How our thoughts impact our lives

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Thought Life Questions

When did you first start paying attention to your thoughts? Were you one of those kids who was always lost in their thoughts? Do you think about your thoughts? Do you set aside time to think? I'm not sure if you can tell but I love to think about my thoughts. 

You'd think that with endless scholarship, articles, and books on thoughts, we'd be better stewards of our thought life. I'm here to encourage you to analyze your current thought life and decide what you should do next to improve it. 

How our thoughts impact our lives

Thoughts are important but they are not the root cause of what impacts our lives. What greatly impacts our lives is our decision to walk with God. When you decide to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, you gain salvation, life eternal, and abundant life. Your decision for Christ affects your thinking. 

As a Christ follower, the Bible becomes the anchor of your thought life. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that we have the mind of Christ. We do not operate in the way the world operates. We don't think the way they think. We have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. 1 Cor. 2:12 says:

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." 1 Cor. 2:12

A few verses down we find verse 16 which says we have the mind of Christ. 

The thought life you are currently experiencing is like a fruit in a tree. Every fruit comes from a root. You and I need to trace the root and find out why we are experiencing our current thought lives. 

It all starts with awareness. 15 years ago or so, I was living in NC. I was part of a community of Bible-believing Christians who believed in freedom in Christ. They read their Bibles. They took those words of life seriously. I heard story after story of people being set free from negative thought patterns. 

I decided to pay attention to my own thought life. My Bible was and is my main textbook. I also read a few books on the subject of thoughts and thinking from a Biblical perspective. I remember asking for prayer and advice in the area of my thought life. I often heard testimonies of God helping people make progress in that area. People around me were very vocal about what happened to them. All of this encouraged me to pay attention to my thoughts. 

Sometimes, we become aware of our thought life through sermons, conversations with friends, and even counseling sessions. No matter how we become aware, we need to do something with awareness. Ask yourself:

• From 1 to 10 with 10 being excellent and 1 being poor, how do I rate my thought life?

• Why did I rate myself this way? Find an event that led you to earn that rating. 

This initial discovery is a good place to start deciding on what you need to do next. Prayer is always appropriate. 

Pray about your thoughts

God cares about what you are thinking about. He wants you to pray about the current state of your thoughts. He will both lead you and guide you to freedom. 

Since my North Carolina years, I've been praying about my thoughts. God always leads me to be anchored in His word (the Bible). 

When we moved to Texas my kids were little. The demands of life (which were all good) were weighing on me. The cares of all (which are not always good) were heavy too.

I decided that in addition to the Bible reading I was doing daily and going to counseling, I needed to monitor what was going into my mind. After praying, I felt that while I was experiencing freedom in Christ, I could have a better mental space. 

I started to analyze the content I was listening to. My professional training and Masters Degree are in Journalism. I love the news. I love listening to it, reading it and discovering new content. I was feeding my mind with a heavy amount of news. Because I studied journalism, I know that part of the formula is fear. I was feeding fear to my mind for a large amount of daily time. Friend, even 1 second of fear is not ideal for a child of God who wants to live in freedom. Once I realized the problem, I had to vote on the solution. I decided to limit the amount of news I consume on a daily basis. Yes, I'm still informed. No, I am no longer bound by the fear I allowed to enter my mind. 

Freedom begets freedom. I started to pay attention to other content I allowed to enter my mind from other sources: I started unfollowing any podcast or any social media influencer that was not encouraging. Instead of mindlessly listening to what an influencer says, I keep my mind alert. 

Just this morning, I was listening to a motivational speaker. He made a statement about the mind. I said, "this is ungodly." I turned the audiobook off. 

I'm learning that I can be selective about what type of information I allow to enter my mind. 

The enemy's fight is to gain mindless followers who do not guard their hearts. I'm not going to fall for that. Only through God's help and a greater awareness of God's Word than the words of the world, I will be able to do that. 

Awareness is followed by prayer which is followed by a decision to obey God. 

Here are other tools, in addition to daily Bible reading and study, that help me in this area:

• Think on paper - writing my thoughts on paper really helps me. It helps me get rid of stress. It allows me to put my thoughts and feelings in order. If I "think on paper" during my daily Bible reading, it allows me to retain what I learned. Any piece of paper will do. The goal is to start writing. 

• Think about what you think about - Once I started analyzing my thoughts, I discovered that I can:

1. Trace my thoughts - if my thoughts are serving me okay. If not, I can pray and decide how I am going to change them.
2. Feed your thoughts - The best food for my thoughts is the Bible. I had to make room for it. I let go of hours of fear-based content to make room for the good news. I also pay attention to other areas of my life such as sleep and hydration. You'd be amazed at how you think better with plenty of sleep and water in your body.  
3. Speak out loud - if you hear catch a wrong thought pattern trying to take root in your mind, talk back to it. Speak the truth of God. I speak out loud all the time. I don't care who's around. What don't want is to be bound by ungodliness. Speaking out loud breaks that secrecy pattern the silence of our minds carries. It alerts the rest of my body that there is a better way in Christ. 

Lifestyle

Changing your thoughts is a lifelong, lifestyle change. It is similar to the process I went through when I needed to lower my blood pressure so my health could improve.

I changed the following things over time:

• The types of foods I eat

• How much I move my body

• The types of restaurants I go to 

• How much I sleep at night 

• How much stress I entertain 

• How I manage stress 

• What I believe the about the foods God created 

• How often I go to the doctor 

• What I teach my children 

• The people I hang out with 

I basically turned into a new person because I decided I wanted a better life. When you change your lifestyle, the way you introduce yourself changes. 

Instead of saying "Hi, I'm a walking heap of stress" I say " Hi, I'm a free woman in Christ." 

I want you to think about how you will introduce yourself once you change your thought life as a Biblical way of living. 

Here are some things you can immediately think about:

Philippians 4:8 (AMP) says, Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

Take action - Feed your thoughts with the Word of God so the source of your thoughts can be Godly. 

Pray.

Decide what you will do next to improve your situation. 

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My weight loss in 60 seconds: marathon season prep

Every mile counts!

Marathon training starts in 12 weeks. I was blessed to have a strong season in 2018-2019 which was my come back from my “sabbatical.” My sabbatical consisted in my year off racing long distance. I ran a 10K and trained in my neighborhood. I got my mental game strong and I lost weight. Coming back to distance running was sweet. Of course the sport is always waiting for you with open arms. The distance I chose was the half marathon. I had never ran the Aramco half in Houston. It was a great experience, you can read all about it here.

I enjoy counting down, so, 12 weeks. My plan is to do the following:

• Maintain my running base
• Get stronger (back to lifting weights)
• Cross train like a champ (back to swimming)
• Pay close attention to my nutrition (get leaner)

Another thing I’ll do is to start working on my mental game earlier. I often work on being positive during my long runs. I believe I can start earlier. I also want to encourage other runners out there. I believe that although running is an individual sport, we experience it as a group. I want to encourage others to persist and reach their goals.

I don’t know that your goal for the year is. What I do know is that you have a lot of potential. What will you accomplish in 12 weeks?

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Working on my Inner Dialogue

I never really paid attention to the things I said to myself until I read a book called “Me and my big mouth.” At that time, I was a newlywed woman going through a big transition in life. My health was not the best and I decided it was time for a change. The book helped me to take control of my thought life and to say things on purpose.

One of the things I said back then was that I exercised as a habit and I actually enjoy it. I am now living this reality. 

I find that times of transition (such as early January) can paralyze us or propel us to change. I also took the time to dream about what the next season of my life could be. 

I learned back then to think things on purpose. I learned not to let thoughts freely come and go to my brain. I get to choose which thoughts I keep. The only solid way to guarantee that my inner dialogue was positive was to fill my mind with God’s Word. 

I started to pay close attention to other content I was feeding my mind. I couldn’t expect a healthy thought life if I was feeding my mind with fear 85% of the time. 

I learned to limit the sounds, songs, and words that go into my mind. I learned to take control of the content I feed my mind. 

2018 was the year I saw this routine pay off. I was not ruled by fear. I was walking in the freedom and peace that Jesus purchased for me. Others could tell a difference too. The person who could tell the most difference was me. 

The end of 2017 was difficult. I was doing all I could to keep working to reach my goals. Pockets of my life were stressful. Some people were out to damage me. I was in touch with God through prayer and Bible reading. When I closed my Bible, I was left alone with my thoughts. 

The prevailing thought at that time was “do not give up.” 

How in the world a thought like this comes up over and over to me when I need it the most? Here is what I think:

• I learned to pay attention to what goes in my mind. I am very particular about the words I listen to and read. 

• I learned to pay attention to the thoughts that come to my mind. I learned that I can’t entertain a thought that God does not have about me. 

• I learned to give God room to speak to me, whenever He wishes. Most people miss this because their minds are filled with clutter. I free up space so that God can speak to me and I have the ability to listen. 

I have come to God in times of trouble and desperation. I also have come to Him in ordinary times, when nothing major is going on. I find that freeing up space so that He can speak to me Whenever He wishes is brilliant. 

I hope that your inner dialogue improves this year. Pay close attention to what goes into your time. Observe the thoughts that are coming out of your mind. Give access to God so He can freely speak to you, whenever He wishes.

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The Fight for your Mind

Every day, when you and I wake up, someone is fighting to possess your mind. Your phone wants your mind. The fun, innovative games you can play there want your mind.

Your current problems want your mind. Your favorite podcaster definitely wants your mind.

The newscaster wants your mind. The issues you had in your past want your mind. 

By now you can see that there is a well-defined fight for your mind, every time you wake up. 

God, who created your beautiful mind, gives you the freedom to choose where you will set it. You can set your mind on your problems and rip the fruit of anxiety. You can also release those problems to Him and rip the fruit of peace. I love how I actually get a choice when it comes to God. He offers peace, He offers self-control, He offers joy to fill my mind as I follow His plan for my life.

The world I was born in, has always been a scary place (1 John 5:19). I also know that it doesn't help me any to dwell in that fact for 24 hours a day. I have decided to practice self-control and not to be entangled by the constant appeal of those who want to take control of my mind. Call it being over positive if you want to, but I have decided that I get to choose who I will give my mind to. Oh, I will be picky about that too!

Everyone who wants my mind has an agenda. The gamers have an agenda for my mind, the advertisers, the journalists (I'm one of those you know?), the podcasters, you get the point. God also has an agenda for my mind: peace and joy.

It's Monday and I'm not gonna hang a pretty bowl at the end of this post because I want you to choose wisely. My friend, choose who will set the agenda for your mind today. Remember that you are the only one with the keys to your mind. Don't hand those keys out frivolously. 

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2 

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Visualization

I visualized running a marathon for 4 years before it actually happened. The day I stepped into the starting line of the Chevron Houston Marathon in 2004 I had been rehearsing that race in my mind for a long time. In addition to training my body, I had been training my mind to run a successful marathon.

Visualization means different things for different people. Before my first marathon, it meant not letting go of the belief that one day I would become a marathoner. Once I became a marathoner, visualization meant driving through the course and seeing myself running mile after mile. I even visualized the joy of crossing the finish line as I received my hard earned medal. 

The fact is that positivity needs to win over all the insecurity you and I bring to the start line. We get there with hope but sometimes doubts try to win the battle of the mind. I want to encourage you to have faith in yourself. Why? You made the decision to sign up for this amazing marathon. You did the training and you prepared yourself to run Houston. You have the love and support of family, friends and the running community. 

Here are a few ways to be sure that positivity wins in your mind this week as you prepare to rock the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon:

Practice Positivity - It pays to practice being positive. I often practice visualizing my run. I simply quiet myself and allow my mind to see the finish line, the medals and the glory of accomplishing my dream. That image got me through rough spots along the course in the past. 

Don't just see it, say it - I tell myself positive things in order to push my mind and body thorough 26.2 miles. I remember saying "these hills are easy" while going up and down the end of the course. I may have sounded crazy to the people around me but it worked! Positivity in your lips makes things much easier. After all, no negative comments can uplift an already tired body. 

I believe that visualization is simply verbalizing that deep ingrained belief that every runner brings with them to the start line: I can and I will. 

I know by experience that our nerves can try to get the best of us during tapper. Why not introduce positive affirmations to your day and reap the benefit on race day?

Have an amazing race on Sunday Houston Marathon and Aramco Half-Marathon runners!

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How to Recognize, Change and Manage Thought Patterns

How many of you have your house keys? Keys exist to provide access to something valuable. You have the keys to your house just like you have the keys to your mind. You decide which thought patterns have access to your mind and which patterns stay out. Today's topic is on Godly Thought Patterns. We will learn how to Recognize, Change and Manage which Thought Patterns we allow in our minds. Let's lay some scriptural foundation shall we?

 

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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 12:1-2 (NIV)

According to Romans 12 this world has a pattern or a way of thinking. I gave access to my thought life to the world when I was a teenager, which resulted in an endless search for perfection. When I was 16 years old I would look in the mirror and not recognize the person staring back at me. One thing was for sure, I did not like her. I never challenged that Thought Pattern so that little seed grew and 10 years later I hated the person I saw in the mirror. I hated her so much, I would tell her. Other parts of my life were also suffering. My husband was affected and so was my health. My dear husband did what he could to make me feel better but it would only last a short time. I recognized I needed a change. I took back the keys of mind and gave them to God. God is a gentleman. He will not invade the house of your mind unless you give Him the Keys. In the book of Revelations He says that He stands at the door and knocks (Rev. 3:20). If you hear my voice and open the door I will come in. Let’s talk about what the Recognition process looks like:

1. Recognition. How will this most likely happen? A friend who loves you and knows you well might alert you of a wrong thought pattern. For example you might say ‘I don’t like myself and there’s nothing good about me.’ A good friend will say, ‘this is not true and this is a very unhealthy way of thinking.’ Most of us hide our unhealthy thoughts so you might Recognize you need a change when you are sitting under Biblical Teaching. For example, you may be offended and when you get to church the teaching is about Forgiveness and loving your enemies. That’s when you have one of those ‘wow, I so was not thinking like this’ moments. God may use other ways to get you to a place of Recognition but remember that only those who realize they need help can be truly helped.  

2. Change. In order to change Wrong Thought Patterns we need to Face the Truth. Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). He came to save us not only from our sins but also from our afflictions. Facing the Truth brings a new revelation of God’s love into our lives. It’s imperative to know God’s perception of us. God loves us and He wants us to know that. If our minds are locked with negative patterns, He can’t get His message across. Change happens when we hand Him the keys to our minds. Change is permanent when we grant Jesus full access to our thought life.

3. Maintenance. The words of Romans 12: 1-2 imply that this mind renewal process is life long. To make it really simple, you keep in touch with God and with what He thinks about you. How do we do that? Bible reading, prayer, meditation, worship, Christian counseling, etc. To be completely honest with you, it's not easy but it’s so worth it. I still hear wrong thought patterns knock on the door of my mind but my tendency now is to find out what God thinks about me and quickly agree with Him. Maintenance in my opinion is a way to affirm the freedom I have in Jesus.

I want to end with a quote that reminds me of why I need to give God access to my life:

“Watch your Thoughts; for they become Words. Watch your Words; for they become Actions. Watch your Actions; for they become Habits. Watch your Habits; for they become your Character. Watch your Character; for it becomes your Destiny.”

Reflect and Respond

• How much value do you place in your thought life?

• What are the negative thoughts in your mind God wants to replace with His love?

• What did you learn today that you can apply in your life?

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My Weight Loss in 60 Seconds: Mind Food

All videos in this series:
• My Weight Loss in 60 Seconds

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3 Steps towards a Perfect Body Image

17 years ago I looked in the mirror and I saw a fat lady staring at me. The funny thing is that I weighed 120 lbs at the tender age of 16. For years this memory terrorized and amazed me. Five years ago I learned exactly why that weird thing happened to me. I learned all about the tyrant that mentally oppressed  me and the negative view I had of myself. Thank God I was set from the tyrant that bound me as I started to learn to see myself as God sees me. 

You'd think that this is the kind of stuff only teenagers deal with. I have talked to young and older women who deal with the same issue. The fact is, what you see in the mirror is not the same image you have in your head and that bothers you. When you are super critical of the image you see in the mirror there's no way you can live in peace with the person reflected in the mirror. Don't be fooled, the accusing voice in your mind is not from God. 

Here are the 3 ways I used to silence the tyrant that oppressed me for years:

1 • I went to God - the Creator had to tell me, the creation, how things are supposed to work. As human beings we go through hurts, pains and other things that change the way we see ourselves. God can heal us from all that ails us and it is necessary to seek Him first. God did use other resources (counseling, education, a book on the subject, support) to help me stay in this path of healing but going to God was my first step.

2 • I see myself as God sees me - God loves me unconditionally and He gave me a normal body. In recent years this healthy body was the temporary home of 3 great kids, which caused some outward changes. I have learned to value myself for who God created me to be and not through the crazy expectations of the culture. There's a big difference in how others see you, how you see yourself and how God sees you. God, who is love, has the best input in the matter. Go with His opinion first.

3 • I keep adjusting my view - I'm not flawless so at times the reflection I see in the mirror gets distorted. That's when I start weighing myself a little too much or being critical or the body God created for His glory. I have to keep going back to God so He can reveal His love to me and that's how I get back on track. This is not a spiritual experience only. My will needs to get on board and I make a decision not to weigh myself too much, not to say negative things about myself, etc. I also have accountability on board to remind me of what really matters when it comes to body image.

For further reading on my story, please go to the following posts:

• The Weight of my mind 

• The image
QUESTION: Do you have a tyrant accusing you? How can these 3 steps help you have a better image of yourself?

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Behavior Modification and Weight Loss

I have reached the 1 year mark of my weight loss journey. I hasn't been perfect: I gained weight last week and I made many mistakes. One thing remained: a renewed mind makes it easier to change bad behaviors. 

Behavior is something we do without thinking. We make them part of our lives through repetition. This past year I learned that bad habits can be broken and good habits can be developed. Some of the habits I chose to develop this past year are: Exercising, drinking H2O, managing stress, accepting my humanity, getting health education and renewing my mind. 

I am currently reading a book that has convinced me to invest in good habits. Here's a quote:

"First we form habits and then they form us. We are what we repeatedly do. Don't be deceived by thinking that you just can't help what you do, because the truth is that you can do or not do anything you really want to." 

- Joyce Meyer in Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits - 14 New Behaviors that will Energize your Life. 

I find beneficial to list the benefits of developing good habits. I also learned that behavior modification is 80%, education is 20% of the journey. For example, we all know people who are highly educated on the benefits of exercise yet don't practice any physical activity. You see, they have education but their behavior has not been modified. In my experience, a renewed my mind came first, then behavior modification quickly followed. Being educated will enhance your journey because you will make better choices but these choices only benefit those whose are developing good behaviors. 

Discipline, persistence and patience are part of behavior modification. The process is not the easiest but oh the fruits are amazing! I wonder if your health can benefit from Behavior Modification.

Action Item: Identify the Good Behaviors you want to Develop. Renew your Mind in that area and start working on Behavior Modification. I suggest the Joyce Meyer book as a support. It has helped me a lot in my journey. 

Related Posts:
• Mind Renewal and Weight Loss
• My Weight Loss in 60 Seconds {complete series}

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Mind Renewal and Weight Loss

This photo is not at all representative of my whole story. Today I want to tell you how God made the difference in my health journey. It all started with this Scriptural truth:

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." See Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

Before what I call my "Mind Renewal" took place, I wasn't very happy about the way I looked. I failed 14 years worth of diets. I was going through transitions in life that required me to be happy and look free but I just couldn't get there. My weight was the least of my problems: my blood pressure was high and my self-esteem was low. I reached out to God as well as to my family doctor. Through the Mind Renewal process I have been able to live a healthier life from the inside out.

When I reached out to God He pretty much showed me how He saw me which debunked how I saw myself. I experienced inner healing that manifested on the outside. I no longer felt bad about my size or how I looked because I was no longer "copying the behavior and customs of this world" (Romans 12:1-2). This world wants me unsatisfied with my weight, my skin and pretty much everything else about me so that they can sell me a solution. This world wants me to live in fear while God offers me freedom through His son Jesus.

Once my mind was changed, the hateful self-talk ceased. I also stopped noticing people's weight when first looked at them instead of looking for the beauty God has placed in everyone. Loving myself for who God made me became easier once my mind was renewed. I once looked at the mirror and saw a fat woman (no matter how much I weight). Once God renewed my mind I started to see God's beloved daughter, the righteousness of God in Christ.

My battles with the scale ceased once my mind was renewed. I learned that I am NOT what I weigh. I had no need of being religious about what I eat or how much I exercised. I found freedom in following "God's good, pleasant and perfect will" (Romans 12:1-2) for me.

Mind renewal is the key ingredient for an abundant healthy journey, for what is a changed body paired with an old mindset? When the mind is not renewed people tend to go back to their old ways. Trust me, I experienced that for 14 years.

God made the difference in my story and I pray that you can seek Him for renewal.

QUESTION: How can the Renewing of your Mind help you live a more abundant life? Have you thought about involving God in your health journey?

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