How to Renew Your Mind
Many people don’t take the time to ponder their own thoughts, then find themselves in the same situation every year feeling frustrated. Having the right mindset is crucial.
Let’s dive into strategies to discover How to Renew Your Mind.
For years I kept repeating the same habits and patterns while wondering why my situation was not changing. Only after I took the time to think about what I was thinking about, did it made me a powerful advocate of the concept of renewing the mind.
Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)
What Does Renewing Your Mind Mean?
The Bible instructs us that renewing the mind is a daily practice. Just like we take care of our physical hygiene every day, our minds also require consistent attention.
The constant flow of information we receive, such as news, media, and emails battles our mental peace. Like a careful driver or a ship’s captain, having the right mindset is crucial to following God’s plan for us.
Renewing your mind should be a daily practice just like taking a daily shower. We don’t want a fleeting effort like a short-lived diet. Instead, we need to aim to restructure our thought processes as a daily habit.
How Do You Renew Your Mind?
Scientific research is now paralleling biblical teachings. Our brain structure can be changed and our thoughts can be rewired according to concept called neuroplasticity. The good news is that you are not stuck with the brain you have you CAN change your mind to change your life!
Christians can experience transformation by aligning their mindset to God’s teachings. It’s like using premium fuel to optimize our vehicles for a smoother and more efficient journey.
Commitment is essential to renew one’s mind, and it starts with an intentional decision. This critical step is to start this transformational journey with determination. When we are committed, we become more aware of our weaknesses and areas that need improvement.
Having a ‘beginner’s mindset’ is beneficial when approaching this. There’s always space for growth and challenging long-held beliefs that may no longer match with what’s true. It’s part of the process of learning how to change your mindset.
Identifying the problem is the first step towards fixing it. Without this awareness, one might wander through life without direction and believe that events occur with no control, leading to a victim attitude.
It’s crucial to make the initial decision that you want to change, and then recognize the problems that are holding you back. It’s like having a blueprint for success, which is vital for knowing where you are heading so you can put the right steps into action.
The Renewed Mind & How To Have It
Reflecting on my personal journey, I’ve been an entrepreneur since the age of 16. Born and raised in South Africa, my husband and I moved from South Africa to England and then to the USA, all within five years. Throughout this journey, I felt like I was racing on life’s treadmill, always engaged, often stressed, striving for perfection and trying to please everyone. It felt like being on an endless conveyor belt, lacking genuine control.
A series of life-altering events, including losing a family member to cancer, facing a mental health crisis, and experiencing business setbacks, brought everything to a standstill. I was stuck and overwhelmed; mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. This became a transformative moment. Consequently, I began seeking answers from God about my purpose and His plans for me.
Although I had pursued my own goals, I realized I had not aligned them with God’s vision for my life. I felt stranded, realizing that my strategies weren’t yielding the desired outcomes. Subsequently, I needed to introspect, to understand the underlying issues, and to confront habits and thought patterns I had assumed were universal. Only once I was willing to do the work of renewing my mind with God’s help did my situation change.
Because of what I went through personally, I found a new mission. Much of the work I do today focuses on helping Christian women who were like me teetering on the edge of burnout, breakdown and at a cross road in life. There are specific warning signs I look for, like self doubt, excessive worry, feeling stuck, anxiety and frustration. Knowing that there is a way out of the wilderness of despair, is the key to helping my clients get unstuck.
How Does God Say To Renew Your Mind?
God, who is remarkable, provides guidance for Christians. His advice is to begin each day with the right mindset. God’s vision for us doesn’t align with the passive attitude to life “happening to us”. A victim mindset will only keep you stuck in repeating cycles of despair and resentment. We need to own our decisions and be willing to take 100% responsibilty for 100% of the results.
God, in His infinite wisdom, doesn’t remove our challenges. Instead, He helps us navigate them, ensuring we grow and develop resilience. The aim is to establish lasting changes rather than adopt fleeting solutions.
Just as strengthening one’s body requires consistent effort, renewing the mind demands regular exercise. Starting is often the most challenging phase, much like the initial days at the gym where everything seems daunting. Yet, persistence ensures that over time, resilience builds up, and tasks become more manageable.
Cultivating this strength of mind entails immersing oneself in God’s teachings, being discerning about the information we consume, and nurturing our spiritual and mental well-being.
The questions we need to ask ourselves include: What are we feeding our minds with? What are we exposing ourselves to? How do we rejuvenate our spirits?
God’s Design For A Renewed Mind
God might nudge you, suggesting you shut off the computer and rest. Often, our response is a stubborn “I’m fine.” Yet, over time, we might come to see these nudges as God’s love, recognizing when we need a nap or perhaps just a meal. It’s not always about major life crises; sometimes, it’s about heeding simple advice.
Remaining receptive to daily lessons and understanding God’s teachings allows us to establish new habits, forming new “muscle memory.” While acquiring new skills requires time and patience, proficiency grows with consistent practice. The beauty of this process lies in its transformative potential. Even if it’s as tough as a rigorous gym session, with all its sweat and tears, the eventual rewards are profound. By renewing our minds, we gain control over our lives, deciding from a place of strength rather than vulnerability.
2 Corinthians 2:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
This scripture is about taking every thought captive. This means we shouldn’t accept every thought that enters our minds. My approach involves differentiating truth from lies. For instance, if you’re besieged by self-doubt or negative thoughts in the morning, it’s vital to compare them to what God’s Word says about us. Often, such thoughts are far from the truth about our identity in Christ.
It’s crucial to remember we are human beings, not “human doings.” Many of us equate our worth with our actions, especially women, who often grapple with self-worth issues. Recognizing our inherent value through Christ changes the narrative. We wear our identity in Christ, unburdened by the need to derive worth from our own accomplishments. The wonderful news is that God offers a fresh start, an opportunity for a complete internal makeover.
Challenging Limiting Beliefs & Negative Thoughts
Whenever negative thoughts or external challenges arise, especially during those vulnerable morning moments, we have a choice. The concept of choice dates back to the Garden of Eden, where God gave Adam and Eve free will as a gift that comes with responsibility.
Aligning with the truth or being swayed by falsehoods is an opportunity presented every day. My personal journey entailed scrutinizing every facet of my life, from values and beliefs to deep-seated ideologies. This introspection led me to question and realign many aspects, such as my views on finances and self-worth, with God’s teachings.
We must challenge the information presented to us instead of accepting it. One distinction between humans and animals is our power of choice. God endowed us with the ability to think. Our thoughts and decisions can propel us to achieve beyond our inherent capabilities.
5 Practical Steps to Renew Your Mind and Replace Negative Thoughts
Train your brain to recognize false beliefs or negative thoughts when they arise.
Challenge the negative thoughts or lies and don’t believe every thought.
Replace lies with God’s truth and what He says about you.
Study the Bible and scriptures that point to a renewed mind.
Pray the Armor of God daily for a renewed mind.
Our Identity In Christ
The core issue is understanding our identity. We see society trying to erode or confuse our sense of self, from the debate surrounding gender identity to young adults grappling with their purpose post-graduation. We can perceive these challenges as attacks on our very essence.
Once we realize that our identity is in Christ alone, we understand the power and authority we possess. It makes us formidable adversaries to forces working against our spiritual well-being. To use an analogy: it’s as if God has myriad blessings stored for us in heaven. However, if we aren’t in the right frame of mind or spiritual place to receive them, say we’re consumed with worry instead of peace, we might miss out on these blessings.
When we understand and embrace our identity in Christ, our perspective shifts. Accepting our royal lineage, we approach situations, no longer timid but assertive. Such strength is not what the enemy expects; he expects us to be feeble, to shy away and to adopt a victim mentality. However, when we embrace our innate fierceness and fabulousness, rooted in God’s design, we not only accept our identity, but also operate from a position of authority.
Our strength doesn’t stem from our own achievements, but from God’s accomplishments. Embracing our spiritual heritage allows us to wear our spiritual crown and robe. Thereafter our actions become proactive rather than defensive.
What does God say about the mind?
Aligning our thoughts with God’s word promotes clear thinking and a healthier emotional processing. It helps us maintain emotional equilibrium instead of being swayed by every unexpected event. By taking our thoughts captive, we can avoid making rash decisions based on fleeting emotions. Instead, we should remind ourselves of God’s affirmations about our worth and value. When we establish a habit of discerning truth from falsehood, it becomes intuitive.
2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
The reason I resonate with 2 Timothy 1:7 is its declaration that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. We need to recognize that fear doesn’t originate from Him allows us to counteract negative emotions with confidence. We can navigate life’s challenges without being burdened by every negative experience we encounter.
God’s timing is impeccable. He graces us with periods of preparation, ensuring we’re equipped for forthcoming battles. However, God, being the ultimate gentleman, doesn’t impose His will on us but awaits our invitation. Our primary responsibility is to remain open, seeking His guidance on our spiritual path. Even if that guidance leads us back to foundational training or a “spiritual bootcamp”, it’s for our betterment.
Just as parents withhold certain privileges from children until they’re responsible enough, God ensures we’re ready for the gifts and responsibilities He entrusts to us. The most proactive step we can take is to prepare ourselves. We should ponder: what personal development is necessary for us to become the responsible stewards God envisions?
Finding Your Fierce Faith
I often equate this spiritual preparedness to superheroes, especially Wonder Woman, whose journey in the films serves as an apt metaphor. She undergoes rigorous training, some of which she resents at first. Although she dislikes some of the training, she is eager to step into her destiny and unlock her ultimate purpose of being a warrior.
Her outfit and strength in particular resonate with me. It’s imperative that we cloak ourselves in God’s armor before facing the day’s challenges. This armor, like Wonder Woman’s shield, unquestionably empowers us to combat adversarial forces.
From Worrier To Warrior
In 2018, I authored a book titled “Warrior to Warrior: A Mother’s Journey from Fear to Faith”. It chronicles my personal descent into what I refer to as the “dark night of the soul”. For too long, I operated, relegating God to the periphery of my life. It took a significant upheaval for me to realize my need for Him at the center of my journey.
In a challenging three-month span, I grappled with immense personal losses. While a family member succumbed to cancer, I also confronted the harrowing reality of my child’s crisis, characterized by my own struggles with anxiety and depression. For the first time in my life I was experiencing panic attacks, difficulty breathing and sleeping. Depleted in every sense – physically, emotionally, and mentally — I reached my breaking point. I had no choice but to shut my business and take a year-long hiatus to focus on healing.
Journalling Thoughts
Journalling has been a cornerstone of my coping mechanisms since childhood. During this trying period, I dove deep into introspection and Biblical study, documenting my thoughts and revelations. While I lack formal seminary training, my understanding evolved through countless hours of study and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Throughout my healing journey, I realized I had to revisit unresolved issues from the past. Even when I believed I’d moved past certain traumas, remnants remained, hindering my progress. This process was an intense mixture of pain and discovery. Specifically, one crucial realization was that recurring life patterns signaled unresolved lessons. Determined to break this cycle, I resolved to learn and move forward.
I documented this tumultuous journey in a book, and the feedback over the years has been overwhelmingly positive. Many readers have expressed how it revolutionized their approach to personal challenges, family dynamics, and relationships. Even though my background is in business, this book became a labor of love and an essential tool for ministry.
Purpose in Pain
However, publishing this personal narrative was not a simple decision. The thought of laying bare my most intimate struggles in the world was daunting. Yet, God impressed upon me the importance of sharing my struggles so others could benefit from it. Resistant, I recognized the divine purpose of this plan.
Our personal stories, replete with vulnerabilities, serve as seeds sown into the world. We might only comprehend the true impact of these narratives in the afterlife. Regardless, there’s undeniable value in sharing even the most challenging parts of our journey, not for judgment, but for the solace and strength it provides others.
Invitation
If my story resonates with you, and you too would like the support and encouragement to break old cycles so you find your breakthrough, come enroll in Unstick Your Mind. This is my signature 14 module video training course developed from years of personal struggle, study and trials.
Rather than struggling on your own, come join a community of like-minded Christian on a mission. We host small group coaching called our Growth Groups to help you connect and collaborate with Christian women on a mission ready to thrive!
