We all battle with our thought life to some extent. Here is a very helpful Bible study compiled by Vicky Chilvers giving some keys to controlling your thought life.
Imagine you are helping a psychologist, minister or emotions coach compile a book on Thought Life. What five chapters would you like to see in the book? (In other words, what would help you?) List these and give each a title—ie: “Stinking thinking—thoughts that mislead us.”
Thought life
Chapters
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Questions to consider:
- What impact do my thoughts have on the quality of my life?
- How old is my attitude?
- What do I think about most?
- How much control do I believe I have over my thoughts?
- Do I share my hurts or memorise them?
- Has failure gone to my head?
- What do I anticipate?
- In what areas are my thoughts stuck?
- About what do I worry?
- Which thoughts haunt me?
- Which thoughts prevail when life isn’t going the way I want it to?
- What is the link between thought life and having joy?
Affirmation: an intentional thought one uses in order to shape the quality of one’s perception.
(Draw a thought bubble and write an affirmation in it.)
Number passage summary and implication (we have done number one for you to give you the idea, and now you can do the others on your own.)
- Psalm 94:11 The Lord knows that our thoughts are futile.
(Be wary of thoughts. Submit thoughts to God. Seek the counsel of others.) - Psalm 139:23
- Proverbs 14:15
- Isaiah 55:8
- 1 Corinthians 13:11
- Hebrews 4:12
- Proverbs 15:28
- Mark 7:20
- 2 Corinthians 11:3
- Philemon 4:8
- Romans 12:2
- 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
- 1 Timothy 4:16
- Isaiah 26:3
- Proverbs 15:14
Some quotes to think about:
- To be the picture of health, be in a good frame of mind.
- The true, strong, and good mind is the mind that can equally embrace great things and small. (Johnson)
- My mind is only as strong as its weakest think.
- You are not responsible for the thoughts that pass your door. You are responsible for those you admit and entertain.
- Be careful of your thoughts – they make break into words at any time.
- Like a parachute, your mind only functions when it is open.
- The mind is a garden
Where thought flowers grow
The thoughts that we think
Are seeds, that we sow. - Make your thoughts not your prison.
- A man’s life is what his thoughts make it. (Marcus Aurelius)
- A man is what he thinks about all day long.
- Think Right
Think smiles, and smiles shall be;
Think doubt, and hope will flee;
Think love, and love will grow;
Think hate, and hate you’ll know
Think good and good is here’
Think vice- its jaws appear!
Think joy, and joy ne’er ends;
Think gloom, and dusk descends.
Think faith, and strength’s at hand;
Think ill – it stalks the land.
Think peace, sublime and sweet,
And you that peace will meet;
Think fear, with brooding mind,
And failure’s close behind.
Think this: “I’m going to win.”
Think not on what has been,
Think victory; think “I can!”
Then you’re a winning man!
– David V. Bush - Associate reverently and as much as you can with your loftiest thoughts.
Beauty for Ashes Women's Conference is an interdenominational, faith-based, non-profit organisation and has been bringing conferences, resources, encouragement and hope to women in southern Africa since 1996.
Good info. God bless!