The new “Transform Your Thoughts e-Journal” is a simple, effective, and biblical way of journaling your thoughts. As you change your thoughts, you’ll also change your heart and even experience a tranquil life. Get the downloadable here.
In this article, I’ll introduce you to part of the thought journal I developed for my counselees.
Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2a, NLT
Wonderfully, the Transform Your Thoughts e-Journal shows you how to replace life-sapping thoughts with uplifting, God-honoring thoughts. And as the Holy Spirit transforms your thoughts, four things happen. You’ll–:
- Become aware of life-sapping, ungodly thoughts.
- See a connection among your thoughts, emotions, and actions.
- Exchange uplifting, God-honoring thoughts for ungodly thoughts.
- Have better emotions and actions.
Your Thoughts Reveal Your Heart
Know these two truths:
- Your thoughts flow from your heart, which is the seat of your deepest desires.
- A healthy heart is Christ-centered; an unhealthy heart is me-centered.
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7, NKJV
Indeed, your thoughts become part of your beliefs. And your beliefs remain until new thoughts challenge them. Then new beliefs elbow out the old ones. Thought transformation is NOT behavior modification; it is renewal of your core BELIEF system. Click & Tweet!
How to Use the Journal
First, describe a difficult circumstance. Then ask, what was going on? Here is an example.
“My husband and I have argued a lot ever since our teen began using marijuana.”
Next, write your thoughts, emotions, and resulting actions. You may think your emotions come first. Actually, thoughts do. Then emotions and actions follow thoughts.
Your journal might look like this:
| LIFE-SAPPING THOUGHTS | EMOTIONS | ACTIONS |
| “I’m a horrible mother.” | Anger, fear, sadness | Yelled at teen. Took away her phone. Cried. |
Now select a real circumstance from your own life and try it yourself. You’ll benefit the most when you actually do the work of thought journaling. Reading about it isn’t enough. Rather, you need to do it.
Turn Your Thoughts Around
Let’s start with the “I’m a horrible mother” thought. First, begin with a question: Ask if your thought is true. Is it a fact that you are a horrible mother? Click & Tweet! Chances are, you are a loving, stressed-out mom who feels scared, angry, and overwhelmed, searching for solutions to help your teen.
Now replace the life-sapping lie “I’m a horrible mother” with an uplifting biblical truth such as, “Even though my daughter’s choice to do drugs upsets me, God promises that he is with me, guides me, and comforts me. He is trustworthy.”
Begin your new thought with something like, “Even though _________________,
God promises __________________________________________.
New emotions and actions replace your old emotions and actions. Click & Tweet!Here’s what it looks like:
| NEW THOUGHTS | NEW EMOTIONS | NEW ACTIONS |
| Even though my teen has made poor choices, God promises to give us wisdom when we ask for it and to be with my family and me. | Peace, hope | With your spouse, pray and ask God for wisdom.
Thank God. Smile |
Transforming your thoughts is absolutely necessary to live the Christian life! Click & Tweet!
If you’d like one-to-one help with transforming your thoughts and experiencing a tranquil life, consider setting up a complimentary phone consultation with me to talk about receiving biblical counseling by Skype or FaceTime or Zoom.
Counseling hearts to hope,
A good article but I would challenge one concept in your article.
It is “Your thoughts become part of your beliefs which form your desires. Your beliefs remain until new thoughts challenge them, and new beliefs result.”
According to Genesis 6:5 it was desire, intention or imagination that formed the people of that day’s thoughts, not the other way around. The Hebrew word is Yetsar (Transliteration) Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions
יצר
1. form, framing, purpose, framework
a. form
1. pottery
2. graven image
3. man (as formed from the dust)
b. purpose, imagination, device (intellectual framework)
Origin: from H3335
TWOT: 898a
Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine
My point being that it is one’s imagination (or the thing desired) which forms our thoughts. This is an important difference when it comes to counselling.
Thanks for your insight, Brian, and the Hebrew lesson too. I agree that thoughts are fueled by a desire or belief that originate in the heart. Our thoughts, emotions, and actions expose our beliefs. But don’t thoughts also help in forming beliefs? As we take in information, don’t we decide what’s true or false, and add it to our belief system. What do you think?
Thanks Lucy for your reply. I was not sure if it was appropriate for a male to comment on a Christian ladies website. I did so with some trepidation. So I thank you for your gracious response. And I am sorry if I came across arrogantly as someone seeking to give you a Hebrew lesson. My intention was to supply biblical support for my comments and my ‘cut and paste’ approach was an ill advised shortcut. Please forgive me for that.
The concern behind my writing was that often my counselling and care could become nothing more than a secular CBT approach to fixing problems. That is, change the thoughts, and then positive responses and reactions will automatically follow. (An oversimplification I know).
When we fail to address the desires and imaginations of the heart nothing every really changes it simply becomes behaviour modification. If we don’t address our false worship, self-centred desires and inordinate imaginings then we leave ourselves and our counselees open to besetting sinful actions and reactions. That is a real concern for us all.
I do not believe, nor do the Scriptures teach, that that the thought life is random in its origin or genesis,(Eve’s response in Genesis would be a good example of this) or that thoughts are ‘only fuelled’ by our desires. I believe there is something far more complex and even sinister as thoughts are always imagination and worship birthed.
Our thoughts do not simply come from a vacuum was the point I was seeking to address in my comments. However, can I say again that I have enjoyed and appreciated your post and subsequent response.
Brian, I truly loved the Hebrew, concordances, theology texts books, and such.
I agree that a potential danger in Christian biblical counseling is failing to focus on the root of behavior. Identifying heart motivations is necessary for real heart transformation, or it may become, as you say, simply cognitive behavior therapy. Thanks again for the reminder. 🙂