Gospel Life Learning | Faith and Soul Care Podcast: 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

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

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