March 12, 2025 • 30 mins
Struggling with negative self-talk? In this episode of Revelation Within On the Go, Heidi and Christina share personal stories and practical strategies for renewing the mind and silencing the inner critic. They explore how harmful thoughts confine us, preventing us from living out our true identity in Christ. By identifying the roots of these negative narratives, listeners will learn how to reframe their thinking and embrace God’s truth for a more empowered and peaceful life. Join us on this transformative journey to reclaim your thoughts and step into greater freedom!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi and welcome to our podcast Revelation Within On
the Go.
I'm Heidi Bilesma-Epperson, oneof your hosts and the owner and
lead coach of theRevelationWithinorg ministry.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a
Revelation Within coach andHeidi's partner in all things
Revelation Within, and we are sohappy to invite you to join us
for this episode of RevelationWithin On the go.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
The crowd goes wild.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Just so you know, we both had our arms wide up in the
air.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
That's such a fun beginning for a podcast on a
topic that, Just so you know, weboth had our arms wide up in
the air.
That's such a fun beginning fora podcast on a topic that well.
Let's give examples of whatthis podcast topic is instead of
titling it Okay, All right, soI can't believe I did that.
I am just an idiot.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Hmm, I am so uncomfortable in this body of
mine.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I'm looking in the mirror and I say to myself no, I
don't, I don't accept this.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I will never move forward in this area of my life.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I will never be free.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
I can't believe that I keep messing up again and
again, and again.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Well, I imagine the listener gets the gist.
Oh yeah, so we're talking alittle bit today about our
self-talk, the stuff that we sayto ourselves again and again,
and again and again.
How much self-talk do we do?
Yeah, all day long, andsometimes all through the night,
(01:50):
when those of us who are awakeduring the night, many people
who we talk to struggle withsleeping soundly, and that is a
time in our darkest hour.
You know, here's my theory, andI don't have a proof text in
scripture for it.
So do with it what you will Bea Berean or whatever.
(02:12):
I think the enemy and hisbuddies, his minions, the demons
, like to whisper in our ears.
They can't put thoughts in ourheads, they can't read what's in
our heads, read our minds.
But I think they watch us allour lives long and they know our
weaknesses and then theywhisper in our ears and I mean
(02:34):
don't you think?
Isn't that a plausibleexplanation?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, I think definitely.
But it's not just the enemy,it's me and it's the world too.
The messages that we hear fromthe world oh, you're not enough,
you don't look this way, youdon't act this way, you don't
make enough money, you don't dothis well, the world is all
about performance, and so itmakes sense to me that we would
(02:59):
be talking to ourselves oftenabout how we don't measure up.
And boy, that's a hard way tolive.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, and then another source of these thoughts
that we speak to ourselves isfrom our past experience, and in
our coaching groups, in ourcommunity, we refer to these as
little t truths, sometimesbecause they are situations and
examples that really did happen.
(03:30):
So I can't say they're lies.
I mean some thoughts that Ithink are lies, but some of them
I experienced.
I experienced like, forinstance, I lost a hundred
pounds once upon a time pardonme for mentioning a number like
that and then I gain it back.
And what if that's happened tome over time?
(03:51):
A whole lot, maybe my wholelife.
I will never be able to keep theweight off, is the thought that
I might say, and that'sdefeating right out of the
starting gate, or I will neverbe able to be healthy, or I will
never be able to relate to foodin a peaceful way.
And sometimes these things arerooted from my experience, but
(04:14):
they don't have the right todefine me now or going forward.
I get to choose.
Like Christina, you often saywell, we both do.
We often say I get to choose.
Like Christina, you often saywell, we both do.
We often say I get to choosewhat I will think Right.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I get to choose.
Well, and that's kind of mindblowing.
It kind of goes along with thechoosing your thoughts.
It's mind blowing.
I don't think I believed thatfor a really long time that you
could choose yeah.
I think, I just thought well,this is just the way it is.
This is who I am.
This is the way it is.
(04:48):
This is the way I think.
And then what about?
There were other things for me,such as.
This is how it's always been inmy family.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
This is how.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I was raised.
This is what I saw growing up.
These are the experiences.
This is just who I am.
And I think that I, for a longtime I thought you know what?
This is just my lot in life.
These are the cards I've beendealt, whatever you want to say,
but the truth is in Christ weare free.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yes, yes, god has a lot to say about this.
But there's another reason whyI might be caught into this
self-talk that is really kind ofdestructive and negative and
it's because I don't want to putpressure on myself.
It's almost like my survivalbrain kicks in with.
That's going to be hard tochange.
(05:40):
Everything is too hard.
We need to.
You know, use these strategieslike overeating and
overscrolling and overspendingto survive.
How hard life is.
And I mean, we may not thinkthem at a conscious level.
Right, our brains kick in with.
Okay, we're going to protectHeidi at all costs and we're not
going to expect her to do thehard work that it's going to
(06:02):
take and the deprivation and thethe you know, dying to self
that it's going to take to behealthy and whole.
It's like wait a minute wait aminute.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, and I can relate to that and I know so
many of our listeners can relateto.
Let's just hide away.
You know it's like I just wantto go to a safe place and have
my little things around me andwhatever it is, and let's just,
you know, because this is toohard and yes, life is really
hard a lot of the time it reallyis.
(06:34):
But just that idea of wait aminute, I can be in control of
my own thoughts.
Yes, what I'm thinking about.
And then you've heard us say somany times our thoughts leads
to what we believe and ourbeliefs lead to what we do, the
(06:55):
actions, how we make decisions,how we move forward in the day,
and so thoughts are incrediblyimportant, incredibly important,
and I honestly I important,incredibly important.
Yes, and I honestly I didn'tknow that, I didn't understand
that until I was 45.
And that's when I learned it.
That was 11 years ago.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yay, and here's the thing.
I know, I mean I'm recognizingthis is going to sound
ridiculous, given that I've beenin this ministry for so many
years, but it's true, I'm justbeing honest authentic.
I'm disclosing, I'm divulging.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
What is it?
What is?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
it.
I have been in a habit ofthinking a certain way that is
counter to living my calling andeach one of us has a calling
from God.
It doesn't have to be aministry, official ministry, but
God has called us to this timein this place for his purposes
(07:59):
and he attributes value andidentity and worth to us.
That we might be in the habitof thinking thoughts that go
counter to that and I have beenstuck there for quite a while
and I've been realizing that alittle bit over time.
But it stops now.
It stops now and, and what iscool is I can choose when I wake
(08:24):
up in the morning going, oh mygosh, I don't want to do another
day.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
If that's.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
If that's your thought, if that's my thought,
okay, what is going on here?
What is probably going on isI'm trying to build a wall of
safety.
I'm not going to venture outinto the world where there's
risk.
I'm not going to try to be allGod has called me to be, because
what if I mess up?
Well, you know what?
If I mess up, I can look andlearn with him.
He is there to give me accessto his solutions.
(08:52):
He wants to give me everythingI need for life and godliness,
for his calling, to fulfill hiscalling.
So if I am thinking again andagain, day after day, the same
thoughts that are kind ofholding me back, I want to
invite God in, definitely inviteGod in, and say, okay, god, I
want to train myself to thinkwith the mind of Christ.
(09:15):
Now.
I want to train myself to thinkyour thoughts about whatever I
might face, about this difficultrelationship I'm in, about the
financial situation, I'm inabout whatever faces me in any
given day.
I want to think your thoughtsand then practice thinking God's
thoughts.
It's amazing what can happen.
I choose to think God'sthoughts and things change
(09:39):
Another thing that happens, andwe don't often talk about
emotions in the context of ourlittle progression.
You know, I choose what I willthink, what I think will impact
my beliefs and what I believewill impact my actions.
But in there, what I think onis going to stir up things in my
physiological body that causeemotions to happen.
(10:02):
There are going to be emotionsthat respond to cortisol If I'm
like, oh my gosh, I can'tbelieve I have to go to the
dentist today and I hate thedentist, and the dentist scares
me and he's going to hurt me.
You know all of that sort ofthing.
Right, I'm going to have fearis going to be something.
What if I were to capture thethought back when it's just
starting and say you know what?
(10:23):
I will be looking at this in myrear view mirror two hours from
now.
It'll be behind me.
The other night I'm going toanother true confession.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Oh, let's go, let's go.
The other night I had to attend.
I had to, I got to attend.
See, there's an example ofchanging your thinking.
On the fly, I got to attend ourchurch's worship team practice.
I had been asked this week, canyou bring your guitar and sing
(10:57):
and do backup vocals?
And so, like I don't play theguitar very often, in fact I
couldn't even find my guitar.
I hadn't seen it since theretreat a women's retreat in
October.
Yes, I got to go with you,anyway, and so I began dreading
this practice and it's like holdeverything, and I did.
I actually said what's going onhere?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I love that.
Hold everything.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Yeah, it's like wait just hold it on, Hold your
horses, Heidi.
And I reminded myself how manyyears did I use my guitar every
Sunday when I was singing backupvocals?
I did it for years at aprevious church and that's been
a while, and that's been a while.
(11:42):
But this is my wheelhouse, thisis my comfort zone.
Since when is it a problem forme to go to the worship team
practice and why am I freakingout about it?
Well, I do think my mind wastrying to protect me from you.
Know, you got to have yourfingers in the right places and
you got to have calluses and allthat good stuff.
(12:02):
Anyway, okay, but I went tothat worship team choosing what
I would think, and I had a blast.
I had a blast.
I don't know how it sounded,but I had a blast.
Yeah, it was really cool and itwas because I chose to think
God's thought.
I thought with the mind ofChrist and he was whispering to
(12:23):
my spirit.
Wait a minute.
I called you to do this yearsago and you did it for years.
Yes, and just because youhaven't for a while doesn't mean
you can't.
Now.
I'm calling you to do this.
Oh, I love that.
Isn't that awesome.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I love that.
Well, that was life-changingfor you, heidi, that time, that
day, and it's not going toaffect you just that evening.
It's going to affect you.
Going forward, you'll be ableto bring you know, recall that.
You'll be able to remember thatand thank God for it, and the
next time you're feeling thatway, you'll be able to renew
your mind again the same way,like it's that has actually.
(13:01):
That's stop hold everythingthat has changed your life.
It has.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And it's real simple.
It's just hold everything.
I'm going to take thosethoughts captive, right, and I'm
going to submit them toobedience to Christ, just like
we're told in second Corinthians, wherever it is I think it's
chapter 10.
And then to recall, with themind of Christ, what is true,
and what is true was it was sointeresting how that directly
(13:27):
went.
Wait a minute, where am I goingwith this?
Anyway, I just I love that, andwe can do that moment by moment
, situation by situation inviteGod to tell you, okay, help me
to see Lord when I am thinking athought that is rooted in my
(13:48):
past experience, or that isprotective, or that is a lie, a
downright full on lie, or thatwill diminish my willingness to
live my calling in Christ.
Yes, and help me to holdeverything.
Just stop it.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Just stop it.
Yes, yeah, and invite.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
God in.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
It's amazing.
It is life changing.
It really is.
It is Okay.
Well, I'll share one too.
So just this week.
You know, I live in ColoradoSprings.
We're not that cold in ColoradoSprings compared to other
places in the nation, but we can.
We can dip into some reallycold temperatures.
So we did go below zero thisweek and I've never really been
(14:32):
bothered by it until this week,and the reason was because it
was a problem for my work, formy coaching, for my ability to
be able to do what I want to do,what I've been called to do,
what God said do this, christina.
And all of a sudden, you know,my heater broke.
And then we got another heaterand it broke and it ran out of
(14:55):
propane.
And then we got another onethat was brand new and it didn't
work.
And there was this anxiety thatwas building up in me, because
some of you know that my officeis my front porch and it's
enclosed and all the windows aredouble except the door, but
it's not insulated and if thesun is not shining and if the
(15:18):
temperatures go below 20 or so,it does get really cold on this
porch.
I've had the same little spaceheater for like two years.
I don't think twice about it, Iturn it on and off and it's
fine and I'm able to do whatGod's called me to do.
But this particular couple ofdays I realized that I was
(15:40):
really being shaken by this.
You know this situation becauseI couldn't get warm and I was
trying to do my coaching, I wastrying to do my work and I
thought, well, I could go inanother room of the house, but I
don't have all my things thereand privacy is so important when
you're doing this work, and Ithought I can't be private
(16:04):
anywhere else in the house.
And so I didn't realize any ofthis at first.
I thought why am I feeling soout of sorts?
Why am I feeling so anxioustoday?
This doesn't feel like me.
Why am I feeling this way?
And, heidi, you mentionedearlier that I was feeling
(16:24):
vulnerable because I was notable to perform, I wasn't able
to do my work when I was thatcold.
It's just, you know I was, andI had my electric blanket on and
I had a big jacket on and myscarf and hat.
I mean, it was ridiculous, forall my zoom calls.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Well, you looked adorable in your getup.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Oh, thank you, but the fact that heater after
heater after heater failed me,not just one.
We had three different heatersfail, and now I have a fourth
one that's working right herenext to me and making me very
warm and cozy.
But it could be something sosimple as that.
It almost sounds ridiculous.
(17:10):
It's so simple.
So, for me, when I'm feeling outof sorts, unsettled, something
just feels wrong.
I'm feeling vulnerable.
Just like you said, heidi, Ineed to just stop.
I need to stop because what'sgoing on in my mind?
I can't do this.
My day is all wrong.
(17:32):
What's the matter with me?
Why can't I handle something sosimple as this?
I'm having these thoughts goingthrough my mind, but the truth
is, I've got a situation herethat's causing me to feel
vulnerable and out of sorts, andthat's very real.
And so then I can renew my mind, even on the fly, like you did,
(17:55):
heidi, and I can say you knowwhat?
I'm feeling vulnerable becauseit's too cold in this room, like
ice cold, and I'm feelinganxious because God has called
me to this job and I'm havingtrouble doing it.
And so that makes sense,doesn't it that?
doesn't mean that there'ssomething wrong with me.
(18:15):
It makes sense.
It's understandable that Iwould be anxious.
So then what can I tell myself?
That is true in the moment.
God is with me and he knowsthis is going on.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Right, it's not a surprise.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
No, and you know what ?
I had some of my best calls onthat day.
Oh, that's awesome.
It was not me, it was not.
I was feeling unsettled out ofsorts, vulnerable, with this
cold in my porch, and God wasusing me, somehow using the time
to get across to these precious, precious ladies, and they were
(18:53):
amazing calls and I was likeLord, that was all you.
So that was so cool that heshowed that to me, yeah, and
just reminded me that it'stotally not me, it's totally him
, which was a great reminder.
But then to renew my mind andsay, when this call is over, I
can take steps in the directionto get warmer.
(19:14):
In some way, I can open thedoor, I can try this, I can try
a different heater, you know,and then eventually we solve the
problem with that a new heater.
But I can renew my mind and Ican have peace.
God gives me peace in histhoughts and he used that day to
(19:35):
show me it's not about you,christina, it's totally about me
.
Let me show you.
So that was just a really sweetblessing that came out of it.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
That's so cool.
I love that.
You could have gone down thatrabbit hole.
You could have been swept intothat dark maelstrom.
And just poor me.
What am I going to do?
I'm just going to cancel mycalls.
That would have fed shame,probably.
If you're like some of us, ifI'm not living my purpose, it's
(20:06):
almost like using a screwdriveras a hammer.
I'm supposed to be used for acertain purpose and God has
ordained that and he gives mejoy in it.
And when I don't do thatpurpose, I don't function well
and there's shame that comesalong with that.
So here's the thing I want tobe sure we wrap up with.
What can we do about this IfI'm in a pattern of thinking
(20:30):
thoughts that keep me diminishedin some way?
that keep me from living thepurpose God has called me to,
and all ofused a God-inspiredand empowered purpose.
(20:50):
If I want to live that purpose,there are things I can do to
ensure that I am more likely todo that purpose.
What are those things?
Mind renewal, that's reallyclear.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Well, and your purpose may not be, like Heidi's
, running a ministry, but yourpurpose may be to, you know,
keep the house running.
Your purpose may be.
It may be a job or career, butit also may be having to do with
, you know, relationships andyour family, taking care of kids
or or elderly, or loved ones,or whatever.
(21:26):
We're all called to differentthings in different seasons, and
not one thing is more importantthan the other.
And so, whatever it is, whetheryou're called to getting those
dishes done or you're called tolead a ministry like Heidi, you
know it's all the same thing inGod's view.
We're working for him, right,working for him and his plans
(21:48):
and his purposes.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
All right.
So I want a strategy, I want aplan.
We say mind renewal is going tofix this, but if I'm going to
truly train my brain to thinkthoughts that are going to
enable me to live my purpose, Ithink that I want to be
proactive, preemptive.
I want to think with the mindof Christ and practice thinking
(22:12):
with the mind of Christ, evenbefore the day starts, even
before that meeting, even beforethe nighttime temptations come.
I want to think God's thoughtsabout all of it, all along the
way.
It doesn't mean I have to sitdown for a one hour long quiet
time, though that's lovely.
If I can, yes, but I do this onthe fly.
(22:34):
It's like anticipating, okay.
Or even if it hits me before Iput my feet on the floor in the
morning, what are thoughts thatare going to serve God's
purposes for me?
What are thoughts I can chooseto think right now that will
enable me to answer the call onmy life?
(22:56):
with the strength God gives me.
And how can I do that?
For sure, for me is, who am Iin Christ?
Because even as a young mom, ahomeschooling mom, two kids, I
would struggle with living mypurpose, which was to minister
to my family, both in terms oftheir education, but also in
terms of just loving them well,and so very often I would start
(23:21):
the day defeated.
I didn't know how to renew mymind in the way that we teach
now.
And so how can this work forthat?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Yeah, I think that's true for so many of us in our,
in our situations, our jobs,careers, whatever we're called
to.
So let's go to the source.
Let's go to what we know forsure, and that is who we are in
Christ.
So, when you were homeschoolingand you had a really good day,
or you had a really bad day, oryou had a really good morning
(23:50):
and you had a really badafternoon, or whatever it was,
all of that is not your identity.
All of that is thecircumstances of the day and
what God's called you to.
Yes, but your identity, myidentity, remains the same in
Christ, and so that's one of thebest ways to renew our minds is
(24:13):
to remember wait a minute, waita minute, stop everything, hold
everything, hold everything.
I am a girl of God, I amredeemed, I'm God's daughter.
I am redeemed, I'm God'sdaughter.
Everything that's important isstill in place.
You know, god is still God andI am still his girl.
(24:34):
No matter what's happening onthis crazy earth at this moment
in this day, I am still God'sgirl.
My identity is sure and solid,no matter what.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Right, let's give an example of what you were talking
about reminding myself of whatGod says is true about me, about
you, about me, about who we are, because he says so.
And that way we'll give anexample to the listeners of how
you can I mean proactively,preemptively, before I've got a
(25:05):
bad attitude about the dentistor about homeschooling today or
whatever it might be when I amin my bed in the morning going,
oh my gosh, not another day, I'mgoing to say hold everything.
I'm going to capture thatthought, surrender it to
obedience to Christ.
What is true, god is.
This is a day you have made.
I will rejoice and be glad init.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
God is.
This is a day you have made.
I will rejoice and be glad init.
What is true is that you arewith me and you have actually
gone before me in this day.
You're already ahead of me.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Yes, I like that.
What is true, God is nothingabout this day is going to take
you by surprise, even though itmight take me by surprise.
If I turn to you, you willgrant me wisdom and strength and
everything I need to be able tonavigate through it.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Okay, here comes one of my favorites.
What is true is that I don'thave to be amazing.
I don't have to be perfect oramazing or anywhere close.
I can just be exactly as I amand God will work through me.
Whatever his purposes are,he'll equip me in the moment.
(26:17):
I don't have to be amazing.
Someone out there needs to hearthat today.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yes, yes.
And someone else out thereneeds to hear this today I can't
hate myself into positivechange.
Yes, I can't Right and won'teven try.
I'm not going to beat myself up.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yes, what is true is that my thoughts are important
and I get to choose what theyare right here, right now.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yes, and one other thing that is true is God has
called me to be his beloved girland given me a purpose and the
power to fulfill it.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yes, what is true is that, no matter what happens
today, no matter what happenstoday, god will work it out for
good.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah, I want to give just a moment for the listener
to come up with their own.
Okay, so what is true, listener, in your day-to-day?
What is true for you right now?
What is true from God'sperspective, when you're
thinking with the mind of Christ?
What is true?
Ooh, I wish I could hear whatthey say.
(27:27):
I know, I wish I could too.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Do you have one more for us?
What is true is that the workthat God needs to get done today
is not dependent on my abilityto perform.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yay, awesome, yay, all right.
So that's what we've got foryou today.
We want to think with the mindof Christ about the situations
we face.
Let's take captive thosehabitual thoughts that come into
our minds, that we allow todrive our behavior, and we want
(28:02):
to instead trade them out forGod's wonderful truth, and his
wonderful truth is going to giveus what we need for life and
godliness.
Yes, he promises it.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
So when you're feeling unsettled, when you're
feeling insecure out of sorts,don't wish it away.
Right Stop and say holdeverything and go to the Lord
and ask him what's true rightnow.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
What are your thoughts?
What is your mind?
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Yes, oh, we're so glad you've been here today,
very glad, and we hope thatyou'll join us for our next
episode of Revelation.
Women, women, oh my God.
Bye for now, bye.
Hi and welcome to our podcast Revelation Within On
the Go.
I'm Heidi Bilesma-Epperson, oneof your hosts and the owner and
lead coach of theRevelationWithinorg ministry.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a
Revelation Within coach andHeidi's partner in all things
Revelation Within, and we are sohappy to invite you to join us
for this episode of RevelationWithin On the go.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
The crowd goes wild.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Just so you know, we both had our arms wide up in the
air.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
That's such a fun beginning for a podcast on a
topic that, Just so you know, weboth had our arms wide up in
the air.
That's such a fun beginning fora podcast on a topic that well.
Let's give examples of whatthis podcast topic is instead of
titling it Okay, All right, soI can't believe I did that.
I am just an idiot.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Hmm, I am so uncomfortable in this body of
mine.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I'm looking in the mirror and I say to myself no, I
don't, I don't accept this.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I will never move forward in this area of my life.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I will never be free.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
I can't believe that I keep messing up again and
again, and again.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Well, I imagine the listener gets the gist.
Oh yeah, so we're talking alittle bit today about our
self-talk, the stuff that we sayto ourselves again and again,
and again and again.
How much self-talk do we do?
Yeah, all day long, andsometimes all through the night,
(01:50):
when those of us who are awakeduring the night, many people
who we talk to struggle withsleeping soundly, and that is a
time in our darkest hour.
You know, here's my theory, andI don't have a proof text in
scripture for it.
So do with it what you will Bea Berean or whatever.
(02:12):
I think the enemy and hisbuddies, his minions, the demons
, like to whisper in our ears.
They can't put thoughts in ourheads, they can't read what's in
our heads, read our minds.
But I think they watch us allour lives long and they know our
weaknesses and then theywhisper in our ears and I mean
(02:34):
don't you think?
Isn't that a plausibleexplanation?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, I think definitely.
But it's not just the enemy,it's me and it's the world too.
The messages that we hear fromthe world oh, you're not enough,
you don't look this way, youdon't act this way, you don't
make enough money, you don't dothis well, the world is all
about performance, and so itmakes sense to me that we would
(02:59):
be talking to ourselves oftenabout how we don't measure up.
And boy, that's a hard way tolive.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, and then another source of these thoughts
that we speak to ourselves isfrom our past experience, and in
our coaching groups, in ourcommunity, we refer to these as
little t truths, sometimesbecause they are situations and
examples that really did happen.
(03:30):
So I can't say they're lies.
I mean some thoughts that Ithink are lies, but some of them
I experienced.
I experienced like, forinstance, I lost a hundred
pounds once upon a time pardonme for mentioning a number like
that and then I gain it back.
And what if that's happened tome over time?
(03:51):
A whole lot, maybe my wholelife.
I will never be able to keep theweight off, is the thought that
I might say, and that'sdefeating right out of the
starting gate, or I will neverbe able to be healthy, or I will
never be able to relate to foodin a peaceful way.
And sometimes these things arerooted from my experience, but
(04:14):
they don't have the right todefine me now or going forward.
I get to choose.
Like Christina, you often saywell, we both do.
We often say I get to choose.
Like Christina, you often saywell, we both do.
We often say I get to choosewhat I will think Right.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I get to choose.
Well, and that's kind of mindblowing.
It kind of goes along with thechoosing your thoughts.
It's mind blowing.
I don't think I believed thatfor a really long time that you
could choose yeah.
I think, I just thought well,this is just the way it is.
This is who I am.
This is the way it is.
(04:48):
This is the way I think.
And then what about?
There were other things for me,such as.
This is how it's always been inmy family.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
This is how.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I was raised.
This is what I saw growing up.
These are the experiences.
This is just who I am.
And I think that I, for a longtime I thought you know what?
This is just my lot in life.
These are the cards I've beendealt, whatever you want to say,
but the truth is in Christ weare free.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yes, yes, god has a lot to say about this.
But there's another reason whyI might be caught into this
self-talk that is really kind ofdestructive and negative and
it's because I don't want to putpressure on myself.
It's almost like my survivalbrain kicks in with.
That's going to be hard tochange.
(05:40):
Everything is too hard.
We need to.
You know, use these strategieslike overeating and
overscrolling and overspendingto survive.
How hard life is.
And I mean, we may not thinkthem at a conscious level.
Right, our brains kick in with.
Okay, we're going to protectHeidi at all costs and we're not
going to expect her to do thehard work that it's going to
(06:02):
take and the deprivation and thethe you know, dying to self
that it's going to take to behealthy and whole.
It's like wait a minute wait aminute.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, and I can relate to that and I know so
many of our listeners can relateto.
Let's just hide away.
You know it's like I just wantto go to a safe place and have
my little things around me andwhatever it is, and let's just,
you know, because this is toohard and yes, life is really
hard a lot of the time it reallyis.
(06:34):
But just that idea of wait aminute, I can be in control of
my own thoughts.
Yes, what I'm thinking about.
And then you've heard us say somany times our thoughts leads
to what we believe and ourbeliefs lead to what we do, the
(06:55):
actions, how we make decisions,how we move forward in the day,
and so thoughts are incrediblyimportant, incredibly important,
and I honestly I important,incredibly important.
Yes, and I honestly I didn'tknow that, I didn't understand
that until I was 45.
And that's when I learned it.
That was 11 years ago.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yay, and here's the thing.
I know, I mean I'm recognizingthis is going to sound
ridiculous, given that I've beenin this ministry for so many
years, but it's true, I'm justbeing honest authentic.
I'm disclosing, I'm divulging.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
What is it?
What is?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
it.
I have been in a habit ofthinking a certain way that is
counter to living my calling andeach one of us has a calling
from God.
It doesn't have to be aministry, official ministry, but
God has called us to this timein this place for his purposes
(07:59):
and he attributes value andidentity and worth to us.
That we might be in the habitof thinking thoughts that go
counter to that and I have beenstuck there for quite a while
and I've been realizing that alittle bit over time.
But it stops now.
It stops now and, and what iscool is I can choose when I wake
(08:24):
up in the morning going, oh mygosh, I don't want to do another
day.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
If that's.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
If that's your thought, if that's my thought,
okay, what is going on here?
What is probably going on isI'm trying to build a wall of
safety.
I'm not going to venture outinto the world where there's
risk.
I'm not going to try to be allGod has called me to be, because
what if I mess up?
Well, you know what?
If I mess up, I can look andlearn with him.
He is there to give me accessto his solutions.
(08:52):
He wants to give me everythingI need for life and godliness,
for his calling, to fulfill hiscalling.
So if I am thinking again andagain, day after day, the same
thoughts that are kind ofholding me back, I want to
invite God in, definitely inviteGod in, and say, okay, god, I
want to train myself to thinkwith the mind of Christ.
(09:15):
Now.
I want to train myself to thinkyour thoughts about whatever I
might face, about this difficultrelationship I'm in, about the
financial situation, I'm inabout whatever faces me in any
given day.
I want to think your thoughtsand then practice thinking God's
thoughts.
It's amazing what can happen.
I choose to think God'sthoughts and things change
(09:39):
Another thing that happens, andwe don't often talk about
emotions in the context of ourlittle progression.
You know, I choose what I willthink, what I think will impact
my beliefs and what I believewill impact my actions.
But in there, what I think onis going to stir up things in my
physiological body that causeemotions to happen.
(10:02):
There are going to be emotionsthat respond to cortisol If I'm
like, oh my gosh, I can'tbelieve I have to go to the
dentist today and I hate thedentist, and the dentist scares
me and he's going to hurt me.
You know all of that sort ofthing.
Right, I'm going to have fearis going to be something.
What if I were to capture thethought back when it's just
starting and say you know what?
(10:23):
I will be looking at this in myrear view mirror two hours from
now.
It'll be behind me.
The other night I'm going toanother true confession.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Oh, let's go, let's go.
The other night I had to attend.
I had to, I got to attend.
See, there's an example ofchanging your thinking.
On the fly, I got to attend ourchurch's worship team practice.
I had been asked this week, canyou bring your guitar and sing
(10:57):
and do backup vocals?
And so, like I don't play theguitar very often, in fact I
couldn't even find my guitar.
I hadn't seen it since theretreat a women's retreat in
October.
Yes, I got to go with you,anyway, and so I began dreading
this practice and it's like holdeverything, and I did.
I actually said what's going onhere?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I love that.
Hold everything.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Yeah, it's like wait just hold it on, Hold your
horses, Heidi.
And I reminded myself how manyyears did I use my guitar every
Sunday when I was singing backupvocals?
I did it for years at aprevious church and that's been
a while, and that's been a while.
(11:42):
But this is my wheelhouse, thisis my comfort zone.
Since when is it a problem forme to go to the worship team
practice and why am I freakingout about it?
Well, I do think my mind wastrying to protect me from you.
Know, you got to have yourfingers in the right places and
you got to have calluses and allthat good stuff.
(12:02):
Anyway, okay, but I went tothat worship team choosing what
I would think, and I had a blast.
I had a blast.
I don't know how it sounded,but I had a blast.
Yeah, it was really cool and itwas because I chose to think
God's thought.
I thought with the mind ofChrist and he was whispering to
(12:23):
my spirit.
Wait a minute.
I called you to do this yearsago and you did it for years.
Yes, and just because youhaven't for a while doesn't mean
you can't.
Now.
I'm calling you to do this.
Oh, I love that.
Isn't that awesome.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I love that.
Well, that was life-changingfor you, heidi, that time, that
day, and it's not going toaffect you just that evening.
It's going to affect you.
Going forward, you'll be ableto bring you know, recall that.
You'll be able to remember thatand thank God for it, and the
next time you're feeling thatway, you'll be able to renew
your mind again the same way,like it's that has actually.
(13:01):
That's stop hold everythingthat has changed your life.
It has.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And it's real simple.
It's just hold everything.
I'm going to take thosethoughts captive, right, and I'm
going to submit them toobedience to Christ, just like
we're told in second Corinthians, wherever it is I think it's
chapter 10.
And then to recall, with themind of Christ, what is true,
and what is true was it was sointeresting how that directly
(13:27):
went.
Wait a minute, where am I goingwith this?
Anyway, I just I love that, andwe can do that moment by moment
, situation by situation inviteGod to tell you, okay, help me
to see Lord when I am thinking athought that is rooted in my
(13:48):
past experience, or that isprotective, or that is a lie, a
downright full on lie, or thatwill diminish my willingness to
live my calling in Christ.
Yes, and help me to holdeverything.
Just stop it.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Just stop it.
Yes, yeah, and invite.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
God in.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
It's amazing.
It is life changing.
It really is.
It is Okay.
Well, I'll share one too.
So just this week.
You know, I live in ColoradoSprings.
We're not that cold in ColoradoSprings compared to other
places in the nation, but we can.
We can dip into some reallycold temperatures.
So we did go below zero thisweek and I've never really been
(14:32):
bothered by it until this week,and the reason was because it
was a problem for my work, formy coaching, for my ability to
be able to do what I want to do,what I've been called to do,
what God said do this, christina.
And all of a sudden, you know,my heater broke.
And then we got another heaterand it broke and it ran out of
(14:55):
propane.
And then we got another onethat was brand new and it didn't
work.
And there was this anxiety thatwas building up in me, because
some of you know that my officeis my front porch and it's
enclosed and all the windows aredouble except the door, but
it's not insulated and if thesun is not shining and if the
(15:18):
temperatures go below 20 or so,it does get really cold on this
porch.
I've had the same little spaceheater for like two years.
I don't think twice about it, Iturn it on and off and it's
fine and I'm able to do whatGod's called me to do.
But this particular couple ofdays I realized that I was
(15:40):
really being shaken by this.
You know this situation becauseI couldn't get warm and I was
trying to do my coaching, I wastrying to do my work and I
thought, well, I could go inanother room of the house, but I
don't have all my things thereand privacy is so important when
you're doing this work, and Ithought I can't be private
(16:04):
anywhere else in the house.
And so I didn't realize any ofthis at first.
I thought why am I feeling soout of sorts?
Why am I feeling so anxioustoday?
This doesn't feel like me.
Why am I feeling this way?
And, heidi, you mentionedearlier that I was feeling
(16:24):
vulnerable because I was notable to perform, I wasn't able
to do my work when I was thatcold.
It's just, you know I was, andI had my electric blanket on and
I had a big jacket on and myscarf and hat.
I mean, it was ridiculous, forall my zoom calls.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Well, you looked adorable in your getup.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Oh, thank you, but the fact that heater after
heater after heater failed me,not just one.
We had three different heatersfail, and now I have a fourth
one that's working right herenext to me and making me very
warm and cozy.
But it could be something sosimple as that.
It almost sounds ridiculous.
(17:10):
It's so simple.
So, for me, when I'm feeling outof sorts, unsettled, something
just feels wrong.
I'm feeling vulnerable.
Just like you said, heidi, Ineed to just stop.
I need to stop because what'sgoing on in my mind?
I can't do this.
My day is all wrong.
(17:32):
What's the matter with me?
Why can't I handle something sosimple as this?
I'm having these thoughts goingthrough my mind, but the truth
is, I've got a situation herethat's causing me to feel
vulnerable and out of sorts, andthat's very real.
And so then I can renew my mind, even on the fly, like you did,
(17:55):
heidi, and I can say you knowwhat?
I'm feeling vulnerable becauseit's too cold in this room, like
ice cold, and I'm feelinganxious because God has called
me to this job and I'm havingtrouble doing it.
And so that makes sense,doesn't it that?
doesn't mean that there'ssomething wrong with me.
(18:15):
It makes sense.
It's understandable that Iwould be anxious.
So then what can I tell myself?
That is true in the moment.
God is with me and he knowsthis is going on.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Right, it's not a surprise.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
No, and you know what ?
I had some of my best calls onthat day.
Oh, that's awesome.
It was not me, it was not.
I was feeling unsettled out ofsorts, vulnerable, with this
cold in my porch, and God wasusing me, somehow using the time
to get across to these precious, precious ladies, and they were
(18:53):
amazing calls and I was likeLord, that was all you.
So that was so cool that heshowed that to me, yeah, and
just reminded me that it'stotally not me, it's totally him
, which was a great reminder.
But then to renew my mind andsay, when this call is over, I
can take steps in the directionto get warmer.
(19:14):
In some way, I can open thedoor, I can try this, I can try
a different heater, you know,and then eventually we solve the
problem with that a new heater.
But I can renew my mind and Ican have peace.
God gives me peace in histhoughts and he used that day to
(19:35):
show me it's not about you,christina, it's totally about me
.
Let me show you.
So that was just a really sweetblessing that came out of it.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
That's so cool.
I love that.
You could have gone down thatrabbit hole.
You could have been swept intothat dark maelstrom.
And just poor me.
What am I going to do?
I'm just going to cancel mycalls.
That would have fed shame,probably.
If you're like some of us, ifI'm not living my purpose, it's
(20:06):
almost like using a screwdriveras a hammer.
I'm supposed to be used for acertain purpose and God has
ordained that and he gives mejoy in it.
And when I don't do thatpurpose, I don't function well
and there's shame that comesalong with that.
So here's the thing I want tobe sure we wrap up with.
What can we do about this IfI'm in a pattern of thinking
(20:30):
thoughts that keep me diminishedin some way?
that keep me from living thepurpose God has called me to,
and all ofused a God-inspiredand empowered purpose.
(20:50):
If I want to live that purpose,there are things I can do to
ensure that I am more likely todo that purpose.
What are those things?
Mind renewal, that's reallyclear.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Well, and your purpose may not be, like Heidi's
, running a ministry, but yourpurpose may be to, you know,
keep the house running.
Your purpose may be.
It may be a job or career, butit also may be having to do with
, you know, relationships andyour family, taking care of kids
or or elderly, or loved ones,or whatever.
(21:26):
We're all called to differentthings in different seasons, and
not one thing is more importantthan the other.
And so, whatever it is, whetheryou're called to getting those
dishes done or you're called tolead a ministry like Heidi, you
know it's all the same thing inGod's view.
We're working for him, right,working for him and his plans
(21:48):
and his purposes.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
All right.
So I want a strategy, I want aplan.
We say mind renewal is going tofix this, but if I'm going to
truly train my brain to thinkthoughts that are going to
enable me to live my purpose, Ithink that I want to be
proactive, preemptive.
I want to think with the mindof Christ and practice thinking
(22:12):
with the mind of Christ, evenbefore the day starts, even
before that meeting, even beforethe nighttime temptations come.
I want to think God's thoughtsabout all of it, all along the
way.
It doesn't mean I have to sitdown for a one hour long quiet
time, though that's lovely.
If I can, yes, but I do this onthe fly.
(22:34):
It's like anticipating, okay.
Or even if it hits me before Iput my feet on the floor in the
morning, what are thoughts thatare going to serve God's
purposes for me?
What are thoughts I can chooseto think right now that will
enable me to answer the call onmy life?
(22:56):
with the strength God gives me.
And how can I do that?
For sure, for me is, who am Iin Christ?
Because even as a young mom, ahomeschooling mom, two kids, I
would struggle with living mypurpose, which was to minister
to my family, both in terms oftheir education, but also in
terms of just loving them well,and so very often I would start
(23:21):
the day defeated.
I didn't know how to renew mymind in the way that we teach
now.
And so how can this work forthat?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Yeah, I think that's true for so many of us in our,
in our situations, our jobs,careers, whatever we're called
to.
So let's go to the source.
Let's go to what we know forsure, and that is who we are in
Christ.
So, when you were homeschoolingand you had a really good day,
or you had a really bad day, oryou had a really good morning
(23:50):
and you had a really badafternoon, or whatever it was,
all of that is not your identity.
All of that is thecircumstances of the day and
what God's called you to.
Yes, but your identity, myidentity, remains the same in
Christ, and so that's one of thebest ways to renew our minds is
(24:13):
to remember wait a minute, waita minute, stop everything, hold
everything, hold everything.
I am a girl of God, I amredeemed, I'm God's daughter.
I am redeemed, I'm God'sdaughter.
Everything that's important isstill in place.
You know, god is still God andI am still his girl.
(24:34):
No matter what's happening onthis crazy earth at this moment
in this day, I am still God'sgirl.
My identity is sure and solid,no matter what.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Right, let's give an example of what you were talking
about reminding myself of whatGod says is true about me, about
you, about me, about who we are, because he says so.
And that way we'll give anexample to the listeners of how
you can I mean proactively,preemptively, before I've got a
(25:05):
bad attitude about the dentistor about homeschooling today or
whatever it might be when I amin my bed in the morning going,
oh my gosh, not another day, I'mgoing to say hold everything.
I'm going to capture thatthought, surrender it to
obedience to Christ.
What is true, god is.
This is a day you have made.
I will rejoice and be glad init.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
God is.
This is a day you have made.
I will rejoice and be glad init.
What is true is that you arewith me and you have actually
gone before me in this day.
You're already ahead of me.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Yes, I like that.
What is true, God is nothingabout this day is going to take
you by surprise, even though itmight take me by surprise.
If I turn to you, you willgrant me wisdom and strength and
everything I need to be able tonavigate through it.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Okay, here comes one of my favorites.
What is true is that I don'thave to be amazing.
I don't have to be perfect oramazing or anywhere close.
I can just be exactly as I amand God will work through me.
Whatever his purposes are,he'll equip me in the moment.
(26:17):
I don't have to be amazing.
Someone out there needs to hearthat today.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yes, yes.
And someone else out thereneeds to hear this today I can't
hate myself into positivechange.
Yes, I can't Right and won'teven try.
I'm not going to beat myself up.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Yes, what is true is that my thoughts are important
and I get to choose what theyare right here, right now.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yes, and one other thing that is true is God has
called me to be his beloved girland given me a purpose and the
power to fulfill it.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yes, what is true is that, no matter what happens
today, no matter what happenstoday, god will work it out for
good.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah, I want to give just a moment for the listener
to come up with their own.
Okay, so what is true, listener, in your day-to-day?
What is true for you right now?
What is true from God'sperspective, when you're
thinking with the mind of Christ?
What is true?
Ooh, I wish I could hear whatthey say.
(27:27):
I know, I wish I could too.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Do you have one more for us?
What is true is that the workthat God needs to get done today
is not dependent on my abilityto perform.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yay, awesome, yay, all right.
So that's what we've got foryou today.
We want to think with the mindof Christ about the situations
we face.
Let's take captive thosehabitual thoughts that come into
our minds, that we allow todrive our behavior, and we want
(28:02):
to instead trade them out forGod's wonderful truth, and his
wonderful truth is going to giveus what we need for life and
godliness.
Yes, he promises it.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
So when you're feeling unsettled, when you're
feeling insecure out of sorts,don't wish it away.
Right Stop and say holdeverything and go to the Lord
and ask him what's true rightnow.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
What are your thoughts?
What is your mind?
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Yes, oh, we're so glad you've been here today,
very glad, and we hope thatyou'll join us for our next
episode of Revelation.
Women, women, oh my God.
Bye for now, bye.
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