our inner life—when we do so with intentionality. In the prayer journal that’s just now come out, there’s a space for you to weekly write your thoughts and concerns and start the process of renewing them with God’s truths. Again, this will be one of the topics and practices that we will also go into deeper when the connection cohorts start later this year.

Guarding Your Heart
Proverbs 4:23 says:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Protecting your soul involves being mindful of what is influencing you—your relationships, your media consumption, your daily habits. What are you allowing to be poured into your soul? Because it’s from that place where your actions and responses flow out to others. These are deep topics, and you’ll have the opportunity to learn and grow in a small online connection group soon, later this year.

In Closing Thoughts

Let’s turn our eyes to Jesus, who is called the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls—that’s from 1 Peter 2:25. That verse reminds us of His ongoing attention and care for us—for our inner lives. He cares deeply about it. He laid down His life to redeem us—specifically to redeem our souls. This demonstrates the immense value He places on our souls. As we grow closer to His Spirit, our soul finds true rest and purpose.

As we reflect on this word soul—or the Greek word psuchē—let's remember its depth and significance: Your soul is not just a part of you, it IS you. It’s the essence of who you are. It’s the center of your relationship with God, and it’s the place where eternal truths grow and transform you.In a world that often focuses on everything external, scripture calls us to tend to our souls with care and intentionality.

Thank you for joining in today. If this post or this episode has blessed you, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts or questions. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast or to the email notification list so you don’t miss the next topic.

Until then, may your soul find rest and delight in the presence of Jesus.

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