Topic: Make This Your New Normal [Joyce Meyer Ministries 2019]

Over the years, the Lord has shown me so much about the power of our thoughts. In fact, the two major lessons He has taught me are…

1. Our thoughts affect every single area of our lives.

2. We have a choice—we can choose our thoughts!

I often say this is where Satan fights us—on the “battlefield” of the mind.

He tries to get us caught up thinking bad or negative thoughts. But as believers who have the Word of God inside of us, we have the tools to defeat him.

For many years I went to church faithfully, week after week, but I wasn’t living a victorious Christian life. I read my Bible every day, served on the evangelism board and went door-to-door telling people about Jesus because I really wanted to serve God.

But even though I was doing those things, I was still miserable most of the time!

I would go to church on Sunday, but then fight with my husband during the week and get frustrated with my kids a lot. I’d feel miserable, depressed, and angry…then go back to church on Sunday.

Ephesians 4:23 says to be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind…

This is so important, because it’s impossible to have a positive, peaceful life and have a negative mind.

I’ve discovered that when we take time to renew our minds with God’s Word, we learn how to think like God thinks, say what God says, and act like He wants us to act.

Then we can have what He wants us to have—abundant life in Christ, filled with His righteousness, peace and joy (see John 10:10 and Romans 14:17).

So, when is your mind “normal”?

So many people live with negative, anxious or fearful thoughts, but they think it’s normal because they’ve thought this way for years. However, First Corinthians 2:16 says we have the mind of Christ.

For instance, many people think it’s normal to worry, but as a Christian, worrying is not a normal way of thinking.

Philippians 4:6 says we are to be anxious for nothing (NKJV). This doesn’t mean we won’t ever feel worried, but when we do, we can pray and give it to God. We can have His peace while we go through a hard time.

I used to spend so much of my time worrying about my problems. I would constantly think, What if? and run through every scenario. I had to figure everything out!

However, God wants us to experience His peace. He wants us to cast our cares on Him and choose to trust Him (see 1 Peter 5:7). One way we trust God is by refusing to worry—refusing to dwell on all of our fears and the what ifs.

I love Isaiah 26:3. It says, You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You (AMPC).

You Can Choose!

It was such a revelation for me when I realized I didn’t have to think about just anything that came into my mind. I could choose my thoughts and do my own thinking—on purpose.

There is a way to have righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. There’s way to have victory in our circumstances and not live according to what the world views as “normal”…

It all begins with renewing our minds. The choice is up to us.

Here’s where to begin:

Make the decision to spend time each day reading and meditating on the Word. Pray and ask God to help you understand how to apply the wisdom you discover to your everyday life.

As you do your part to renew your mind, God will do His. And you’ll love the transformation that comes with having a “normal” mind…the mind of Christ!