If you are like me, after reading the blog title, you had
flashbacks of your childhood and your parents asking you, in a variety of tones
and volumes, "What were you thinking!!?" And I would
reply, usually with a confused or blank look on my face "I don't know?".
Somehow actually "thinking" about what I was going to do never
entered my mind… I just did it! What was this "thinking about it"
stuff anyway? It just seemed like the thing to do at the time! Lol!
But as I’ve grown in my walk with the Lord, that question—“What
were you thinking?!”—has taken on a whole new meaning. It’s no longer just
about childhood impulses but about the power of our thoughts and how
they impact our lives... and the lives of others.
Taking every thought Captive
A few years back... ok maybe a couple decades ago now that I
think about it, lol, I was invited to join a Bible study and one of the
scriptures in this study was;
"We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient
to Christ." 2
Corinthians 10:5
At that time, this thought was revolutionary to me! I
was like 'Wait…what!? I can actually DO that? I can take my
thoughts captive?!'
You see, I had been plagued with thoughts that ran amuck in
all sorts of unpleasant directions! I would imagine my husband or children
having horrible accidents, and before I knew it, I was emotionally wrecked,
mentally living out these tragedies that hadn’t even happened! Or I would
be mad at my husband for imagined or misunderstood slights, then dwelled on everything
he did wrong. Or I would rehash conversations I had, or wished I had... over
and over again. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
It certainly wasn't easy at first, it was like trying to use
an atrophied muscle, in this case, my floppy grey matter, lol! But over time,
that mental muscle grew stronger and I got better at catching those downward
spirals and turning them around faster.
When I say “replace negative thoughts with the truth,” I
mean literally replacing them with scripture. Here are a few of my go-to
verses:
When my mind goes down anxious rabbit holes, I lean on this
one;
"Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians
4:6.
And this one is great to rein in all kinds of wayward
thoughts:
"Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8
Another one I turn to when I’m struggling to trust in God's
provision:
"But
seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well." Matthew
6:33
Making up my Mind
This blog was inspired the other day as I was listening to
the Bible and I heard this verse:
"But
make up your mind not to worry... " Luke 21:14
And it hit me the same way 2 Corinthians 10:5 did. Not only
can we take our thoughts captive, but we can also "make up our
minds" to do, or not to do. We can be intentional about what we think,
say, and do! In this verse, the topic is "worry". Which means we
can actually decide, yes, we can make up our mind, NOT to worry! And
instead, we can choose to trust God. This IS within our ability! Is that
as revolutionary to you as it was to me?
We can so easily believe the lie that we have no control
over our thoughts—that worry, fear, or anxiety just “happen.” We tell
ourselves, “I can’t help it,” or “That’s just the way I am.”
Granted, there are many things in life we can’t control—but our thoughts?
That’s one thing we do have control over!
Another scripture that speaks to this idea is:
"Therefore,
let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your
mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's
way." Romans
14:13
This is another important topic to ponder. How often have we
passed judgement on others, consciously or not? I’ll admit, I am as
guilty as anyone in this regard. But I have been working on it! When I catch
myself heading down that judgmental road, I stop and remind myself that I’m no
better. I’ve made the same or similar mistakes. Who am I to judge? I make up
my mind not to pass judgment. Of course, this is still a work in progress,
lol. (see Matthew 7:1).
Searching the Scriptures
So, after my recent discovery of the “make up your mind”
verse, I decided to search for other scriptures pertaining to our
"minds". I have listed a couple above but here are a few more;
"Jesus
turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block
to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23
In this verse, Jesus tells Peter that he has in mind the
things of MEN and not of GOD. What does that even mean?? How do we know the
difference between the things of God or man? I am sure Peter was astounded by
Jesus' rebuke thinking, "I thought I DID have in mind the things of GOD!"
I don’t have all the answers here, but from what I’ve
learned so far, God’s perspective is almost always eternal, not temporal. When
we are focused on worldly comforts or quick fixes, we usually have the mindset
of man. But when we shift our focus to Him, seeking His will and trusting His
timing, He faithfully leads us. A heart and mind set on Him opens the door to
God’s eternal purpose, not just temporary relief.
Here is another verse along these lines:
"Their
destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their
shame. Their mind is on earthly things." Philippians
3:19
Loving God with my
Mind
In this scripture Jesus asks us to love God with everything!
Our heart, soul, strength, and mind. That tells me the mind can
be excluded too. Maybe we love Him with our heart, or maybe our heart and
strength, but forget the mind. He wants all of it.
What does loving God with our mind look like?
After pondering this for a minute, this scripture came to
mind:
"Do
not conform any longer 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." Romans
12:2
Apparently, our minds need to be renewed and transformed!!
And once they are, we will have a much better idea of what God's good, perfect,
and pleasing will is.
Another way we can love Him with our minds is by thinking
about him all the time. Keeping Him at the forefront of our minds, talking
about Him, and to Him, throughout our day. Just like it says in Deuteronomy
11:18-21;
“Fix
these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on
your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when
you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie
down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your
houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may
be many …”
The Battlefield of the Mind
This verse is sobering. If we don’t value the knowledge of
God, we can be given over to a depraved mind. Yikes!! That’s not
something I want to experience!
"...but
I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the
law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my
members." Romans
7:23
Our minds are a battleground. This reminds me of
Joyce Meyer’s book Battlefield of the Mind. If you haven’t read it, I
highly recommend it! I even got the daily devotional, which really helped
strengthen my thought life and “grey matter.” 😊
The Spirit Controlled Mind
"The
mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life
and peace..." Romans 8:6
Here again, we see the power of choice: our minds can be
controlled by sin and death—or by the Spirit, which brings life and peace. I’m
learning more and more how powerful our thoughts truly are. They really can
bring life... or death. Wow.
This might not be new information to you. Maybe you feel like you already have
great control over your thoughts—and that’s awesome! But I think this topic is important enough for all of us to pause and check in with ourselves. Maybe some areas of our thinking could use a little refreshing or “spring cleaning.”
So, what ARE you thinking?
Based on the scriptures I have listed, here is a little
thought-life checkup:
- · Are you taking your thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ?
- · Are you thinking of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy?
- · Do you have in mind the things of God or of man?
- · Have you made up your mind not to worry, fear, or be anxious?
- · Are you choosing gratitude over grumbling?
- · Is your mind conformed to the pattern of this world or are you being transformed by the renewing of your mind?
- · Is your mind controlled by the Spirit of life and peace or by something else?
- · Are you “cycling through” negative thoughts over and over?
Practical Ways to Renew Your Mind:
Ok, let me end with a summary of the ways, that I have
learned, to rein in my crazy, floppy grey matter:
- · Recognize negative thoughts and replace them with scripture.
- · Be intentional about what you allow into your mind.
- · Talk to God, and about God, daily.
- · Focus on gratitude over worry.
- · Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts
"This
calls for a mind with wisdom. ..."
Revelation 17:9