New mercies
22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23
The fundamental principle of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be summarized by the idea, “If you can whip it in your mind you can whip it in your life.” Essentially, while you cannot dictate external events, you retain control over your personal reaction to them. This concept aligns with the spiritual wisdom found in Romans 8:6: “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” In this context, negative mental patterns like fear, worry, and doubt—or “carnal thinking”—result in spiritual defeat. Conversely, adopting a “spiritual thinking” mindset is the path to achieving peace.
Our minds operate on a continuous feedback loop; it is rarely that a situation causes us to crumble emotionally, but it is how we interpret the situation that is the motivator. If you text a friend and you don’t receive a reply after the first 6 hours, thinking to yourself “they must be mad at me or they would have texted me back” is responding with an unregulated thought. Responding with regulated thinking would be to conclude “they are probably busy and have their phone on do not disturb.” The former leads to anxiety and shame, whereas the latter leads to neutrality and patience.
Our emotional well-being frequently suffers because the human mind is fundamentally geared toward survival, not necessarily contentment. This survival mechanism naturally leads to “Cognitive Distortions,” which are irrational thought patterns that fuel feelings of anxiety and depression. Research indicates a significant mental tendency: up to 80 percent of our thoughts are negative, and a staggering 95 percent of those are repetitive, illustrating a powerful negative feedback loop.
We often fall into the trap of catastrophizing, immediately jumping to the worst possible outcome for any given event. Another common flaw is “all-or-nothing” thinking, where we see things in absolute, binary terms, such as the self-defeating belief: “If I am not perfect, I am a failure.”
Equanimity is defined as mental calmness and composure, particularly when facing difficulty. Cultivating equanimity involves detaching from the swift, natural tendency toward negative thinking, thus breaking a destructive cycle. This takes practice, but like physical exercise, the following techniques can strengthen this ability with repeated implementation.
Pause, Label, and Detach from the Story:
When intense emotion begins to surface, intentionally stop and identify the narrative you are constructing. Rather than allowing your emotions to spiral out of control, name the emotion or the underlying thought for what it truly is. For instance, if you are experiencing thoughts of inadequacy, consciously label those thoughts as “I’m not good enough.” This is not your agreement with those thoughts, only that you are categorizing them.
Cognitive Reframing: Playing Emotional Attorney
Once you have identified and labeled a thought, it is time to challenge it. Ask yourself crucial questions to reframe your perspective:
- “Is this thought entirely true?”
- “What evidence contradicts this belief?”
- “What is a more constructive or helpful way to view this situation?”
It is clear by now that our minds often feel like a battlefield. Not only must we grapple with our own thoughts, but we are also subjected to the emotionally damaging thoughts that Satan plants in our heads. Since we are already struggling with our own internal thought processes, it is unsurprising that Satan joins the fray, seeking to gain an advantage in our lives. He understands as well as we do that whoever controls the mind and its thinking patterns exerts the greatest influence over a person’s well-being. Have you ever woken up in the morning, and before you even open your eyes to start the day, a negative thought is already waiting to greet you? Have you ever been enjoying a relatively good day, only to find yourself caught in a cycle of negative thinking for no apparent reason?
While the strategies mentioned above are helpful, they won’t resolve every mental conflict. Their primary role is to assist in the renewal of your mind, as commanded in Romans 12:2, which warns against conforming to worldly and carnal thinking. The greatest advantage comes when you recognize your thoughts are often false or misleading; you can then consciously adopt the mind of Christ Jesus, allowing Him to fight these mental battles on your behalf.
