In episode 86, “Capture Thoughts Through Choice”, we discuss chapters 7-10 in Jennie Allen’s book, “Get Out Of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts.” The Bible tells us that we, as Christians, have the Holy Spirit within us, and that it can help us with capturing thoughts, without the overwhelm; we simply just need to make a choice.
CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN!
Drawing Battle Lines
As you may know, we love the Enneagram; a large reason of that is due to it being motivation based instead of behavior based. It is important to remember that treating the behavior isn’t good enough, and is a temporary fix.
We need to look past our behavior, dig through our motivations, and get down to the root belief that is driving the motivation, which determines the behavior. What’s a reoccurring toxic thought or theme that stick in your mind in a bad way. How is your thought life acting out in your daily life?
Holding Space for Silence: I Choose to Be Still with God
In this portion of the book, Jennie walks us through several “choices” that we can make. In the beginning of each of these sections, she lists a few examples of excuses we may be telling ourselves that are holding us back. You’ve got to get your hands on this book (link at the bottom).
We must make the choice to be still with God. Relationships are a two way street, so ask yourself if you’ve been listening to God, or are you the one who is doing all the talking? God will meet you where you are, even if you feel awkward and uncomfortable at first. Remember, all growth happens outside of our comfort zones.
In episode 86, we discuss how Jennie walks us through an exercise that is a simple fix to helping us make better choices. Getting your mind right can be done! It just takes consistent, positive repetition. You can do it!
Lifelines: I Choose to Be Known
At Witty & Gritty, we preach about the power of a healthy, God-centered community. Get involved with something bigger than yourself. A solid, healthy community reduces stress, truths can be safely spoken, and we are helping fulfill our design to be deeply known.
If you need help gaining a community, think about the people you know who exhibit the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control). Who is consistently chasing after Jesus? Be all of you, commit to healthy vulnerability, and when it’s appropriate, discuss last 2% (tune into hear more about that).
Unafraid: I Choose to Surrender My Fears to God
What are the deep fears in your head that you need to give to god? You can figure this out by reflecting on your thought patterns. Do you have something that is occupying too much mental real estate?
If you’re thinking it consciously, then there is a subconscious thought driving that (find it, bring it to light, combat it). Bringing our dark, ugly junk to light can feel gross, and what Brene Brown calls “giving you a vulnerability hangover.” If we want to grow and truly gives these fears to God, we have to be willing to take the scary-yet-necessary steps.
