If I don’t take purposeful action to set my mind on Jesus Christ, then I’m allowing my mind to go anywhere it wants to go. I know where it will go, and it’s nowhere good. To focus my mind on God requires some work. Will I train my brain to concentrate on the things of God, or will I let it be consumed by the things of this world? Step 3: Replace self-focused thinking with a God-focused mindset.Īfter praying for the Lord to protect my mind and recognizing the enemy, I have a choice. Recognize the enemy, and fight him with God’s power and with Scriptural truth. I know who the enemy is, and I also know the only One who can defeat him. That may work temporarily, but it won’t root out the problem. (It should be noted that in my case this is not clinical depression and, if it were, I would seek medical treatment.)Įventually my mind is unencumbered, but it is not because I thought positively enough or talked myself out of it.
Most of the time, I realize that I am engaged in a spiritual battle of some sort, but I cannot immediately free myself of it. A feeling of heaviness accompanies my self-defeating thoughts. I have experienced periods of mental oppression that seem almost physical. Given that my behavior begins in my mind, and my mind is where spiritual transformation happens, is it any surprise that the adversary wants to mess with my thinking? It must be his favorite first attempt to distract and disarm Christians, and it usually works. Step 2: Recognize the source of self-focused and self-defeating thoughts. From now on, I will do my best to start my day with a simple prayer: Jesus, by your Holy Spirit, keep my mind firmly set where you want it to be focused today. Too often, I simply don’t bother to ask for the Lord’s protection, direction, and oversight of my mind. The object of my regular thinking will determine how my days, years, and ultimately my life plays out. My mind is the place of my intellect, reasoning, and intentions my behavior begins in my mind , and my mind is where spiritual transformation happens (Romans 12:2). Step 1: Ask the Lord to guard and direct your mind.
My mind needs a refresher. Maybe you too will benefit from these steps. “What a stupid thing to say!” (Imaginary palm to the forehead.) “Did she just ignore me?” (Anger, followed by a fearful feeling that I am easily forgotten.) “That’s a good idea for a blog post…or maybe it’s just dumb.” (Internal debate.) “I’d like to _, but I don’t know if I can pull it off.” (Who do I think I am?)
My mental monologue generally contains too much self-focused and self-defeating babble. There are words floating through my mind at all times some are good and purposeful, and others are not. What does your stream of consciousness sound like?
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