The Best Way to Tame Your Thoughts!
BATTLE OF THE MIND
You are what you think. For example, positive thoughts generate positive actions. Negative thoughts activate negative behavior. The good news is you control your thoughts. Max says, “Mind management is God’s gift to you. But the gift means nothing until you use it.”
Based on neuroplasticity (the adaptability of the brain), it is possible to change your mind. Max shares, "The brain is not a published book, completed early in life. It is an editable manuscript. You can, quite literally, change your mind. Just as a sculptor shapes a ball of putty, it’s possible to sculpt your brain.”
MENTAL TOOL KIT
The Bible backs up what science shows - It is possible to take every thought captive. Max reveals, “You can take God at His Word. 2 Timothy 1:7 says it best: ‘For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’ With God as your helper, you can discover a new way of thinking and a better way of living.” Max offers three practical tools that have helped him and can help you manage your thought life:
• Tool 1: Practice Picky Thinking (thought prevention) – Guard your thoughts. Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. When it comes to your mind, strongholds are unmanaged thoughts. Take action and filter your thoughts, monitor them, and inspect them. Satan knows if he can master your thoughts, he can master your life.
• Tool 2: Identify UFOs (thought progression) – Satan uses the same strategy over and over when attacking your mind. He always starts with an Untruth. Then, he deposits false seeds that develop into false weeds such as, Pastors are unfair. The untruths lead to a False narrative that constantly plays in your mind and defines how you see yourself. For example, religious leaders want to harm me, not help me. Eventually, that false narrative will lead to an Overreaction such as, I’ll never have anything to do with church again.
• Tool 3: Uproot negative thoughts and replant truths in your mind (thought extraction). Weed out your most unhealthy thought patterns. For example, Christ in the desert did not let any of Satan’s lies take root. He refuted each lie with God’s Word. When Max was a young boy, his dad put him in
charge of taking care of their lawn. His job was to eliminate the grass burrs (a spiny, seed-bearing structure on grass). Max chose the easy-peasy way to get rid of them by mowing over them. At first, his dad was pleased the lawn looked great with no weeds in sight. Then, a few days later the weeds began to return. His dad told him to use a garden spade to uproot the grass burrs. Max spent his time that weekend uprooting grass burrs, but soon their lawn was free of those stubborn weeds. Your mind is like that lawn. You might be able to hold off negative thoughts for a day or two with a pep talk, but eventually those thoughts return and are painful. God wants you to uproot negative thoughts by the roots and then replace them with the truth of God’s Word. For example, uproot the lie, “I don’t have anything.” Replant with “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Ps. 23:1).
These tools are applicable for many issues people struggle with including lack of peace, guilt, despair, lust, anxiety, pain-filled seasons, and rejection. “Sometimes all three are needed. Other times just one or two will suffice. These tools can rescue you from the quicksand of ungovernable thoughts,” reveals Max. As you take every thought captive, progress is possible but might require professional help for some. If that is the case Max encourages you to seek it.
MAX’S INFO.
Max’s love for everyday people began during his childhood in the small town of Andrews, Texas. His father was an oilfield mechanic, his mother was a nurse, and Max spent a lot of his time either running from or running after his brother, Dee. Max grew rebellious in his teenage years, and after one specific drunken night, he began to wonder if there was more to life than parties and chasing girls. He now believes that if Jesus hadn’t found him and changed his heart, alcoholism would have been in his future. After high school, Max attended Abilene Christian University and left with two degrees and a heart for following Jesus and helping others learn about him, too. He moved to Miami, Florida, and took a position as an associate pastor at a small church. This is where Max started writing about Jesus for the first time in the church’s monthly newsletter, and it’s where he developed his passion for people and ministry. Florida was also where Max met his wife, Denalyn. Together, they lived first in Miami and then spent several years in Rio de Janeiro, helping plant churches.
Today he serves the people of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, and his message is for the hurting, the guilty, the lonely, and the discouraged. Max is a pastor, speaker, and best-selling author who is known for combining poetic storytelling and humor with the heart of a pastor. All his trade books began as sermon series at Oak Hills Church. His books have sold more than 150 million copies in over 56 languages worldwide and regularly appear on bestseller lists. They have also been featured in Bible studies, Bible commentaries, songs, and more. He is the recipient of many book awards and received the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry.
For more information on Max Lucado click the LINK!
CREDITS
NY Times bestselling author, latest, Tame Your Thoughts: Three Tools to Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life, (Thomas Nelson, 2025); Pastor of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio; America’s bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million copies in print published in 56 languages; Host of The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast with more than 9 million downloads since 2020; Recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry; Dubbed America’s Pastor by Christianity Today; BA and MA, Abilene Christian University; Married to Denalyn; Three grown daughters, three sons-in-law, and four grandchildren
