A New Kind of Discipline Pt. 5: Thinking
- Jeremy Bratcher
- Aug 4
- 5 min read
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” Romans 12:2
We often think of prayer, fasting, study or service as spiritual disciplines. But what if thinking—real, Spirit-guided, gospel-shaped, critical thinking—is just as essential?
Thinking Is Formation
The mind is not a neutral space. It's a battleground, a workshop, and a gateway to either transformation or distortion.
Paul doesn’t just invite us to believe in Jesus. He commands us to think like Jesus.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” – Philippians 2:5
Thinking like Christ requires a renewed mind—not just new content, but new patterns of perception, interpretation, and imagination. This doesn’t happen by accident. It’s cultivated, rehearsed, surrendered.
The Mind is Not a Neutral Space
We tend to assume our thoughts are “just thoughts”—random mental noise or passive responses to the world. But Scripture tells us otherwise. The mind is not a passive processor. It’s an engine of formation.
Paul knew this. That’s why he doesn’t just invite us to believe in Jesus. He calls us to think like Jesus.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” – Philippians 2:5
This is not a metaphor. It’s a mandate. To follow Jesus means to embrace His way of thinking:
His humility
His clarity
His attentiveness to the Father
His sacrificial imagination
His resistance to lies
Thinking like Christ doesn’t just mean thinking about Christ—it means learning to interpret reality with Him. That’s not simply a change of content, but a transformation of consciousness.
It’s not just what we think—it’s how we think. And how we think shapes who we become.
A Battleground. A Workshop. A Gateway.
The mind, then, is three things all at once:
A battleground: where lies compete with truth, where fear challenges faith, where selfishness contends with surrender.
A workshop: where ideas are forged, relationships are interpreted, and theology is lived out in decision and practice.
A gateway: through which either transformation or distortion takes hold.
“There are no unformed people. We are always being formed—by something.”— Dallas Willard
Whether we recognize it or not, our habits of thought, media intake, conversations, and even silence shape the contours of our inner life. The question isn’t if we’re being formed—but by whom and toward what end.
The Renewal of Imagination
Thinking like Christ requires more than memorizing doctrines or knowing Bible verses (though those are good!). It requires cultivating new patterns of perception, interpretation, and imagination.
Wendell Berry, a prophetic voice in our age of distraction and mechanization, said:
“People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.”
That line isn’t just about food. It’s about systems of thought—about how modern minds can be trained to consume without reflection, react without wisdom, and live disjointed lives because our thinking has been outsourced.
Berry pushes us back to attention. Back to integrated life. Back to the kind of mindful living that refuses to separate thought from love, or belief from embodied action. He once wrote:
“The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”
That’s renewal. Not ease. Not mindless affirmation. But deep, reflective resistance to shallow thinking and spiritual laziness.
The Jesus Mindset: More Than Right Thoughts
C.S. Lewis once remarked, “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.”
In a world flooded with information but starved of wisdom, disciplined thinking isn’t about fighting culture wars in your brain. It’s about irrigating the spiritual deserts inside you—slowly, faithfully, and in communion with the Spirit.
To set your mind on things above (Col. 3:2) doesn’t mean abandoning the world. It means seeing the world through heaven’s eyes. And that requires a mind willing to be:
Uncluttered by noise
Formed by Scripture
Attuned to Christ’s ways
Rooted in humility
Nourished by beauty
“To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6
If your mind is a workshop, what are you building?If it’s a battleground, what side are you feeding?If it’s a gateway, what are you letting in?
Jesus invites us not to escape our thoughts, but to renew them—to form them into the shape of the gospel, until we can say with Paul:
“We take every thought captive to obey Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5
This is what thinking as a spiritual discipline looks like:
Not faster thoughts.
Not more productive thoughts.
But Christ-shaped thoughts.
Thinking as a Spiritual Practice (Colossians 3)
To think spiritually is to engage our minds:
With intentionality (“Set your minds…” – v. 2)
With direction (“…on things above…” – v. 2)
With expectancy (“…you have put off the old self… and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” – vv. 9–10)
This kind of thinking doesn’t just analyze—it worships.
It doesn’t just criticize—it discerns.
It doesn’t just react—it renews.
Paul reminds us that the mind is not a passive container.
And as he writes in verse 10, this renewal is in knowledge…meaning that how and what we think is central to spiritual transformation. The old self is cluttered with falsehood, fear, and ego-driven reaction. But the new self is shaped by truth, centered on Christ, and formed “after the image of its Creator.”
Why Thinking Must Be Disciplined
Because we live in an age of distraction and mental clutter.
Because ideas shape desires and desires shape decisions.
Because unexamined thoughts become unchallenged idols.
Because transformation begins not in external behavior but internal worldview.
Disciplined Thinking in Practice:
Thinking as a spiritual discipline means:
Meditating on Scripture not just to memorize, but to metabolize truth.
Interrogating your thoughts: “Is this true? Is this loving? Is this of Christ?”
Resisting mental passivity in favor of curiosity, attentiveness, and truth-seeking.
Reframing with gospel lenses: “What does grace say here? What would resurrection hope change about this moment?”
How to Practice the Discipline of Thinking:
Start Your Day with Scripture, Not Screens. Give your mind a starting point rooted in truth.
Practice Daily Thought Audits. Ask: What’s been dominating my thoughts today? Where is my mind set?
Interrupt Negative Narratives. Identify internal loops of fear, shame, or pride—and invite God into them.
Saturate in the Mind of Christ. Read the Gospels often. Dwell in the Sermon on the Mount. Let Jesus shape your logic.
Read and Reflect, Not Just React. Be slow to repost and quick to ponder. Cultivate reflection over reactivity.
A Simple Prayer:
Lord, renew my mind.
Let me think with clarity, not confusion.
With truth, not assumption.
With grace, not suspicion.
May my thoughts align with Your heart.
And may what fills my mind fuel Your transformation in me.
Amen.
Comments