What’s Filling Your Heart (and How It Shapes Your Mind)
Last time, we asked the question: Who or what is discipling you? Today, we’re going to take that a step further. Because it’s not just what we consume that shapes us—it’s what we hold onto in our hearts and allow to guide our thoughts.
Treasures in the Heart
Jesus makes this point powerfully in Luke 6:45:
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
In other words, what fills your heart will eventually shape your words, your actions, and even your sense of self. We all “treasure” something—our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs eventually settle in as the foundation of our lives. Thus forming what we believe to be true about ourselves.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a beautiful example of this. Luke 2:19 tells us that she “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” She stored up God’s truth, even when she didn’t fully understand it.
The question for us is: what are we treasuring?
Distorted Treasure
Here’s the challenge: many of us aren’t storing up truth—we’re storing distortions. In counseling, these are called cognitive distortions: automatic thought patterns that twist reality and shape how we see ourselves, others, and even God.
Some examples:
All-or-Nothing Thinking: “If I mess up once, I’m a complete failure.”
Overgeneralization: “This didn’t work out, so nothing ever will.”
Mental Filtering: “I only notice the one thing I got wrong.”
Catastrophizing: “If this goes bad, my whole life is ruined.”
You can see how quickly these distortions can become the “treasure” we store up. That’s why last weeks blog we started with what is discipling us and what is it causing me to believe to be true about myself. What we believe to be true will impact what we store in our hearts. In order for us to treasure what is true, we need to be discipled in what is true. Otherwise, when we pull from the well of treasure in our hearts we will be pulling from distortions of who we are and not from our true identity.
Renewing the Mind
Romans 12:2 reminds us:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
This is the heart of intentional formation. Transformation happens when we notice where distortions have discipled us—and then replace them with God’s truth.
Distortion: “I’ll never be enough.”
Truth: “In Christ, I am chosen, adopted, and loved.” (Ephesians 1:4–5)Distortion: “If I fail, I’m worthless.”
Truth: “My worth rests not in performance, but in God’s grace.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)Distortion: “The worst will always happen.”
Truth: “God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
Practicing Awareness This Week
This week, try a simple practice: when you catch yourself in a negative thought spiral, pause and ask—Is this thought a distortion, or is it true? What is this thought saying I believe about myself? Where did I learn this?
If it’s a distortion, don’t stop there. Replace it with a Christ-centered truth. Write it down. Repeat it daily. Let it begin to reshape the “treasure” in your heart.
Because your mind is being discipled too. And with God’s help, you can choose who your teacher will be.