“With the external pace of life moving SLOWER our internal thoughts are becoming LOUDER.”
-JOSHUA FINLEY

What can we do if our thought life is not serving us well?

Are we stuck with it as it is?

Is it kind of like having a physical feature we wish was different? Is it a fixed genetic disposition that we are handed down from our family gene pool?

Is it unchangeable?

I truly don’t think so.

“…let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
-THE APOSTLE PAUL (Romans 12:1)

People can absolutely change their thinking and as a result, change their lives.

Suffice to say, all of us probably have massive room for growth in this area.

After all, the condition of our thoughts greatly influences the quality of our lives.

“As a man thinks, so is he.”
-SOLOMON (Proverbs 23:7)
“A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.”
-JAMES ALLEN (Author, As A Man Thinketh )

Please hear me before we continue in this post.

I am not a scientist nor do I pretend to be a doctor.

In no way am I attempting to minimize the enormous complexity of this issue.

I want to help clarify some understanding and share a real process that can begin working for you TODAY.

My words are not meant to make anyone on medication feel judged, “less than”, unspiritual or marginalized.

I would never judge a diabetic for needing to take insulin. And I would never judge someone who needed help for a chemical imbalance in their brain or body.

People in my inner-circle, whom I deeply love and respect, are in this very fight.

With that said, I hope you approach this content with an open heart and mind!

Here is a simple, but incredibly transformative process that has greatly helped me.

5 Keys To Thinking A New Thought

1. Recognize.

Don’t try this alone. Even King David asked God for help in this area.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
-KING DAVID (Psalm 139:23)

Allow the Holy Spirit to increase your self-awareness on a subconscious and conscious level.

Keep a journal on your phone or choose a method of writing down the negative thoughts that regularly flood your mind.

Be patient, this will take some practice.

Be kind to yourself.

We are all a work in progress.

Just don’t make excuses that paralyze you from progressing!

Our brains are a pretty busy intersection where over 60,000 thoughts a day speed by.

“When you objectively observe your own thinking with the view to capturing rogue thoughts, you in effect direct your attention to stop the negative impact and rewire healthy new circuits into your brain.”
-DR. CAROLINE LEAF

Once you capture them, you can reshape them.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
-THE APOSTLE PAUL (2 Corinthians 10:5)

You are not a passive bystander in this process.

This is going to take intentionality and persistence.

Refuse to be a helpless victim on this pilgrimage of change.

2. Remove.

Once our thought patterns are captured and recorded we can begin removing unwanted thought cycles.

“Self-awareness is the ability to edit our inner-narrative.”
-PAUL SCANLON

For the Christ-follower, the removal process often begins with repentance.

Repentance is turning in a new direction.

Repentance is asking God for help to pivot away from the old and step towards the new.

Repentance is saying “goodbye” to what you were believing or doing in order to say “hello” to what God has always had planned for you.

Let God know you surrender this thought this is not serving you or His purposes for your life. Wherever you picked up this negative thought (the habit of negativity, sinful choices, genetic disposition, etc.) doesn’t really matter.

“The sin of parents create a disposition, not a destiny.”
-DR. CAROLINE LEAF

Call it out.

Define it as toxic to yourself.

Confess it to God.

Lay it down.

Left unchecked, negative thoughts will become subconsciously become pervasive and shape how you see yourself, others and even God.

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS COMPOUND.

“The more you think of yourself as worthless, stupid, or ugly, the more you condition yourself to interpret life that way. You get trapped in a thought loop.
The same is true for how you think about others. Once you fall into the habit of seeing people as angry, unjust or selfish, you see those kind of people everywhere.”
-JAMES CLEAR

Toxic thoughts that are not addressed can become strongholds or viciously fixed patterns of thought.

“A stronghold is a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that is contrary to the will of God.”
-MICHAEL P. CAVANAUGH

We all have limiting beliefs that need to be tossed.

God’s desires that His truth would inform and shape our personal belief system.

“Your belief system is made up of WHO you can be, WHAT you can do and WHAT you can have in this life.”
-PAUL MARTINELLI

3. Replace.

As you begin to identify the thoughts that need to go you can then move into the next step of transformation: replacing lies with truth.

“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” -JESUS (John 8:32)

Old thoughts can’t just be removed, they have to be replaced.

Thoughts are real, physical things that occupy mental real estate. Moment by moment, every day, you are changing the structure of your brain through your thinking. When we hope, it is an activity of the mind that changes the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction.”
-DR. CAROLINE LEAF

How do I choose new thoughts to replace my old ones?

When I remind myself that I have more promises than I do problems, I feel empowered to choose new thoughts.

I can go into God’s Word and find a promise that speaks to and reframes the problem I am facing.

“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life…My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
-THE PROPHET ISAIAH (Isaiah 55:3, 8-9)

God’s thoughts are MUCH higher than ours.

Thankfully, He’s given every one of His children the MIND OF CHRIST.

“We were born to think like man; we’ve been born again to think like God.”
-DR. MIKE BROWN

Our thoughts are connected to our ways.

When our thoughts change our way of life is transformed.

Little by little.

Thought by thought.

4. Rehearse.

God told Joshua, after the death of his mentor Moses, that in order to be bold and courageous, he would need to develop a powerful habit: meditating on God’s Word.

If Joshua did this, God would ensure success and prosperity would be a major part of his life.

What an incredible promise!

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
-JOSHUA 1:8

When Scripture talks about meditation it’s not the picture of us chanting or emptying our brain of all thought while putting our body in an odd position.

The image is actually more like a cow “chewing the cud”.
Meditation is about choosing what you will slowly, systematically, *repeatedly* focus on.

I won’t go into detail because the process is fairly gross but what we can learn from it is significant.

Cows don’t just eat their food once.

Cows have four stomachs and repeatedly chew on the same food, over-and-over.

We don’t just think positive thoughts accidentally, we can choose them intentionally.

“What was once accidental can become intentional. What was once intentional can become intuitive.”
-JOSHUA FINLEY

Speakers, athletes, influencers from every walk of life have learned this secret.

**Some call it their power-phrase. Some call it their secret script.**

I have one that I read to myself from my phone.

I try to do it first thing in the morning every day. If I’m too tired to read it, I’ve recorded myself reading it and I’ll listen to it.

This powerful little practice only takes me 3-minutes.

It’s super easy to skip, but it’s profoundly grounding and spiritually centering when I don’t.

Your focus is your choice.

Choose well.

Choose life.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
-THE APOSTLE PAUL (PHILIPPIANS 4:8)

Your mind is one of the greatest gifts God ever gave you.

What you do to cultivate that mind is one of the greatest gifts you will ever give back to Him.

5. Repeat.

You and I get what we repeat.

“Repetition is the mother of all learning.”
-Latin Proverb

It takes 21-days??

For years people have thrown around the idea that it only takes 21-days to enforce a fresh habit.

That is partially true.

It takes 21-days to begin a fresh neural pathway in our minds but it actually requires 3, 21-day cycles (63 days) to firmly root a new habit in our brains.

“Neuropathways are the roads in your brain thoughts travel on.”
-KRIS VALLOTTON

Dr. Caroline Leaf goes into great detail on this process in her book, Switch Your Brain On.

When it comes to changing the way we think, you have to keep with it.

Here are some excellent thoughts from a recent book I’ve been reading.

THE 1% CHANGE & COMPOUND INTEREST OF GROWTH

Author, James Clear, KILLS it on this subject from so many aspects…

“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.”
“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than your current results.”
“Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. Good habits make time your friend. Bad habits make time your enemy.” -JAMES CLEAR

Friend, my advice is to begin today.

Right where you are, you can begin making progress in improving your mental health and the quality of your thought life.

Please don’t wait for the perfect day, a magical feeling or some imaginary “ideal” set of circumstances.

Today is a gift.

Each thought is an opportunity to co-create with God.

We’ve been designed to live from the inside-out.

This COVID-19 season we’ve been navigating as a global community and human race has been straight up CRAZY.

We are living in unprecedented times.

It’s unsettling.

It’s sad to see the devastation.

It’s ridiculously disrupting.

Thankfully, every crisis also brings with it an opportunity.

“I don’t want to look back at 2020 and see that my life was defined by a virus. I want to be able to look back and say that my life was refined by the voice of God.”
-JOSHUA FINLEY

A HELPFUL RESOURCE YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT:

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. LEAVE A COMMENT.

Which of the 5 Keys was the most timely and helpful for you?
Which of the 5 do you struggle with the most?
What other exercises, tools or insights have you found helpful on this idea of thinking new thoughts?

5 Keys to Thinking a New Thought

“With the external pace of life moving SLOWER our internal thoughts are becoming LOUDER.”

-JOSHUA FINLEY

“…let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

-THE APOSTLE PAUL (Romans 12:1)

After all, the condition of our thoughts greatly influences the quality of our lives.

“As a man thinks, so is he.”

-SOLOMON (Proverbs 23:7)

“A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.”

-JAMES ALLEN (Author, As A Man Thinketh )

5 Keys To Thinking A New Thought

1. Recognize.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

-KING DAVID (Psalm 139:23)

“When you objectively observe your own thinking with the view to capturing rogue thoughts, you in effect direct your attention to stop the negative impact and rewire healthy new circuits into your brain.”

-DR. CAROLINE LEAF

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

-THE APOSTLE PAUL (2 Corinthians 10:5)

2. Remove.

“Self-awareness is the ability to edit our inner-narrative.”

-PAUL SCANLON

“The sin of parents create a disposition, not a destiny.”

-DR. CAROLINE LEAF

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS COMPOUND.

“The more you think of yourself as worthless, stupid, or ugly, the more you condition yourself to interpret life that way. You get trapped in a thought loop.

The same is true for how you think about others. Once you fall into the habit of seeing people as angry, unjust or selfish, you see those kind of people everywhere.”

-JAMES CLEAR

“A stronghold is a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that is contrary to the will of God.”

-MICHAEL P. CAVANAUGH

“Your belief system is made up of WHO you can be, WHAT you can do and WHAT you can have in this life.”

-PAUL MARTINELLI

3. Replace.

“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” -JESUS (John 8:32)

Old thoughts can’t just be removed, they have to be replaced.

Thoughts are real, physical things that occupy mental real estate. Moment by moment, every day, you are changing the structure of your brain through your thinking. When we hope, it is an activity of the mind that changes the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction.”

-DR. CAROLINE LEAF

How do I choose new thoughts to replace my old ones?

“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life…My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.

And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

-THE PROPHET ISAIAH (Isaiah 55:3, 8-9)

“We were born to think like man; we’ve been born again to think like God.”

-DR. MIKE BROWN

4. Rehearse.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

-JOSHUA 1:8

“What was once accidental can become intentional. What was once intentional can become intuitive.”

-JOSHUA FINLEY

Some call it their power-phrase. Some call it their secret script.

Your focus is your choice.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

-THE APOSTLE PAUL (PHILIPPIANS 4:8)

5. Repeat.

You and I get what we repeat.

“Repetition is the mother of all learning.”

-Latin Proverb

It takes 21-days??

“Neuropathways are the roads in your brain thoughts travel on.”

-KRIS VALLOTTON

THE 1% CHANGE & COMPOUND INTEREST OF GROWTH

“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.”

“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than your current results.”

“Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. Good habits make time your friend. Bad habits make time your enemy.” -JAMES CLEAR

“I don’t want to look back at 2020 and see that my life was defined by a virus. I want to be able to look back and say that my life was refined by the voice of God.”

-JOSHUA FINLEY

A HELPFUL RESOURCE YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT:

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. LEAVE A COMMENT.

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**Some call it their power-phrase. Some call it their secret script.**