What is your state of mind? And how have life circumstances affected your mindset? This has been a very busy couple of months for me. As I have traveled and spoken at several conferences, the greatest joy has been seeing precious sisters in Christ set free—in their own minds.
I am struck by the fact that most of our problems—ok, really all of our problems—come from our own state of mind. Of course, you would expect me to say this since I have studied this extensively for years, but there is nothing like seeing people set free from being stuck in a certain state of mind they believed they could not affect.
The good news is that we are not a victim of our state of mind.
But we need to understand how our mindset forms and shifts and how to get out of stinkin’ thinkin’ when we feel trapped in our own minds.
How is Your State of Mind Formed—The Invisible Culture
Mindsets are formed before we are aware. We all grow up in a culture that shapes us before we even know our thoughts. The world system keeps us distracted from really understanding the significance of our thoughts and the reality that we actually do get to choose our thoughts. While it is a daunting prospect to manage our own thoughts when there are reportedly over 70,000 thoughts in a day, understanding how thoughts and mindsets work can help us understand how the culture has impacted our thoughts and recognize when we are in a state of mind that is ultimately unbelief.
How is Your State of Mind Formed—Unbelief
Now, you might be saying, “Unbelief? Me? I’m a believer. How could I have unbelief?”
It might be lies of the enemy that have become the dominant narrative in our minds, or it might simply be unbelief.
Yes, those who are in Christ still battle unbelief.
It might be unbelief regarding God’s promises because our lives are full of problems, and we don’t understand how we can believe in something that we don’t see yet happening. Or perhaps our unbelief is tied to an answer to our prayer and what we think it should look like.
How is Your State of Mind Formed—Our Will
In addition to culture and our own unbelief, there is a third contributor to our state of mind—our will. We want things our way. And when it does not happen, discouragement and doubtful thoughts pave the way to a state of mind we feel stuck in.
One of my favorite excerpts from my Bible study, Make Up Your Mind, is from the lonely mindset chapter. It’s easy to understand why Hagar could’ve gotten into a lonely mindset, being in a desert, all alone, feeling scorned and abused. But God sent her back to where she came from. We are excited that God appeared to her. We’re excited that she says He’s the God who sees. But he sends her right back to where she came from.
This tells us loneliness is not bound to a location or a circumstance. It is a state of mind.
How to Rewire a State of Mind
What is it that you are going through right now that is robbing you of peace? What if you were to rewire how you think about that problem?
For me, lately, God has been rewiring how I deal with anxiety. I actually never thought I was an anxious person, which is really laughable now because God has revealed how much I can struggle with this.
Hopping on the first plane out of Reagan Airport following the airplane crash a couple of months ago, I had to wrestle with trusting God that He held my time in his hands and that He would protect me. There have been a lot of airline incidents lately, have you noticed? LOL. Lots of opportunities to trust. And it has been miraculous how God has helped free me from being bound to a state of mind that was afraid of flying.
A State of Mind is Not Permanent
Those who know me know that it has been for most of my life that I have not wanted to fly. To confront this state of mind, I needed to confront the unbelief that God could not help me overcome this fear. Then I needed to act on the belief that God could help me. Until I took a step on the water, proverbially speaking, the shift could not start to happen.
So I surrendered this anxiety to God and told Him I would trust Him and that I was His girl and would go where He wanted to send me.
And so I have gone, friends. To speak in Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, and to speak in Virginia multiple times this month. And more travel is on the horizon. 😳
Renewing Our Minds is a Continual Process
Do I still have to process anxious thoughts? You bet. But I realize anxiety is a fact of life. It is not whether I will encounter anxiety, but HOW I will encounter anxiety.
When I consider that not facing my state of mind could keep me from serving God and living an abundant life, it is evident that mindsets need to be navigated. Facing our state of mind also includes repenting when I have allowed my own thoughts to trump God’s. The good news is that God wants to renew our minds, and He will help us. Friends, just as God helped me, he can do it for you!
Mindset Hack of the Week
Living the abundant life requires mind renewal. We don’t have to remain in a state of mind that limits our existence and imprisons us in our own minds.
The mindset hack graphic this week is a reminder that Renewing our minds begins with repentance and rewiring our minds begins with dependance. When we depend on God’s thoughts over our own, we can release lies in our own minds. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2 ESV).
Check out the Shame Rx Blog this week as we discuss how to let go of shame when someone doesn’t like you.
All for Jesus,
Denise