Dharius Daniels - This 1 Bible Verse STOPPED My Overthinking

Hey, what if I told you that most of your problems are probably thinking problems? You are one thought away from some problems going away, but most people struggle with either underthinking or overthinking. I want to talk to you specifically about how to get out of overthinking in this video—stay tuned.

Listen, I heard one writer make a statement in a book he wrote—I think I read it years ago—and he said almost every problem you face is a wisdom problem. Now, this is what he was saying: he wasn’t claiming that all problems exist because of the absence of wisdom. That’s not what he’s saying; sometimes life is just lifing. What he’s saying is that no matter what the cause of the problem is, the answer will involve wisdom. So it may not have been the absence of wisdom that got you in, but it’s the presence of wisdom that’s going to get you out. When I drill down on that concept a little more, it means almost every problem is a thinking problem, right? I am one thought away from a solution to the problem I’m facing. I’m not trying to oversimplify our problems, but I do want us to move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, from a victim mindset to a victor mindset, where we realize and recognize that in many cases, we have more power than we’re aware of when it comes to changing our predicament.

Here’s the issue: when it comes to thinking as it relates to problem-solving, many people struggle with underthinking. Underthinking is very often an expression of a fixed mindset, and in many cases, it’s an expression of impostor syndrome. It is a person who has come to the conclusion that they can’t do anything about this situation; this is bigger than them, they feel helpless, and things seem hopeless, etc. This leads to underthinking—not ruminating enough on potential solutions to address a specific problem.

There’s another issue, and that issue isn’t underthinking; sometimes it’s overthinking. Overthinking can cause problems, but I think there are times when overthinking gets in the way of us coming up with solutions to escape a problem. There are a number of scriptures that kind of speak indirectly to this idea of overthinking, but one that comes to my mind is Philippians 4, where Paul is really talking to believers in Philippi about a pathway to peace. It’s really interesting here because it’s almost as if Paul is asserting that your peace requires your participation. I want you to think about it. It’s like he’s debunking the myth that if I just pray for peace, it will arrive like Uber Eats. He’s saying, «No, no, no.» He suggests that peace is made available to you, but just because it’s available doesn’t mean it’s accessed by you.

For example, let’s say you have money in the bank. If it’s in the bank, it’s available to you, right? But let’s just say it’s the old school days—before electronic banking—and I’m dating myself here, but you used to have to take checks to the bank back in my day. If you wanted to get money, you either had to go to an ATM, put your card in, and withdraw cash, or you had to go to the bank. This is an old-school analogy, but it’s the best I have. So, if you have money in the bank during the old days, where there’s no electronic banking, it’s available to you, but you only have access to it when you follow the pathways that the bank has set up for you to retrieve your resources. The bank may have said you either have to go to an ATM and put a card in or come to the bank and fill out a withdrawal slip. It’s available, but you don’t have access to it unless you follow the established principles.

The same applies to peace. Jesus is essentially saying, «In your spiritual account is peace, but if you’re going to access this peace, then you have to work the principles that I prescribe.» What Paul is doing in Philippians 4 is giving these people principles. He is saying, «Hey, if you want to have peace, this is what you must do: you have to know what not to think about.» He literally tells them, «These are the kinds of things to think about.» By providing clear instruction on what to think about, he is also telling them not to dwell on things that aren’t consistent with what he advises them to focus on—whatever is good, whatever is lovely, if there be virtue and if there be praise, whatever is of good report. He says, «Think on these things.»

Now, watch this: the issue with overthinking is that sometimes we are thinking so much that we think without boundaries—we think without guardrails—and our thinking slips into disempowering thoughts, scenarios, and patterns instead of empowering ones. Overthinking isn’t just about how much you think; it’s about what you’re thinking about. If you are thinking a little about the wrong thing, that’s too much! I’ll say that again: if you’re thinking a little about the wrong thing, it’s too much. It’s overthinking!