“Nothing ever goes right with me.” “I’m really worried about what might happen to me.” “I hope they suffer for what they did to me!” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “I always get sick this time of year.” “I can’t help but be anxious about it, anxiety runs in my family, you know.” “I’m stupid.” What do all of these statements have in common? They’re toxic thoughts.

What are toxic thoughts?

Dr. Caroline Leaf says, “Toxic thoughts are thoughts that trigger negative and anxious emotions which produce biochemicals that cause the body stress. They are stored in your mind, as well as in your body.” Wow! No wonder so many people are sick – physically and mentally. In fact, scientific research has shown that 75 – 98% of mental and physical illnesses come from our thought life.

Why would these toxic thoughts be responsible for such widespread damage? Because they are contrary to the original design. We were originally created for perfection. We were wired for love. We were designed for dialogue and relationship with our Creator. We’ve chosen thoughts that result in death rather than life. The words that God speaks are life. (John 6:68)

These toxic thoughts grow like little trees in our brain. They have branches that grow every time we think. God has graciously given us the ability to choose what kind of trees we want to grow in our brain. Do you want healthy trees full of life, or do you want toxic trees full of death?

Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT says, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live.”

Did you catch that last part, “so that you and your descendants might live?”

Not only do our thoughts affect us now, but also our children, and their children, and so on. Our DNA is actually changed either positively or negatively through the biochemicals released every time we have a thought, whether it be toxic or healthy.

I would like to share with you some practical steps I have used to renew my mind and thereby change my brain.

 

1. Catch your thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” We must recognize those thoughts that are opposed to the truth of God’s word. When we catch them and bring them into the light, then we can begin the process of destroying them and replacing them with healthy thoughts.

 

2. Replace it with the truth. Find out what God says about it. What God says about us or about any situation is truth. We replace lies with truth. It is His truth that sets us free. (John 8:31-32).

 

3. Meditate on it daily. When you find this healthy replacement thought, then you make a conscious decision to think about it throughout the day. Psalm 1 speaks powerfully to this. I encourage you to read it.

 

It has been proven that it takes at least 21 days get rid of a habit and replace it with a new one. We didn’t build these toxic thought patterns overnight, and we won’t get rid of them overnight. It’s a process that will take perseverance and most importantly partnering with the Holy Spirit.

You can begin by starting your day alone with Him. Thank Him, praise Him, and worship Him. Then ask Him to show you a specific toxic thought that needs to be destroyed. He is more than willing to reveal it to you. Chances are, you already know what it is! When you know what it is, write it down. (I suggest you get a journal if you don’t already have one).

Then, ask Him to show you the healthy replacement thought. You may already know. Write it down. Go over this thought at least 7 times or more during the day. Do this for at least 21 days. I’ve been doing this daily for the past year and it has changed my life.

Change your mind, change your life!

Yours in Him,

Kevin

It seemed fitting that this mind renewal project of mine would begin where it did – in the beginning. Literally. “Then God said, Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). We were designed for perfection. That was the original intent of our Creator in the beginning. His creation was good. It was very good. It was perfect. Now it’s not. What happened? Somebody believed a lie. How could someone made in the image of Almighty God Himself believe anything other than what He Himself had spoken? These caretakers of the garden, into whose nostrils God Himself had breathed life, chose death instead.

Like my ancient ancestors, I too had believed a lie. I had spent most of my life comparing myself to others. I never measured up. When I saw the damage this toxic thinking had done, I knew it was time for change. Yes, we can change. It’s as simple as asking Holy Spirit to uncover what we can’t see. I couldn’t see how this way of thinking had robbed me of the abundant life that Jesus had promised (John 10:10). So, what is the remedy that He gave me to replace this toxic thought? I am created in God’s image. His likeness! In fact, God is so creatively full of imagination that he made every one of us completely unique. Distinctly different! And to top it all off, in Christ He makes us a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17). There is not another person on this entire planet like me or you.

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14).

Now I can say with complete confidence, I am marvelous!

Stay tuned…

 

Sometimes God is sneaky. He loves us, therefore He pursues us. He chases us down like a dad running after his toddler in the backyard. We can pursue Him, but when you ponder that, what it amounts to is us slowing down enough that He catches us. And then sometimes it’s just a collision.

One year ago, a new transformational process began in my mind. I’ve always believed the often quoted scripture in Romans 12:2 – “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” and had experienced my share of transformation and mind renewal in my 40 + years of following Jesus, albeit rather slow.

Ok, back to God being sneaky. Overhearing a conversation and then intently tuning my ear to what was being said might be considered eavesdropping, but in this case their conversation wasn’t necessarily private. They were talking about a woman named Dr. Caroline Leaf, a cognitive neuroscientist (a brain expert), who also happens to be follower of Christ. Curiosity got the best of me and I went home and began to watch her videos online. Awestruck and fascinated at her discoveries about our brain and how God has created us with the ability to literally change it, I decided to try her 21 Day Brain Detox Plan. One year and 17 detoxes later, not only am I awestruck and fascinated by her research, but also how transformation can really happen through the renewing of a mind, because it’s happening to me!

I am beginning a weekly blog today titled “As You Think” to share some of what I have learned and experienced through this process. Hopefully you can be inspired and transformed through reading it. I welcome your comments.

If you would like more information about Dr. Leaf and her ministry, you can visit her website www.drleaf.com.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7)

Yours in Him,

Kevin

 

 

Sometimes God is sneaky. He loves us, therefore He pursues us. He chases us down like a dad running after his toddler in the backyard. We can pursue Him, but when you ponder that, what it amounts to is us slowing down enough that He catches us. And then sometimes it’s just a collision.

In 2017, a new transformational process began in my mind. I’ve always believed the often quoted scripture in Romans 12:2 – “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” and had experienced my share of transformation and mind renewal in my 40 + years of following Jesus, albeit rather slow.

Ok, back to God being sneaky. Overhearing a conversation and then intently tuning my ear to what was being said might be considered eavesdropping, but in this case their conversation wasn’t necessarily private. They were talking about a woman named Dr. Caroline Leaf, a cognitive neuroscientist (a brain expert), who also happens to be follower of Christ. Curiosity got the best of me and I went home and began to watch her videos online. Awestruck and fascinated at her discoveries about our brain and how God has created us with the ability to literally change it, I decided to try her 21 Day Brain Detox Plan. One year and 17 detoxes later, not only am I awestruck and fascinated by her research, but also how transformation can really happen through the renewing of a mind, because it’s happening to me!

So, I started this weekly blog titled “As You Think” to share some of what I have learned and experienced through this process. Hopefully you can be inspired and transformed through reading it. I welcome your comments.

If you would like more information about Dr. Leaf and her ministry, you can visit her website www.drleaf.com.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7)

Yours in Him,

Kevin