Transforming Your Thought Life with Christian Meditation
Everything you need to know about the new book “Transforming Your Thought Life” including my book review, my experience on the book launch team, and some Q&A with the author Sarah Geringer.
My Book Review
What an incredible resource! After reading this book I am fully equipped to begin Christian Meditation and I have such a clear sense of how valuable it is to my thought life and to my faith.
I love how Sarah has broken the book down into chapters on the different types of negative thoughts we have and explained the antidote to each with supporting verses. Her writing is clear, digestible and empowering.
The chapters on self-critical thoughts and thoughts that criticize others were special blessings to me. This book has helped me calm and focus my mind and bring it more into alignment with the Lord. I highly recommend it!
My Launch Team Experience
I had SO much fun getting to read a copy of the book before it was officially released and sharing nuggets on Instagram of what I was learning along the way. Make sure you’re following me on Instagram –> @ginger_in_progress <– so you can join the conversation!
As a #recoveringperfectionist and control freak (of sorts), I am all too familiar with that tailspin that can follow once worry takes over your mind. One little worry can become a speeding train of thought that takes me to Stress Town. .
I never really identified with the label of “anxiety”, but the more I dug into the chapter on Anxious Thoughts in #TransformingYourThoughtLife by @sgeringer it started to line up for me. .
My meditation verse today is her teaching tool from this chapter: “Philipians 4:6-7 offers a detailed plan for pursuing peace when anxiety strikes.” .
I love what I’m learning in this book and am really enjoying bringing #ChristianMeditation into my life. My husband was curious and asked what I’m getting out of it/what am I actually doing when I’m meditating on verses. I didn’t have a snazzy response, but this line from Sarah explains it so perfectly: “We must fix verses in our minds and hearts to be ready when the battle ensues.”
{See this post on Instagram: HERE}
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 (NIV)
This is the first verse I’ve been mediating on as I read #transformingyourthoughtlife by @sgeringer to learn Christian meditation.
If that grabbed you the way it did me, you’re going to want to follow along as I drop more truth bombs from this incredible book.
This verse is challenging me to take an inventory of my thoughts and really notice what’s there.
I challenge you to read that verse again and really ask yourself what is governing YOUR mind? .
What kind of thoughts are coming up for you again and again? What thoughts do you struggle with? What does life look and feel like for you when you have peace?
{See this post on Instagram: HERE}
This was the grab the highlighter quote for me… I’m realizing all the battles I’ve faced, though they’ve seemed external, have really come from my mind.
I’m so excited to be a part of this book launch team and to enrich my mindfulness journey with the ultimate mind renewal tool- scripture!
Shout out to @sgeringer for writing this incredible book #Transformingyourthoughtlife Looking forward to learning from you!
{See this post on Instagram: HERE}
I will never forget what a fun and exciting experience this was. Not only did I get to learn about Christian Meditation (which, turns out, I LOOOOVE) but I also got to learn about book launches. And who knows… maybe I’ll need to know how to launch a book one day.
Q&A with author Sarah Geringer
Why do we struggle so much in our thought lives?
Our thought lives form the structure for our words and actions. Every problem we have begins in our thoughts. Since no one else knows our thoughts except God, we think we can hide them. However, what you think in your inward life inevitably spills out onto your outward life. You can either be defeated in your thought life before you ever take action, or you can transform your thought life with the power of God’s Word. You can have victory in your thought life struggles by meditating on the truths in Scripture.
How can Christian meditation help someone conquer thought life problems?
Christian meditation is simply focusing on a scripture and thinking about it with intent. The more you focus on God’s Word through meditation, the more you learn about God’s will for your life. You can apply scriptural truths directly to specific thought life problems and experience freedom. For example, if you struggle with painful thoughts, you can meditate on verses about God’s comfort. By repeating these verses every time you experience a painful memory, you can begin to reroute the neural pathways in your brain. When you do this over and over, you begin to think differently because God’s truth replaces the lies planted by your enemy Satan.
What does spiritual warfare have to do with thought life struggles?
Satan wants to distract, discourage, and defeat us on the battlefields of our minds. If he can do this, our words and actions will automatically follow his will instead of God’s will. He sets up strongholds, or power centers, in the pain points of our past, then capitalizes on them in our current thought life struggles. When we fight back with the truth of Scripture, we can dismantle those spiritual strongholds. By repeating key verses over and over to yourself, you can break the power Satan may have held over you for decades in your thought life struggles.
How does a transformed thought life help someone develop a closer relationship to God?
When you meditate on God’s Word, you are hiding it in your heart and mind. As you learn God’s language of truth and love in Scripture, you will learn more about his character and his ways. Christian meditation helps you worship God and cultivate a closer walk with him. When you experience the freedom that comes with thought life transformation, you will realize that God deserves credit for setting you free. Scripture meditation will inspire your adoration, praise and thanksgiving to God. It has the potential to take your faith to new heights in only a few minutes every day.
How has Christian meditation helped you be victorious in spiritual warfare?
I chose 17 areas of thought life struggles to focus on in my book, because I have experienced all of them at different points in my faith journey. In each chapter, I tell stories about how God set me free from a certain thought life struggle such as guilt, impurity, idolatry, and regret. When I was struggling in these areas, I did not experience victory until I began meditating upon scriptures that directly counteracted those problems. As I meditated, I recognized how Satan tempted me with the same unproductive thought paths again and again. By replacing his falsehoods with the truth of God’s Word, I experienced freedom for the first time. Now, I know to fight back immediately with Scripture, just like Jesus did when he was tempted. Through Christian meditation, I have key scriptures in my spiritual arsenal to fight back the moment I’m attacked.
Book & Author Links to Check Out
Sarah Geringer writes and speaks about finding peace in God’s Word. You can follow her blog at sarahgeringer.com or find her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Goodreads.