3 Practical Tools to Help you Change the way you Think

I love the quote floating around the interwebs lately: “Whenever I get sad, I stop being sad and start being awesome.” Isn’t that so great and isn’t that so much easier said than done? Our minds are such a powerful thing. And our minds are such a busy place. I recently heard a stat that says the average person thinks approx. 60,000 thoughts a day and 80% of those thoughts are negative!  Now that might seem shocking… until you start thinking about all thoughts that have already run through your brain today. What were you thinking as you woke up? As you got dressed? As you fought traffic?

If a person’s thoughts control their behaviors and their mindsets can shape their destiny, I can’t think of a better thing for us to talk about than our thinking, can you? No worries, this isn’t going to be heavy, but rather full of solution! So grab some Hot Tea,

I’ve got mine (with a splash of cinnamon stevia 🙂 ) and let’s chat for a minute shall we?

what are YOU thinking?

  What are your thoughts towards your job, towards your loved ones? What about your thoughts regarding your future or even your current to-do list? Here’s one we don’t like to think about too often, what are your thoughts about yourself? Are you extremely hard on yourself? Is that a dumb question 😉 And where do you think most of those thoughts stem from truth or lies? I realize those are some deep thoughts a mere 3 paragraphs in, but I wanted to set the stage in the theatre of our minds because we’re about to get invaded with some tools that will infuse us with truth.

            Romans 12:2 says that we’re “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” That sounds great right? All we have to do is renew our minds….but have you ever thought about how in the world you do that?

That was me. For years. I really wanted to believe what God said about me in His word, but I lived with me everyday and I knew that the way I thought about me was drastically different.

            We’re so great at magnifying our flaws huh? The good news is God gives us the amazing ability to choose our thoughts. And even though that might seem totally foreign to you now, maybe once you check out some of the resources that have helped me, it will feel a lot more do-able.

            First up is a book I recently finished called “Crash the Chatterbox,” by Steven Furtick.

I downloaded this as an audiobook (‘cause that’s how I usually roll ) 🙂 and am currently on my 2^nd listen. Repetition=Sinking In.   You’ll appreciate this book because it’s not only packed with truth, but it’s very authentic…like, shockingly authentic. My respect level for Steven Furtick went up a couple of notches due to how willing he was to be vulnerable for the sake of transparency and freedom for his audience. This book is also very practical. At its core, its based around overcoming lies in 4 areas of your life and replacing them with truth. The 4 areas are Insecurity, Fears, Discouragement, and Condemnation. And just to give you one more reason to read/listen to this book, here’s one of my favorite quotes:

“God has given us the ability to choose the internal dialogue we believe and respond to and once we learn how we can switch from lies to truth as dilberately as we can choose the Beatles over Miley Cyrus on satelight radio.”-Steven Furtick

 Next up is “The Promise of Security” by Beth Moore.

From the first word to the last this booklet is jam packed with so much truth and because it’s from Beth Moore, it reads like you’re having a conversation with a loving mentor over a Pumpkin Spice Latte. The next great thing about this resource is the investment, both time and money. You can get this in paperback or Kindle form for…$0.99! OR, you can do like I did and buy it for $5.00 on iTunes so you can listen over and over in your car or as you’re cleaning. I could use a good dose of truth when I’m cleaning couldn’t you? 😉 If you choose to get the audio version, guess what? It’s only 45 min! So so do-able even if you’re short on time.

 Even the layout is practical and very user friendly. Here are some of the headers for the days you have 5 min to combat the lies you’re dealing with:

“When life seems unpredictable…”

            “When you long to be healthy and whole…”

            “When you lack confidence…”

            “When you feel alone…”

I have recommended this to so many girlfriends. And it’s one I listen and re-listen to over and over again.

 Last, but certainly not least is “Power Thoughts” by Joyce Meyer.

Proverbs 23:7 says, “(as a man) thinks in his heart, so is he.” In a nutshell, we become what we think. And once you’ve taken the steps to memorize what the word of God says about you, you can combat the lies that creep into your heart and mind much quicker. “Power Thoughts,” in true Joyce Meyer fashion, is extremely practical and applicable. The goal of this book (taken from the promo :)) is to help you:

• learn 12 specific thoughts to positively affect every area of your life
• Learn how to think right thoughts on purpose
• Become decisive, confident and productive

Where do I sign up, am I right? Now, full disclosure: I have not read this entire book. I know, I know, stop looking at me like that! :p I’ve only skimmed the book, BUT I did listen to all the podcast’s that she preached on the book. It’s on my read/listen to 😉 list, BUT I wanted to share it with all of you so bad, that I couldn’t wait until I finished it. A speed reader I am not.

            Like I said before, this book is super practical. The 12 thoughts you memorize are all one sentence based on a scriptural truth. As a quick reference I saved them in the Notes App on my phone. Because this girl needs as many blatant instant reminders as humanly possible. 🙂 I’ve also had friends that have printed them out and hung them on their fridges or over their desk. I think you’re really going to enjoy this one.

            Waging and winning the war against our thought life is such a necessary way to invest our time. I didn’t even realize until I started purposely dwelling on truth how many of my thoughts were rooted in lies or fears. You and your precious No Small Life  were wired to be an overcomer; wired not just to trudge through life, but to live it to the full!  And today I’m with you, cheering you on, running this race right along side of you. All the while knowing that if you can take step towards having Truth be the source of your thoughts instead of Lies, nothing will be able to stop the God-ordained plans for your life unfolding before you.

Until Next Time…

Meg