Redefined With Arden BevereSample

Is It Sinking in Yet? 

Redefining who we are starts with a thought. God has given us the ability to think, and those thoughts have power to shape everything around us. It begins with an intentional choice to say, “I’m not going to believe the negative things spoken over me. I’m going to believe only what God says about me. I’m going to focus on things that line up with what is true.” 

Whether conscious or subconscious, our words, phrases, and sentences flow from the ideas inside our heads. That is why it is so important to control what we think. Studies show that we only make 4 to 6 percent of our decisions consciously. The rest are made instantly through our subconscious. It’s interesting that about 95 percent of our decisions are made without intentional thought. 

In a way, you and I are only exercising our free will 4 to 6 percent of the time. Think about that. Our free will—the thing God gave us to choose Him—is rarely in charge! Our subconscious, which is formed by the things we take in all the time—words, movies, music, images, and so on—is primarily in charge, whether we are aware of it or not. 

When we normalize things in our mind, our subconscious leans into them. Sadly, that’s often how addictions are formed. Over time, our subconscious leads us to believe that our behavior is normal and good. Then, when the opportunity arises for us to act out, it becomes incredibly difficult to say no. Why? Because our subconscious is not based on rationality but on repetition. 

What we are exposed to over and over becomes our version of “normal.” If you want to see your life changed, you have to start by filtering the things that come in contact with your mind. Invite God into every part of your thinking. Take your thoughts captive and lead them in the right direction. 

After years of thinking one way, we will subconsciously want to continue down the path of least resistance, the path that was leading us to labels. But as we continually rewire our thoughts and redefine our lives, we’ll begin to think and look more like God. Developing new ways of thinking and forming new neural pathways is like clearing a new path through a jungle—but once the paths are formed, our minds will naturally follow the new routes. 

If you enjoyed studying this plan, I encourage you to dive deeper by picking up my book, Redefined: Confronting the Labels That Limit Us .