Okay, my friend before you go and get mad at me, those aren’t my words. But the average attention span for a goldfish is 9 seconds. Yep, that’s it. But here’s the kicker according to a new study from Microsoft Corporation, human beings lose concentration after 8 seconds. That’s it. Like, I’ve seen the difference, just watch a sitcom today compared to 20 years ago and you’ll see a vast difference in the pacing and the changing of the scenes.

In fact, just a few months ago while I was on YouTube an old favorite, sitcom popped up in my feed. It was a short episode of The Golden Girls and I was feeling a little nostalgic. So I watch the four-minute clip and I was shocked at the thought that I had one minute into the show and I, here’s what I thought. “Wow, this is really moving slowly,” and I would never have considered myself a person with a short attention span. But I think that there’s no doubt that I fall into the goldfish bowl and whether our attention, spans are shorter because of the media or the media adjusted to account for our attention span. I don’t know, but what I do know is that there is no debating, the fact that our lives are overloaded and it’s not just TV and social media. It’s our thoughts.

These are the worse. I can at least put the phone down or turn the TV off, but what do I do when the chaos is going on in my own mind? We’re bombarded daily with fears, worries, apprehensions, goals, and shortcomings, all before, getting out of bed, it’s no wonder we’re so exhausted.

And I know for a fact that this is not what God had in mind for you. He wants you to live in peace and that includes mental peace, but he isn’t going to force that peace upon you, although, that would be nice.

And that’s why I want to talk to you today about four Biblical steps to quiet that chaos in your mind.

Romans 12: 2 reminds us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.”

Did you know that you actually have control of your own mind and part of taking back?

Control of your mind is being an active participant in that renewal process. Renewing your mind includes tackling head-on the overthinking, worrisome non-stop thoughts that are bouncing around in your head. And I know you know what it feels like, your mind runs, runs wild spinning out of control with the constant what-ifs and should have, could have, would haves, and the next thing you know, days and even years have slipped by and you’ve made no positive progress in life. This is not Biblical, nor beneficial.

Have you ever tried to tell your overactive mind to just stop? But didn’t work. Did it? Of course not because it’s God that actually gave you that active mind in the first place. And shutting it down, shouldn’t be the option. You see the problem is not that you’re thinking, the problem is what you’re thinking about. So, unfortunately, God is not going to shut off your brain, but he has given us all the tools that we need to help us in the renewal process too.

How do we stop the dreaded overthinking?

Let’s look at 4 biblical steps to take to stop the mental spiral in your head.

#1 – Reveal.

Before you can deal with spiraling thoughts, you must become aware of them. And I love the way David asked the Lord in Psalm 139:23 and he said, “Search me, God, and know, my heart test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

God is faithful to reveal anything ungodly in your life and we must look at toxic unproductive, spiraling thoughts as Godly. So, pray and ask God to reveal, that you’re overthinking anxious thoughts, and he will. And be prepared though, He may reveal them in ways that you didn’t expect like your reactions. Yes, your reactions reveal a lot about what’s going on inside of you.

#2 – Refocus.

2 Corinthians 10:5 reminds us that “we demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.”

So the question is, What are you doing with the thoughts that are coming into your head?

If you’re allowing them to run wild with no accountability, friend you are susceptible to demonic deception, and the clarity that you so long for is going to lose you.

So instead ask yourself this, “Is this in line with Biblical truth?”

#3 – Rethink.

2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that “all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

So, when ruminating thoughts, invade your mind, I want you to search the scriptures for what the Bible says about your situation, your feelings, and your thoughts because you want to know the truth, every time. Do we hang onto old lies?

When I say situation, I also don’t mean what you’re thinking about scripture isn’t always going to tell you about your specific situation, but much of our overthinking has a very strong emotion attached to it. For example, fear, that I’ll lose my job or worry that I can’t pay my bills, or rage that someone betrayed me, you get my point. It’s in those moments that you won’t understand what scripture says about your intense emotion and how God handles it.

#4 – Renewed.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When we renew our minds aren’t by any power of ours, but completely through the power of the Holy Spirit, the renewal process takes the word of God and it internalizes it, it makes that 18-inch journey from your head to your heart. It takes the Scripture that you’re meditating on and applies it to your life. And when I’m in the process of renewing my mind but the toxic thought process, I find the scripture that counteracts the destructive one, and I asked this important question, “Where’s the proof?”

Where’s the proof in my life that God cares for me?

Where’s the proof in my life that God provides?

And so often, we convince ourselves with the O, the Nevers, and the always, and we stay stuck in the devil’s thought. We look for proof that the enemy’s lies are truth. The scripture, my friend can breathe life into us, but not if we refuse to allow it.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and he can help you shut down the chaos in your mind. The question is, will you let him reveal your anxious, apprehensive, angry thoughts, and give those thoughts to the Lord Jesus and renew your mind with his truth and you will begin to trade your chaos for his peace?

Do you want to know if your thoughts are toxic, go ahead and take my free How Toxic Are My Thoughts Quiz, and my friend if you are ready to stop spiraling, thoughts, and trade your anxiety for peace I want to encourage you to check out my new course, Renew Your Mind.

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