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
All week I have been talking about mindfulness. (Read all of the blog posts here.) Develop mindfulness and you have taken your first step to the renewal of your mind and the transformation of your mind, body, and spirit—your holy trinity. Read about your holy trinity here.
I define mindfulness as the act of recognizing and shaping thoughts, words, and actions in order to live purposefully as who God created you to be.
Today I want to give you five biblically based practices that you can put into place to develop the important practice of mindfulness.
The work of mindfulness and transformation starts with a change to your thought patterns. How do you change your thought patterns? It seems like a big ask. Take small steps with these practices. Remind yourself that progress is better than perfection. If it feels difficult to even begin, ask the Lord to give you the motivation to start. He abides in you to will and to do the work (Philippians 2:13).
Spiritual Practices to Change Your Thought Patterns
1. Stay Tuned to the Lord
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) says,
You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Keep your trust in God and keep your thoughts fixed on Him rather than your circumstances.
2. Pray Diligently and Stay Alert to Gratitude
Colossians 4:2–4 (MSG)
Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.
Paul shows his mindfulness when he asks for prayers for what he says. He was mindful that every time he opened his mouth he had an opportunity to reflect Christ.
I love the phrase “eyes wide open in gratitude.” Live with the attitude of gratitude and you automatically change your thought patterns.
3. Keep the Word of God Front and Center
Deuteronomy 11:18
“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.”
Memorize scripture. Check Bible apps for the verse of the day. Write out and post your empowering scriptures. Surround yourself with the word of God and see how that changes the way you think,
4. Discipline Your Thoughts
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Train your mind to focus (dwell) on that which is godly and positive and watch how it changes your mindset. Judgment and criticism can’t stand in the same room as honor, purity, righteousness, etc.
5. Commit to the Lord With Your Whole Being
Matthew 22:37
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
The “he” here is Jesus. These are red letter words. Consider the words “your heart” a representation of your body, “your soul” of your spirit, and “your mind” of your thoughts. Commit your personal holy trinity of mind, body, and spirit to the Lord.
Which of these five practices can you implement today? Ask the Lord to show you which one(s) you should use today to begin the process of renewing your mind to transform your life
I pray that the Lord will open your eyes to see and your ears to hear how you can put these practices in place and in turn transform your life by the renewing of your mind.