As a counselor, I often talk with clients about the root causes of their behaviors. 

While many are aware of unhealthy habits or patterns they want to change, the deeper question is often missed: What beliefs are fueling those behaviors?

To illustrate this, think of your life like a tree:

• The branches represent your behaviors—what others see, both healthy and unhealthy.
• The trunk is your belief system—what you’ve come to accept as true about yourself, God, others, and the world.
• The roots are your past experiences—the events and circumstances that have shaped how you think and feel.

If the trunk—the belief system—is unhealthy, it doesn’t matter how many branches you prune. 

They’ll grow back in the same shape unless you deal with the source.

So Where Do These Beliefs Come From?

Sometimes, what we think is truth is actually a well-disguised lie. You might recognize thoughts like:

• “I’m not enough.”
• “I’ll always struggle with this.”
• “God is disappointed in me.”
• “I’m damaged goods.”

These internal messages often become automatic. Over time, they begin to shape not just how we think—but how we live.

A Biblical Insight: Luke 6:45

“Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”  The thoughts that run through our minds and come out of our mouths reveal what we’ve come to believe deep inside.

A Practical, Faith-Based Tool for Renewing Your Mind

If you’re ready to dig into your belief system and begin shifting it toward truth, here’s a guided exercise I use with clients. 

It’s a blend of prayerful reflection and practical application, inspired by the Keys to Freedom study from Mercy Multiplied and my own clinical work.

Step-by-Step: Renewing Your Mind

1. List the thoughts or phrases you say about yourself or God most often. Be honest—even the harsh ones count.
2. Ask God to reveal one lie He wants to deal with today. Trust that He knows where to start.
3. Ask when you first started believing that lie. He may bring up a memory or situation that planted the seed.
4. Reflect on how that lie has impacted your life. Consider your decisions, relationships, emotional patterns.
5. Out loud, break agreement with the lie. Say something like: “I no longer agree with the belief that I’m not enough. I choose to believe what God says about me.”
6. Find truth in Scripture to replace the lie. Use a Bible concordance or even Google phrases like “Bible verses about worth” or “Scriptures for anxiety.”
7. Write the verses on index cardsor in your notes app. For each one, do the following:
   • Summarize the verse in your own words.
   • Personalize it: What is God saying to you through this verse?
8. Speak them out loud, daily. Speaking truth helps rewire your brain. You’re not just “thinking new thoughts”—you’re creating new pathways in your mind with the help of God’s Word.

Why This Works: A Blend of Faith and Neuroscience

From a neurological perspective, repeated thoughts form neural pathways. 

When we speak truth aloud, especially personalized biblical truth, we begin to rewire the brain—literally. 

As Romans 12:2 says:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Your brain can change. And through the Holy Spirit, your heart and beliefs can too.

Try This for 21 Days

Research suggests it takes at least 21 days to begin forming a new mental habit. 

Choose to speak God’s truth daily over your life for three weeks. 

Watch as your thoughts begin to shift—and with them, your behaviors.

Final Encouragement

Your unhealthy behaviors are not who you are—they’re a reflection of what you’ve come to believe. 

But belief systems can be renewed. When we invite God into that process, healing happens from the inside out.

Start today. 

One thought at a time. 

One truth at a time. 

One step closer to the life God designed you to live.

Looking for help navigating this journey? I’d love to support you through counseling or coaching that integrates faith, healing, and personal growth. Contact me to learn more & schedule a session.