In approximately 23 seconds I can go from thoughts about something as benign as dinner preparation to thoughts that tear down those I am called to love.
example of how my thoughts can stray…“I need to thaw the chicken. I really should start buying organic. But it’s expensive. And Adam works hard to provide for us. I would hate to spend more than I should. Because he works so hard for us. In fact he works all the time. I haven’t even seen him this week. He must not love us.”
Mere seconds and now my man doesn’t love his family. And it happens when I don’t engage the battle. When I lay down his mighty weapons and let my thoughts wander. It’s then that I entertain lies. And that’s dangerous ground.
Three years ago my man and I crawled through the deepest valley of our marriage. But it was in that dark season that God graciously began transforming my thought life. Transforming! He so tenderly opened my eyes to a part I had played in driving us into our marital pit. A part that stemmed from my pattern of thinking.
Over time I began habitually criticizing my man. I could hold my tongue fairly well, because that is what a good Christian girl does. But my mind was plagued with negative thoughts towards him. And I was completely unaware of the effects.
The first step in taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ is awareness. We have to know what it is we are actually thinking. And for true awareness, we need his vision. We need him to reveal our heart meditations.
Today’s Thought-Life Challenge:
- Carve out some time to get alone with the Lord, pen and paper in hand.
- Think about that one situation or that one person who has you anxious or hurt or angry or bitter. You know the one.
- Now ask him to reveal what you are specifically thinking about that situation or person.
- Write down each and every thought he brings to mind.
This is a tough challenge. Raw emotions may rise to the surface. So I want you to know that I am honestly praying for you. Remember, we do not have to live bound to lies or negativity. Our Lord died to free us. And we have weapons mighty in him to take these thoughts captive to obedience. Captive to love.
Next week we will dive into the how — how we engage the battle once we are aware of the thoughts. Sorry to leave you hanging but don’t burn your thought-list yet.
Fill me, Lord…
How have you seen lack of thought awareness affect your own life?
Thought-Life Series Links:
every. thought. captive. {1 :: intro}
“And it all stemmed from my thought life.” True that. Most of our problems stem from our thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 helps us understand how to retrain the brain. Doing the actions from those verses are the process of getting free. I’m glad you are doing this series!
Thanks, friend. Praying he transforms our minds.
It seems women are often more prone to this struggle than men. Perhaps our excess word need is a cause. Anyway, I certainly have struggled her much of my life. One thing someone said a few years ago and it has helped me tremendously is this: Self dialogue most always leads to selfish ambitions. Dialoging with God, bringing him into the center of my thoughts transforms my thinking and my heart. It has been true for me. I like the idea of writing down our thoughts…it is revealing. Thank you! Blessings today.
That is so key! Dialoging with God transforms our thinking. I love how you put that! Thanks for sharing.
My thought life has made a shift in recent years. They used to be more negative toward others (and they still are sometimes) but they have shifted to negativity toward self. I think the shift happened when I was struggling with PPD after my 4th child was born. I go through cycles of positive thoughts bordering on pride, to deep, dark thoughts about my failures and flaws. There are a couple of people who bring out the anxieties in my mind. I will be in prayer about this and thank you for this series! Have a great vacation!
Oh our thoughts can be so deceptive. Thanks for your vulnerability. You are not alone. We all have the battle to engage. Praying with you as we enter this series.
one thing I have recently done is that every time I have a negative thought toward my loved ones, or even someone I don’t know, I stop and pray for that person. For example: “oh, there she goes again, throwing a fit. Why can’t she…. ? Oh, Lord please help her control her emotions. Lord, help me love her like you do. Help me show her your Grace. I speak Grace over her. Peace. peace. Thank you Jesus, for my baby. ” It’s amazing how it changes my emotions and the outcome of situations.
Like one of the other comments… I don’t do self dialogues… I dialogue with Jesus instead. 🙂
Enjoy your vacation. 🙂
Tereza
Tereza, that. is. key! Thank you for sharing. That is exactly one of the tactics we will discuss in the coming days. Replacing our thoughts with intercession. Dialogue with Jesus. Blessings to you, sister-friend.
Wow. I was just putzing through the internet and ended up at your latest post (which made sense to head here before I read it fully). Seriously, God knew I would end up here–boy is this something I needed to read. And do. Thank you!