Mental Reboot -

Welcome back to Arise!

This week I would like to discuss a topic I am very passionate about. A topic that formed a huge part of my journey and subsequent transformation. This topic is centered around what we occupy our minds with. It may sound incredibly clichéd, but we become our thoughts. What we think (whether good or bad) impacts how we live our lives.

The process starts internally, through our thoughts, but is visible externally, through our actions and how we live. Thoughts form such an intrinsic part of who we are, and because of this, we need to be cognizant of what we allow to occupy our minds. This week I will be discussing the idea of how to own our minds, by sharing a devotional written by a very close friend. Her personal experience motivated her to write a devotional based on the significance of Godly thoughts, and the impact of such in our everyday lives.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 NIV

The 411 On Thoughts

Our minds are the control centers of our consciousness, thoughts, and emotions; they send thousands of messages to and out of our bodies. Scientists estimate that the average person has anything between 60 000 and 80 000 thoughts a day, which works out to roughly 2500 to 3000 thoughts an hour.

Our thoughts and feelings are incredibly powerful. They can move us into action; they inform and reaffirm our way of life; they govern how we see ourselves and other people. They ultimately have the power to set us on a path of greatness or destruction.

For darkness aims to make our minds his personal playing field – a field on which he has put our feelings of fear, anger, envy, anxiety and hatred into play. He has used our own minds against us. The negative thoughts that are planted in our minds are like tumors that grow, justifying the false identity.

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. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

Having God-Like Thoughts

The ever-present beacon of light at the core of our minds exists to remind us of what is true: Our Lord, who exists deep within our hearts and minds amidst the lies and confusion, can help us transform our thinking. As children of God, we need to be fully cognizant of the thoughts that we allow to enter and pass through our minds. Our spiritual mission should involve reconfiguring our headspace, and selectively censoring our thoughts to only allow the filtration of godly thoughts as we carry out this conscious exercise of sifting the bad thoughts from the good, the faint light at our mind’s core flashes a little brighter until one day, its brightness is all we can think about

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. Hebrews 3:1 NIV

Ultimately, the thoughts that we allow to occupy our minds can either bring us closer to God or move us further away from Him. Because our Creator already knows our deepest thoughts, we cannot approach him pretentiously. When we struggle with our thoughts, we need to ask for His help. Pray daily for God to guide your thoughts and meditate on what His word expects our thinking as children of God should be. In so doing, God can systematically free our minds from darkness’s shackles of sin, restoring them to their godlike form.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.1 Corinthians 2:11 NIV

Pop back in next post to discover more inspiring ways to ARISE.