“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” ~ Albert Einstein
What do you think? Do you have control over your thinking? Can you shut off your mind at will? Is your mind riddled with stinking thinking? These questions alone cause us to think even more, don’t they?
Someone once said, “the mind is like a bad neighborhood, don’t go in there alone.” How do we get control of our minds? From the day that we enter the world, information is being embedded into our minds. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, we don’t get to choose our parents or the other influences around us at such a young age. Some have referred to this period in our lives as a giant magnet rolling through the junkyard of life. We learn more than we realize, and much of what we have learned is suppressed at a sub-conscious level.
“The world, as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ~
As we grow up, our thoughts continue to shape how we feel about life and how we respond to those feelings. These thoughts are often referred to in different ways. Some call it self-talk, the voices in my head, stinking thinking, the enemy, demons, Lower Power, my evil twin, the Dark Side, or even Satan, the devil himself. Is it possible that all these thoughts come from the same source, or is it from a culmination of life experiences?
In Romans 12:2, the Apostle Paul says this, 2 Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature (Romans 12:2, CEB). How do you pull this off? How do you claim victory over our thoughts and change the course of our lives? Someone once said, “you can’t think your way into right acting; you must act your way into right thinking.” The short answer is you’re going to need help. You will need to surround yourself with people going in the same direction you desire to be. It would be best if you had a mentor, coach, sponsor, accountability partner, etc. It would help if you had someone who is not emotionally or financially invested in your life and your decisions to help you reshape your actions, which in time will help renew your mind.
The late Father Martin, God rest his soul, once share a transformation equation that Dr. Green passed on to him in his famous video “Chalk Talk.” This video was focused on the mind of an alcoholic, but the equation applies to most people. Our thinking must move from E/I to I/ E before our minds can be renewed. This shift from emotion over intellect to intellect over emotion is the process of spiritual maturity. When we can move to a place in life where our intellect kicks in first and overrides our emotions, we are on our way to becoming liberated from the bondage of our negative thinking. One of the key components is we must learn to “pause” before reacting. We must learn to refrain from our loose tongue, pen, keyboard, text, email, etc., before reacting to the situation at hand.
“We Become What We Think About Most Of The Time.” ~ Earl Nightingale
You can have victory over your thinking, but you must change your behavior before your mind is changed. What will you do, starting today, to change your behavior? It is not a matter of what you can do, but what you will do! You need help; who can you invite into your life as a mentor as a sponsor? You must become honest, open-minded, and willing. If you don’t possess all of these three, ask God for them, and watch what happens. There is hope, but you must learn to participate in your personal spiritual transformation and the renewing of your mind.
My Creator, my mind has been a problem for so long. I don’t have much peace or serenity because of my negative thinking. Please grant me the honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness to change my behavior, so my mind will be renewed. Please help me find the right person or people necessary to partner with me on this journey. I am ready, and I know You could and would if You were sought, so today, God, I am seeking, please answer my prayer. In Your Spirt and Your name, I pray these things. Amen.
Leave a Reply