What do you do when your mind is going in a direction you don't want it to go?
What do you do when your caught up in patterns of anxiety in your mind and you're not sure how to stop them?
Is there any way we can change our thinking?
The answer is that, yes, we can change our thinking.
But, if we're looking for an easy fix, then we're going to have a problem. There's no promise of an easy fix.
Scripture does make it clear that our minds can be renewed - that we can change the way we think.
Romans 12:2 tells us that we can "be transformed by the renewing of our mind." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 talks about our ability to take thoughts captive to make them obedient to Christ. In Philippians 4:8, Paul tells us to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
These Scriptures would indicate that we do have the ability to change the way we think. We can choose to think on something different. We have that ability.
But, how do we do that? What does it look like?
What about when it seems like we can't change our thought patterns, not matter how hard we try?
I think the key to this is returning to Scripture. We need to take the time to find the truth of what Scripture says, and then we need to fill our minds with it.
This isn't an instant process. We may have to continually remind ourselves of the truth of Scripture. It's something we have to be intentional about, until it becomes our habit.
As I've learned this process in my own life, I've seen how it can and has changed my thinking over time. I've had to be intentional about it - especially in the moments when it's easiest for my thinking to go back to those old ways.
One of the things, I've learned is of the importance of having the truths from God's Word ready when I'm in the midst of a struggle. Those are the times when I need to be able to remind myself of God's truth clearly. Sometimes, this means going back to Scripture I've memorized.
Other times, it's actually having those Scriptures in a list that I can easily pull up an read - often out loud. This is especially true when it's a bigger challenge in my thinking. For me, one of those times is when my anxiety starts to take over my thinking. Then, the only way I might be able to stop it is to start declaring the truth of God's Word out loud and I need to have it where I can easily read it and access it. For me, that means it's actually in a note on my phone. Since my phone is pretty much always within reach of me, this is a helpful place for me to have this list of Scriptures.
Just because we find the Scripture and the truth doesn't mean it's going to instantly change. We have to commit to the process and be willing to dig in with it every time the issue arises again. Some days, it seems to have more impact on changing my thought life, than others. But, over time, it is slowly changing things.
The important thing is that we continue to go back to the truth of Scripture to change the way we think. No matter how many times we have to go back.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Slowing Down to Listen
We live in a world of constant noise and activity. There's always something we can do or listen to that fills the time and the silence. We've actually become really bad at being quiet or being still.
But, I wonder what we're missing because of it? I wonder what the real cost is?
Obviously, we can see and experience the physical cost. The most common thing we talk about about is how busy we are. Often followed by how tired we are.
There's a relational and emotional cost. Relationships with people take time we say we don't have. And when we're constantly on the go, our emotions can easily overwhelm us.
But, I wonder if we really stop and think about the spiritual cost of all this busy-ness and noise? Or, have we become so used to it we no longer realize there's a spiritual cost?
Just as relationships with people take time and energy from us, so does our relationship with God. Just as we need to take time to sit quietly and listen to those we want to have relationship with, we need to do so with God.
But, in our busy-ness and the constant noise of our lives it can be easy to forget this. We try to substitute a quick devotional thought or listening to a preacher while we do something else for the time we actually need. But, in doing so, we miss so much. The spiritual cost of doing so is high.
It's a trap we can easily fall into. I know I do it more often than I want. And we have to intentional about slowing down enough to listen. We have to be intentional about turning off the noise do we can really hear what God is saying to us.
It's actually one of the reasons I look forward to the month of January at my church. As a church, we set aside 21 days for prayer and fasting. The specifics of what this time looks like may be different for all of us, but we get intentional together about slowing down and being quiet enough to hear God's still small voice speaking to us. Taking time to re-calibrate our lives as we being a new year.
I guess the challenge I have for you as I finish this is to reflect on whether you need to slow down and turn off the noise to listen again?
Have you gotten so caught up in the busy-ness and noise of our world that you're paying a spiritual price you don't even realize?
But, I wonder what we're missing because of it? I wonder what the real cost is?
Obviously, we can see and experience the physical cost. The most common thing we talk about about is how busy we are. Often followed by how tired we are.
There's a relational and emotional cost. Relationships with people take time we say we don't have. And when we're constantly on the go, our emotions can easily overwhelm us.
But, I wonder if we really stop and think about the spiritual cost of all this busy-ness and noise? Or, have we become so used to it we no longer realize there's a spiritual cost?
Just as relationships with people take time and energy from us, so does our relationship with God. Just as we need to take time to sit quietly and listen to those we want to have relationship with, we need to do so with God.
But, in our busy-ness and the constant noise of our lives it can be easy to forget this. We try to substitute a quick devotional thought or listening to a preacher while we do something else for the time we actually need. But, in doing so, we miss so much. The spiritual cost of doing so is high.
It's a trap we can easily fall into. I know I do it more often than I want. And we have to intentional about slowing down enough to listen. We have to be intentional about turning off the noise do we can really hear what God is saying to us.
It's actually one of the reasons I look forward to the month of January at my church. As a church, we set aside 21 days for prayer and fasting. The specifics of what this time looks like may be different for all of us, but we get intentional together about slowing down and being quiet enough to hear God's still small voice speaking to us. Taking time to re-calibrate our lives as we being a new year.
I guess the challenge I have for you as I finish this is to reflect on whether you need to slow down and turn off the noise to listen again?
Have you gotten so caught up in the busy-ness and noise of our world that you're paying a spiritual price you don't even realize?
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
His Presence Changes All
"Rejoice all, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Rejoice always.
Pray continually.
Give thanks.
Six words. Three things to do that sound simple. But Paul puts them in this letter because they're not what we naturally do most of the time.
When life isn't going as we want, rejoicing seems impossible. It's the furthest thing from our minds. Our circumstances may even seem to be preventing us from rejoicing.
For most of us, much of the time prayer seems like a pretty daunting task. Praying continually also seems impossible. We don't even know what we would talk to God about that much.
Giving thanks. . . and Paul adds, in all circumstances. Sometimes our circumstances are far from anything we want to even try to be thankful in.
If it's so hard to do these things in our normal, every day life, then what are we to do about these words in Scripture? How do we live this?
As I've thought about this lately, I've been drawn back to Philippians 4:4-7 where Paul writes similar words:
I think there's one more thing Paul says clearly in Philippians that speaks to this:
These four words in the middle of these verses, I think shed light on how to live what Paul has written about in both Philippians 4:4-7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
We can rejoice always because the Lord is near. No matter our circumstances, we can rejoice that we're not alone in them. God is right there with us.
We can pray continually because the Lord is near. We don't have to do anything special to get His attention or time first. We can just talk to Him as we go through our day.
We can give thanks in all circumstances because the Lord is near. We may not be thankful for the specific circumstances we find ourselves in, but we can be thankful for God's presence with us in them.
It't God's presence that changes it all. And it's our awareness of His presence with us that causes us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. As we do these things intentionally, our awareness of God's presence with us grows.
Rejoice always.
Pray continually.
Give thanks.
Six words. Three things to do that sound simple. But Paul puts them in this letter because they're not what we naturally do most of the time.
When life isn't going as we want, rejoicing seems impossible. It's the furthest thing from our minds. Our circumstances may even seem to be preventing us from rejoicing.
For most of us, much of the time prayer seems like a pretty daunting task. Praying continually also seems impossible. We don't even know what we would talk to God about that much.
Giving thanks. . . and Paul adds, in all circumstances. Sometimes our circumstances are far from anything we want to even try to be thankful in.
If it's so hard to do these things in our normal, every day life, then what are we to do about these words in Scripture? How do we live this?
As I've thought about this lately, I've been drawn back to Philippians 4:4-7 where Paul writes similar words:
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)In these verses in Philippians, Paul says very similar words to what he has written in 1 Thessalonians. Paul says to rejoice always, and he encourages taking everything to God in prayer, and says to do so with thanksgiving.
I think there's one more thing Paul says clearly in Philippians that speaks to this:
The Lord is near.
We can rejoice always because the Lord is near. No matter our circumstances, we can rejoice that we're not alone in them. God is right there with us.
We can pray continually because the Lord is near. We don't have to do anything special to get His attention or time first. We can just talk to Him as we go through our day.
We can give thanks in all circumstances because the Lord is near. We may not be thankful for the specific circumstances we find ourselves in, but we can be thankful for God's presence with us in them.
It't God's presence that changes it all. And it's our awareness of His presence with us that causes us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. As we do these things intentionally, our awareness of God's presence with us grows.
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