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Are you looking for a Get Out of Your Head bible study guide? What key scriptures from the bible can help to improve your mindset?
In her book Get Out of Your Head, Jennie Allen helps you to tackle your inner spiritual battles, illustrating her arguments with powerful examples from the Bible. Our Get Out of Your Head bible study guide brings together Allen’s best biblical insights.
Keep reading for our Get Out of Your Head bible study guide.
Get Out of Your Head Bible Study
Our Get Out of Your Head bible study guide compiles Jennie Allen’s best biblical insights from her book. This includes biblical scriptures about the importance of community, lessons from Jesus, and advice for times of difficulty. Find our Get Out of Your Head bible study guide below:
Focus On Others
Self-help can be useful to Christians on a limited scale because it recognizes and encourages the necessity of “working on yourself.” But on its own, self-help always comes up short. Toxic spirals don’t just need to be stopped, which self-help may partially accomplish through affirmations and such things; they need to be divinely redeemed, which requires Christian faith and your disciplined cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
Your purpose as a Christian isn’t to think more good thoughts about yourself but to think less about yourself and more about God and others (Matthew 6:33, Matthew 22:37-39).
The truth opposing the lie of self-esteem is that real and lasting joy only comes from choosing God and other people over yourself. God didn’t create you to be the center of your own world. What’s important isn’t for you to be empowered but for you to rest in his power.
A key scripture supporting this truth is Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2 for us to share Christ’s attitude in our interpersonal relationships. Just as Jesus humbled himself as a servant of everyone and became the ultimate example of humility by willingly suffering crucifixion for our sins, so we should humble ourselves and devote our lives to serving others. The instructions in 1 Peter 2:21 for us to take Christ’s suffering and service as our example, and to follow in Christ’s steps, reinforce the same point.
The truth that overturns the lie of complacency is that God has saved you and set you free not to indulge yourself but to serve others, to elevate them over yourself and seek their good.
- A key scripture supporting this truth is Paul’s exhortation in Galatians 5: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
- Another is Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2 to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. Have this mind among yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
The way to defeat your enemy of complacency and its lie of self-indulgence is to choose others over yourself, to seek their good over your own comfort. See Jesus’s words: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
There are two primary ways to implement this strategy, one spiritual, the other practical.
The primary spiritual way you implement this strategy is to follow Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 3:2 to “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Go “all in” with God. Then you’ll be able to see life on earth correctly as your focus on eternal realities conforms your heart-mind to the truth that you’ve been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20) and now live this bodily life entirely through faith in Jesus, for the purpose of serving other people.
Lessons From Jesus
Jesus himself illustrates the victory in each battle. The same Holy Spirit that empowered him empowers you.
- Because Jesus sought solitude away from the crowds with his Father, you, too, can choose stillness with God over distraction.
- Because Jesus chose to live in community with others, you can do this, too.
- Because Jesus trusted his Father, even to the point of death, you, too, can let go of fear and trust God.
- Because Jesus knew all about the world’s brokenness and sin but never became a cynic, you, too, can reject cynicism and delight in God’s goodness.
- Because Jesus emptied himself and became a servant, you, too, can choose humility.
- Because Jesus conquered sin and death and made us “more than conquerors,” you can choose gratitude over victimhood.
- Because Jesus didn’t abandon us but gave us the Holy Spirit, you can reject complacency and embrace intentional service.
Remember at all times who God really is, who you really are if you love and follow Jesus, and the stupendous implications of both. Learn to draw on these truths, especially when you’re upset or destabilized. Pick from the plethora of biblical thoughts about who God is and who you are in him. Use the techniques and tools in this book to reprogram your mind with these thoughts. For example:
- Revelation 22:13: I am the beginning and the end. I am the first, and I am the last.
- 1 John 1:5: I am light; in me there is no darkness at all.
- Jeremiah 1:5: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
- 1 Corinthians 3:16: Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
- Bear in mind at all times the “secret weapon” of Christ’s pre-existing victory that you learned about in Part 2. Fight each battle, and wage the whole war, from the confident knowledge of this.
The Power of Thought
Every great and awful act in history and in our lives starts with a thought. A single thought that honors God can change the course of history and eternity. A single uninterrupted lie in your mind can produce inconceivable havoc in the world.
Negative biblical examples of this truth in action include Eve’s sin in the garden (which began with Satan’s implanted thought that the fruit was good and beneficial) and David’s sin with Bathsheba (which began with lustful thoughts).
Positive biblical examples include Mary’s submission to God’s plan for using her to bring his Son into the world (her submission began with thoughts of obedience and faith) and Jesus’s choice to go to the cross (which was centered in his thought, “Not my will, Father, but yours”).
Because thoughts are so powerful, it’s important to learn how to become aware of your most commonly recurring toxic thought, to recognize that thought as the enemy’s attempt to imprison you and shut you off from God and other people, and to replace and reprogram that thought with God’s thoughts.
Also crucially, this ability to use the interrupting thought is ultimately for Christians. As a Christian you have God’s power to choose your thoughts, focus, and purpose. You’re not a slave to sin. Consider:
- God gives you, as a Christian, everything you need for a victorious life (see 1 Peter 1:3).
- In Philippians, Paul observed that because God has recreated us in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit’s power and the ability (and responsibility) to choose whether to live for the Spirit or for “the flesh” (our old, fallen self-nature with its sinful desire). The ability to change our heart-minds is built into us as Christians.
- When he wrote his letter to the Philippians, Paul was practicing what he preached. He was imprisoned under house arrest, yet he chose to have the awesome love and reality of the risen Christ, instead of negativity, dominate his mind.
Time Alone With God
You can find scriptural support for both the importance of stillness and your ability to practice it in various passages, including James 4:8 (“Draw near to God…”), Galatians 5 (flesh vs. spirit), Psalm 46:10 (“Be still and know that I am God”), Psalm 8:10 (“Better one day in your courts…”), and Matthew 11:30 (“Come to me…and I will give you rest”).
The only way you can consistently bear Paul’s “fruit of the spirit” (joy, kindness, peace, patience, self-control, and so on) instead of manifesting it only intermittently because of toxic thought spirals is to consistently “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). And the only way you can do this is by embracing and practicing stillness with God.
The Importance of Community
The truth that explodes the lie of shame is that God made you not to go it alone but to be seen, known, and loved.
A key scripture highlighting this truth is 1 John 1:7: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
The whole Bible supports the irreducible need for human community. It assumes that those who follow God will live in community with other God followers.
You can also find vivid descriptions of ways to achieve real community in Philippians 2 and Colossians 3. According to Paul in those books, creating real human community may look like:
- Showing brotherly affection
- Trying to “outdo each other” in showing honor
- Living in harmony with others
- Comforting others and seeking peaceful interactions
- Denying your own sinful desires and serving others
- Being kind and forgiving
- Being grateful
- Worshiping God together
Along with the Holy Spirit’s help, you require two additional things for successfully reaching out to others for community: awareness of what you need and the courage to seek it out. Here’s some specific advice for these:
Find and connect with healthy people. Look for emotionally healthy people, those whose lives show they’re truly following Jesus. See Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:1 to “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Look for people who show authenticity, openness, peace, and a willingness to share, listen, and grow. Remember that you’re called to cultivate this kind of emotional health in yourself, too, and to share it with others.
Trust in God
The truth that explodes the lie of fear is that God controls every day of your life. Jesus tells us that “the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Luke 12:7).
God always gives you what you need, when you need it. You can see this in Jesus’s parable of the flowers: “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!” (Luke 12:27-28).
The way you defeat your enemy of fear and its lie that you can’t trust God is by surrendering your fears to God. The core tool for defeating “What ifs?” is simply the answer “Because God.” God trumps every fearful speculative “what if.” You literally don’t have to worry. God provides for us (Matthew 6:25-34), loves us (Romans 5:5), and chooses us (Ephesians 3:16).
Here are some specific strategies for surrendering your fears to God:
Follow Paul’s detailed advice in Philippians 4:6-7. Refuse to be anxious. Instead, choose to be grateful. Pray to God throughout the day for what you need. Choose to focus your thoughts on what’s true, noble, pure, and lovely.
The truth that exposes and overturns the lie of cynicism is simply this: that you can trust God without reservation. He will work all things together for good in the end. A key scripture supporting this truth is Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Practice Humility
Soak yourself in scripture passages about humility, service to others, and denying yourself. Consciously emulate Christ’s servanthood. The following are some good examples to get you started:
- Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”
- Ephesians 4:1-2: “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”
- Philippians 2:5 (mentioned but not quoted above): “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus [who] emptied himself, by taking on the form of a servant.”
- In Philippians 3, Paul explains how he came to “count everything as loss,” even the things that would nominally seem to make for a good and happy life, “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord.” He goes on to explain that his whole life has become devoted to the goal of knowing and exalting Christ, not himself.
For Difficult Times
Look for the unexpected gifts that difficult circumstances may bring. You may find that you and your loved ones grow the most in your faith because of hard times. Bank on Paul’s description of some of these benefits in Romans 5: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
The above Get Out of Your Head bible study guide looks at Jennie Allen’s key biblical insights from the book.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Jennie Allen's "Get Out of Your Head" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Get Out of Your Head summary :
- Satan’s master plan for poisoning your mind with toxic thoughts
- How to replace ungodly lies with scriptural truths
- How to “put on the mind of Christ” and fulfill God’s plan for you
