Do you struggle with your thought life? I believe we all do. It is a vicious cycle that we will be at war with until Christ calls us home, (Galatians 5:17-18) but in the meantime, God gives us the choice.
Over the last several months I have been leading an at home Bible Study with a group of women. We are studying the Book of Proverbs. If you have ever read Proverbs you know how powerful and convicting it can be. All in a good, transform you inside out way.
It wasn't until recently that the Lord impressed upon me to shift my thinking and really focus on what He says about our thought life.
So, if you are like me and desire a transformation in your thought life, jump in with us as we focus on The 4 C's of Thinking.
1. Controlled Thinking
2. Caring Thinking
3. Conniving Thinking
4. Careless Thinking
When Christ first impressed this upon me and I began to study all He said about our mind, many things began to happen.
1. Satan began to really attack (As hard as his attacks are, I am learning to find joy in them, because it means he is unhappy with what God is doing in and through me.)
2. God really began to stir areas within me that were unpleasant and He is still at work. (I am learning and re-learning)
3. I began to realize how our thoughts determine our feelings and our feelings determine our decision making. Which led to this amazing graph that now plays a huge role in my day to day life.
Here is how it works. Our minds which are akin to our hearts, do three things. They engage in conscious thinking, feeling, and decision making. When we really stop and "think" about our minds, we become aware of how much information is held within them. Our mind is a very powerful thing, but our tongue is even more powerful, we will talk about that later.
Lets look at the graph above. Our Mind is the control center and from it stems our thoughts, feelings and decision making. Therefore, what we put in our mind determines our thoughts which then determine our feelings which then determine our decision making.
It's a pattern that occurs every single day. But here is the kicker, often times we allow our thoughts and feelings to switch positions, which looks like the graph below
When this happens there is chaos and havoc of every kind. We're all over the place and it shows in our decision making. So many times when we speak we say, "I feel…" This is a good indicator that our alignment within our mind, might be out of whack.
So, the first place we have to begin is by allowing the Holy Spirit to step in and put things back in order. Why is it important to have our thoughts become before our feelings?
1. Feelings are fickle
2. Feelings can become out of control and very possessive
3. Feelings can easily be led astray
4. Feelings can deceive and be deceiving.
Now, don't get me wrong, our thoughts are a big struggle as well, BUT we have a greater chance of success and growth in our personal relationship with Christ when we submit our thought life to Him. Because from there everything else will align accordingly.
Romans 12:2 says, "…but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think."
Did you notice the verse says, "LET GOD transform you." Understanding that key phrase will be very beneficial in your transformation.
Okay with all that said, our goal as we walk through Proverbs and focus on the 4 C's of thinking is to step aside, allow the Holy Spirit to put our minds back in order, give God the commander's seat, and place every thought under the microscope of God's Word.
Tomorrow we will begin studying the first C of thinking. But for today, focus on Romans 12:2. Memorize it, store it, and pray it over yourself.
You are loved sweet ones!
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