How to Stop Overthinking

Do you ever wish God would just shut off your brain?  In this episode we are talking about how to stop overthinking.
Building Faith Podcast from Kris Reece Ministries is a podcast to provide biblical solutions to life's tough challenges.

TRANSCRIPT

Do you ever wish God would just shut off your brain? We are talking about how to stop overthinking. Romans 12:2 reminds us “to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.”

And here’s what I realized. We all want the transformation. We attend transformational workshops and seminars in books and such, but the truth is that God brings the transformation, but we also tend to leave the mind renewal part up to God as well. But the truth is this is how our mind and just like God won’t move your hand for you we’ve been given the ability to discipline our mind and therefore participate with God in his plan of renewal. The part of renewing, our minds includes dealing with overthinking, otherwise known as ruminating.  Regardless of what you call it, it’s a Time Bandit and you know what it feels like, your mind runs wild, it’s spinning out of control with the constant what-ifs and should have, could have, would his, and then next thing, you know days and even years have slipped by and you’ve made no profit of progress.

This can’t be Godly and you would be right. It’s not. And many will look to overthinking and say, I know, I know I just have to stop thinking so much and to that  I would say, that’s not the answer. You see, God has given you an active mind, and shutting it down, shouldn’t be the option. You see, the problem is not that you’re thinking, the problem is what you’re thinking about.

So, unfortunately, God is not going to shut off our brains, but He has given us all the tools that we need to help in the renewal process. So how do we stop the dreaded overthinking?


Let’s look at 4 Biblical steps to take to stop that mental spiral in your head.

Step # 1 – To reveal. Before you can deal with spiraling thoughts, you have got to be aware of them. And I love the way the Psalmist David asked the Lord in Psalm 139:23. He said, “search me O God and know my heart,  test me and know my anxious thoughts.” 

God is faithful to reveal anything ungodly in your life. And we must look at toxic unproductive spiraling thoughts as ungodly. So pray and ask God to reveal you’re overthinking anxious thoughts and I assure you, my friend, He will. But be prepared though. He may reveal them in ways that you didn’t expect like your reactions. Yes, our reactions reveal a lot about what’s going on inside of us.

Step #2 Refocus.  2 Corinthians 10:5 reminds us that we are “to demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

So the question is, What are you doing with the thoughts that are coming into your head? If you’re allowing them to run wild with no accountability, you my friend are susceptible to demonic deception, and the clarity that you so long for is going to elude you.

Instead, ask yourself is this in line with Biblical truth?

Step #3 – Rethink.  2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that “all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof for correction, and for training in righteousness.” So, when ruminating thoughts, invade your mind, you’ll want to search the Scriptures for what the Bible says about. Your particular situation or what you’re thinking about because you want to know the truth. Now, when I say your situation, I don’t so much mean what you were thinking about. Scripture isn’t always going to tell you exactly what to do, about your specific situation.

But much of our overthinking has a very strong emotion attached to it. For example, fear th