Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Psychologists talk about "confirmation bias" - the phenomenon where our brain is constantly scanning our environment looking for confirmation or proof of what we think. Notice that it doesn't say we look for things in order to form a thought...but we look to confirm what we already think!
This happens without us realizing it. If I believe that left-handed people are more creative than right-handed people, without even trying, my brain will notice the left-handed creative people more and it will place more 'weight' on that 'evidence.'
Perhaps more importantly, if I believe that I am a failure, my brain will not only interpret every mistake catastrophically, but it will look at all the events in my life through that lens...searching for proof. So if I leave my phone at home, "I never get anything right." Or if I notice a look on your face, I am thinking you are judging my actions as bad, wrong, "failed." This can have horrible affects on our hearts, minds, and relationships. If we aren't careful, it can even become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Even though this often happens without us realizing it, we aren't doomed. We CAN retrain our minds. God tells us that we are changed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). We renew our mind by taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
We need to think about WHAT we are believing and thinking...
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ~ Colossians 3:2
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. ~Philippians 4:8
and HOW we are thinking it...
Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. ~ Romans 12:2
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 10:5
“As we think, we change the physical nature of our brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts.” ~ Dr. C. Leaf
We must notice what we are thinking about ourselves (and others) and ask, "Is it really true?" "Would God say this to me (them)? And if the answer is 'no,' we must choose to think differently.
Learning Together to Choose How We Think...
This happens without us realizing it. If I believe that left-handed people are more creative than right-handed people, without even trying, my brain will notice the left-handed creative people more and it will place more 'weight' on that 'evidence.'
Perhaps more importantly, if I believe that I am a failure, my brain will not only interpret every mistake catastrophically, but it will look at all the events in my life through that lens...searching for proof. So if I leave my phone at home, "I never get anything right." Or if I notice a look on your face, I am thinking you are judging my actions as bad, wrong, "failed." This can have horrible affects on our hearts, minds, and relationships. If we aren't careful, it can even become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Even though this often happens without us realizing it, we aren't doomed. We CAN retrain our minds. God tells us that we are changed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). We renew our mind by taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
We need to think about WHAT we are believing and thinking...
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ~ Colossians 3:2
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. ~Philippians 4:8
and HOW we are thinking it...
Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. ~ Romans 12:2
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 10:5
“As we think, we change the physical nature of our brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts.” ~ Dr. C. Leaf
We must notice what we are thinking about ourselves (and others) and ask, "Is it really true?" "Would God say this to me (them)? And if the answer is 'no,' we must choose to think differently.
Learning Together to Choose How We Think...
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