I made a comment the other night that I feel needs to be clarified. At best, I should flesh out my idea a little more. The discussion at the time revolved around guarding our minds, putting on the helmet of salvation and picking up the sword of truth (Eph. 6:17) and, as churchy discussions often do, wound its way to the question: "What do you do to renew your mind?" - a reference to Romans12:2 -

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Over time, through trial and error, I have been able to identify certain truths about myself (isn't that a point of trials?). Chief among them is what some may call a character flaw -  that being I have found myself to be easily distracted and lazy.

I love God. And as a result of my life being forever changed by Him and through Him, my heart seeks to know Him, His word, and His will for my life. That being said, here I am on the computer, typing to no one in particular. My point is while my heart may cry out to discover Him in invigorating ways and apply His principles to my life, I struggle with all the other noise vying for my time and attention.

Knowing this about myself, I sought ways to discipline myself to study and pray. Some may suggest that the Spirit compels us in an undeniable way to seek the Lord (In fact, this was the response to a confession I made. More about that in a minute.) I agree. The desire exists in my heart to learn and (more importantly) apply the Word. I just know from experience that I'm not gonna deliberately carve out a block of time to get into a prayer closet. Nor am I inclined to settle into a regular devotion...even though these things are useful and important in the life of every believer. It may sound incredibly immature, but given the choice between quiet meditation or Netflixing a season of "Breaking Bad"...well...

In school, I found that I worked best under pressure. Since I was such a procrastinator, this was suitable and, while I never hit the honor roll, I did ok and managed to graduate. Fast forward to my adult life and find the same condition to be true. If I'm to be honest with myself, I have to admit it's not a desirable trait. I have, however, learned to work with it, treating it in much the same way as someone with a learning disability might. Acknowledge. Adapt. Overcome.

Procrastination, distraction, laziness. These are my vices. What I found that worked for me, in terms of studying and prayer, was the same principle I used to get through school. I had to create a sense of obligation or responsibility and accountability to someone else. The only "bad" things in my heart bigger than my laziness (and the only things which would overcome it) are guilt and embarrassment.

Thus, I obligated myself to a group of friends that would rely on me to provide some cogent thoughts on scripture and application. My aim is to simply facilitate constructive discussion and practical application of Scripture. I'm a Sunday School teacher.

So, this is all I was trying to say...the way I renew my mind is by engaging the Word in preparation and examination. For a purpose beyond myself. Yes, the desire to study and meditate are a natural response to the Spirit on the throne of my heart. But, to defeat the cacophony of distractions I have to make it a responsibility.