Romans 8:5-8 ESV For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Thoughts. We cannot see them. We cannot buy them. We cannot always predict them. But we cannot deny this about them: They define our lives. Think well, live well. Think poorly, live poorly.

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Are your days ever so gloomy? You can change that.

Perpetually anxious? Abundant peace is an option.

Heavied by regrets? Your past need not define your future.

Hounded by inner critics? You can defang those voices in your head.

You can tame your thoughts! A new “you” will appear as new thoughts begin to emerge.

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. – Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Search “thought management” on the internet, and you will find a Pacific Ocean of answers—magazine articles, TED Talks, podcasts, blogs, and books. They explore meditation, medication, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Better your brain by running more, eating right, sleeping longer, taking supplements, reading Lucado books. (Who added that last one?)

There’s a lot to wade through. I seek neither to promote nor debunk these treatments. I prefer to focus on three tools, an ancient trio of strategies that I know well, and I know work well. Call them what you wish: Thought management 101. Your mental tool kit. Mental floss. However you tag them, they make a difference—a huge difference.

The Tool Kit

• Practice Picky Thinking. Guard your thoughts.
• Identify UFOs. An Untruth (U) creates a False narrative (F) that leads to an Overreaction (O).
• Uproot and Replant. Weed out your most unhealthy thought patterns and replace them with divine truth.

Romans 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

These tools will empower you to think clearly and rightly. Sometimes all three are needed. At other times just one or two will suffice. Either way, these tools will rescue you from the quicksand of ungovernable thoughts.

With God as your helper, you will discover a new way of thinking.

Prayer

Dear Father, please guide me in using the tools Max presented. Help me know how to guard my thoughts, identify untruths that lead to false narratives and overreactions, weed out unhealthy thoughts, and replace them with your truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.