YOU WILL KEEP IN PERFECT PEACE THOSE WHOSE MINDS ARE STEADFAST, BECAUSE THEY TRUST IN YOU.
ISAIAH 26.3
… BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND.
ROMANS 12.2
Most of the time people come to see me because of how they feel. They come in anxious, depressed or confused. They feel guilty or ashamed about their sinful choices. Their relationships are conflicted, painful and empty. Circumstances feel dire. When we are in pain we naturally want to feel better. And in order to truly feel better and not just push unpleasant feelings into the corner, the one thing that almost always needs to change is how one thinks. This is because what we think and believe effects and creates feelings. Thinking truth leads to life (John 8:32). Thinking lies creates misery and bondage. Which is why one of the greatest assets in the change process is a strong and agile mind. This is the ability to recognize your current thoughts and beliefs and then to correct them when they do not line up with Truth. (I believe that the highest authority of Truth is the Holy Bible.)
When we think a certain way for a long time it usually feels true. Lies can feel very true, which is why it’s hard to turn from them. People are extremely valuable to God, precious in His sight, but there are many who walk around feeling worthless and unlovable. Why? Because they think and believe that they are worthless. Thoughts lead to feelings. This means that it will take great mental effort to change thought patterns and habits that feel true. People who are depressed have thoughts that are hopeless and despairing. People who battle anxiety have thoughts about what bad thing might happen. Feelings make things seem true, but it doesn’t mean that they are true. Intentional change in thinking is always a faith leap – a cliff jump. It feels very risky. It can even feel false or impossible. In my experience, the people who are willing to take that risk and struggle to change how they have thought for a long time in order to align their thoughts with God’s thoughts – the scriptures – experience the greatest amount of healing, freedom and transformation. And though there are other factors that help bring about transformation, change rarely happens without a shift in one’s thinking.
Some of the hardest thoughts to turn from, to change, are the ones that produce feelings of shame: I am disgusting. I am a loser. I am ugly. I am such a fool. I am so stupid. I can’t do anything right. These condemnations harass us and make us miserable and they are not from God. I will talk more next time about how we come to think and believe these kinds of thoughts. For today, I would like to ask you to focus on something true, something from the scriptures, and to think about this truth often for many days in a row. Ask God to enable you to think often of this truth. Notice how you feel and any changes in your outlook on life. Here is a suggestion, a truth that has greatly transformed my whole outlook on life:
Jesus came that I may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
* I posted a blog of this same title a few weeks ago but then took it off my sight because I did not think it effectively conveyed what I wanted to say. This is the redo.