As a single woman I lived with
risk. I felt no accountability to anyone except God so I'd be crazy for Him and
see where He takes me. As a young nurse I moved to a job in a dangerous Manhattan
neighborhood; then I went to West Africa with its wild roads, rare electricity
and well water. Life was interesting and fulfilling as I served God. But
whenever I came to Minnesota to visit my parents, my mom would worry where I
went and how late I stayed out. I'd say, "Mom, you are supposed to trust
God and not worry."
"I'm NOT worried, I'm
concerned," she's say.
And we would go around and
around. Thinking back on it, I was probably more argumentative with my mother
than I should have been.
Today we are examining our usual thought
life. The past two weeks we've examined how God's
Word helps overcome temptation. Who knew He cared so much about what we'd call the
little sins. The biggies would be murder and adultery, right? Hear me out on
this!
Satan realizes he's not going
to trip most of us up to become ax murderers. So he focuses his energies to make
us mouth off, waste time in worthless conversation, and fester with worry that
practically immobilizes us and our dearest relationships.
C.S. Lewis, in his book, the
Screwtape Letters, quotes a senior demon giving advice to an underling in
training.
It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
Toxic Mind
I listened to a Christian counselor
once on the dangers of toxic thoughts. It was intriguing to me because I started
to recognized the toxic thoughts I struggled with and played in my head over
and over, often about worry. Kind of ironic when you recall the conversations I had with my mother, right?
Just for fun I Googled the
subject, “toxic thoughts.” Many articles emerged on thoughts that trap us and hinder us from a
full life. None of the articles I viewed were from a Christian perspective but rather from a New Age viewpoint or help
for the business world, etc. The damaging phrases and thoughts with an
awareness of how bad they are for us is clearly an important topic for emotional
health. Here are just a couple examples of damaging thoughts.
- Everybody's life is better than mine.
- Dwelling on the past.
- Dwelling on what you don't have.
- Fixation on what others think of you.
- Comparing yourself to others.
- Thinking you can change others.
You might be surprised how much
the Bible talks about changing the way we think. You are what you think. Each
one of these areas of toxic thought are addressed in the Bible. When you
realize that God loves you and accepts you with all your imperfections and can
transform you into a child of God controlled by the fruit of the Spirit, these
thoughts start to pale.
However, we as human beings do
not change our thought patterns quickly. We start to think a certain way from
messages we have often heard in our growing up environment. Ads and media
images present the ideal life and values of the world. Social media is a rotten
measure for our worth, catching us in the comparison game. These tangled webs
entrap us day by day, a little at a time and wear us down if we try merely on
our own efforts.
Here are a number of verses
that pinpoint the importance of our thought life.
Ask God to search your thoughts
(Psalms 149:23). He has created you. His divine search light can show you where
problem areas are in your thoughts.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23
For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. Matthew 15:19
Ask God to transform your
thought life. (Romans 12:2. Ephesians 4:23, Philippians 4:8) The Holy Spirit is
a valuable resource. People who do not know Jesus do not have the Holy Spirit
who is within us and available to remind us and coach us how to think. He
convicts us of negative thoughts not pleasing to God. He also reminds us how
much we are loved and valued if we just listen.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Ephesians 4:23
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8
Read and Bible and spend time
in prayer with God to transform your mind. It's biblical. It is what He would
want us to do. Memorize helpful verses. Write them on sticky notes and put them
in critical places where you will see them and be reminded.
THE BIBLE TRANSFORMS US
For the past two weeks we have
looked at many different verses about temptation, sin and how to avoid it. The
key to it all is the Bible. The Bible has so many verses which align with each
other how we can live a life pleasing to God, in sync with our fellow man. We
have read many references about prayer, to let God transform us, the power of
God's Spirit, and so on. One of the best passages about the fact that our
battle is against spiritual powers, and our weapons are spiritual are found in
Ephesians chapter 6.
Resist the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12)
Put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:13)
- Therefore, put
on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the
time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Ephesians 6:13
The armor of God is designed to protect us to resist that which is
negative and damaging, and helps us know how to be proactive against attack.
What is the armor of God
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- The Shoes of Peace
- The Shield of Faith
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit
Put it on today.
THAT'S A WRAP!
Satan works hard to tempt us and
lead us astray. Our thoughts and words seem like little things, but they are
what control us. No wonder Satan and his demons try so hard to control us in
these ways. Have none of this! Turn them over to God one by one as they assault
you.
Cleansing our mind is of
critical importance to our emotional health and our position as a child of God.
The Bible is available to us as a guide. The Holy Spirit is within us to help
us every day. Prayer is a tool that can be used any time of day or night. None
of these cost anything, but they are invaluable to us. Use them!
Up Next: Foolish Talk
_________________________________________
Reflect:
1. What toxic thoughts take over my mind and repete themselves over and over?
2. What Bible verse might help me to control those?
3. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to guide everything that goes through your mind.
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