Read Time: 18 Minutes
NLP or Neuro-linguistic programming is a fanciful way of talking about methodologies around behavioral change driven by changes in mental states or frameworks. In layman’s terms, how and what you think about affects the way you act. Shocking, I know.
Some refer to these types of things as metacognition, or the awareness of our own thoughts. Others call it a pseudoscience. In many cases though, things that are intangible, cannot be seen, or are not ‘of this world’ are most often rejected by science. But flat out rejection is never the right approach, unless it goes against the word of God!
We are called to understand things before we reject. Yeshua (Jesus) spent a lot of time with sinners and non-believers. Not only was he trying to save them, but he sought to understand them as well. Understanding their thought patterns allowed him (and his disciples) to find ways to change their thoughts / beliefs and in turn change their behavior.
In fact, in his book Good Strategy / Bad Strategy, Richard Rumelt describes good strategy kernels as ones that attempt to first diagnose the problem or challenge, then build a general policy solution, and only in the last step act! Defining the problem in many cases is half of the work; likewise with the planning.
“A problem well-stated is half solved.” – Charles Kettering, Head of Research, General Motors (1920-1947)
In essence, NLP is a process of diagnosing challenges and planning our thoughts accordingly to generate the right action.
Below is the very beginning or introduction to the book of Proverbs (written by one of the wisest people who ever lived)…take note!
“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:1-7 NIV
God created our brains and bodies to work together. They are all part of a perfect system. But in order to use this system effectively, we need to _understand and use the system… _Let me repeat that. In order to use our system (and subsystems), we need to understand the overall system and how to use our God-given tools, and the related processes that make up the system.
And just in case you are lost, let me give you an example. If you are given a hammer, a nail, and a piece of wood, you need to understand what each tool does. Also, there is a process you need to follow. If the thumb gets involved, it’s bad news. If you use the nail and the wood without the hammer, well good luck… I hope you get the point. And this is just ONE process! Imagine the possibilities if we were talking about a complex system (group of processes).
“Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”
1 Corinthians 12:15-20 NIV
Now I know the author here was talking about the body of believers and each of us as parts of the body. However, I think there are always many different levels to scriptural interpretations. And one of them is literal! Rabbi Paul, the author continues here to give more descriptions and details, but the point is clear. We have to use the whole bodily system.
We are going to walk through some ways that we can use our neurological systems and NLP techniques to serve God’s will and purpose for your life. The fact is that behavioral change is possible if you have the mindset to act. And this is precisely why the proverb above starts with the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This fear (actually awe or reverence) creates in us a certain state and this state causes us to act in a certain way or ways.
If you are still not convinced, take a read through these quotes by Tony Robbins, a believer in God, someone who talks about Jesus’ teachings publicly, and one of the most sought after Life Coaches in the world:
-“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.” – Tony Robbins
-“Nothing has any power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts.” – Tony Robbins
I’ll go ahead and caveat that last one with no thing. He obviously believes God is omnipotent and has power over all he created. 🙂
Below are five ways you can (start) to implement the wisdom of NLP in a godly context. And we spend some time on each way, so don’t worry. We will also start with an example before we jump into the meat of the methodologies. This example, I pray, gives you some comfort around using this technique in a godly light.
Here are the five short ways, as briefly introduced in the previous post entitled Take Every Thought Captive:
- Renewing your mind with God’s Word & Prayer
- Anchoring daily habits to Scripture & Holiness
- Shape Reality with Positive Statements – BE A LIGHT!
- Break ungodly patterns using pattern interrupts
- Create positive mental states with Holy Imagination
Prologue: An Example of Reframing
Before we dive deep into our thoughts. Here is just one example with one technique called reframing. If you read the previous article entitled The Chukat Concept where I woke up with little sleep one day, you would have come across an example of this. Well would you know it, but when I started writing this, that day was another one of those days.
We are all human, this happens a lot, regardless of who you are.
You see what I did with that last sentence. With words, I made it okay. It’s not an excuse at all. I simply made what could have been unbelievably frustrating and a complete destroyer of the day, into something that released us from that negativity. It gave us a glimpse of the grace which God gave us by giving His Son, Yeshua our Messiah to die for us to be saved.
It is a small, perhaps microscopic way of redeeming the time we have. All through a simple technique common in NLP known as reframing. But as with everything, there are levels to this!
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV
I can take this reframing one step further. In this example, I used this poor sleep as a story to propel me to write. And now I am siting here, writing for you, and hopefully showcasing the power of reframing. You can easily do the same and turn negative into positive. It is exactly what God does on a daily basis. Look no further than the story of Joseph!
“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
Genesis 50:19-20 KJV
We are living out a live action story of love, one full of restoration and redemption. Remember this each time you are frustrated or encounter evil circumstances. Reframe situations in lights that you can be a light unto the world. Anything is possible through God, and let Him show you that.
One of my favorite sayings is don’t put God in a box. Take action now to dismantle any boxes of negativity you are holding onto, and take action for God’s will and purposes. By reframing and taking action, you will never be disappointed when God shows you what is possible!
Method 1: Renewing your Mind
Yom Kippur is a very special day. If you are not familiar with Yom Kippur, I would encourage you to do study up on God’s feast days as a whole. Leviticus 23 is a good summary of them all. We will spend some more time on these holy days in another post.
Yom Kippur, which literally means day of covering, is the day when God will seal us in the Book of Life (for those who are saved). If you are not yet saved, you can make the decision now to choose Yeshua as your Lord and Savior. He came the first time as a suffering servant to fulfill the spring feasts, and he will come again (praying soon in our time) to fulfill the fall feasts. One of which is Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, which is also called Day of Atonement, is commonly referred to as Day of At-One-Ment. As in the day in which we are most at one with God and the community of Israel as one body.
We are called on this day to fast, but most importantly to Teshuvah (תְּשׁוּבָה) or return. The sages describe this returning as more than just mere repentance, but rather a physical return to the good, righteous path, and also spiritually returning to ones truest humanity (read: before the fall of humanity).
“Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; Renew our days as of old.”
Lamentations 5:21 KJV
If we take a second to think deep about this, before the fall of Adam, God walked with him in the Garden. He was holy enough, at the spiritual level and cleanliness level of angels in that God could commune directly with man.
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”
Genesis 3:8 KJV
If you know this blog by now, you know there is a saying. Everything is a cycle, and there are cycles to this as well! There is the yearly cycle in which we are reminded to return to God, His path, and to ‘before the fall.’ Yet there is also a daily cycle in which we must consistently return or renew ourselves and our mind.
Similarly during Passover we are called to purge out the old leaven (representative of sin), and we are to eat the bread of the angels, reminding us of when we were in the wilderness and ate the manna.
Each day we are to remember that our bread comes from God. That we are not of this world, but another which is eternal. For those who fall victim to the distractions and demise of this world will reap their reward now. But God promises eternal life and spiritual rewards for those who persevere.
So next time we read the following verse, we need to embody this day of atonement, and refresh our priorities, refresh our psyche and wash in the body of Yeshua (the word or scripture) to renew our minds! Hint, hint – if we start each day with scripture, this is a good anchor and daily reminder of this renewal!
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:1-2 KJV
Method 2: Anchoring Daily Habits to Scripture & Holiness
An anchor is something that grounds us. When a ship is at sea, it keeps it in one area despite the movement of currents and thrashing of waves.
An anchor is a powerful tool, and we are all ships at sea in one sense or another. The waves of distraction and current events keep us from focusing on what’s important.
There are a couple different people credited with this quote but regardless it is potent:
“I’m not afraid of failure; I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.”
Let that settle in for a second. Without anchors we might sail across the seven seas, conquer nations and plant banners from shore to shore – metaphorically speaking of course – without a single true, meaningful victory in life.
In other words, we might make all the money in the world and a name for ourselves, but what good is that money or that name when we are gone. Especially if there is no one to inherit it. Or God forbid – there is someone who squanders all of it.
And life is not just about money and reputation. It is so much more. It’s about our legacy, the impact we leave on the world and imprint on others. How many people did we bring closer to God? How many people did we help bring to salvation? How many people did we love and develop in turn into great human beings? What was the true number of our days?
The harvest is plenty, and the workers are few. That is a scripture paraphrasing from Matthew 9:37, and a great example of an anchor. Now imagine if every time someone used the word ‘harvest’, you thought of this call to action. Now that is an even more powerful anchor!
There are many other simple examples that you can probably come up with now off the top of your head. They can even be visual or physical. In fact, they can involve any of your 5 senses.
God gave us another anchor called tzitzit (צִיצִית) or fringes, which we are commanded to wear on the corner of our garments. And this is not legalistic, these was intended to serve as an anchor so that every time we look upon them we remember His commandments. See! God invented NLP!
““Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.”
Numbers 15:38-40 NLT
Method 3: Shape Reality with Positive Statements
As discussed above, most of NLP seems to simple to be as powerful as it really is. But nothing is more powerful than our tongue. And as mentioned several times (hint: this is important!), the tongue has the power to heal or destroy. You have the power to shape realities and build entire worlds by using the tongue. If you are a leader in an organization or have managed anyone, you know what I am talking about. People hang onto your every word because you have the power of their pay and livelihood.
We need to be aware that even in our daily lives, and regardless if we are formal leaders at all, the tongue still shapes our reality. And not only does it shape our external reality, but it also shapes our internal reality. And this might be even more important, because our internal reality shapes our thinking patterns and our behavior.
One example, because there are millions of easy ones, is when you say “I can’t.” Can’t literally needs to be removed from your vocabulary unless it is confirming that you cannot break God’s commands. 🙂
But when we say “I can’t,” we trigger something inside, whether we know it or not. We are telling ourselves (and maybe others too) that we are incapable, incompetent, or just too lazy to do it. And this negative reinforcement actually works. It creates a barrier or an excuse frankly speaking. If you need some inspiration, look at people like Helen Keller or Stephen Hawking who had every excuse in the book. And I’m not saying you need to try to become a world-renowned physicist tomorrow, but we all have to admit that we tend to use the word “can’t” like candy. And in many cases, we absolutely can.
What if we replaced with “God willing, I can.” I want you to take this as a homework exercise, like the others above and try to apply it this week. And again, this is only one, very small example…you hopefully get the point and will start to watch your words wisely and speak positive whenever you can!
One final point – and this is probably what you had in mind before you read this – these positive statements do not need to be fluff. In fact, they should not be. They should be intentional, thoughtful, real and filtered truth. We should be speaking blessing because that is what needs to flow from our thoughts and mind. If not, then we need to renew our mind.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Proverbs 18:21 KJV
“Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”
James 3:10-12 KJV
Method 4: Break ungodly patterns using Pattern Interrupts
The power of the tongue continues in our fourth method! This technique can also be done by action (arguably more powerful), but in essence you can interrupt a pattern by any kind of diversion, whether that be through body language, physical language or action.
The simplest way to think about this technique is to imagine someone yelling at you. There are of course many different ways to react to this. You could (I wouldn’t recommend it), start yelling at them. But this herein continues the pattern of yelling behavior. You could also start crying (also wouldn’t recommend). This however, would probably trigger something mentally for the screamer and perhaps get them to stop yelling. Although, that may just reward them for their behavior and they may start yelling again.
Now imagine instead of yelling or crying, you started talking quietly, calmly, but directly. This would still interrupt the pattern. It would enact something in their brain similar to that of you dancing in circles or running in place. They are expecting their pattern to continue. When you switch the pattern from loud, aggressive, to quiet and calm, this new pattern interrupts and forces them to either change theirs or recognize yours.
What if I told you that this situation only involved you. You were the one screaming at yourself or the mirror. You can start to see how the pattern interrupt technique can work for you mentally as well.
We need to pattern interrupt all bad behavior like this. And we need to interrupt bad behavior with godly behavior, that which is founding in scripture!
Take a look at the following section of scripture. It might not have dawned on you before, but these are all examples of pattern interrupts. Our oppressors expect us to continue the pattern. Break the pattern in a godly manner!
“But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too! If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.”
Mattityahu (Mat) 5:39-42 CJB
Next time you encounter negative behavior, within your life or someone else’s, flip the script and change the pattern. If you are the one getting angry, take a few breaths. These breaths break your thought pattern.
“Being slow to anger goes with great understanding, being quick-tempered makes folly still worse. A tranquil mind gives health to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
Mishlei (Pro) 14:29-30 CJB
Method 5: Create Positive States with Holy Imagination & Mental Pictures
We will cover each of these methods further in individual posts, but hopefully by now you see the potential power in many of these.
This last technique is actually one of the most powerful. You probably did this one without knowing while you were reading this post…
Some call it visualization, others call it day dreaming. Some just brush it off as positive thinking and being intentional. Of course the different ends of the spectrum depend on your level of intentionality, but the more time we spend building up images in our mind, the more they affect our behavior.
This is why it is so important to spend time thinking about God’s word. It’s also why in the Shema (a prayer from Deuteronomy) we are told to talk about His word while we sit in our house, while we walk along the way, and to teach it to our children. We must keep the Word on our mouths day and night. Then our entire inner world will be enveloped with godliness.
“Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed.”
Y’hoshua (Jos) 1:8 CJB
And don’t just talk about it, think deeply about it, let it soak into your psyche. Then act it out to close the loop and engrave the neural pathways and behavior!
All action starts with a thought. Think about that. So our thoughts should be a birthing ground for godly action.
But first things first (or last but not least in this case), create internal worlds reflective of God’s will and holiness. Take mental snapshots of God’s messages. Take those snapshots and paint mental pictures and landscapes of His glory.
Imagine how great it will be in the Kingdom when we are all following His ways. These will create positive states where you can’t help but smile and rejoice.
Then let it resonate in your behavior. Let your rejoicing overflow into your actions. Just try it before you knock it. Find your favorite passages and let the living Word ruminate. I promise you will be amazed at its power.
“Rejoice in union with the Lord always! I will say it again: rejoice! Let everyone see how reasonable and gentle you are. The Lord is near! Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua. In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy. Keep doing what you have learned and received from me, what you have heard and seen me doing; then the God who gives shalom will be with you.”
Philippians (Php) 4:4-9 CJB
“I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.”
Ephesians (Eph) 3:16-21 CJB
Takeaways to make a way…
- Utilize NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) in a godly way to help win the war in your mind and in your world through converting into action.
- Reframe to change the game.
- Everything is a cycle of renewal and rebirth.
- Anchor yourself to the Word.
- Understand the power of the tongue!
- Negative thought patterns are meant to be broken!
- Take the time for holy imagination – daydreaming about His word, His glory and His will is godly!
Further Study with your Buddy…
To help understand further neurological processes and how to rewire our brains and our logic, read: The Chukat Concept
If it’s more mindset techniques you are after, learn how to develop a Seek First Mindset: God’s Plan Part 2: SEEK FIRST the Kingdom of God
Go back to the previous post and learn how to Take Every Thought Captive
Questions for Reflection…
- What is one NLP technique you can implement today? How about now?
- What went ‘wrong’ today that you can reframe?
- Do you have any godly ‘anchors’ in your life? Are they grounded in God’s word?
- Can you remember the last time someone else or you spoke positive affirmations and/or created a positive reality from words?
- What negative patterns can you interrupt this week?
- Did anything in this post jump out as a surprise to you? Why?
- Which scripture above resonated the most with you about how God wants us to think and act?
godlyyy 
1 thought on “Supercharge your Spiritual Strategies (5 ways to to use NLP for godly purposes)”