FREEDOM40 - 40-Day Men’s Challenge to Live in FreedomSample

DAY 38

REFLECT + FOCUS

What do you do practically to actually change your thinking? How do you get rid of negative, impure or destructive thoughts and focus on positive, pure, constructive thoughts?

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV

I have a simple technique to take captive my thoughts: I imagine my mind like a stage - and somehow it has gotten cluttered with wrong thoughts.

As I pray, and offer my thoughts to God, I consciously imagine the stage being lifted up, His light shining on it. Then I see His hand coming down, and wiping everything off it.

My mind is now clear and then I say, “God, what thoughts do you want me to put on my stage?” I then begin to declare the truth.

You might try the same thing with a mental white board - or anything that helps you visualize this transformation or change of your thinking.

The more you do it, the easier it will become. No matter how long you have been battling negative or wrong thinking, by the grace of God you can change your thought patterns. You might have to start by doing it hundreds of times a day! That’s OK. Do anything you need to do to align your thinking to the truth of God.

(Please listen to the interviews in the video.)

SHOUT

As you declare today’s shout, ask God to guide you in this ongoing, lifelong process of changing our thinking to be Christ-like.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble
Whatever is right, whatever is pure
Whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
If anything is excellent or praiseworthy
Think about such things, think about such things.
Philippians 4 verse 8

DISCOVERY BIBLE

Continue to discover God’s heart for us through His word to us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.

What is God showing you through this passage? Take notes and share some thoughts with your brothers, as you pray for one another.

(*Some Discovery Bible passages have been updated since the original. We add the previous passage for reference if you need: Acts 16:16-34.)