The other day, I was in the gym and saw one of the most profound messages I have ever seen on a T-shirt. It said, “Don’t believe everything you think.” I thought, what does that mean? The more I thought about it, the more meaningful it became. I quickly realized that the real battle is in my mind. My thoughts affect how I feel; my feelings affect what I do and how I do it, and that affects everything in my life. Ultimately though, it all starts in my head. 

In sports, our opponent is obvious. The opponent wears a different color uniform and stands on the other side of the net, on the line of scrimmage, or in our way to the goal. But in life, we have an opponent that is tougher to identify. Our adversary, the devil, makes accusations and tells lies. And he loves to “get inside our heads” and get us off our game! He is the ultimate trash-talker. The problem comes in when we let these lies play over and over in our heads and start to believe them. “I’m not good enough.” “I could never do that.” “It’s never going to change.” “I’m a failure.” Sadly, other people can plant destructive thoughts in our minds as well. 

True competitors don’t believe everything they think. They learn to discern the truth from the lies and take every thought captive. This is where the game of life is won or lost – in your mind. If you genuinely want a transformed life, train your brain. Until then, don’t believe everything you think.