TURN OFF THE FAUCET

What do you do when negative thoughts creep into your mind?

It’s important to recognize where those thoughts are coming from. They are toxic. They invade us like a poison and cloud our ability to love clearly. We have an enemy and it’s not each other. 

We are told to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). But do we do that as often as we should? I often find myself chasing black rabbits in my mind, and it takes too long before I realize they’re leading me into a dangerous hole.

Did I lose you? Here’s an example, a wake up call I just had, literally. 

I was laying in bed this morning and a friend popped into my mind. There in the quiet, before I was even fully aware, I suddenly found myself mad at this friend for all the things she hadn’t done (but I thought should have). I was listing out the ways she hasn’t been a good friend. And as the list of accusations piled up in my mind I suddenly felt an alarm go off in my heart.

Wait…..a…..minute…!!!

Where it this coming from? Who is this coming from? We have an enemy and it’s not each other, and this enemy who goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) would like no more than to see us divided. 

So as the alarm went off in my heart I realized I need to check these thoughts swirling in my mind and weigh them against what I knew was true. 

As I did, the arguments crumbled and I felt compassion and understanding for this friend instead. 

We can control our thoughts. We are gate-keepers for what we put in our minds and what we allow to swirl around in there. 

Just as much as it can be destructive to allow negative thoughts towards another roam free, it is equally destructive to allow negative thoughts about ourselves wreak havoc. 

Shame. That sneaky thing. It is a robber and a thief. 

It demands attention like a game of wack-a-mole. Each time you deal with it, boom, it pops back up. But next time you see it rearing it’s ugly head in your mind, pay attention to the alarm you feel going off in your heart. You are not a slave to your thoughts. You are not a slave to shame. 

Take those thoughts captive. Expose the darkness and illuminate the light. Remind yourself of what is true. You are cherished and loved. You don’t have to earn that, it’s your birthright (Ps. 139). 

We have an enemy and it’s not each other. Stand tall and stand firm in this my friends…