Pastor Jarren Rogers

“I think, therefore I am,” was a phrase coined by Descartes to prove his existence. He argued that he could prove reality was not a figment of his imagination simply because he was able to question his own existence. 

Descartes hurts my head. 

As I tumbled this quote around in my head, I concluded that the opposite may be true: We are what we think. 

Your thoughts have a significant impact on who you can become. They are the wheel that steers your emotions, your decisions, and your life! Wherever your thoughts guide you, that is who you will become.

Have you ever been around a textbook pessimist? Everything they say is a negative statement. The future always looks bleak. Their whole life has been a tragedy, and all signs point to more of the same. The way that they think has guided the course of their life.

And the opposite can also be true. Studies have shown that salespeople who go into a meeting with a positive attitude are more likely to close the deal than their cynical colleagues. 

Your thinking has an impact.

One of our biggest problems is that we rarely stop to think about our thoughts. Read that sentence again. When we are met with a though that is hurtful to us, one that tears us down and destroys our mood, we rarely stop to think, “Why did I think that?” Or more importantly, “Is that true?”

Our minds go on autopilot. Our thoughts fly in and out without much interference from us. And the unfortunate matter of fact is that a majority of our thoughts are not helpful or healthy, but instead, they can hinder us spiritually and emotionally. Left unchecked, this can have disastrous effects. Why? Because studies have shown that around 95% of the thought you had yesterday will reoccur today. 

Wow.  We really don’t take time to think about our thoughts. If we caught our destructive thoughts as they occurred, we might be more likely to do what Paul urges in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When our thoughts are made obedient to Christ, they no longer have the power to harm us emotionally and spiritually. They do not tear down others or ourselves. Our thoughts will still guide the course of our lives, but now Christ has hold of the wheel, and He guides us towards peace and love. 

If we have any hope of getting through the widespread devastation of hurtful thoughts, we have to submit ourselves to God–heart, soul, strength, and MIND.

The world allows their thoughts to define who they are. Their thoughts run rampant and steer their lives down destructive paths. But we are called to something different. We have to invite the Holy Spirit’s transforming power to change us. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).