Crooked Places Straight: Where Science and Scripture Meet

Call me particular, but when I go hiking, I’m not looking to climb over downed trees, weave through thick brush, or watch my every step to avoid tripping on tangled vines that cling to the craggy ground like veins. Those trails are frustrating, and forward progress is slow—sometimes impossible.

I’d rather walk a path where I can move forward unhindered. I want momentum in hiking and in life, without getting stuck in ruts. The same is true with my thinking—I don’t want to waste energy on negative thoughts that lead to negative emotions and reactions.

When the Israelite's took forty years to make what could have been an eleven-day journey, it was a warning. Wrong beliefs can create a self-imposed wilderness mindset, keeping people circling the same mountains. Confusion and lies block the way forward. What’s needed is a mind lined with truth and wisdom—a straight path that can be walked without tripping.

Over the years, through the Holy Spirit’s help, steady time in God’s Word, purposeful thinking, and even counseling, many of the thought patterns that once trapped me have been replaced. It hasn’t happened overnight, but real change has taken root—and, by God’s grace, will continue to grow.

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God’s Word and the Science of the Mind

God’s Word has been teaching this truth for thousands of years:

🍃 Romans 12:2 (KJV) – “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.”

🍃 Philippians 4:8 (NLT) – “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.”

🍃 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NLT) – “We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”

Science calls them neural pathways—patterns your brain travels over and over. Scripture calls it the renewing of your mind. Either way, repeated thinking—whether healthy or harmful—creates grooves. Some grooves are deep because they’ve been carved by years of fear, trauma, or negative thinking.

Those deep grooves? They’re the crooked places God promises to make straight.

It starts when thoughts are caught mid-run—before they take over—and held up to the light of God’s truth. The question becomes, “Does this align with what He says about me and my situation?” If the answer is no, it’s replaced with Scripture—again, and again, and again.

Each time truth is chosen over lies, something changes—not only spiritually, but physically in the brain. Those old grooves begin to weaken, and new, healthier pathways take shape. Through the Holy Spirit’s help and steady time in God’s Word, the crooked places in thinking begin to level out.

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The Promise of a Clear Path

Joyce Meyer says it well in Battlefield of the Mind: “Think about what you’re thinking about.” This daily discipline keeps obstacles from tripping up progress.

The God who created the mind knows exactly how to renew it. He has already promised:

🍃 "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low;the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth."— Isaiah 40:4 (NKJV)

By seeking the Holy Spirit’s help while meditating on God’s Word, the mind is renewed—spiritually and physically. Crooked places and deep grooves in thinking become clear pathways for right thinking, right living, and a biblical worldview. That’s the kind of forward progress worth pursuing—living unhindered in the direction God has called, with courage to run toward the life He designed.

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A Prayer for a Renewed Mind

Lord, exalt truth in my thinking (John 17:17), and level every lie that forms a mountain in my mind (Isaiah 40:4). Make straight any crooked thought patterns and beliefs (Proverbs 3:6). Smooth out every rough place (Isaiah 40:4). Help me to take all thoughts captive to You (2 Corinthians 10:5). Transform my mind daily through Your Word and the power of Your Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2). Help me to think on what is true and lovely (Philippians 4:8), to be free from any bondage created by wrong beliefs (John 8:32), to walk the best pathways for my life (Psalm 32:8), breaking every chain (Psalm 107:14) and bringing glory to You (1 Corinthians 10:31). In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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🍃 Key Scripture to Reflect On

"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 12:2 (KJV)

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🍃 Your Turn

What “crooked places” do you see in your thinking? Which patterns keep pulling you back?

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them. Spend time in God’s Word. Take every thought captive and replace it with His truth. Keep going, even when it feels slow. Over time, old ruts will fade, and new paths will form—ones that lead toward peace and freedom.

If you’d like more encouragement like this, check out my new book Echoes In The Wilderness, available now on Amazon.

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