Redirecting Your Thoughts
JENNIE ALLEN
Lee en español
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8 (ESV)
What do you fixate on? Fixations are the things we constantly think about. They come out in our words, feelings and decisions. They are the focus of the books we read; the podcasts, websites and groups we search out; and the obsessions we pursue. It might be our weight, finances, worries over our kids or fear for our health … but something is absorbing our thoughts.
Here’s the thing: God has given us the power to interrupt this fixation! That’s what the Bible says, and it’s news we desperately need to hear. But how can we interrupt the downward spin?
The answer, at least in part, might lie in counseling, community or fasting — and certainly in prayer. For you and me both, the answer will center on God: His presence, power and grace. Every spiral can be interrupted. No fixation exists outside of God’s long-armed reach. As He says in our key verse, Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
God has given us power, tools and His Spirit to shift the spiral. When we’re willing to take the initiative in choosing different thoughts and choosing His Truth, some pretty cool stuff starts to unfold.
For one thing, when we think new thoughts, we physically alter our brains. We grow new neurons. We blaze new trails. When we think new thoughts, everything changes for us. What we think about, our brains become. What we fixate on is neurologically who we will be.
So who will you be? Tell me what you’re thinking about, in other words, and I’ll tell you who you are.
If we don’t like where we're going, we have the power to redirect our thoughts, reminding ourselves what is real and true, like a parent might do with a kid when they start losing it: “Kiddo, time out. I love you. You’re OK. You don’t have to panic. You can choose another way. You don’t have to be steamrolled by this.”
To redirect our thoughts, we first have to remind ourselves that change is possible. We have a choice! And the more often we grab hold of that truth, the easier it will be to interrupt our fixations and the downward spiral of our thoughts, leading them somewhere new.
You may find that some thoughts, once interrupted, will simply lose their power. God can do this. Other thoughts, however, may require daily, hourly or moment-by-moment capturing and redirecting. But even those thoughts can be captured and contained (2 Corinthians 10:5).
You can be set free. You can learn to “mind your mind.” The battle for your mind is won as you redirect and refocus on Jesus — every moment, every hour, every day.
Jesus, thank You for giving me a choice! Help me parent my mind well, with the same kind of love and compassion You give me. Lead me to choose what is true today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
For 100 days of power-packed devotions that will inspire you to stop toxic thinking patterns and remind you of God’s power to set you free, get a copy of Jennie Allen’s new devotional, Stop the Spiral Devotional: 100 Days of Breaking Free from Negative Thoughts.
With over 1 million copies sold, Jennie Allen’s bestselling book Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts will also challenge you to exercise your God-given power to shift negative thinking patterns and regain control of your thoughts and emotions.
ENGAGE
Learn more about New York Times bestselling author and IF:Gathering founder and visionary Jennie Allen at jennieallen.com.
Enter to WIN your very own copy of Stop the Spiral by Jennie Allen. To celebrate this book, Jennie’s publisher will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We’ll randomly select 5 winners and then notify each one in the comments section by Monday, November 18, 2024.}
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (ESV).
Proverbs 23:7a, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (NKJV).
What would it look like to redirect your thoughts and fix your mind on Jesus today?
What Bible verse comes to mind when you think of the promises God has for us when we give Him our worries and cares? How can you keep that verse at the front of your mind today?
© 2024 by Jennie Allen. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Monday, 11 November 2024.
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