Most of us understand the importance of a healthy body. When you go to the doctor, you might become concerned about cholesterol, and weight. We take time to educate ourselves on how to make healthy choices regarding food and diet. It seems common sense not to make a diet of hamburgers, French fries and donuts. Everyone knows this will lead to obesity and heart trouble.

But do you understand how important it is to renew your mind for emotional and mental health?

I had always assumed that because I had accepted Christ as my personal savior when I was four and consistently read the Bible and went to church and tried to do the right thing that meant that I was practicing the Bible principle of renewing my mind. However, In my late adolescence and early twenties I sensed my mind was clouded with darkness. I struggled with insecurity, anxiety, trust, fear and felt separated from the love of God. I couldn’t understand this. Why didn’t I have the peace and joy the Bible talked? I knew I wasn’t living in outward sin but I knew something was wrong.

As I began to read books like the Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer, Blessing and Curses by Derek Prince and Who Switched off my Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf, I became increasingly aware of my thoughts and how much they were impacting my life.

I am convinced that negative thinking could have ruined my life.

Our thinking brings on anxiety and depressions. It impacts our physical health and our relationships. What we think about ourselves in turn affects the choices we make. I personally struggled with thinking patterns rooted in false guilt and confused this with the leading of the Holy Spirit, which caused me a lot of mental anguish. Low self esteem was another battle for me, I knew what the Bible said about who I was in Christ but I didn’t know how to apply it to my life.

I had heard it preached that taking care of our physical body is part of being a good steward of the temple of the Holy Spirit (which is our body)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

In the same way I am learning to honor God with my mind and emotions, so that my inner man is a temple in which the Holy Spirit is pleased to dwell.

As Christians we have the mind of Christ. Share on X

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

When I read those verses I think “what is the mind of Christ?” “What did Christ think about?” He thought about the will of His Father. Also He thought about what was true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and excellent (Philippians 4:8-9)

My tendency used to be that I would read these verses in Philippians. I felt guilty for all the ways I was not thinking pure thoughts. I would mentally beat myself up for not being a better Christian. This was not God’s intent. His desire is for me to work with Him, through the study of His Word, through the Holy Spirit inside me and through a moment by moment choice to engage in the battle for my mind.

As a new person in Christ after salvation He wants me to work with Him to learn to choose healthy thoughts.

I used to think I was a victim of my past. My father died when I was young. Also I moved so many times and so many other things I thought I had these fears and insecurities built into me that I couldn’t do anything about.

The truth is we are not victims, we don't have to live with our issues for the rest of our lives. Share on X

Science is now discovering more and more the neuroplasticity of the brain. We can learn to change our thinking, govern our feelings and overcome our automatic reactions. This is according to the Biblical mandate to renew our minds.

Over the past 10 years I have been in passion pursuit of renewing my mind. I have seen what it has done to change my spiritual life, my thought life, my confidence in business and my ability to be a wife and mom.

Renewing your mind is not a nebulous task. It has real results and it can change your life! Share on X

I encourage you to think of it in the same way as educating yourself concerning care  for your physical body. In the same way will you join me in educating and caring for your mind?

What I write on this blog stems only from what I have read and studied. Under the resources page I share some of the books that have helped me along the way. I also have a Diploma in Christian Life Coaching through Light University and am continuing to take classes.