I woke up with the words, “Train your mind.”

Our mind is the driving force behind every belief, action, and even our perception of life. If we are not intentional with what we allow our minds to fixate on, we will drive ourselves to places God never intended us to live, remaining captives to the old way of responding and thinking.

Life hit me hard during my single mama years. I had four kids under ten, and I was coming out of an abusive marriage. I had very little income and was not receiving child support from my children’s absent father. I was all in with Jesus, but in this season, my mind was getting shaped by my circumstances, fears, emotions, and the endless list of what ifs, and it was taking me on a spiral of hopelessness — daily.

I had to learn to train my mind.

I had to choose what I let my thoughts say to me and make sure my thinking was lining up with what God’s Word says rather than what my emotions were saying, and my situation was throwing at me. This season taught me the power of renewing my mind and has set me up to see life from a greater perspective, His perspective, regardless of what I’m facing.

I learned to access a power and strength beyond my human capabilities because I got my thinking in agreement with what I have in and through Jesus, but I also found that even in the hard, life with God is still beautiful.

If you have a habit of seeing life through a negative lens, then you will only be able to see all the wrong and miss the right, the beautiful, the positive, the blessings, and even God.

This is why we must learn to pause, connect with our thought life, and “make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5), the Living Word. As we learn to take our thoughts captive and put a scripture of Truth in its place, making faith declarations over what we are seeing, we will lead ourselves to a well of peace and joy.

And we live as conquerors through Christ every day of our lives!

Here’s the Truth, if we call ourselves believers in Jesus, then we better make sure our believers (our minds) are lined up with Him. As followers of Christ, we are supposed to have a mind like His. This means — if we can’t imagine Jesus thinking it, we shouldn’t be either.

Here’s my challenge for you:

Don’t just read this brief devotional and forget what God whispered to your heart today. It’s like the man who looks at himself in the mirror and forgets what he looks like as soon as he walks away (James 1:23-24). Instead, find what works for you and check in with your thoughts throughout the day. It may feel completely foreign to think about what you’re thinking about, but as you do, you will discover your thought life is actually what’s holding you back from living as a believer, and today is your starting point. If you have to set a timer on your phone throughout the day to remind yourself to check in with what your thoughts are saying to learn to connect, then do that. Also, be vulnerable and find someone who loves you enough to call you out with your belief system. Oftentimes, what leaks out of our mouths during conversations will reveal thoughts that oppose the Truth. Asking someone to be honest when they hear statements coming from you like, “Yeah but, I’m afraid, I can’t, I’m worried about …” or even just a habit of criticizing and putting a constant negative spin on situations will help you connect with thought patterns and belief systems that have to go.

Prayer: 

Father, I want you to rule and reign in every area of my life, including my thought life. I’m realizing that I believe you are Lord, but I’m still lord of my mind. Holy Spirit, reveal to me the thoughts that are driving me away from your heart and where I’m looking, acting, sounding, and even thinking like an unbeliever. Help me train my mind to be a reflection of Yours so I can see, think, and act like You. I want to think like a believer! In Jesus’ mighty name, amen. 

If you’re struggling to identify the thought patterns that are blocking you from believing God at His Word, consider Set Free Coaching with Jillian. She is currently taking on clients via Zoom. Connect with her today to set up your free phone consultation. Spaces are limited.

All coaching sessions are donation-based to Jillian Ahonen Ministries, a state-recognized and registered 501c3 religious organization, and are tax-deductible. 

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