Winning the War in your mind
Key gems from Greg Groeschel's 'winning the war in your mind'
The book club I run finished its first book of the year already, in just over a month!! It’s been running for a while now and holds a special place in my heart. I've never been a big fan of reading. Throughout secondary school, all of my English teachers made efforts to try and get me to read more but they just couldn’t. Me sitting down to read a book that had no direct link to my grades, seemed pointless. Except for the books in the bible, I couldn't tell you the last time I finished a book that I wasn’t ‘forced’ to read. When my interest in personal growth heightened, I realised one of the best ways to absorb wisdom is through reading. Many books pour out the heart of the author, conveying their deepest emotions and wisdom gained from experiences in life. There was a whole world of knowledge I hadn't tapped into yet because I struggled to bring myself to just sit and read. That’s where the book club came in. As someone who runs a few programs, there is an obligation and responsibility I have towards them and I figured I could translate that into my reading. The book club acted as my accountability group, ensuring we all regularly read as many others struggled with the same issue. If you know me you know I’m a talker talker and the book club gave us the space to speak about the books and share key lessons. In the short time, it’s been going, we’ve completed more books than I have in the last couple of years. Dedicating regular time to simply sit and read is something I'd encourage everyone to do, not only equipping you with knowledge but also increasing your focus levels.
Today’s blog post is a review of the book we just finished, ‘Winning the War in your mind’ by Craig Groeschel. The author offers practical advice, with biblical foundations, on how people can break free from spirals of destructive thinking. Why I appreciate this book so much is that it harmonises the latest scientific findings on the brain with biblical truths. (The book made me realise that ‘spiritual’ things affect ‘physical’ things and vice versa.) He speaks on his personal experiences as a pastor in therapy giving that personal feel but also destroying stereotypes and misconceptions about faith and mental wellbeing. The ending of each chapter has thought-provoking practical exercises readers can do, that make it an active reading experience. Personally, the book exposed a few hidden negative neurological pathways I had, one of which is shared with the author. In the Chapter 'Creating a trench of truth’ he spoke about how one of his mental ruts regarding his finances began to even show in his children. Similar to the author, I am (was- it's a working progress) the type not to get extras beyond what I need although I would want to although I would do it for others. For example, I just wouldn't pay 30p for extra cheese on a burger for myself but if someone I was with wanted one, I'd probably buy them 2 or 6 extra cheese’s (not that anyone likes that much cheese but you get the point.) I had identified a mental rut, one that when it came to myself was very frugal and operated out of a place of scarcity rather than abundance. I wasn’t fully enjoying the blessings of God and it really caused me to consider how reliant I am on God as a provider, one that meets my every need. I was living a sub-optimal life, overly precautious of a ‘rainy day’ to the extent where I'd even forget places I had kept money. Further, the book changed my perspective on affirmations/ declarations. A way to get someone to believe a lie is to keep repeating it just like how people say Vitamin C can help fight against a cold (Check it doesn't.) How you replace old negative thinking patterns, is to replace them with the truth (God's truth) and keep repeating it to develop new pathways in your mind. Overall I think it was a great read and would definitely recommend it. Below are some of the key lessons from the book:
Our lives are always moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts.
You can’t change what you don't confront. You can’t defeat what you cannot define.
If Satan's primary weapon is lies, then our greatest counter weapon is the truth of God's word.
A lie believed as truth will affect your life as if it were true.
Who you are today is a result of your thoughts in the past. what you think about today will reflect in who you become in the future.
You are not who others say you are. You are who I (God) say you are.
The battle of your life is won or lost in your mind.
Your thoughts will control you, so you have to control your thoughts.
You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you frame it.
If you’re fixated on your problems, you will not be cognizant of the good in your life.
A change of perspective leads us to praise God and praising God changes our perspective.
These are just a few of the gems from this book, which I would definitely encourage you to read. Someone who joined the book club but couldn’t commit, read the first page and nowhere else but now has one of the sentences as their lock screen so trust me, there are some great gems in there (don't be like them and not finish the book though.)
Bit of a different post today, hope you enjoyed it. Comment below any book recommendations.
NYA
Opportunities
18-24 year old free swimming lessons to participate in a short swimathon (Based in London.) If you’re interested, email: zhall@baducic.org
Book club - EVERY Monday 6:30-7:30pm. If you want to read our next book with us, starting Monday 28th Feb email me at: nanay@hotmail.co.uk
Run club is starting again soon!!! Hopefully in a city near you. Email me at: nanay@hotmail.co.uk to find out more.