Woman to Woman: You Can Change Your Mind

As God spoke to me about incorporating a regular rhythm of REST into my life this summer, with the new month and season ahead He is prompting me to renew and refresh my mind. So much of what we experience in life stems from our thought life. I love this quote by Craig Groeschel:

"Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts"

[Winning the War in Your Mind]

When your thoughts are predominately defeated and insecure, you journey through life in a negative direction. When your thoughts are predominantly spirit controlled and life-giving, you journey through life in a positive direction.

Allow me to share three ways you can take back your thoughts by getting clear on who you are in Christ.

Who Are You?

Today's culture is big on mantras or "affirmations". Those are fine for momentary encouragement or gearing up for a big project. But they are not always based in truth.

Truth is rock solid, cannot be changed or altered; something everyone agrees on, like the sun rises every morning.

A mantra or affirmation is more like a "wish" or "hope", which may or may not be based in solid truth.

For example, teaching a child to repeat "I can be anything I want to be when I grow up", sounds good initially. Positive and empowering, yes, truth-filled, NO.

The simple truth is a child cannot be anything they want to be when they grow up; every child will not be an astronaut or president of the United States. Embracing an affirmation not based in rock solid truth sets you up for disappointment and failure.

Who God says You Are

Biblical truth is not a self-help mantra or wishful thinking, it is solid truth from the mouth of God and will never change.

Getting clear on your identity in Christ means you root your identity in what He says about you. What God says about you and His view of you never changes because it is based on who He says you are, not on what you do.

Tell the Truth

Speaking God's words over yourself, based in the rock-solid truth of His Word is the starting point for taking back your thoughts and getting clear on your identity in Christ.

Work through the following 3 steps to renew your mind with truth from God's Word.

Pinpoint existing lies. Notice your self-talk; your conversations with "yourself". How do you speak to yourself? Are you judgmental, negative, discouraging? Notice your thoughts; are they bitter, selfish, prideful? Do you notice behaviors indicative of insecurity, blame shifting, manipulating, fear?

Take time to write down false narratives you circulate in your head about yourself and others. Ask the Holy Spirit to pinpoint the existing lies you believe about yourself. Note manipulative and selfish behavior patterns and ask the Holy Spirit to free you from the lies driving your thoughts and behaviors.

Change your perspective. Every lie can be defeated by a biblical truth. If you have spent your life trying to earn the love and approval of others, speak the truth of Romans 8:31-39 over that lie.

As you review the list of lies the Holy Spirit revealed to you, find a Bible truth you can speak over each lie, renewing your mind and thoughts with God's truth. Here are a few verses to get you started:

God's love for you: John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-15, Ephesians 3:18-19.

Fearfulness: Philippians 4:6-8, Isaiah 26:3-4, Isaiah 41:10.

Security: John 10:28-29, Psalm 27:1-3, Isaiah 54:17.

Confidence: Proverbs 3:26, Philippians 4:13, Hebrews 4:16.

Declare the truth. Once you have verses to combat the lies, write the verses out on index cards or sticky notes to keep where you will see them. It is also helpful to re-write the verses in your own words as a brief statement you can remember and use when your thoughts turn to the old narratives and stories.

Be diligent to take your thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and expose them to the truth of God's Word. As the Holy Spirit reveals new lies to you, repeat the steps above to defeat those lies in your life.

Remember when God looks at you, He sees you as His beloved child. You are not defined by what other people say about you, your failures, or inadequacies, or even your sin. God sees you as a precious treasure purchased by the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He will never change His mind about how He sees you.

Reflection:

What is your biggest struggle when it comes to winning the war of your mind?

Identify one lie circulating through your thoughts and replace it with biblical truth.