Do you know you have up to 70,000 thoughts a day? Researchers say most of us have between 45,000–51,000 thoughts a day, but it can be as many as 70,000. Most of the battles you fight each day rage in the battleground of your mind. Here are just a few blog comments from this last week that reveal the mind battles you’re facing.
- “I feel like I’m not worth as much as the pretty/skinny/athletic/cool girls.” —Ella
- “I had formed a habit of thinking I hate myself or I hate my life when things went badly.” —Michelle
- “Please pray for my stupid self.” —Mist
- “I struggle with lies like I’ll never be good enough, I’ll never be pretty enough, and Even if I become beautiful enough, people won’t love me for me.” —Michelle
I think the apostle Paul knew what a battleground our minds are when he wrote to believers:
Take the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17).
Quick history lesson—back in the day, Roman soldiers wore heavy helmets that covered their cheeks, foreheads, neck, and ears so their enemy’s battle-axe wouldn’t send their head flying off. Think of the helmet of salvation like our modern-day football or motorcycle helmet—except much more beautiful.
Now obviously, you don’t need to put on the helmet of salvation in order to be saved, ’cause Paul wrote this to people who were already Christians. But you do need to put on the helmet of salvation in order to think true thoughts that line up with who you really are now in Christ.
Your thoughts matter—big time. In Romans 12:2 we’re told, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Your mind was never meant to control you—you were meant to control your mind! As you do, you will be transformed from the inside out.
So how are you to get the upper hand over your thoughts?
Thinking Brand-New Thoughts
The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Warning—that’s a lot of hard, unending work! But it’s worth it, because the alternative isn’t pretty. Taking every thought captive to obey Christ means you’ll have to constantly monitor every thought to see if it passes the Philippians 4:8 test:
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
If a thought doesn’t pass the Philippians 4:8 test, rather than letting that thought captivate you, instantly capture it in your mind and turn it over to King Jesus. Then replace that stray thought with one that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any of those thoughts on my own. I have to borrow Christ’s thoughts by memorizing His Words so I can replace my thoughts with His.
Can I encourage you to do the same? Buy a spiral-bound, index-card notebook from Walmart, and write out verses you find most helpful. Or store them in your phone. It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get His words into you.
I encourage you to start with verses that talk about what all is included in the gift of salvation. Become a serious student of your salvation. (This is how you put on the helmet of salvation—by knowing and chewing on what Jesus has done for you and given to you.) What saved you? How do you know this? When God saved you, what benefits and lavish gifts did He give you? For a great place to start, read or listen to these forty-five gifts God gave you when you were saved.
If you’re in a relationship with Jesus, you now “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Obviously that doesn’t mean you’re omniscient, that you know every single thing there is to know as God does. But it does mean your mind, which used to be hostile toward Him, can now understand, accept, and think on the things of God. Incredible!
So pick up that helmet of salvation and put it on. I want to see some helmet hair!
Then come back here and tell me about a mind battle you won this week. Let me know what thought you caught yourself thinking and how you beat that thought back by putting on the helmet of salvation and taking every thought captive to Christ.
Note: Parts of this post are excerpted from Confessions of a Boy-Crazy Girl.
“The Battleground of Your Mind” was originally posted on LiesYoungWomenBelieve.com.
Paula (Hendricks) Marsteller is a compassionate, bold Christian communicator offering you gospel hope, thought-provoking questions, and practical help along the way.