Who Are You Listening To?
“Be careful the stories you tell yourself, because you are listening.” — Lisa Cron
None of us lives in a vacuum. Whether you realize it or not, you are always listening—to thoughts, narratives, fears, expectations, and beliefs that shape how you see yourself and the world. Scripture names this tension clearly: the voice of the Spirit and the voice of the flesh pull you in opposite directions. The question isn’t whether you are influenced. The question is—who are you listening to?
Your mind is the leader of all your actions. The quality of your life is a direct result of your thoughts. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.”
To begin transforming yourself, it’s important to notice your thoughts. You are presented with thousands of thoughts every day. Identify which thoughts are productive and which ‘wrong thinking patterns’ are intended to deceive.
You do not have to passively receive every thought that falls into your head. You can proactively choose thoughts that line up with truth. Practicing “on-purpose thinking” helps you to develop the habit of mental self-awareness.
You can start by regularly taking a “mental inventory of your thoughts.” A peaceful mind is calm, quiet, and at rest. A busy mind is characterized by mental noise and constant, unproductive motion.
“Here are some common characteristics of a busy mind:”
A busy mind will frequently be occupied with reasoning. Reasoning is the act of trying to figure out the “why” behind every situation. The mental activity of going round and round an issue, as you might imagine, reasoning causes anxiety, worry, and fear.
A busy mind is constantly wandering. When your mind is in a state of constant wandering, you can’t concentrate on the present moment. Your body is present, but your mind is always somewhere else. For example, you may be physically present at your morning team meeting, but your mind is focused on the argument you had with your teenager earlier. When the meeting is over, you realize you heard nothing.
A busy mind belongs to a person who is confused and unstable. The Bible calls this a double-minded person (James 1:6-8). When you are double-minded, you may be caught between an old thought pattern of negative thinking, the flesh, and a desire for positive change, the Spirit.
A busy mind is a noisy mind. You may experience repeated negative thoughts or traumatic experiences. These are etched into the mind as memory traces. You can think of them as ruts that have been worn into a dirt road from years of travel. Once these pathways are established, the brain naturally follows them.
To start your journey of on-purpose thinking, commit to forming a new habit of taking regular inventory of your thoughts.
Your journey begins with a decision to intentionally choose right thinking that aligns with the Word of God, rather than passively accepting whatever comes into your mind.
1 Peter 1:13 says, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” It will take intentional discipline and focus to maintain a stable, productive mental life.
Renewing your mind by meditating on God’s word is essential for the process of transformation. Meditating on God’s Word is not an intellectual exercise. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you toward specific scriptures. Meditate on God’s unconditional love and on your standing as His adopted child. Use Philippians 4:8 to guide you. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Finally, engage in daily “think sessions” to reflect on positive truths. This is a way for you to track your personal progress. Keep in mind, this is not going to happen overnight; it happens little by little. You will have bad days and setbacks, but you aren’t doing this in your own strength anymore. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13)