Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen delves into how thoughts shape our minds. We have the power to choose what we dwell on.

There’s a secret to having peaceful thoughts, and it all comes down to a personal choice of what to focus on.

So many of us struggle with toxic thoughts. They stir around in our heads, creating all kinds of havoc. It’s not that we want to think negatively. It’s just that our thoughts are tied so closely to how we feel. We have emotional reactions based on our circumstances or what people say or do to us. If we’re not careful, these thoughts start to run our life.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. We have the power to change our minds. When we focus on Jesus, we start to think and act like Him, giving us a sense of peace. When we focus on others, our thoughts become more positive because we aren’t so worried about what was affecting us anymore. This gives us a sense of freedom.

In this summary, you will learn:

  • how our thoughts lie to us;
  • that we have a choice about whether we believe them; and
  • that both God and community help us see things from the right point of view.

When we capture our thoughts, we have the power to decide what to believe about ourselves.

Our thoughts have so much power over us. This is probably why in 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul tells us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Our mind tends to be fickle. One minute, we are feeling joyful and content, and the next, we are worried about what our boss really thinks of us or whether we are ever going to do anything right. Without making a deliberate effort to control our thoughts, they go all over the place.

Our thoughts matter because they determine so much of what we say and do in our lives. They shape us into who we are. Just look at the habits we want to break. We may read the Word to strengthen ourselves against something we want to get rid of, and it will work for a short period. We change for the better, but then for some reason, we get pulled back into the very thing we just got rid of.

Where does it all start? In our emotions. What we feel leads to certain thoughts. From there, we end up acting on what we’re thinking about. This leads to specific behaviors, which in turn affect our relationships.

One of the challenges is that when we deal with others, we tend to overreact about something they do or say to us. For instance, a biology student who gets mostly A’s in school knows she is smart. But then a classmate tells her she is dumb. Normally, we’d think that type of comment wouldn’t bother the smart student, but in reality, the wheels start turning in her brain, and she starts to question how smart she really is. She may end up thinking about every mistake she has made and dwelling on them.

There are certain lies we tend to believe about ourselves, and they fall into three categories. Either we’re unlovable, worthless, or helpless. They relate to our view about God as well. For example, if we grew up feeling unlovable and unwanted, it will be hard for us to believe God loves us though He tells us He does in numerous parts of the Bible.

The enemy doesn’t want us to have good thoughts. He’d rather we suffer and get side-tracked from all the good God offers us. If we can fill our thoughts with as much of God as possible, we’ll feel at peace. But the enemy will attack us every step of the way.

The author, Jennie Allen, found this out in a creepy way. She was speaking at a Baptist church about Jesus. After taking a short break, she was confronted by a little old lady that told her she needed to stop “speaking of us.” The woman also added, “We are coming for you.” Jennie could tell there was something really off about her. After going back on stage to finish her talk with the audience, she heard the lady screeching outside the auditorium doors. Then, the lights turned out all at once. The enemy was trying to send her a message, but Jennie didn’t understand.

Reach out to be free from constant negative thoughts.

Upon leaving the church, Jennie called her husband and frantically started asking if everything was okay. She felt her family needed to be ready for a spiritual attack. She had time to digest what happened at the church while flying back home afterward. After she arrived home, her husband assured her everything was fine, but she found herself repeatedly waking up at 3 a.m. and then lying awake at night, worrying about everything. Was the laundry done? Were the kids okay? She even worried about the bigger stuff asking herself if God was real and if He loved her.

Jennie had been thrown into a pit. She started to have doubts and was slowly starting to sink into despair. Her hope was fading, and depression set in like a weight on her mind. She started to think she was unlovable, worthless, and hopeless. The enemy was throwing his arsenal of weapons at her almost non-stop. She felt like her life didn’t matter.

Then, she started to come out of it after 18 months, and she realized she had a choice when it came to what she allowed herself to think about.

It was on a trip to Uganda that she finally broke down and told two of her friends what she’d been suffering from all those months. She also told them about the strange lady she’d met at the conference and the words she told Jennie. She told her friends she’d lost her faith. Her friend Ann told her it was the enemy who was tormenting her so much. All Jennie could do was nod her head in agreement…

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