Get Out Of Your Head: Thinking About Thinking

Here is the devotional:

Learning to capture our thoughts matters. Because how we think shapes how we live.

Lies such as I’m helpless, I’m worthless, I’m unlovable, shape our thinking, our emotions, and the way we respond to the world around us. They trap us in their cycle of distraction and distortion and pain, preventing us from recognizing the truth we should believe. Most detrimentally, they change how we view God. Every lie we buy into about ourselves is rooted in what we believe about God.

Let’s say I tend to feel worthless and invisible. And let’s say I read Ephesians 1 and learn that God because He deeply loves me, chooses me and adopts me. Even if I don’t overtly deny the validity of that premise, I still doubt it is true for me. I nod at the truth, but I never fully absorb it and let it shape my identity.

Then let’s say I am married to a spouse who is typically distracted with work. I don’t feel seen in our marriage, which confirms my deep-seated fear that I am indeed worthless and invisible. So even in the most inconsequential of arguments with my husband, I feel anxious and start to spin every time he’s short with me.

I can’t see all that he has on his shoulders, I can’t empathize with his stresses, and my needs exceed his ability to ever meet them.

Before long we are fighting constantly, and we don’t even know why. My husband now has become the enemy in my mind and can’t ever seem to say what I need to hear or be whom I need him to be.

And the spiral of my thoughts has now invaded my relationships and robbed me of joy and peace.

Until I throw off the lie that God’s love isn’t for me, my emotions, decisions, behaviors, and relationships will remain twisted up in the mistaken belief that I’m worthless.

When we begin to think about our thoughts, perhaps for the first time, we can stop the downward spiral. We can reset and redirect them. That’s our hope. Not that we would wrestle each and every fear, but that we would allow God to take up so much space in our thinking that our fears will shrink in comparison.

Lord, I want You and Your truths to reign in my mind! Amen.

Here are the scriptures referenced:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Ephesians 1:4‭-‬5 KJV

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But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:12 KJV

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For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Romans 8:14‭-‬17 KJV

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Here are Stu’s thoughts:

So many of us have these types of thoughts at one time or another in our lifetime.

Some have them for what seems like forever. They are hard to shake.

I’m walking in it as we speak.

If could TRULY learn to let go of words spoken into our lives over the years and concentrate on the fact that God loves us, made no mistake in our creation, adores us just the way we are, and wants the ABSOLUTE best for us everything would be so much better.

Heck marriages would flourish as expectations that cannot be fully met, without a relationship with God, would not be placed on our spouses.

Jobs would be more meaningful as we realize our worth is based on who we are in Christ and not what the boss or coworkers think.

But can we? Yes we can if we put Philippians 4:8 into practice…

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

This is a key verse in scripture!