Standing Firm

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. [1 Corinthians 16:13]

Biblical TeachingsPodcast EpisodeYou Are Who God Says You Are

Formation of Our Thinking

Cathy

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. [Psalm 139:13-14].

QUOTE: Of all the objects in the universe, the human brain is the most complex. There are as many neurons in the brain as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy (DISCOVER magazine).

FORMATION OF OUR THINKING

Let’s start this hike with a bit of a foundation about where some of our thinking comes from. Every family has issues and most of us were taught things that simply were not true. When I say things are not true, I’m speaking of how you think about yourself, money, God, and life in general. Most of the time things we were taught by parents or others were taught out of love and with no intention of hurting us. However, they were things parents learned or things that have been passed down from generation to generation without any thought. This book could be written specifically for my family and how they think about themselves. With the power of the Holy Spirit, I am working on breaking down that negative stinking thinking that has wreaked havoc in my family for years.

Think about the brain and how intricate and detailed it is. Studies show that ninety percent of people use only one percent of their brains. That statistic is crazy; how is that possible? How do we use just one percent of our brain? What would we be capable of if we used just another five percent? For me, the study of the brain has always been very interesting, because it’s so incredible what it can do. The brain and how it works is like God, it’s so beyond our understanding and all the intricate working details could be a lifelong study and then this could be a forever chapter!! So, let’s simplify it and talk briefly about what thinking is, how it’s formed, and the impact that it has on each one of us, including YOU!

Before we even knew how to think, our original thoughts and core beliefs were literally CREATED FOR US. That is a profound statement and an awareness that will serve us well to uncover what might be blocking us in some areas of our lives and from being all that God destined us to be. This set way of thinking and potential strongholds was already inside our minds at around three to five years old. Our thoughts were created by the people who were around us the most, from parents, relatives, nannies, teachers, extended family, and friends. Some studies show the formation of our thoughts begins before we even come into this world, while we are still in the womb. (holy smokes the power of association and the power of words that are spoken over us).

Because at such a young age, we are still in the growth mode, what people talk about, teach us, what is said to us, and even what is said about us can have a major impact on us for the rest of our lives. In those formative years, we didn’t have any point of reference, so we accepted everything that we were told. We didn’t have the ability to evaluate what we were told or even know when we should question something. When these thoughts and beliefs are reinforced, either verbally or through experiences they become deeply rooted and embedded in us. In turn, this is how we learn to operate in the world and with others, so this can be good or bad depending on the people that were around us.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” (Jim Rohen).

So then this continues as we get older. The people you spend the most time with will shape who you are, how you think, what you believe, and how you feel about yourself. They determine what conversations dominate your attention and what attitudes and behaviors you most likely are going to have. Eventually, you start to think like they think and behave like they behave. As we grow up and go through life, we all have experiences, events, and circumstances that will either contradict those thoughts or even more deeply engrain these thoughts into our brains. These beliefs will remain with us and can make us stuck because this becomes our thinking process for most of our lives unless we CHOOSE to make a change.

Most people live on automatic and do not even think about what they are thinking. Research across multiple disciplines including physics, neurology, and psychology shows that our thinking is formed by the interaction of habitual thoughts and the images and emotions they bring to us. Once these thoughts and emotions become habitual, they form a neural network that keeps our thoughts habitually locked into place and our thinking stuck on automatic.

Thinking processes are deeply held beliefs, attitudes and assumptions we create about who we are and how the world works.

  • Our thinking process is a habit of the brain.
  • Our thinking process is created by life experiences.
  • Our thinking process can potentially create blind spots.
  • Our thinking process can be self-deceptive.
  • Our thinking process shapes our everyday lives.
  • Our thinking process is how we make decisions.
  • Our thinking process can sometimes make us stuck and under strongholds that we are not even aware of.

FORMATION OF OUR THINKING: So, to wrap this up, this shows how and why we could have hidden self-limiting thinking (non-stellar thoughts) that we are not even aware of. These thoughts and thinking processes were programmed in us before we even knew how to think (a bit scary in some cases). These are the thoughts that stop us from doing all that God wants us to do and being the person that God desires us to be.

However, the awesome thing is, we have been given the greatest gift which is the power of the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit working within us we can break any of those energy-draining strongholds, any negative or harmful thinking, and we can literally transform our thinking into Stellar Thinking. Our part in this is becoming that living sacrifice, and by saturating ourselves in the Word of God and so we can’t help to learn how to think like God thinks.

[1 John 2:18-29]

Warning about Antichrists

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.  And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

Living as Children of God

And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

Because at such a young age, we are still in the growth mode, what people talk about, teach us, what is said to us, and even what is said about us can have a major impact on us for the rest of our lives. In those formative years, we didn’t have any point of reference, so we accepted everything that we were told. We didn’t have the ability to evaluate what we were told or even know when we should question something. When these thoughts and beliefs are reinforced, either verbally or through experiences they become deeply rooted and embedded in us. In turn, this is how we learn to operate in the world and with others, so this can be good or bad depending on the people that were around us.

=======================================

DAILY ACTION STEP
Say to yourself out loud
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM

========================================

FRIENDLY REMINDER: Take out your journal and write down your thoughts, takeaways, and progress for this week!

TAKEAWAY GEMS

  • Our thoughts are created before the age of five by people who are around us the most, and then from people all throughout our lives.
  • Limiting beliefs and negative thoughts could be hidden; we possibly could be totally unaware that our thinking could be preventing us from doing all that God called us to do.
  • Our negative thinking can keep us on automatic and wandering without purpose if we CHOOSE to allow it.
  • We can transform our thinking process and our thoughts to think like God thinks!!!

QUESTIONS TO “THINK ON”

  1. What are some lies that you have been telling yourself?
  2. What are some thinking that is in your family; good or bad?
  3. What are some action steps you can take to change or alter the non-stellar thinking of you and/or your family?

ACTION STEP
YOUR THINKING: write down ONE limiting thought process that you are aware of that may be stopping you from being all that God has created you to be.

WEEKLY SCRIPTURES

DAY 1: for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. [Colossians 1:16]

DAY 2: But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him. [Galatians 1:15]

DAY 3: By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, and that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. [Hebrews 11:3]

DAY 4: Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. [Isaiah 40:30-31]

DAY 5: It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth. [Matthew 15:11]

DAY 6: You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden [Matthew 5:13-14]

DAY 7: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous how well I know it. [Psalm 139:13-14]

 

 

× Text Me Today!