Power of Thoughts by Mayada Naami
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 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 10:3-5. NIV)
Last week I blogged about the “Power of Words” and was reading Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book called “Switch on Your Brain” when I saw Lisa’s Saturday morning blog titled, “What We Think is Not Always What it is.” I can’t help but notice a pattern here, so I decided to blog about the power of thoughts. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I met Paul last June and he has been helping me be “impeccable with my words.” He is a philosopher and apologist dedicated to helping others find and/or fulfill their unique identity and purpose in life while aligning with Truth rooted in Love. His philosophy is based on his discovery that what you believe determines what you “feel,” and what you “feel’ (your emotional reaction) determines what you do.
He introduced me to Dr. Caroline Leaf’s teachings. She is a communication pathologist and audiologist who has worked in cognitive neuroscience since 1985. Her pioneering work on neuroplasticity—how changing the way you think changes your brain and can affect behavioral change—paved the way for her current research on how scientific principles are supported by Scripture and vice versa.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.(Romans 12:2, NIV)
This passage states we are transformed by the “renewing of the mind.” God created us in His image and gave us the ability to think and choose what we act upon; free will. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we are instructed to take “captive” every thought as if we are soldiers in a battle. Our thoughts are the enemy that we must take captive and submit to God. Every thought we have, especially the negative ones, can be transformed by the “renewing of our mind.” While praying and meditating daily, you can replace your negative self-talk with affirmations from God’s Word.
It’s time to take your thoughts captive.
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1, 19-21, NIV).