You know the struggle and what it’s like to have: a racing mind…lack of focus…obsessions…intrusive thoughts…or…worry. You’ve experienced the battle to try to reroute negative thinking and may be already familiar with the Biblical command to “take your thoughts captive.” The purpose of this article is to help you continue your helpful pursuits in resting your mind and to help you improve your overall mindset as well.

What’s Commonly in the Mind?

Worry

Truth

He has already given you all things that pertain to life and godliness, so what could you actually produce by worrying? (Matthew 6:25-34, 2 Peter 1:3)

Practical Application Ideas

• Add a daily confession for your lack of trust in God. Look up Scripture about the promises of His forgiveness so that you walk away shame-free. (Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9)
• Form thoughts about the grace that ensures your eternity and everything until then. Such trust in the Lord replaces worry that is destructive to your body and brain and replaces it with restful, faith-filled thoughts. Write as you think so that you can maintain focus. (Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:8, 19)

Introspection

“Look at the world and you’ll be distressed. Look within and you’ll be depressed. Look at God, and you’ll be at rest.”

Corrie ten Boom

Truth

Introspection is not necessarily a virtue. There’s a time to self-evaluate, but to be mentally healthy, you’ll need to “get out of your head” (usually sooner than you want to) and be Christ-centered and other-focused. (Psalm 51, 139, 2 Corinthians 10:5-6; John 8:11, Colossians 3:2, 2 Timothy 1:7)

Practical Application Ideas

• If you need to grieve over a loss or hurt, take the time to do so. Then using discernment and the fruit of self-control, you can stop yourself from becoming stuck in a pattern of negativity, complaining, and rehearsing hurts and offenses, which only breeds anxiety and hopelessness. You don’t have to be in cahoots with your thoughts; rather you can repeatedly coach them toward a new direction. (Proverbs 12:25, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Galatians 5:23-25)
• Overthinking and giving too much meaning to what you’re thinking and believing can lead to self-absorption and isolation. Keep it a priority to build up your brothers and sisters in Christ and make God known to others. (John 15:15, Romans 12:11)
• Since your thoughts are not always true, you don’t need to always believe and trust them. Replace a negative learned-helplessness cycle with the following glorious mental cycle promised to you in Scripture: Uphold the Word of God and the Word of God will uphold you; and then you will want to uphold even higher the Word of God, and it goes on and on. (Psalm 119:116-117, Philippians 4:8)
• Don’t take liberties while hiding behind “verbal processing” when you’re really just in a cycle of venting, complaining, and gossiping. Just as you can be in a glorious cycle with the Word, you can be in a glorious cycle with praise: Praise and then be strengthened. Out of that strength, you’ll praise some more. It’s hard to vent when you’re praising God and allowing your mind to be transformed into a restful, honorable state (Psalm 21:13, 28:7, 75:1; Romans 12:2)

Straying from Reality

Truth

Let no one deceive himself. Do not walk…in the futility of mind, having your understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of…ignorance…blindness of heart. (1 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:17-18, 5:8-11)

Practical Application Ideas

• God’s word develops and transforms minds into understanding. The further a mind treks from God and his law, the further from reality. For example, you might feel and think that God’s blessing of your behavior would be more loving than His condemnation of it, but that doesn’t make it true about His love. Pray when you read the Word until you comprehend hard yet magnificent truth and reality, and you’ll find mental rest in His sovereignty and goodness. (Psalm 119:18, 146:8-10; Romans 1:18-23, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Ephesians 1:17-19)
• Let the Holy Spirit be your number one teacher; not your thoughts. Wait for Him to interrupt, convict, and teach you what to think. Don’t try to usurp His rule by unequivocally believing and following all your thoughts. (Matthew 4:19, Hebrews 12:1-11)
• Preparing your mind to obey God is commanded by your Father in heaven because it’s a game changer for your rest and your work. (1 Peter 1:13-14a)
  • Make it important to you to learn Scripture well.
  • Select high quality and restful “input” such as Psalms set to music by Poor Bishop Hooper (available anywhere you find your music selections).
  • Consider reading one Psalm per day and then listening to a musical compilation of the Psalm. A few other artists that put Psalms to music are: Sons of Korah, Shane & Shane, and Brian Sauve. It’s an effective way to hide the Word in your heart and mind. (Psalm 119:11)
  • Select reading such as edifying biographies, missionary stories, Christian fiction, and history so that you have perspective and not just opinion.

Poor Bishop Hooper

What’s the Mind Actually Made For?

• To think about Jesus
• To be in awe of Jesus
• To form words of praise about Jesus
• To thank Jesus
• To communicate with Jesus
• To impressed by and contemplate Jesus
• To glorify Jesus
• To agree with Jesus
• To love with the mind of Jesus
• To serve and work with the mind of Jesus
• To generate words of encouragement from Jesus
• To steward and develop a most knowledgeable mind of Jesus
• To make strong your mind in Jesus
• To rest your mind in Jesus

Prayer & Blessing

“The mind set on and governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6b)