Who is the one in control of your thoughts? Does what you think or the way you process your thoughts really matter? Does focusing on God’s thoughts of you and placing His thoughts at the forefront of your mind really change your thinking?
I recently attended a women’s conference called “Woven” at Southcrest Church. The worship songs, the speaker, and the conference as a whole were all very powerful. The entire conference theme was about calling the enemy out and speaking God’s truth over our own lives. The conference enlightened its audience about the works of the enemy.
At first, I felt empowered by the message, but I quickly found myself lost in my own mind, “judging” everything that was happening. Just when I was actually worshipping and listening to what God was telling me, the enemy surreptitiously snared my mind, jerking my brain cells back in his direction.
“This stage looks different than my church stage.
Is the worship leader looking at the screen to get her next lyric? Seriously?
Oh, of course, they have a photographer. Everything is for social media these days. Why can’t they just be “
in the moment,” not worrying about trying to keep up appearances?”
On and on my mind continued, like a black hole, consuming every good work God was trying to do until there was a black void of anguish and turmoil.
The Lies of the Enemy
We have a very real enemy. He is a thief who will steal your patience, your joy, your peace. And he will do it so stealthily, you will believe you are the one who should be ashamed of what you have let happen.
He is also a liar. Not only telling you you’re not doing a good job but listing out all the ways you are failing, making you second guess everything you do. He wants you to believe that “the world” is the enemy, but this war we are fighting is not one person against another person. The battle we are fighting is one of the minds.
…and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
Oh, y’all! The enemy was trying desperately to get at me as best he could. He was pushing God’s thoughts out of the way and placing his thoughts in God’s place. By comparing my church with this other church; comparing the people around me with myself; beating myself up for not being completely present
Call the enemy out
And he does this in my day to day life. While raising my son, submitting to my husband, loving my friends and family. He constantly puts me on the defensive, causing me to lash out when what I really need to do is respond in kindness. He allows my mind to wander and compare my life to others, envying what they have. I become bitter for what I don’t have instead of responding in joy as I learn of others’ fortunes and good news.
I was enabling the enemy to rule my thoughts, and it was making my heart bitter.
The speaker spoke about the enemy. How the Devil speaks these manipulative lies into our minds, making our hearts believe the lies he is telling us. At this conference, we even spoke directly to the enemy. Acknowledging his existence, we let him know that we know he’s there. Because when we are speaking truth over our lives with God’s thoughts, we aren’t listening to the lies of the enemy.
But even as we were speaking to the hateful one who deceives us, the enemy was still trying to force his way into my mind and take over my thinking. How scary! And how very real.
Take Captive Each Thought
Here are effective scripture verses to combat the enemy when he tries to derail your thinking. Listen to God who knows you and loves you dearly. Blast the enemy with God’s thoughts for you!
- When your child cries through the night, wakes up early from nap time, fights you when you feed him, looks at you blankly when you try to make him laugh, don’t listen to the lies that say you’re not capable or you’re doing everything completely wrong. The One who blessed you with this precious human life knows you are the mom for the job. Genesis 16:13–“…’You are the God who sees me,’ for [Hagar] said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.'”
- When your friends share their good news that you desperately thought would be the good news in your life, don’t let this wreak havoc on your heart nor ruin your friendship. God’s timing is perfect, and His way is good. Just because your friends seem to have all the fun and prosperity, God is doing good work in and through you. And if you could see what He is doing on the other side, you would want exactly what He is planning. Jeremiah 29:11– “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”
- When you can’t seem to get anything right, and you feel like a failure. You just want to throw in the towel and call it another lousy day. When all you want to do is roll your eyes skyward and crawl into bed, remember what Jesus did for us. While still sinners, He died on the cross for each and every one of us. When He was beaten to the bone and mocked for everything He stood for, He still fought for you, for me. He loves you so much!! Hebrews 12:3– “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Bottom Line
The enemy wants your heart to become envious and jealous. He wants to take control of your thinking making you become resentful of the life you lead. Take each spiteful thought that lashes out against the good work God is trying to complete and lay it, as an offering, before Jesus. Continue laying down each rampant thought until you feel the peace that can only come from God.
Immerse yourself in God’s word and surround yourself with encouraging people who continue to point you back to God.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your word which offers truth for anything I am going through. You are the speaker I want to listen to every day of my life; your words are a waterfall in a dry land. Please forgive me when I let the enemy take over my thinking. Help me take each thought that I have and lay it down before you, the Almighty. I ask that you take my thoughts, Lord, and make them yours. Thank you so much for loving me so much that you would even care about my thoughts. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
