Septic Thoughts
How well
have your thoughts served you over the years?
Have they given you peace, joy and rest?
They probably have at times. But
if you are like most of us, your thoughts have produced more turmoil than
peace, more confusion than clarity and more worry than contentment. Our minds are powerful and exert great
control over our lives. Our thoughts
turn to actions, sculpting us into who we are.
Thought is
the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.
Henry
David Thoreau
Do you
struggle with some of the following thoughts?
·
I
can’t do anything right
·
Nobody
really cares about me
·
Why
are people always picking on me?
·
I
will never be as happy as I was when……
·
I
can take care of myself. I don’t need
anyone.
There are
a myriad of other negative thoughts you might be wrestling with, but one thing
is certain: they are not from God. God’s thoughts are as different from our
thoughts as heaven is higher than the earth (Isaiah 55:8-9). God’s thoughts bring life, but our thoughts
can bring destruction and sin. The false
beliefs we hold onto bring chaos and havoc into our lives. We need to identify and expel those false
beliefs and start thinking in ‘God-speak’ – start thinking the way God
does. Then we can become all we were meant
to be. We can’t escape the truth in
Proverbs 23:7 which says, ‘For as a person thinks in his heart, so is he.’ Are you satisfied with who you are and what
you are doing? If not, take a long,
honest look at your thoughts. And
remember the words of Joyce Meyer: “You
will not change your behavior until you change your thoughts.”
An Honest Look
Taking an
honest look at our thoughts can be a difficult process, especially at first. Many of us have never considered thinking
about what we’re thinking about. We let
our thoughts wonder and go where they will, but God says to ‘carefully guard
your thoughts because they are the source of true life’ (Proverbs 4:23).
Joyce Meyer’s best known book is called The Battlefield of the
Mind. Many others have also written
about this struggle that engages us daily.
It’s a struggle we’re in whether we like it or not and whether we
acknowledge it or not. It’s in our best
interests to actively engage because this is where the main battle takes place
for not only our thoughts, but what our thoughts lead to: our actions, our character and the course of
our lives.
First we
need to identify some of the strongholds the enemy has in our minds. Take an honest look at your thoughts – be
willing to question, probe and contemplate them. Only through an honest evaluation can we
identify the thoughts that are harming us.
That is the first step to change.
It will
not be easy, though. We’ve lived with
our way of thinking a long time. It’s
comfortable, it’s natural, and it’s normal to us. New thoughts, like new adventures, can be
scary because they are unknown. 2
Corinthians 10:5 says, ‘we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to
make it obedient to Christ. Those are
fighting words! Let’s look at some of
the specific words in this verse.
·
demolish
– take down, pull down, destroy, overthrow; implies force and strength and an exertion
of energy
·
arguments
– thought, reasoning, imagination, speculation
·
pretension
– high thing, proud obstacle, lofty thought; lofty opinion
·
captive
– forcibly detained
We are to
proactively identify and destroy thoughts that are not of God and to forcibly
capture, detain and retain in our minds thoughts that are from God. Are you ready to fight some thoughts? Here are some common negative thoughts to be
on guard against.
Pessimism
The glass
is half empty instead of half full. Life
never goes your way and ‘murphy’s law’ always applies. There is nothing to look forward to or strive
for when we are pessimistic. Satan can
sit back and watch us destroy ourselves with this type of attitude. We don’t have any drive to change or fight back
because we have no hope.
Anxiety
& Worry
What will
happen next? Does she think I said
something stupid? Will I be able to make
it to my appointment on time? Why aren’t
they home yet – maybe they were in an accident.
What will I do if I get sick? I
don’t think I can get it all done. He is
not going to like this. What if my car breaks
down? And on and on and on. The topics for worry and anxiety never
end. From life changing worries like
illnesses and job loss to every day anxieties like how my hair looks, the never-ending
list drains our energy to such an extent that we barely have enough strength to
get through the day.
Bitterness
& Resentment
A
smoldering fire burns in your heart and mind, resenting someone’s success or
popularity or looks. You know they’ve
done nothing to deserve or earn what they have.
In fact, they may have done some pretty bad things yet they are living
the good life. That shouldn’t be! It’s not fair and we feel anger, perhaps even
hatred, in our hearts. We aren’t happy
for others and see only the negative in them.
This is a miserable way to live and it is often tied to
unforgiveness. We can’t seem to let
someone ‘off the hook’ for what they did, so now we are going to make them pay
by resenting them and treating them poorly.
The problem is…the other person may not even know what you are doing. In the end, it’s us who pays the price by
continually being unhappy and angry.
Discontentment
I could be
happy if only I were married…or single.
I could live the good life if I was thin. I wish I had children, then I’d be
fulfilled. If only I didn’t have to work
so much, I could go on vacation and get a bigger house and enjoy life a
little. I’d be happy if….you fill in the
blank. Discontentment makes us think something
is wrong with our lives and with us. It
discounts the people, circumstances and things that we currently have and could
be enjoying today. It removes the
possibility of enjoying the current moment and drives us into a fantasy-land of
unreality.
Criticism
Criticism
can be expressed in words and thoughts: Why
in the world did he say that? Don’t they
know that will never work? What a stupid
thing to do. This is so boring. Where have all the high standards gone? But it can also be expressed
non-verbally: a deep ‘you’re so stupid’
sigh, a disapproving shake of the head, obviously turning your body away from
someone or raising your eyebrow or rolling your eyes in disgust. However we express it, our disapproval is
heard – loud and clear. It pushes people
away from you and leaves you with a negative mind-set that is not able to appreciate
the people and things around you.
A few
others
In her
book, Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer lists a few other negative states of
mind that you can explore:
·
Always
wondering and wandering
·
Confused
– and trying to reason on your own
·
Doubtful
& unbelieving
·
Passive
Get out of that
pit!
Once you
have identified the thoughts you struggle with, you can start combating
them. The best way to combat your
negative thoughts is to replace them with God’s Word. We are made in God’s image, so I think we are
safe in assuming that God not only speaks his Word, he also ‘thinks’ his Word. Reading God’s Word and believing it is like
thinking his thoughts. And that’s
exactly what we need – God’s thoughts to replace our own ‘stinking thinking,’
to quote Joyce Meyer. Let’s take a look
at a few key verses to help us combat our negative thoughts.
Destroy
ungodly thoughts
Romans
12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.
Our
culture – throw their thoughts back! You
don’t have to accept every idea, conclusion or reasoning that our culture
embraces. Don’t be politically correct –
instead be in step with the word of God, wherever it takes you. Be aware of what you are accepting into your
thoughts when you watch a movie, read an article or see an advertisement on the
side of the road. Satan has a cultural
worldview that he is advancing for the furtherance of his dark kingdom. Identify it and you’ll begin to see how it is
creeping into every facet of our lives.
Other’s
opinions – be discerning. Choose
carefully who you will listen to and whose words you will accept. Look with new eyes at their actions. Do they strive to live a Godly life? Do they value God’s words and seek out his
ways? If not, be very careful in what
you will allow yourself to internalize in the course of your relationship with
them.
Start
thinking God’s thoughts
Philippians
4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about
such things.
You may
need to do a little investigation into the definitions of noble, pure, lovely
and admirable. Read his Word and learn
His thoughts on life. How did Jesus
handle daily life and relational situations?
Who is praised and who is chastised in the Bible? Doing a little investigative work will not
only make the Bible more interesting, it will ensure that what you are reading
stays in your mind.
A few thoughts to
keep in your mind
Changing
your thoughts is a long-term process.
Here are a few things to keep in mind.
·
Make
a decision to change. Renew that
decision often.
·
You
will change little by little, step by step, in your everyday life.
·
Don’t
give up! James 1:4 Perseverance must
finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
·
No
condemnation or discouragement. Keep
positive – Romans 8:28 says God will work all things together for good
·
Satanic
attacks – Satan is threatened by your change and will try to defeat you. Don’t
let him!
·
It’s
the Holy Spirit, not you, that will change your mind. Submit to Him.
And,
finally, practice, practice, practice.
Thinking God’s thoughts won’t come without effort. Sometimes we need to force ourselves to stop
our current train of thought. And
sometimes we need to say or think God’s word over and over to get us through a
rough spot. Having verses handy on
sticky notes or scrap pieces of paper can be very useful during those
times. Take steps to ensure that you
have a Bible verse ready to combat any destruction thought that comes into your
mind.
The mind of God
Make a
study of the mind of God and decide for yourself what a having a Godly mind-set
would look like in your life. I suggest
the following are some aspects of having a Godly mind:
·
Able
to stay on topic – not continually flittering to and fro
·
Quiet
enough to hear the still, quiet voice – not continually talking to ourselves or
hearing the voices of TV, radio, etc.
·
Calm
and serene…thinking on good things
·
Planning
in anticipation and joy, not anxiety
·
Alert
– not fearful but alert to the realities around us
We can do
this because we have the mind of Christ.
Ephesians 4:23-23 says we are to be made new in the attitudes of our
minds. The more we fill our minds with
what is good, right and noble, the more easily we recognize what is harmful and
destructive. And the less tolerance we
have for those types of thoughts.
Changing our thought patterns can be difficult, but the more we work at
it, the easier it becomes because we lose our appetite for our own thoughts. Praise God for that!
“I want to
know all God’s thoughts. All the rest
are just details.” Abraham Lincoln
Questions
1. Discuss 2 Corinthians 10:5 and the
definitions of the words in the verse.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against
the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to
Christ.”
2. What thoughts do you most struggle
with – pessimism, worry & anxiety, bitterness & resentment, discontentment,
criticism or another type of negative thought?
Provide an example.
3. Identify and discuss the source of
your negative thoughts – the culture, another person and/or your own ideas.
4. What steps will you take to start
destroying your negative thoughts and start thinking God’s thoughts?
5. Describe what having a Godly
mind-set would look like in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment