Where in the World Did That Come From???

I love practical, Biblical teaching. Often, God takes a truth from His Word, and He teaches me what it looks like in my life in a really practical way. I love that. It is so helpful.

I know God's Word tells me :

"Do not conform any more 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." Romans 12:2

That's a great truth - be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So...that sounds remarkable, but how do I do that? I know it happens when I line my mind up with God's truths and when I read His Word. Is there anything else I can do?

There is! I have been studying about living defensively and guarding my mind from satan's attacks. In fact, a close friend and I were discussing that very thing last week, and we agreed that so many of our battles are fought and won or lost in our minds. Frankly, I have in the past underestimated the role my thoughts can play in my relationship with Christ and other people.

I got very excited when I began to think about how I could actively fight this battle. I am still striving to be more faithful in this area, but God is showing me day by day how to be victorious. He has used many different avenues to teach me the same thing: I can discern and control my thoughts.

Step One: If I know I am going into a situation that may make me feel anxious or insecure or fearful or alone, I must pray BEFORE I go. For instance, if I am going to be around a group of people who aren't believers and value different things than I do, it will benefit me to pray beforehand that God will guard my heart and remind me of who I am in Him. Then when thoughts come into my head that make me feel alone or insecure, I can easily spot them and send them away.

Step Two: When a thought comes into my mind, ask myself "Where in the world did that come from?" before I let it stay in my head. This can be quite fun actually. For example, I see someone I haven't seen in a long time and I think "She sure has gained some weight. I am skinnier than that." I then ask myself "Would God say that? Would He put that in my head?" and the answer, of course, is a BIG FAT NO. (oops...no pun intended!) That thought is rejected. (just an example. I don't think that.) But I can't just reject it, I have to REPLACE it. I can instead think "I do not have to compare myself to other people. God made each of us unique, and I am His child. He loves me like I am."

If I am once again faced with a difficult relationship with someone, and it pops in my head "They are never going to change. They have ALWAYS been that way, and they ALWAYS will be." I can again ask myself "Where in the world did that come from?" and "Would God say that? Does that line up with His Word?" and the answer is NO! I can replace it with God's amazing truth: He is a God of miracles, and He changes people, and He makes the impossible possible.

There are many more examples I could use, but you get the idea. The challenging thing about this is that I have to slow down. I can't let my mind race and race on and on and not pay attention to what is in there. The sad truth is, satan puts thoughts in our minds, and before we know it, we can accept them as truth and store them away. How destructive!

Renewing my mind involves constantly sifting through what I think and discerning what is God's truth and what isn't. It takes diligence and commitment. It is worth the effort!