You are not a Captive of Your Thoughts
Sometimes we behave as if we are the victim of our thoughts. When we are in an unbalanced state, it is easy to allow our unbridled thoughts and feelings to guide our steps contrary to the direction in which we may desire to go. The longer we continue in the habit of believing that we have no control over our thoughts, the harder it is to reign them in and tame them again.
The Bible promises us that we will be given the peace of Christ when we trust in Him, so why do so many of us live as sufferers of anxiety, fear, hopelessness, and confusion? Philippians 4:8 gives us some insight into why this may happen: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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.” This scripture points to two processes: Believe and Act.
Believe in the Promise. Believe in Jesus, who is He and what He did for you, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. His Peace, a peace not based on circumstances and which is beyond our comprehension, will protect both your emotions and your thoughts. This Peace is supernatural and is a gift from God that is available to each of us who believes.
Paul immediately follows this statement with a directive: 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. Think about these things! Do it! Take action! Is your mind dwelling on slights and offenses, fears and worries, brokenness and temptations? As 2 Corinthians 10:5 commands, take these thoughts and MAKE them obedient to Christ. You are not without responsibility or autonomy. Nail them to the cross in prayer, leave them there, and return to thoughts that are pure, lovely, and admirable. Is this difficult? Yes. After years of negative patterns of thought, you have to actually retrain the neural circuits in your brain. It takes time, effort, and intentionality, but neuroplasticity allows for those thought patterns to change. And the best news? You have the world’s best psychologist, the Almighty Counselor, living inside of you!
The best imagery I have of this is borrowed from someone else. Imagine a dove, a symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit, trying to alight on your shoulder. If you are frantic and erratic, it will be hard for the dove to alight. However, if you are calm and still, the dove has no problem landing and you can delight in its presence. Now, take that to your thoughts. How much easier will it be to receive the Peace of Christ if your thoughts are on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy? Don't live another day falsely captive to the negative thoughts in your head. The Lord has given you His Word to guide you, His Son to save you, the Holy Spirit to comfort you, and the Body of Christ to walk with you. You are empowered by Him to make the change, for “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”
(The Lord created us to live in community with one another. It is critical that if you are experiencing depression, acute anxiety, or thoughts of self-harm you reach out to a professional who can help you walk through this. See our Resources page if you need a professional to talk to.)
Originally published on April 17, 2020
