In the Know, Vol. 34: “As We Think, So We Live”
A few months ago, I bought a Peloton and quickly discovered a few favorite instructors. One of them signs off from his classes with this encouragement, “How you practice is how you play, how you play is how you live, how you live is how you love.” This mantra has resonated deeply with me and where I am in my life. So, imagine my surprise when I read similar words in Jennie Allen’s Get Out of Your Head. She writes, “Our thoughts dictate our beliefs, which dictate our actions, which form our habits, which compose the sum of our lives. As we think, so we live.” It’s not exactly word for word, but it hits some of the same chords.
Our thoughts are powerful, and Satan knows this all too well. He knows that he’s winning the game if he can get you to believe his lies as your truth. So, what do we do? We practice, just like my Peloton instructor says. That’s how we learn to live better.
How we live says everything about us. If we’re not practicing things that make us more into the person God created us to be, how will the people we interact with know His importance to us? If we don’t make Him a priority, He won’t be reflected in the way we treat our neighbors, encourage our friends, or love our spouses.
How we practice may look different for you than it does for me. Maybe for you, it’s about memorizing Scripture so the truth it holds can permeate your mind. Or it’s about being courageous and telling a trusted friend where you are struggling. Or it’s about praying for the strength for the journey ahead. Whatever it is, our enemy is crafty, so our practice must be intentional.
Trust me, I know it sounds like a lot. But as I’ve grappled with how to live intentionally the last few months, here’s what I’ve discovered…God isn’t asking for perfect attempts. He’s simply asking you to do the reps and strengthen the muscles that build your faith. He’s asking you to trust Him to help you refocus your mind so His thoughts and truths can shape the way you live.
The tension isn’t going away today; learning to live with intention is a slow walk in one direction. But the good news is, you’ve been introduced to the struggle and can begin to process what it means for you. I’m excited to share the resources below because I believe they can help. You’ll find a simple prayer to help you posture your heart, a journal prompt to help you put thoughts to paper, and a few recommended resources to help you dig deeper.
Meditate on Romans 12:2 (consider memorizing it as a reminder of how we are to live). Pay attention to the word “renewing,” in this passage, as it implies continuous action. “Renewing your mind” isn’t a once-and-done type of action. It’s something we have to practice daily and do continually. Keeping that in mind, list some ways you can practice renewing your mind so you can be transformed more into who God created you to be and conformed less to the world in which we live.
Heavenly Father, Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” I pray You would give me the courage to live today with a mind that has an unwavering faith because I trust in You no matter what. Amen.
GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD, JENNIE ALLEN
Get Out of Your Head is a Biblical guide to discovering how to submit our minds to Jesus because how we think shapes how we live. The book uses the science behind how we think to help us identify negative thought patterns and overcome toxic thoughts and instead surrender every thought to Jesus. Jennie and her team also created a free book club kit to help you lead a group through the book, including supplemental podcasts and discussion questions.
THE GROVE PODCAST: TABLE TALKS PART 1 :: THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER OF THE GOSPEL
This podcast episode features a roundtable hosted by Shelley Giglio. It’s the first of a 3-part discussion with Ben Stuart, Levi Lusko, Jackie Hill Perry, and Christian Huff on how God has transformed their lives and what they’re still learning today. As part of the conversation, they talk about why renewing our hearts is such an essential step in our spiritual transformation.
HOW TO FIND YOUR STRENGTH AND IDENTITY IN THE LORD
Satan’s lies and schemes are active in our lives every day whether we realize it or not, and it’s not something that we can just sit by and watch. In this article, Alli Worthington talks to women about the lies that Satan gets us to believe and what happens as a result. She stresses the importance of knowing who we are and shows us how to begin to practically engage in this fight.
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