When Max Lucado was told he had a life-threatening heart condition, the days that followed became a spiritual turning point that would eventually shape his most personally meaningful work yet.

Four years after being diagnosed with a serious heart aneurysm, Lucado has released a new book that offers biblical tools to help people reclaim their thoughts and find peace amid anxiety, depression, and fear, as The Christian Post reports.

In 2021, Lucado was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm, a condition that can turn fatal if it worsens significantly. Following the diagnosis, Lucado said he felt overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty for several days. He admitted, “I’m not proud of the anxiety level I permitted.”

But during a moment of deep prayer, Lucado said he had an encounter that changed everything. He described a vision of God's protective hand gently surrounding the affected artery in his heart. He said, “It may sound supernatural or mystical, but I can’t deny that God gave me that vision.”

Reflecting on this experience, Lucado shared that it gave him a sense of stability and acceptance. Though he did not wish to leave his loved ones, especially his wife, he found peace about the eventual end of life. “I really am at peace,” he said, adding, “My best life is after this life.”

Faith-Inspired Strategies Born from Crisis

Now 70 years old and still serving as the pastor of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, Lucado has drawn from that experience in his new book, Tame Your Thoughts: Three Tools to Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life. He describes this work as his most urgent and personally important contribution.

Lucado uses the book to share spiritual insight into how people can navigate what he says is a crisis in mental health. He highlights Scripture-based solutions to help believers manage the harmful and anxious thoughts that dominate daily life. His approach is both pastoral and practical, aimed at anyone struggling emotionally or spiritually.

The book is built around three central tools that readers can apply: "Picky Thinking," or becoming selective about thoughts to dwell on; "Identifying UFOs," which involves spotting untruths, false narratives, and emotional overreactions; and finally, "Uprooting and Replanting,” or replacing toxic ideas with biblical truths.

Addressing a Growing Mental Health Crisis

According to Lucado, these mental tools come directly from Scripture, including passages in Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, and John. He emphasizes the spiritual nature of thought patterns, saying that the mind is a battleground where doubt and fear are often introduced by external and internal forces.

“Satan is the culprit,” Lucado said, commenting on how deceptive forces can manipulate the way people interpret their circumstances and themselves. However, he maintains that healing and transformation are possible through God, adding, “He made our brains. He can retrain our brains.”

Lucado explains that being a follower of Jesus involves changing how we think. He sees discipleship not only as a lifestyle or behavior shift but as a commitment to cognitive and spiritual transformation.

The Influence of Modern Media and Culture

Lucado also warns that many of the destructive ideas people carry come from the stories told by movies, television, and online content. He believes the media shapes distorted narratives about relationships, values, and identity, often leading people into false beliefs that hurt their well-being.

“Just because a thought enters your mind doesn’t mean it deserves your attention,” he said. He encourages readers to critically examine their thoughts and reject those that conflict with biblical truth. “We’re meant to confront and reject the thoughts that don’t align with God’s truth.”

For example, Lucado points out how entertainment normalizes harmful behaviors by presenting them without consequence. These repeated messages can subtly influence long-term beliefs and choices, especially when left unchallenged.

A Message of Hope and Renewal

Lucado hopes that his book will help a wide audience, including those battling grief, insecurity, regret, and the feeling that the world is spiraling out of control. His message is simple: people are not powerless against their thoughts, and transformation is possible with divine help.

“Rather than just treating the symptom,” Lucado writes, “we need to go upstream to the untruth. That’s where healing begins.” He encourages believers to not only reject harmful patterns but to plant new ones grounded in Scripture.

He emphasizes that while the three tools he outlines are not the only solutions, they are effective, scripturally rooted, and available to be applied immediately. “These three tools are not the only tools, but they’re biblical, they’re practical, and they can be applied immediately.”

A Lifelong Calling Continues with a New Mission

Lucado sees this book as a continuation of his lifelong ministry, one that now bears the imprint of personal suffering and divine reassurance. He is urging churches to become more involved in mental health by discipling believers to think in spiritually healthy ways.

“Early in my ministry,” he recalled, “it dawned on me that what Jesus offers to help us do in the process of discipleship is to change the way we think.” Now, with a deeper personal understanding of anxiety and peace, that calling seems more timely and needed than ever.

By sharing his story and these tools, Lucado is inviting readers into a process of spiritual renewal—one marked not by ease or denial of hardship, but by confronting their thoughts with faith and truth.