Since the quality of your life is so directly tied to the quality of your internal dialogue, you must do all you can to shape that dialogue for your own good.
Understanding the power of your thoughts or knowing you need to change is not enough. You have to take specific action. Here are some practical steps you can take to help adopt better thinking.
Listen to Your Internal Dialogue
The first step to creating a healthier thought life doesn’t require you to do anything but listen. You have to become aware of the script that is constantly running in your head.
One of the main things that separates us from the animals is our ability to think about our thought life, to note an individual thought passing through our minds, analyze it for its truth and worth, and then act accordingly. God gave us this unique ability when he made us in his image. But so often, we let our thoughts run on autopilot. They are just there, and we don’t give them much consideration. Or worse, we forget that we are the masters of our own thoughts and let them have their way with us. As you begin tuning into your own mental environment, keep these basic truths about thoughts in mind:
- You can’t always control the thoughts that pop into your head, but you can control what you do with them.
- Thoughts have only as much power as you give them. The more you dwell on a certain thought, the more powerful it will become.
- It is not a sin to have a wrong, negative, or tempting thought pass through your mind—if you let it pass right on through. The sin comes when you choose to indulge that thought either by dwelling on it or acting on it.
Becoming aware of what is going on in your head is a good first step. Next, you have to take some action in response to what you hear.
[bctt tweet=”One of the main things that separates us from the animals is our ability to think about our thought life.” username=”nelsonsearcy”]– Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson
The above excerpt is from p. 181-184 of The New You: A Guide to Better Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Wellness.
With your copy of The New You, you will come away with specific strategies on how to lose weight, get more sleep, lower stress, nurture better relationships, connect with God and much more! Anyone who wants to trade in the frustration of average living and less-than health for the hallmarks of the new life God promises will find The New You an effective personal guide for the journey.
Your partner in ministry,
Nelson
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