Changing your Mind

Have you ever thought about changing your mind as your goal for the new year: a change on the inside instead of a change only on the outside? Ephesians 4:22-23 says “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;”. We are being polluted by deceitful desires, or things we want but are not good for us, causing us to make unwise instead of wise decisions.

So what is wise and what is unwise? An unwise decision includes deciding that sex is just a normal part of a relationship. Rationalizing that it is necessary to make sure you are a “good fit” with your boyfriend. But some of the dangers in that decision are unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

So what then is a wise decision? Waiting until you get married before having sex. Then if you get pregnant, you have the support of your husband. If you are both virgins when you get married, you cannot catch a sexually transmitted disease. Sometimes it is hard to remember, but God sets limits to keep us safe, just like our parents did. We may not fully understand those limits and therefore do not agree with the limits. Or we may not see the danger in our decisions, but that does not mean there is no danger. We should depend on our all-knowing God to help us make wise decisions this year.