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.
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
If practice makes perfect, what thoughts have you perfected by repeating them to yourself constantly? These are becoming your automatic thought patterns.
In the brain, renewing your mind literally means creating new, stronger neural pathways. This process is called neuroplasticity. You can think of it as trying to pave a new path through solid ground. The more you tread through this new path and create deeper tracks, the easier it will become to identify and walk down that path. Like building muscle, the more we strengthen certain pathways in the brain through practice, the easier it is to access those pathways.
In that same light, as we adapt to practicing healthier ways of thinking, new thought patterns can become a more consistent way of life for us.
Another of the beautiful complexities that is woven into the human mind is this superpower called metacognition. Metacognition is your ability to think about your thoughts. This means that you can separate yourself long enough to examine your own thoughts. And if you can think outside of your thoughts, this is proof that you are not your thoughts.
Just because a thought exists doesn’t automatically make it true. At any moment, you have the ability to take a step back and choose between which thoughts you will align yourself with and which you’ll reject. It’s this very process of metacognition that allows us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV).
Isaiah 26:3 reminds us that “[God] will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in [Him].
How you feel about yourself or your circumstance today doesn’t change God’s call over your life. If a thought doesn’t align with who God created you to be — loved, forgiven, redeemed, secure, full of purpose, made for good works — then it is the thought that is flawed. It is the thought that needs to be changed and brought into alignment with the truth that never changed.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8 NLT
The Bible says that your body is a temple, but have you considered your mind as a part of this temple? How would your relationship with your thoughts change if you truly saw your mind as a temple — a sacred space worthy of intentional care, nurturance, and surrender?
You take your mind with you everywhere you go. How you interpret and respond to the people, events, and interactions around you is translated through your mind. This is why our thought life is worth paying attention to. But the health of our minds is also made up of what we’re feeding it.
Reflect on what has been allowed constant access to your mind that may have contributed to your feelings and attitudes this week: whether that positively or negatively impacted you, or simply drained you. And give yourself grace. It’s natural to live on autopilot, especially when life feels overwhelming.
Use this moment to reclaim your mind and decide: What does it practically look like to care for this temple that you’re living in every day? Keep this in your heart: my mind is a temple worthy of intentional care to live from a rooted place.
Today, as a simple practice, I encourage you to make note of a negative thought that typically comes up for you and write down at least two alternative ways to think about it. Sometimes just opening your mind to another option can help with perspective. It doesn’t mean that we’ll have perfect thinking, but it does mean that we can move through life differently and that there is real hope for getting better at renewing our minds.
Because in Christ, we’re no longer striving for worth but living from worth. Rest in that today.
–This article is written by Brittney Moses. Brittney is a writer, speaker, advocate, and psychology graduate of UCLA who encourages the integration of faith, holistic mental health, and wellness. She hosts the Faith & Mental Wellness Podcast and loves hanging out at the beach with her husband and son.
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Many of us are struggling at the intersection of our faith and our mind. We are bio-psycho-spiritual beings — body, mind, and soul. It all works together. If one is off, the others are off.
The fifty devotions by Brittney Moses in Worthy: 50 Mindful Moments to Bring Clarity and Peace to Your Day meet you at that intersection, helping you to mind the moments so your body, mind, soul balance stays in line. The resulting clarity and peace will overwhelm the doubt and insecurity that builds up from when we compare ourselves to others or hide our true selves. Through simplistic design, and short, yet impactful messages of peace and clarity, along with inspirational quotes and research-developed mental health trackers, you will be able to declutter your mind and focus on your personal wellness on a daily basis.
Whether you need a total digital detox or just a little more balance, Brittney Moses has gathered the information and inspiration to help you achieve your goals with Worthy, which releases next month. Preorder your copy today, and leave a comment below for a chance to WIN one of FIVE copies!
Then join Brittney and (in)courage community manager Becky Keife for a chat all about Worthy! Tune in tomorrow, 7/27/22, on our Facebook page for their conversation.
Giveaway open to US addresses only and closes on 7/29/22 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
I was just having a conversation with my son about neuroplasticity and our thought patterns. I loved this devotion. This book would make a great gift! I look forward to its release!
I really loved this encouragement for my mind today! I would enjoy the new book so much. Please enter my name to win a copy. Thanks for starting my day off right:)
Hope seems so elusive right now….need something to remind me of Gods grace for me and this world right now. Your book sounds like the perfect tool!
I enjoyed this devotional so much. My life is getting ready to change in many ways and this help me to realize that my mind is with me everyday. I thought, there is not a minute that goes by that I cannot thank and worship the Lord! Thank you for a beautiful start to my day!
oh my goodness, my mind can race and keep on the treadmill of unworthiness. Thank you for this and thank you God for helping us to capture our ‘thoughts’ that are not from you. Please help us to meditate on your love and truth, we are loved, so very loved by YOU!
Such a timely devotion! After the unexpected death of my fiancé (will be two years this fall) I have to continually renew my thoughts daily. This book would be a wonderful blessing for me.
Thank you for these words, thoughts, and ideas. So often I struggle to “take captive every thought.” Yet, here you have given me a way of doing that. I needed this today.
This was an eye opening message this morning. Even when I am trying to worship the Lord my thoughts go elsewhere.
Thank you for this wonderful blessing to start my day.
Oh, how I needed to read this today!
I love the inclusion of the mind when thinking of our bodies as God’s temple. We do what we can to take care of our bodies- eat healthy, exercise…but our mind is often left out of the equation as we are pulled around by our emotions instead of God’s truth. I love the new perspective on “taking every thought captive”, for our mind is God’s temple as well. <3
This sounds very interesting! I struggle with keeping my thoughts positive as I live with people who are constantly negative and it is a struggle! I would love to read this book to try to train my mind for a more positive influence on others! Thank you for the chance to win a copy!
Such a timely devotion! I needed this. Thank you
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and the encouragement to open our minds to alternative options when negative thoughts pop in or are on repeat. A valuable tool. Much appreciated.
This devotion was just what I needed today!! Thank you!!
Really love this devotion. I’ve been struggling with anxiety for years and recently started intentionally trying to change the way I think so that I don’t stay stuck in the old patterns that cause me anxiety. I love the psychology aspect of this devotion.
I know our thoughts and mindset impact how we respond to things. I learned the hard way that setting our minds on God and his mercy and grace are the only things that truly change us. Thank you for that reminder and the insight in this article. My mom is going through some real struggles with what’s going on in her mind and it sounds like your book might be just a thing. Thanks
Very interested in this fresh perspective!!
Sounds like a good book to transfiguration negative thoughts into positive ones!! Thank you for writing this book!!!
Exactly what I needed today. Going to follow the podcast for more great insight. Mental health combined with faith and practical application is so hard to find. Thank you for bringing your gifts and talents.
Oh how timely this message came! My DIL called me this morning to tell me about her daughter (11) my precious granddaughter, was bawling last night because she is afraid to go to school because of the recent school shootings. My heart just broke hearing this. Thankful her parents are loving, Christian parents that sit with their children and listen to their fears, while leading them with God’s promises to counteract every fear. And when you talk about your fears, you take away the power that they have over you. This devotional would be such a blessing to them!
This a great reminder that, with practice, the mind can be reshaped, and that every thought can be made captive “to the obedience of Christ”. I started practicing this concept this year by stepping back and addressing my thoughts rather than letting them run wild. It isn’t always easy to do, but I’ve seen growth.
Loved this. Super helpful.
I would definitely be interested in a free copy! Thank you for connecting the dots that our mind is *also* (or part of) the temple of God and that we should be keeping it clean and watching out for what goes into it! (but only with the power of God can we actually do both those things well)
I really struggle with my thought life. It has been a discouraging time for me. I know it’s a discouraging time for all right now. Remaining hopeful has been really hard and I even hate admitting that. Thanks for this encouragement today!
This book would assist me on working through we lost 4 last year. One was rather young.
Thanks, I needed to be reminded of this today.
Thank you for this. The concept of training our mind just as we train our body is very helpful, and I appreciate that the ideas here are backed up by scripture. I’m sure this will be a very helpful and wonderful book!
So inspiring!! I love it
Amen. I love the reminder that we’re living from the worth that Christ has already placed upon us. Thank you for this timely devotional as I try to be intentional about the care of my mind.
I have had to read the days words of encouragement multiple times today. It gave me the strength I needed to push forward and felt like the voice of a personal friend reminding me that I am more than my illness. No matter how much pain, suffering, and trauma my body has endured for the last 20 years that my mind can be the temple of peace where God waits patiently to remind me of my worth and value to HIM. This book would be the perfect daily companion to light the way through the darkness of numbing pain and remind me of MY worthiness of a life of Peace. Thank you for the opportunity to Win this book. I am claiming my WIN today!
Thank you for your words. Your sentence: Because in Christ, we’re no longer striving for worth but living from worth. Rest in that today. This is so true… Christ deems us worthy!!!
So thankful for this today! You have put into words what I have been practicing for weeks, taking captive my thoughts and filtering out was is not from God! This book would be a blessing to me to continue to learn ways to treat my mind as a temple!
This is a book I want to read.
I loved this! I heard one time that when an unhealthy thought comes in your mind, rather than feeding on the thought, we can say ” I reject that thought in the name of Jesus Christ!”,
So excited for brittney and this new book!
Sounds wonderful!!! Such a timely book for me!!! Thanks!
Thank you for this good word that reminds us to “take every thought captive” and keep our thoughts centered on the One who is True.
This is wonderful. Thank you.
What a beautiful devotion! You shared the right words at the right time. Best of luck Brittney with your new book.
Brittany & In Courage,
Our minds work like computers in a way. What we allow into our minds will eventually come out. We need to be mindful of what we watch on TV, listen to on radio & read. To combat all the negativity around me I listen to Christian music & some TV preachers. I also limit my social media to Face Book & usually small private groups. This book will help many women.
Blessings 🙂
This was very interesting.
This is just like God to give us what we need , when we need it and how! I was feeling very discouraged for a couple of days. Often times it is hard to redirect your thoughts, however this has given me clarity on how to do so.
I truly appreciate this
– F. Brown
I’m always working to keep my mind positive and aligning body, mind and soul. Our minds are so powerful! I’d love to read her book, I needed this today!
I am so thankful for God allowing me to read this post today. It convicted and comforted me. Thanks
This is so needed by me. I have gotten into the habit of thinking on discouraging thoughts. Now I will be aware of thinking on things that are true, lovely, of good report…mainly what God says in His Word.
Thank you so much for your message today.
Thank you for today’s incouragement through your website. God’s positive thoughts and prayers are always with us, if we just look to Him.