The New Mind
New year, new you! Or is it? As we get ready to turn over a new calendar, a common tradition is for many to set their sights on a brighter future through the process of setting New Year’s Resolutions. Yet, it seems as if many today have become disillusioned by the idea of seeing progress through resolutions.
According to a recent study from Drive Research, only 30% of Americans made a resolution in 2024. The biggest group of people in this group were those between the ages of 18-29. It appears that the older you get, the more pessimistic you become with the idea of seeing significant change take place in your life. And yet, significant change is at the heart of Christianity! As followers of Christ, we should expect to see some level of change in both us and in those we share life with.
The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Earlier, in chapter 3 he says, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
At their core, Christ-followers are people who have been changed and are in the process of being changed. So why is it that so many struggle to accomplish significant change in different areas of their life? While the answers to this may vary, as life and situations can be very complicated, one idea is that we tend to focus our effort on changing our behavior and habits when we should be focusing our attention on our developing our mindset.
Renew Your Mind
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
- Romans 12:1-2
Our thought life has an enormous influence on our mood and behavior. In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel G. Amen says “The brain is the seat of feelings and behavior. Your brain creates your world – a radical statement about ordinary thinking...Everything begins and ends in the brain.”
Now, while there’s certainly a lot we could unpack there, one thing I do agree with is the truth that our mindset is a huge determiner in our ability to function well in this life. All throughout the New Testament, biblical authors exhort believers to develop a biblical way of thinking. If, in this new year, you desire to see significant change in your life, consider applying these simple insights.
Kill the Ant
Feed the Anteater
Rally the Heard
Kill the Ant
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” - Philippians 4:8
Going back to Dr. Amen’s book, he informs us that many people suffer from what he calls “automatic negative thoughts, or ANTS.” Unfortunately, we don’t have to be taught to think negatively. We’re all born as broken individuals in a fallen, sin-cursed world. There’s so much negativity in our lives that it becomes almost impossible not to allow these things to burden our minds. The lens through which we see ourselves and others has a dim grayness. These cynical and complaining thoughts just keep marching in all by themselves.
ANTs cause us to become depressed and fatalistic. The kind of thinking that says “I know I won’t pass that test on Tuesday” leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy where someone who has already convinced himself that he won’t pass, probably won’t study very hard and won’t pass the test.
Because these negative thoughts happen automatically, they often go unchecked and lead to harmful effects. Every time we have an angry or unkind thought, a sad thought, or even just a cranky thought, our brains release chemicals that make our body feel bad. Every cell in your body is affected. That’s why, when people get emotionally upset, they will frequently develop physical symptoms. Some physicians even think that people who have negative thoughts are more likely to get cancer.
ANTs invade your life like real ants invade a picnic. To best defend yourself, you need to identify the negative thoughts that are most intrusive thoughts most common to your situation. Here are seven different ANTs from Dr. Amen’s book:
Always/never thinking – thinking in words like always, never, no one, everyone, every time, everything.
Fortune telling – predicting the worst possible outcome.
Relying on your feelings – believing negative feelings without ever questioning them.
Guilt beating – thinking in words like should, must, ought, or have to.
Labeling – attaching a negative label to yourself or someone else.
Personalizing – interpreting events/actions of others as being personally against you.
Blaming – blaming others for your own problems.
The apostle Paul encourages believers to think thoughts that are right and good. In other words, he’s instructing us to be attentive to deadly ANTs and to kill them with truth.
Feed the Anteater
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Thinking biblically is more than just having a positive mindset. In fact, there is such a thing as “toxic positivity.” Toxic positivity is defined as a dysfunctional way of managing emotions that involves denying, minimizing, or invalidating negative emotions.
Toxic positivity is popular in many faith communities. The idea is that, if you have enough faith, you should never feel sad, angry, or irritated. The Scriptures, however, encourage the opposite idea. Many bible authors call for believers to lament, to grieve, and to feel a divine hatred toward sin and its effects.
It’s not that negative thoughts and emotions should never happen, we just need to be careful about living there. Our world and our lives are full of brokenness. It’s right for us to feel the full weight of it all. It reminds us that this age is not all there is and that we were made for something more. Because of this, it’s important that we fill our mind with the gospel and establish our hearts with an eternal perspective.
As we memorize and meditate on the truth of Christ, his finished work, and his future coming, we see that the Scriptures help us to endure suffering and negativity with hope and confidence to do good in the face of evil.
Rally the Herd
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:” - Philippians 2:5
If you think of your life as an obstacle course, it’s easy to see that the fewer obstacles in the road, the better. It cannot be overemphasized how contagious the attitudes of others are and how much influence they exert. When you spend a lot of time with people, you bond with them in certain ways, and the moods and thoughts of others deeply impact your brain and thought pattern.
In one large study in which patients were treated for major depression, the National Institue of Health compared three approaches: Antidepressant medication, cognitive therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy (relational influence). Researchers were surprised to find that all three were equally effective. When it comes to healing a negative mindset, we greatly underestimate the power of community.
If you desire to see significant change in your life this next year, let me encourage you to evaluate the people you spend time with. How do they speak? What do they believe? What worldview do they live by? Consider joining a group of like-minded individuals who will encourage you with truth and direct your mind to think on the things of Christ.
If this year, you really want to see a new you – then take on the mind of Christ as demonstrated in the community of believers. This is where the Spirit dwells. This is where our minds are renewed. This is where change happens.
