Every Believer's Thought Life: Defeating Destructive Mental Patterns to Gain Victory Over Temptation

by Stephen F. Arterburn, Marcus Brotherton

We live in a sex-saturated world. How can you live a life of integrity in the midst of a sexual onslaught? From the author of the Every Man series (more than 4 million copies sold), Every Believer’s Thought Life helps all Christians—men and women alike—understand how to live a life of sexual integrity by taking every thought captive.

Jesus made it clear that while sexual integrity is expressed through the body, it’s rooted in the mind. But aligning our thoughts with God’s thoughts isn’t always easy.

Illicit sexual thoughts don’t need to have free rein in your mind. The Bible provides an arsenal of weapons to win the battle. Jesus invites you to live with full sexual integrity—in your behavior, heart, and mind. Instead of succumbing to the despair and darkness of sin, you can take every thought captive and replace it with thoughts that align with God’s truth, allowing Him to bring about His best for your life.

This book will teach

256 pages, Hardcover

Published January 10, 2023

About the author

Stephen Arterburn is the founder and chairman of New Life Ministries—the nation's largest faith-based broadcast, counseling, and treatment ministry—and is the host of the nationally syndicated New Life Live! daily radio program aired on over 180 radio stations nationwide, Sirius XM radio, and on television. Steve is also the founder of the Women of Faith conferences, attended by over 4 million women, and of HisMatchforMe.com.
Steve is a nationally known public speaker and has been featured in national media venues such as Oprah, Inside Edition, Good Morning America, CNN Live, the New York Times, USA Today, and US News & World Report.
In August 2000, Steve was inducted into the National Speakers Association's Hall of Fame. A bestselling author, Steve has written more than one hundred books, including the popular Every Man's series and his most recent book, Healing Is a Choice. He is a Gold Medallion–winning author and has been nominated for numerous other writing awards.
Steve has degrees from Baylor University and the University of North Texas as well as two honorary doctorate degrees. Steve is a teaching pastor at Northview Church in suburban Indianapolis and resides with his family in Indiana.

Reviews

[Rosann · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Every Believer’s Thought Life" is a book that gives you patterns of thoughts and then compares them to biblical principles. Anyone’s thought pattern determines one’s personal history. If you constantly bombard yourself with negative thoughts, your personal history and current well-being is at risk. The authors give examples of thought patterns and biblical shows you how to break them up.

Here are two quotes from the book that resonated in me:
“Deep and lasting life change ultimately comes from God. His power is grace-oriented and divinely fueled, and He does the greatest work in our life. Always keep in mind that the true power to change comes from Him.”

“This is our new, full identity as believers! Instead of the deceitful and desperately wicked heart ruling our lives, people are offered new hearts that have the capacity to be undivided in pursuing God. The old heart does not need to win any longer!”

The book contains practical ways to assist us in breaking free from the bondages that hold us back; from the bondages that control our behavior. Negative thoughts produce negative behavior. Want to stop that? Read this book.

[it74me · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books about ways to help improve one's life in various ways. I cannot remember one ever affecting me quite as profoundly as this. Even though some of the suggestions in the book are things I have already found to be helpful, I had never really considered working on my thought life specifically. I was particularly intrigued with the value in not just working on the removal of bad thoughts, but replacing them with good thoughts, much like the way one does with bad habits or addictions. There are many other ideas here that really spoke to me.

I was just a couple of chapters into this book when I found myself already recommending it to others. I would advise any Christian to read this, and it would be a great book for something like a small group study. I have also recommended it to some non-Christian friends.

[Andrew]

I loved the book. At first it was a little slow getting into it, but after the second chapter I didn't want to put the book down. While some may think that the addiction to sex or a sexual addiction isn't a bad thing. Let me just say that when it continues to draw you down and destroy the relationship between you and anyone that you love. Then it is a bad thing. I really like how Stephen lays out each thought pattern and the way to overcome them. Chapter 7 was by far the best chapter. I had to share it with my spouse and pastor because it was so good. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone I know that struggles with an addiction or a destructive mental pattern.

[Robert L. Elm · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Every Believer’s Thought Life” is a book that belongs in every Christian’s library and referred to whenever thoughts and/or actions are not what you know the Holy Spirit approves. It is written with a very readable style that makes it a good reference.

By the end of Chapter 1 you are aware of the magnitude of the problem in your life and you may be surprised where you stand. This is good. Nothing can be corrected without first being identified. By the end of the first chapter you can also see there will be a solution you can choose to apply to your life.

The book requires honest self evaluation, and honesty is the key. It uses scriptural guidelines rather than being based on modern psychology or cultural thinking. It acknowledges the thoughts and feelings we all have but directs us to a proper response based on God’s wisdom. You will learn how to identify and deal with root causes not just elimination or control of symptoms. The strategy goes beyond eliminating bad thoughts by replacing them with new and constructive thoughts in alignment with God’s plan for your life.

This book should be read and the message implemented by everyone. Your world and life will be better for it.

Robert L. Elm, author of “From Divorce to Delight” and “Godly Marriage: A Primer”

[Peggy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We must tend
our minds diligently, year around, constantly being attentive to planting good thoughts,
keeping weeds away, clearing clutter, even deliberately allowing our mind to rest and
recharge." The book, Every Believers Thought Life, is a book addressing thoughts that cloud our minds daily. Though all people struggle with different thoughts in different ways, the remedy as this book makes clear is to refocus your mind. If negative thoughts bring you into depression, retrain your thoughts into positive thoughts. If alcohol clouds your thoughts refocus your thoughts on to something totally different as a distraction such as you are God's child. Through any struggle the ultimate answer is God. This book helps guide you in how to regroup, refocus, retrain your thoughts to the Lord.

[Jeff Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Every Believer’s Thought Life" is a book that gives a new and fresh perspective on how to live our days focused on experiencing God’s contentment and joy in our lives. The book provides some easy-to-understand insights and specific actions we can begin immediately to help us stay focused on growing in our faith and avoid the negative thinking pitfalls we face daily. One of the most profound and practical insights presented in the book is how to proactively develop some positive “God Thoughts” that we can access and use to replace harmful thinking.

Two seemingly simple quotes from the book that were familiar ideas to me really struck me as much more deeply important as the author simply, yet profoundly, defined these everyday activities as crucial to our success in experiencing God’s peace and contentment in our lives:
“It matters what we think. Sin is sin, and any moment spent in sin – mentally or otherwise – is squandered time. Sin dishonors God and robs us of life’s best.”
“One of the most effective ways to stop thinking an illicit thought is to start thinking a God honoring thought”.

The book provides compelling insight into the paradox of how we can experience freedom, contentment and peace by following God’s commands and then develops practical insights and steps we can follow to “live fully and abundantly, as Jesus invited us to, continually filling our minds and hearts with the thoughts of God.”

I have read other books by this author, which have all been very good, but this is the best to date in revealing God’s most basic desire for our thought life and in defining the simplicity of our ability to achieve the peace that comes with achieving God’s desire. I strongly recommend this book and plan to share it with all of my friends.

[Dawnielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am blessed have read this as part of the launch team for Every Believer’s Thought Life (Defeating Destructive Mental Patterns to Gain Victory Over Temptation. The book contains so many good reminders of where the source of our strength and life come from, and it’s not the cares and distractions of the world. Every chapter is filled with examples of Scriptures and their applications to our thought life and how Scripture can bring life to our minds and help dispel the lies that can so readily run through our minds; when we aren’t daily renewing them with God’s truths. All the chapters lay a pathway back to seeking God and the Word and they contain Key Takeaways to wrap up each one. This is a call to choose life and not death by directing our thoughts back to our hope and joy in Jesus by the Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of faith and using them to dispel the lies that so readily run through our minds.

I highly recommend this book to help find the “diligent ease” that comes from learning to and walking in step with the Spirit of Truth.

[Mike Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explains the importance of the thoughts we dwell on, and how they affect our actions. The authors use a Biblical perspective to show how we can control the thoughts we allow in our minds. My favorite chapter was Purple Elephant, Orange Monkey which shows how we can banish sinful thoughts by replacing them with God-honoring thoughts. Any one who struggles with their thought life will benefit from the principles in this book.

[Peggy House · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read with practical help.