Renew Your Mind: 5 Faith-Based Steps to Find Clarity and Purpose

Today in the podcast we're talking about.

Having a vision for our lives.

We are talking about shifting from having negative thoughts or thoughts that aren't serving us to how we can switch that with understanding what it is we want for our lives in the different areas of our lives and how powerful it is that when we understand what we desire and we focus on that and what God has for us, everything changes.

And so I can't wait to share this conversation with you because I think.

It will help you shift your thoughts, shift your mindset, and get clear on how you want to be living.

Hey friend, are you craving deeper faith, renewed purpose and more joy in your everyday life?

Welcome to Faith Healed Woman Podcast that helps Christian women grow spiritually pursue God's calling and embrace the abundant life he has for you?

I'm Kristin, an encourager, mentor, entrepreneur, wife and mom here to uplift, equip and inspire you with faith filled conversations and Biblical wisdom.

Subscribe now so you never miss an episode and join our faith fueled community for more encouragement.

Before we jump in.

I did want to let you know if you haven't already joined our community and my weekly newsletter, head on over.

To my website KristinFitch.com and I have.

Some amazing workbooks that you can go and get for free.

One is called Rewire your mind but it's five steps on how we can take our thoughts captive and shift those thoughts to serve us better and what God has for us.

So you can get that@kristenfitch.com mindset or you can grab my joyful 15 day.

Joyful devotional on my website under my freebie section.

So head on over there now, join our community and get one of those workbooks or devotionals that you can start using today.

Hi.

Today on the podcast I would like to welcome our guest Titi Jones.

She's a speaker and author, a certified coach, and she's the host of Goliath is Calling YouTube series.

She also is a home stager or has a home staging company called Homeworks.

She has her Master's in Architecture and she's working on her Master's in Business and ministry.

And I'm excited for her to join us from Oxford in the uk because we're going to talk about mindset, we're going to talk about purpose and why it's so important to transform our thoughts and take them captive.

Because when we do that, we can step into everything God has for us.

We're also going to talk about the importance of having spaces that actually allow us to be renewed to rest and to use those spaces to lift us up.

Because when we do that, we actually can feel clearer, we can have more momentum, and it's just easier to step into everything God has for us.

So I'm excited to share this conversation with you.

Welcome to the show, td.

Thank you so much, Kristin.

Really happy to be here.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And I was fortunate to join Titi on her show, her series last week.

And I will definitely link that in the show notes as well for anybody that wants to go listen to that conversation too.

So, Titi, can you start off by sharing with us a little bit about your life and what it looks like and then just what you're up to now?

Yeah, so of course, I have, I guess for me, always really been interested in transformation of any kind of homes, haircuts, you know, the before and after.

And I love hearing God's impact on people and how he's transformed their lives.

And, you know, I studied architecture, studied architecture in the 80s in America, did a master's degree and concentrated on homes, renovating homes, building homes.

Because I think that homes have such a big impact on who we are and how we live.

And it can change how we live.

If you live in a home that works well for you.

And in fact, my business is called the Homeworks, because when a home works well, the people inside work well also.

In the UK they were all quite small, but when we lived there, you know, I had visited some of our neighbors and just noticed that each one was so different depending on the people who lived there and how they had altered the home, extended the home.

They had just made a difference for their season of life, for the way they lived.

And it just really fascinated me.

And what our family did is we extended out the back and had these really large doors that opened up in the garden.

I could keep an eye on my young children at the time.

And we had these heated floors that we ended up playing games on.

And it really changed, you know, the dynamics of our family interactions in a very positive way.

And I suppose for me it's really, how can you be intentional about creating a home that works for people?

And my journey really trying to transform homes has led me more and more inwards.

You know, I want to create dream homes for people.

But God was taking me on this journey where he said, you know, I want you to be first, my dream home.

And when we can be a home for the Holy Spirit, for the Father and The son to live in.

When we work well, then truly the sky is the limit.

We can create anything externally when the internal part of us is working.

Well, I wrote a book a few years ago called seven keys to create a dream home that you love.

But really now I would like to write another book about how you can be a dream home.

Because really, just thinking about yourself as a home and decluttering the thoughts and the things that devalue this internal home is as much as an important aspect of that of transformation as creating a dream home externally.

So that's really where I am currently.

I'm working on a coaching program to help people become the dream homes that impacts their external environment.

I love it.

That's so beautiful.

And yeah, I know one of the things you talk about is transforming our hearts in home, which is really our thoughts, our mindset and our spaces.

Right?

Because there is such a connection to those two things.

Now, while I'm not saying that we're always going to work on both of them at the same time, that can happen though I'm sure you have stories about that.

But what can you tell us about the connection of clutter or just when our spaces aren't working for us and how that actually can impact our mindset or vice versa, how our mindset impacts maybe us not addressing things that aren't working in our space or clutter?

Well, I always say that our homes affect as well as reflect us.

And we are holistic beings.

And when we are internally cluttered, when we are internally dealing with a lot of unresolved issues, it is a challenge to let go of things or we find comfort in things like shopping and holding onto things and in a way that having dealt with these issues, you wouldn't ordinarily have.

And I have a dear, dear friend who deals with clutter.

And the people I know who deal with that kind of clutter have usually had some kind of trauma in the past that's not fully resolved.

And it has to do a lot of them.

It's about grief and wanting to hold on to memories or finding it easy to let go of the things that they think they might need in the future.

But part of finding peace internally, allowing the Holy Spirit to heal you in those places and resolving some of those issues that really does have an impact on how we live, it can free us to create the external environment that will enable us to invite more people in.

So this dear friend of mine, she would love to be in relationship, but her home doesn't allow space for people to Come in.

And there's an emotional part of herself that doesn't allow people to come in internally.

And dealing with some of those issues, it does have a holistic impact.

And that's really what I would say, is that you first find some healing from the Holy Spirit.

Be very intentional.

But at the same time as you are intentional about letting go, knowing that this is the impact it will have.

You can have that dual impact on both your internal and external space, but it's being mindful, it's being intentional.

It's seeing yourself as valuable, seeing your home as valuable, and that there are thoughts and there are things that devalue your internal space as well as your external space.

So clutter devalues a home.

It's not as valuable as a home that is free and accessible.

And that's just the bottom line.

And it's the same inside as well as outside.

Yeah.

And sometimes I also talk about decluttering our spaces.

Yes.

Sometimes it's the physical space that we live in in the different rooms.

Sometimes it's mind.

Right?

The decluttering our mind, which we'll get into.

But other times it's decluttering even our cell phones.

Right.

Our cell phone or bedroom hygiene.

But because what we don't realize is most of us probably have 20 to 100 apps on our phones we don't need, or we have notifications on for things that aren't actually urgent.

And what we don't realize is that's it's cluttering our minds because we're having to, oh, do I need to pay attention this?

Do I need, you know, just like they say, a home that's.

That has clutter.

And I'm not talking about the people that have so much clutter.

Not like a hoarder.

Right?

We're not talking about that.

We're just saying maybe you just have piles and things that you haven't dealt with.

You know, you're holding on to extra stuff.

But they say the more stuff you have, the more it takes time.

It takes you to even clean.

Right.

In other words, because you have to move the stuff to clean and put it back in.

So it's just like all the other parts of us, our minds, our phones, you know, or whatever else, or maybe our computers.

When we don't do maintenance, right.

We don't clear out what's not needed.

It takes up space that we could otherwise have time.

More time.

Right.

For prayer life or enjoying our families or, you know, having.

Quieting our minds.

And so I think, like, you Said it's holistic.

We have to look at all the things that are taking away from us.

Being able to live the way that we want to live so that when we're at our homes or we're near our phones or in our own minds, that it's not always racing, it's not so busy and it overwhelms us.

Yeah.

You know that it just makes up too much clutter on your phone.

Those open apps.

It makes your phone a lot more sluggish and really imagine what that's doing to your thoughts.

And I feel like this is the dis.

Ease of our age is just so much information.

Most of it we're not going to use.

Most of it is not helpful for us.

And it's being very mindful and intentional about letting go, realizing that this is not helping, this is not useful, and that it is just making you more sluggish and distracted from the things that you should have in front of you.

I've spent this last season really just unsubscribing to all these emails that you received.

You don't need all of that.

And just.

Okay, what's helpful for me in this season, everything else has got to go.

Because I feel like we are so busy mentally that it's difficult for God to speak to us, for us to hear clearly, for us to be present with ourselves and with other people as well.

And that is of the age, really.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, yeah, that's definitely even.

One of the things I've written down is that we do live in a time where one of our biggest struggles of being present.

Right.

Which if we're not present, we're going to miss the opportunities, the conversations, the people we're supposed to speak to, you know, for God, you know, with.

With the Holy Spirit within us is because we're distracted.

Yeah, Right.

We're distracted from our phones or we're distracted with our to do list, or we're distracted or we're just distracted with, like, what do we have to get done tonight?

What do I have to get at the grocery store?

Instead of noticing the person you're walking by and saying hello or.

Right.

And so I think you're so right.

Is that a lot of the challenges we have today are being distracted.

Right.

We're being pulled in too many directions, and it really does impact us.

If we're not intentional, then we aren't making time to get quiet, to settle our minds and to hear the voice of God.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

You know, there is that verse, be still and Know that I am God.

It's difficult to know God when we're not still, and it's difficult to plug in.

And I, you know, rest.

I feel like rest is in itself, is a mindset and finding a place where you can enter into the rest of God and truly know that your life is his.

So part of this idea of being the home, the dream home of the Holy Spirit and enabling him and giving him permission to be at home in you is yielding, is a yielded heart.

And I sometimes use my imagination to think, okay, what's what in me is what rooms have I barred him from as I think through my life?

What have I closed him off from?

And just really giving him access to all areas and inviting him in.

But that rest means that I'm not hiding things from him.

I'm not doing other things, you know, that distracted, I'm seeking after him with my whole heart and coming after him with all of me and just being present for him, just as I can be present for my husband and be present for my children when I'm talking to them, but allowing the distractions to fade and realizing that there are just some things that are a distraction.

Yeah, absolutely.

I've seen a meme going around over the last couple of years where it has someone staring at their cell phone in their hand, and they said, imagine if we carried our Bibles around like we did our cell phones, right?

In other words, you know, we don't realize.

It's like the cell phone's glued to so many of our hands, at least so often.

Or in our pocket or in our purses, but often, how often are you looking at the word compared to how often you might be on your phone?

And that might not speak to everyone, but it definitely speaks to a large portion, I think, of some cultures at this point, you know, especially, I know, in the U.S. yeah, I would guess.

In the UK as well, but definitely.

Okay, so let's dig in a little bit more to mindset, you know, and I just want to start that with saying that.

And I've shared this concept before, but I think sometimes we underestimate how important our thoughts and our mindset are.

And not only does it matter, I mean, like, it doesn't just matter to our hearts.

It doesn't just matter to us.

Being present, our thoughts, negative thoughts spoken to other people can cause real harm.

Negative thoughts spoken to ourselves can actually change the gene genes turning on and off on our body, like repressing and suppressing emotions and feelings or desires of what we need actually can be another factor that leads to more disease in our body.

In other words, all of it is so tied together, and it all.

Or I should say, it's so connected.

To our thoughts and our mindset.

And so as you dug deeper into mindset, work and transformations and you've talked to more people about it, what would you just share with us about, like, where do we start?

If maybe we're somebody that's realizing when they're hearing this conversation?

Yeah, I am somebody that feels distracted and, you know, all over the place with my thoughts.

And maybe I do have these thoughts on repeat.

You know, what, what, what do I do?

Because I think a lot of people don't even realize that we can take these thoughts captive and we can shift things.

Very definitely.

It says in.

I think it's Proverbs somewhere that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he that your thoughts, you.

In fact, you are living the reality of your thoughts, and in order to change your life, you have to change your thoughts.

And Romans 12:2 tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

And another translation calls it the renovation of our minds.

And again, it comes back to that, you know, seeing yourself as a home.

But the thoughts will your.

In coaching, we talk about the fact that your thoughts impact how you feel, and how you feel determines the behavior and the actions that you take.

And we're often concentrating on behavior management, trying to change behavior.

Whereas we need to go back and think about the thoughts, the beliefs, the imaginations that we have dwelt on, because that's what's informing the way that we are behaving, the actions that we're taking.

So when you think about somebody trying to lose weight, they're just trying to count calories, Whereas they need to think of the value, how they see themselves, maybe the traumas that they've dealt with in the past where they felt rejected.

So they need to go back and examine some of their belief systems about who they think they are, their identity.

And that's the power of our thoughts, our imagination.

And it is, you know, you're attracting what you believe.

So fear Job talks about the thing that I feared has come upon me.

It's like an electromagnetic attraction.

So whether it's good or bad, we need to be careful how we think.

And I think that people often think they don't have control over their thoughts.

That's just a lie of the enemy.

We do.

We can't control what we think.

We need to replace thoughts.

We need to be intentional and we need to be disciplined, but we can very much control how we think.

You know, if I tell you, think about a white dog, think about a white, fierce dog.

You know, you've got an image in your head, and the only way to take that image out is to think about something else.

A fluffy kitten.

So thinking on the word of God is how we are going to be renewed in our minds.

We're going to, according to Second Corinthians, we are pulling down those imaginations and all the thoughts that are in opposition to the Word of God.

And it just means that we are being intentional.

It means that if we know this doesn't align with the Word of God, we're going to take it, pull it down, and replace it with what the truth of the Word says.

Because it's when we know the truth that we are made free.

And it's a really powerful way to live.

And you know, what I realize is that many secular people are understanding the power of this in a way that some Christians haven't.

And there's a story that I come to again and again in numbers 13.

There are 12 spies in the Bible who go out to see, to spy out the promised land that God said that he gave to them.

And 10 of the spies came back.

You know, this is bearing in mind that they've had 400 years of slavery mindset, thinking of themselves as slaves.

Their mothers and their fathers were slaves and their grandfathers.

So there's a lot of that slave mentality that's filtered down to these 10 spies.

But they came back and they said, you know, we can't take the land because they're giants on it.

And we are like grasshoppers in our own sight, and in the sight of the giants.

And, you know, there were two spies, Joshua and Caleb, who said, we are well able to take the land.

But what I keep coming back to is that that slavery mentality, that mindset, kept them out of the promise because God said he had given them the land.

And that's just how much a mindset can keep you out of what you have been given.

And we have all the promises of God.

But if we don't renew our minds, if we don't change our mindsets, we are kept out of these promises and we are unable to see.

So mindset and perspective are the really important things that we need, because with the right mindset, you will see what God wants you to see.

You will see the land.

You will be able to behold the land that God said he had given to you.

And so it's really important that we develop, we are intentional about developing that mindset that will help us see the land and possess the land that God gave us.

So good.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah, thank you for bringing up that.

That scripture in that example because it's, it's definitely powerful.

Yeah.

And one of the so many things that you brought up.

But you know, I think sometimes when we have repeat patterns in our lives, things that are happening in our lives, it's easy to point out that it's our workplace or it's our co worker or whatever the thing might be.

But if we actually take a little time to do some self reflection, assess, right.

If we write down some of these patterns, we start and we, and we pray on it.

Right.

We reflect on it, we go to the word.

What we sometimes see is that the challenge might be that we have a spot in our heart that's been hardened or we have something from our past.

Right.

A trauma, a hurt, some idea that is keeping us stuck on this pattern.

Right.

Like my coworker's so irritating or nobody listens to me at work or.

Right.

But if we find that there's patterns that are on repeat, but we're the common denominator, sometimes that's when.

But if we don't actually take the time to do an inventory, we will miss it for a long time.

I have talked to so many people, obviously, I'm sure I've had those as well for myself.

But it's not until you say, hold up, like why do I keep thinking like I never get the job or I never get the opportunity?

One, it can be a self fulfilling prophecy, Right?

Kind of.

You alluded to that.

But two, we have to see what is my role in this.

And it can just be that you have the same idea or feeling about somebody.

Right.

Because we have to change our thought.

Like maybe somebody does irritate you at work, but what's the good that you can see in them, right?

Where can you switch, like you said, the thoughts about them, that maybe they operate differently in the world than you do, but that doesn't make them, you know, less valuable.

It just might make them different.

Or maybe they have struggles that you don't know about, you know, so, you know, I would just say that definitely.

Of course, go to the word, see what the word says.

Replace your thoughts with that.

But also look at where do you have those stories on repeat?

What are the patterns?

And ask yourself, is there anything else true?

Like can I replace this with some different truth?

Just like whether you worked at your work, I mean, people listening, whether you stay at home with your children, whether you worked full time, whether you did a little of both.

So many women tell themselves something about their situation like, oh, I could have been a better mom if.

Or I feel guilty because I was gone some.

Or.

But we can replace that with something very different because that's not what God's telling us.

Right.

We are putting guilt on ourselves.

But really we could say, but is that true?

Can you prove that?

Actually it's not true?

Meaning I'm actually a really good mom.

I'm there for my kids when they need me.

Do you see what I'm saying?

So so many times we get caught on one idea instead of looking at the whole picture of a mother, us as a mother or us as a spouse or whatever it might be.

And I think we have to be really careful about that as well.

Yeah, I think awareness is really powerful because that's almost 50% of the solution.

And when we are aware of our repeat cycles, that's really an opportunity for reflection.

It's an opportunity to say, okay, Lord, what are you teaching me through this?

But so going back to that story of the ten spies, the giants are not the external things.

It's not your irritating coworker.

The giants are your thoughts about your irritating coworker.

And really that's what we're needing to do to pull down.

That's what we're needing to bring into alignment with what the Word says.

And coming into a place of rest and knowing your true identity in Christ, the fact that he has given you everything that you need for life and godliness, that's really the place, that's the starting point really in being able to deal with the external.

Because you may never change your co worker, you may never change.

You can't change your children.

And so it's finding the grace and the peace and the fruit of the Spirit to be able to deal with and walk through whatever season in life that you are going through.

Not from the outside, but from the inside out, really.

And that's the power of the gospel, is that God has provided grace for us in Christ.

Yeah, so, yeah, absolutely.

So beautiful.

So what about.

I mean, you even.

I know you.

I mean the Bible says this, but you talk about it on your site.

But that even us being told to repent actually has to do with our thoughts.

So what would you share with us about that?

Yeah, you know, in Revelation, Jesus is talking to the churches, the seven churches, and he says, constantly repent.

You know, and so it's not a word for unbelievers, it's a word for, it means metanoa.

That's the Greek word.

It's change the way you think.

And there is a way of thinking, like we said, it can keep you out of the land.

But there is a way of thinking that is in alignment with truth.

And God is inviting us to think like he does.

He's given us the mind of Christ.

And changing the way we think is that, you know, that Romans 12 thing is being transformed by the renewing of our minds, taking each thought day by day.

And really just especially if we're dealing with different challenges.

You know, one good way is write down what the, what does the Bible say about this?

If it's, if you're dealing with sickness, for instance, or relationships or issues, I don't know, money issues, write down what the Word says and what, how your belief systems, what keeps you out of that promise.

So if you're thinking, I never earn enough, I don't know, you know, lack is I'm always going to struggle with money.

It's coming into alignment with the truth that God says he will provide all your needs according to his riches and glory, that by the grace of Jesus, you know, there are scriptures for these things, Scriptures for our prosperity, scriptures for our peace, for our, you know, the salvation of our children.

There's so many promises in the Bible and we awareness and understanding.

Because I think it's ignorance, you know, the Bible says that people are perishing for lack of knowledge.

There's an ignorance that's keeping us out.

So we want to come into awareness.

We want to be, to seek after God and what his way of thinking is concerning these different areas in our lives.

Absolutely.

And the more we do that, right, the more we go to Scripture, the more we are in God's Word, the more we have time with God, the more we start being transformed truly.

Right?

I mean, on a daily basis, if we're doing it, you know, all the time.

But the more that I, I mean, I'm, I'm.

I mean, I mean, typically a positive person.

But that does not mean that we are free of having right, negative thoughts or mindset.

You know, sometimes it needs to be shifted or hearts that need to be, you know, looked at right and softened.

But the more when I do have a thought, right, that I know is not a thought I want to have, isn't serving me, isn't serving my faith, whatever it is.

I mean, it can be just a fleeting thought about like you know, keep my kids safe.

But it's like the opposite.

You know, something just something creeping in.

I literally have to stop myself and just say a little prayer and say, lord, take this from me, because I know this isn't from you, or I know this isn't serving me, or.

And I just have to try to stop it.

Right.

Sometimes I might try to then have a thought about how to replace it.

But the point is, is I, of course I've been able to ruminate on things before, especially during different seasons of worry about my, you know, young adult kids and different things during COVID and less because I was worried about COVID Just everything that was going on, right.

The, the way it made you feel.

But I had to, after a period of time realized, whoa, I am letting this fester or I'm letting thoughts sit here for a longer time than I realized.

I had to really take that right to the Lord and say, I need you to take this from me.

I need you to help this, help me with this.

To not focus.

You know, it's one thing to go read news or read a news headline, but we're not supposed to get caught up in it or stuck there, right.

On 24 hour news cycles.

And so one, I would just say it gets easier, right?

To replace our thoughts with the truth.

And so if that's something that you struggle with, just know that the more you do it, it's like any other muscle or working on something we get.

It gets a little easier.

And then you brought up, let's see, when you were just saying about.

Oh goodness, now I forgot the thought.

That's okay.

So, okay, hold on.

Sorry.

One thing I did want to say about just our focus.

You know, focus is so key.

I feel like we're constantly looking at what we don't want.

We're constantly looking at what we're fearing we're worried about.

And actually it's a really powerful thing to be to know what you, you desire.

You know, God puts desires in our hearts and you know, what do I desire for my marriage, for my children?

Look in that direction, focus on that instead.

Because we are creating, like we said, with our thoughts.

Yes.

So if you focus on what you want, the possibility of you creating what you want is more than if you are focusing on what you don't want.

You're trying to resist, you're trying to prevent.

And you know, it's really different.

It's just a shift, a tiny shift because it's the other side of the same coin.

But you are Looking at a different direction, you're focusing on a different thing.

So you're.

You.

The reason you're concerned about your children is because you love them.

And so if you are focused on the best outcome for them and you're focused on this is, Lord, thank you that you said in your words that you are doing this.

You know, you will.

You will teach and mentor my children.

You know, great will be their peace when you're focused on the good.

And thank you, Lord.

And it means.

Yeah, because if God says he's given us these things as a promise, then our response is to thank Him.

So that's really the prayer that.

Lord, thank you.

I'm choosing to look at this from that perspective because there's.

You know, the thing with God is that he doesn't even consider the weaknesses or the.

When he calls Abraham or Abraham at the time, he doesn't consider the barrenness.

He doesn't even bring it up really.

But he looks at his promise.

He looks at the land he's given you.

He looks at the end, he looks at.

From his perspective.

And it just shows you that life is spiritual.

But we are so caught up in the physical five senses that we forget sometimes to look from God's perspective and to focus on what he has said.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

I mean, we both sort of said this earlier, but yes, our thoughts create our reality, literally.

Right.

And so exactly what you just said is we need to focus on the promises.

Right.

He has for us.

We need to focus on what he tells us to do.

Right.

Which is giving prayers of thanks and gratitude continuously.

Right.

Without ceasing.

And so when we do that, our eyes are set on a different way of living and seeing.

Right.

Then, like you said, focusing on what if something bad happens?

Or what if.

And I don't mean the thought won't pass our minds, but we don't want to stay there.

Right?

Yeah.

And then something we talked about earlier, I just want to bring this up.

I read this really powerful post by someone the other day and it was.

It was sort of about.

I mean, this is specific, but that's okay.

I just want to share it.

You were talking about the example you gave was if somebody's struggling financially, you know, with money or I never have enough.

I'm worried about the bills, you know, and all this, which we understand, right?

The concern, but that God promises that he will take care of us in.

In that way, his way.

It might not be the way we're envisioning it, but this person explains that so often and there's examples in the Bible where we thought we didn't have enough or we didn't have anything to.

Give or offer, right?

So like the loaves of bread, the example of the woman with the oil, like.

But then what they did, though, is they gave what they had.

And his point is, we think, but it's only this.

I, only I have nothing except this.

But what he says is so often when it comes to our finances is we have these, this thing.

It might be a physical thing, it might be an ability we have, but if we just realize that ordinary seeming thing is not ordinary in God's eyes and that it can be used to serve others, it may be able to be used to actually help you bring income in, whether you make a loaf of bread.

And I mean, that wasn't what I'm talking about, the Bible.

I mean, it was loaves of bread, feeding people.

But I mean, actually, let's say you're a baker, just as a hobbyist, let's say that you know how to do social media really well, but you've never thought of it as a business.

So the point is, it's all perspective again, because if we see that God is telling you it's right in front of you, it's right there, you just have to pay attention and see that.

I've given you something that you can use.

And I think we miss that so many times.

That's so good.

It's so true.

I think that we despise those small things, those small beginnings, you know, the small bottle of oil that could fill the jars and jars.

And it's almost like we curse what's in our hands, the two loaves and the fish.

And rather than blessing, and really it's in the blessing of it that God can multiply it and it can be fruitful and, and it can feed the 5,000 and it's being attentive, I guess, really, just like you said, perspective and asking God really the small things, how can I bless somebody with this?

Rather than.

It's only just.

It's just.

One thing that I want to bring up is it goes back to what are we filling ourselves with?

Which has a lot to do with mindset and just not cluttering ourselves with things that aren't serving us.

Of course, the word of God.

But for me, for instance, I love reading Christian authors because they put the Bible biblical concepts in different perspectives for me, that sometimes connect in ways that are so powerful.

For me, my Instagram feed is full of lots of different content, but it's so curated.

So I have.

I follow so many pastors and people of faith.

I mean, I have health things on there, too, and food, but it's like, I don't.

I rarely go on there, and there's anything negative on my Instagram.

And I'm always saving things that inspire me and lift me up in my faith, but filling myself up with those things only continues to keep me in the mindset that I want to be in and where I'm trying to go with my faith.

And it just helps enrich me instead of pull me down.

But I think too many of us, like, years ago, I had to realize that my husband may want to watch shows that are not shows I want to watch.

And years ago, I might have gone along with it, like, well, okay.

But now I'm like, I'll still watch some stuff.

I'm like, yeah, it's not my favorite, but I have, like, no, there's too much gore, too much shape.

It doesn't serve me and it doesn't make me feel good.

And, you know, everybody has different lines there.

But my point is, I had to realize that we don't have to, like the same things.

And I can say this isn't for me because I don't.

I have to close my eyes during, like, a third of the show.

I'm like, I don't want to do that because it just fills me in the wrong way, you know?

And it's not saying that I don't watch some stuff that other people might say, I would never watch that.

But.

But that's not really the point.

It's that, what are you filling yourself with?

Right?

Do you have people around you that are filling you up, that are speaking life and truth into you?

Do you have.

And if you don't have people in your physical life, do you have people online or people you follow you look up to, or pastors or people of faith?

And so I would just say that is another really big component of renewing our minds, of shifting our mindsets and shifting our thoughts.

Yeah, we have to guard our hearts with all diligence, really.

And.

But I'm with you.

There's just shows my husband watches that don't help me and my family laugh at me because they know, okay, Mom's not going to like this.

So when we're trying to find a movie that we can all watch together, okay, there's just a limit.

And it's getting smaller and smaller over the years, but I'm with you on that.

Yeah.

You know, we yeah, it says whatever, think about good things, whatever is true, whatever is pure.

Yeah, it's, it's our responsibility to guard our hearts.

And what we're putting in, again, it goes back to that.

The home of the Holy Spirit.

Is the Holy Spirit going to enjoy this with me?

And, you know, I really do want him to feel at home in me and what am I putting in inside of me?

This, this home.

And yeah, I want him to feel at home.

Yeah, absolutely.

I love that.

Okay, so what, what, what else would you just want to share with us to encourage or uplift us about how we can transform our thoughts, our minds, or just our lives that we haven't maybe shared yet?

Well, so like I said, mindset and vision and, you know, and vision is such a key thing with the right mindset.

And I'm often reminded that you can create a blueprint for breakthrough by getting the right vision, because that vision is like a gps.

That will be the goal.

It will determine the direction that you travel and the momentum that you have.

You know, Jesus, not Jesus, God took Abraham out and said, you know, look at the stars.

That in a way for him, every time he stepped out on a starry night, he would look at the stars and remember the promises or, you know, in a sandy desert, he would remember the promises of God.

And when we have that vision, it's a really important thing to do.

And biblical meditation and visualization.

You know, elite athletes visualize.

They imagine themselves winning.

They imagine themselves doing the, you know, golfers, apparently they, they get coaches to teach them, train them how to visualize and to see a positive outcome.

And that's a really powerful tool.

One of the things I loved about doing architecture is that visualization I would imagine when I'm working on a project, I lie in bed and I'm imagining myself walking through the house.

You know, I open the door, this is where the light switch is, and this is where I hang my coat, and this is where the sofa is against this wall.

And I walk through.

And it took me such a long time to realize that, that walkthrough, you know, you can do this with your life, you can do this with the things you value.

And this is a sanctified imagination is a God given, it's a God given strategy and tool for you to picture what you desire, the right outcome.

Rather than thinking the worst, imagining the worst, we are being intentional about walking the land as far as our eyes can see and, you know, as far as our feet will tread.

Give us what we can imagine and you know, because he says that he gives us the desires of our hearts.

It's not like we're just making up, I'm living in Buckingham palace, but that we're walking through the land that God has given us the purpose and the destiny that he has for us.

And we're seeing it, we're picturing it.

And really that's what I would invite you into as to determine and to create a blueprint for your life in accordance with God's given, the God given purpose that God has for you.

And, you know, write it out.

Use vision boards.

I'm very big on vision boards.

And writing out a vision board done with a positive intention, a positive just feeling rather than a fear or, you know, I put this on the vision board.

It didn't come to pass last year, right?

But doing it because you know that you're in the rest of God.

God has a plan and a purpose, and that God uses your imagination.

God uses these things as clues so that when you are coming through, going through your day, and actually here's an exercise for people listening.

You know, first thing in the morning, last thing at night, spend five minutes before you even open your eyes or close your eyes, think through your.

If it worked out perfectly, what would life be like?

Think through just that.

You know, three days after a breakthrough that you've had, what would it be like?

How would you feel?

What would you be wearing?

What would you be saying to the people around you?

Imagine what that life would be like.

Because that's a really powerful way of your dream life being in your sanctified imagination coming to pass.

That's giving opportunity and space for it to come to pass.

Absolutely.

So true.

And you know, I know you and I both talked about this in our own ways on our own platforms, but I mean, obviously, not only does the Bible reinforce that idea, but.

But science now, right, has caught up and is really showing that our thoughts really do impact in that visualization idea, right?

It.

It really has a lot of power because it aligns our thoughts, right, with kind of what can happen, you know, what we can move towards, you know, so.

So I love that.

Okay, so I have one last question for you and then we'll wrap up.

What is fueling you these days?

Is that the.

As we.

Or in the middle or towards the end of August, like, what's just fueling.

You up right now?

I also listen to a lot of podcasts and I just love to hear different perspectives on the Word of God.

I think I'm understanding more and More in a new way.

It sounds very strange to say the gospel, the new creation realities that we have in Christ and the finished work on the cross, that's, I think, for a long time.

I've been in a mainstream church for Most of my 35 years as a Christian, but there are just some truths that I never understood before.

That when Jesus said it is finished, it means that he took sin and the consequences of sin away and that we get to live in Him.

I think sometimes we're seeing ourselves out of him, but actually he is the ultimate dream home.

And when we know him as a habitation rather than just a place we visit once in a while, visitation, you know, when we see him as our dream home, life is very different.

There's a freedom that comes knowing that we're spiritual beings seated together with Christ and that, you know, the things that people struggle with and challenges.

He's already provided a way out and the gaps are on our side.

He's already done them.

So it's really working out okay.

If there's a gap in my understanding of my prosperity or my peace or then I need to work out how to fill that gap.

That's really what's fueling me is just, wow, there's so much more richness to the Gospel than I think I have really understood in the past.

Yeah, absolutely.

That's amazing.

I love that.

Okay, so tell us, how can people learn more about your series and how you work with them and all of that good stuff?

My website has most of my information.

It's thehomeworks.net and there are links to the YouTube channel and there are some freebies.

I have a devotional on there that talks about desire and really allowing God to shift your focus and mindset.

And that's a really helpful one, which is a free devotional.

And there just other bits and pieces that I work on are on there.

But thank you very much.

It's been really interesting chatting with you.

Thank you so much for joining me, for sharing so much, you know, biblical ideas and how we can tie that and how it's tied together with our mindset, our thoughts, transformation, and how looking at these things, knowing, you know, having a vision for our lives, it helps us get clear and helps us really step into everything God has.

So thank you for joining me.

Thank you so much, Kristen.

God bless.

As I wrap up today's episode, I.

Wanted to share scripture with you.

And then just a quote, the scripture is Philippians 4.

7, and it says, and the peace of God which passes all understanding should shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, right?

We are promised peace, the fruit of the Spirit.

And when we go to him, our hearts and minds have peace.

Our hearts and minds are clear, right?

They're not confused.

And we aren't stuck in negative thought patterns.

And so just remember that.

Just pray on Scripture.

Write down scripture where you see it.

That'll remind you of his promises to renew our minds by focusing on things that are good and worthy.

And then I also like what someone said it was.

It's me.

Awe.

And she says, how often do I like these ducks, settle for the comforting crumbs of this world and forget I have a perfect home that's far better than I can ever imagine.

So once again, that that quote just reminded me of what I talked about with Titi about we just need to remember that we are homes for God, right?

Like he is in us.

And we have to ask ourselves, are we.

Do we have closed doors?

Do we have doors that we don't let God in?

Or parts of us?

In other words, are we setting our sights on heaven, on what God has for us and not the world?

And so that's really the question.

So I hope you have a wonderful.

And blessed rest of your week and I'll see you back here in a couple days.

Thanks again for listening to the show and if you enjoyed today's episode, we would love it if you could take a minute to leave a rating and review on Apple podcast because it helps.

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