Step 6- Renew Your Mind

Where do you let your thoughts take you? Do you harp on the pain of the past?  Do you daydream all day about sex, marriage, pregnancy, and being a mother when God hasn’t given you those blessings yet? Do you watch hours upon hours of mindless TV shows and imagine what your life would be like if you were Blair Waldorf, Lady Mary Crawley, Rachel Green, or whoever the star is of your favorite show? I know you do. I know because if I let myself, I will do the exact same thing. I’m not saying wanting to be a wife and a mother is a bad thing. Those aren’t bad desires at all, and I hope that if that’s what you want that you continue to ask God for those blessings, but you can't live in a fairytale that doesn’t exist. Also, if we let ourselves, we will be overcome with our own failures and insecurities when life doesn't go as expected.

Take Every Thought Captive

We take every thought captive by fighting back insecurities with scripture. We fight back all the lies that the enemy would have us believe with scripture. We focus on scripture rather than what we are feeling in the moment.

Let me show you what I mean. Whenever I start to think, “no one will ever love you. You’re not worthy of love. Everyone you care about will leave you.” … Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

We need to start focusing on God’s strength in order to overtake the anxiety within ourselves.

In the Book: Praying God’s Word, Beth Moore states, “As long as we rehearse the strength of our stronghold more than the strength of our God, we will be impotent.”

Put on the Armor of God

Ephesians 6:13- 17 (ESV): 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Think Heavenly Thoughts

Think about all that God promises us and about what a glorious future lies ahead.

Philippians 4:8-9 (ESV): “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV): “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 (ESV): “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Listen to Christian Music

Psalm 42:8 (ESV): “By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”

Do you remember the story in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison and they responded by singing hymns to God? Have you ever thought that response was strange?

Acts 16: 22-34 (ESV)
“The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”

Here’s what I think we can gather from the passage above: God wants us to praise Him even when it looks like there is no hope. He wants us to remember His past faithfulness in song. He wants us to recite His promises and His glory back to Him. Praising Him will put you in the right state of mind to trust Him and hear from Him.  Also, your faith in difficult times influences others around you and is a breeding ground for the miraculous.

Find a Christian artist that you like and play those songs as much as possible. God will speak to you through the music. When I am questioning God’s goodness or character, He often brings songs to mind that counteract that questioning. Likewise, when I am asking God for answers, He will often bring songs into my mind with those answers. This makes perfect sense because God speaks to us through His word, and many Christian songs are comprised of God’s word and His promises. You can also turn those songs into prayers of your own. I often think of song lyrics when I’m praying.

A Prayer Requesting a Renewed Mind:
Set my mind on things above. Fill my mind with Your word and Your promises. Get me through these dark thoughts. Renew my mind. I feel unloved and unlovable. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Turn my heart to You for my value and worth. Please give me a mighty inner strength through Your Holy Spirit. I invite You to be more at home in my heart. I pray that You give me the power to understand how wide, long, high, and deep Your love really is. Please fill me with the fullness of life. Give me a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Please help me not to stay in a state of self-pity. I need You, and I cannot make it without You. Fill my heart with Your goodness. Let me wake up singing Your praises and go to bed singing Your faithfulness. Show me I can trust You by continuing to work in my life and in my heart. I want to know You and trust You more.