CTRL-ALT-DELETE
Sometimes, my brain feels like a computer with too many open tabs slowing me down.
I wish I could just CTRL- ALT-DELETE.
See, when you open your computer and press CTRL-ALT-DELETE, a host of options will appear. Using this feature you can lock your computer, restart it, and even close unneeded windows on your screen. This feature is useful for a quick way to end programs or close out your computer for the day.
There’s another option with CTRL-ALT-DELETE called the task manager. In the task manager, you can close programs that are running slow and hindering your computer from operating at full capacity.
Sometimes I wish there was a CTRL-ALT-DELETE for my brain.
There are things I have done, people I have hurt, mistakes I have made, that I wish could be deleted, erased from my memory, and the existence of time.
Made a mistake? No problem, CTRL-ALT-DELETE.
Hurt someone’s feelings? Not to fear, CTRL-ALT-DELETE.
Too many tasks on your agenda this week? Girl, I got you, CTRL-ALT-DELETE.
Can’t break free of addiction? Oh, I got it, CTRL-ALT-DELETE - task manager - end program.
Well, what if I told you God created the CTRL-ALT-DELETE function before any computer ever did? Would you be interested? There’s no gimmick here or nothing I’m selling. God really did create a CTRL-ALT-DELETE for our minds. Only He calls it renewing your thoughts. No computer or keyboard required.
I used to think this was just the Bible’s way of saying “think about good things” but I later learned that your brain is made up of wiring, or thought patterns. When you learn something new and repeat that new thing over and over (and over), you can create a new way of thinking or new wiring in your brain. So when the Bible says to “renew your thoughts” it is a quite literal meaning, not just some theoretical way of saying ‘think about good things.’
Dr. Caroline Leaf in her book “Switch on Your Brain”, takes the scientific approach to thoughts, she is a neuroscientist after all. She has spent years studying how thoughts and thought patterns change the brain and what she found is that a person can in fact change their thoughts to the point of changing DNA.
What does this mean for us? Quite simply it means that if you have thoughts that plague you, addictions that entwine you, or sickness that haunts you, you can CTRL-ALT-DELETE your old thought patterns into new thought patterns that will heal you. The simple practice of replacing old thoughts with new (positive) thoughts every day, for months will break down the old thought patterns and replace them with the new. Caroline Leaf recommends 63 days of new thoughts to create lasting change, but other studies found that in three years, you can create new neural pathways in your brain. I like to play it safe and keep repetitive affirmations until I see the breakthrough and change I am desiring.
So, what do you need to CTRL-ALT-DELETE from your thoughts? Are there old programs that no longer serve you that you need to end for good? I encourage you to pray, ask the Lord to reveal any lingering tabs in your mind, and to replace those with His truth over your life.
CTRL-ALT-DELETE Practice:
What old thought pattern or lie do you need to let go of?
What truth can you replace it with?
Practice: speak the new truth over yourself multiple times throughout the day. When or if you feel the old thought creeping up, immediately CTRL-ALT-DELETE and speak the new thought over yourself.
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