Secrets of a Renewed Mind
Is it possible that your thought life is holding you back? I’ve watched hundreds of leaders succeed or fail and almost always it goes back to one thing: how much they change their thought life.
““Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.””
I can remember certain “ah-ha” moments when my mind envisioned something bigger than I had ever dreamed. I can remember times when I felt like a failure and encouraged myself with thoughts. Every time, it seemed a THOUGHT was either holding me captive or catapulting me into a new dimension.
Here are a few secrets to a successful thought life:
1. “Capture your thoughts”
Isn’t it funny how a negative thought can come into your mind “out of the blue?” Some wonder if Satan has access to our thoughts…I KNOW HE DOES. Paul even spoke about doing spiritual warfare over thoughts (2 Cor 10: 3).
Listen to your inner conversations. Are your thoughts constantly fearful? Are they hopeless? Are they jealous? Cast them down! Take them captive! Out loud say, “Satan, you are a liar. These are not the thoughts of God’s Word. I renounce and remove them from my mind.”
2. “Check your friends”
Probably your greatest battle is your friends. Their negative mindset tries to limit yours. Jesus’ brothers were always negative about His career. Peter tried to stop Christ from His mission! Be careful of whose thoughts you are giving access to your mind (hello, television!)
I love to read after and listen to people who are thinking great thoughts. Their accomplishments prove that they are great thinkers. They speak of goals that only God could inspire. My thoughts rise in tandem with theirs.
3. “Remove the groove”
Neuro-specialists tell us that our thoughts travel in “grooves” in our brains. Our memories form “trees” whose branches are filled with feelings of good or bad moments. We automatically think in those “grooves” and “mind trees.”
Plow up the ground! Cut down the trees! It’s time for some NEW ROWS to be plowed and some NEW TREES to be planted. Your parents and ancestors all thought with certain limitations. You must begin to think of yourself in totally different dimensions. “Me…educated?” “Me…physically fit?” “Me…speaking before people?” “Me…happily married?” “Me…owning a home?!”
4. “Renew your mind”
For the last 25 years, I have read the Bible at least once a year. Many churches now post my “One Year Devotional” on their website (you can find it here). Gradually, over time, my thoughts have been transformed more and more into God’s thoughts.
I meditate on Scripture daily. I speak certain verses out loud when they especially apply to my situation. I ask God to change my thoughts when they conflict with God’s commands. Changing an old mentality takes years of renewal.
Stay with it. Guard your mind. Expose your mind to great thinkers. Speak your new thoughts out loud. Find friends who think like your renewed mind.
I think your life just started to change!