What you think has everything to do with the way you behave.
If your thoughts are destructive, your actions will bring those thoughts to life.
We’ve been forging these destructive thought processes since childhood and practicing them sometimes thousands upon thousands of times.
The corrupt world around us only reinforces those negative thought processes as it seeks to press us into its mold (Romans 12:2).
God offers us the only way to break free of destructive thoughts.
- Study God’s Word daily (2 Timothy 2:15). Our hearts are so deceitful, we can’t even recognize destructive thought patterns without God’s Word.
- Ask for God to use His Spirit to reveal wrong thoughts to you (John 17:17). You can’t recognize destructive thought patterns without the assistance of God’s Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who renews our minds with the Word of God (Ephesians 4:23).
- Memorize and meditate upon the Scriptures that address your destructive thought patterns (Psalm 119:11).
- When you find your mind going down a destructive path, replace those thoughts with truth.
But, what happens when these thoughts are triggered when you don’t have the opportunity to open your Bible?
Here are some practical steps:
- Call out that thought process as sinful and destructive (1 John 1:9).
- Sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19).
- Give thanks to God for the blessings He has given you (Ephesians 5:20). Just as the song says, name them one by one.
- Draw on the accountability of a group of Christian friends who can strengthen you, encourage you, and point out blind spots (Ephesians 5:21). You weren’t meant to fight these battles on your own. This could be as simple as sending a text to a group of friends that you’ve asked to pray with you. Or, it could involve reaching out to a Christian counselor.
- When you have more time for focused study, search for books and articles that use the Scripture to address the thought processes that are troubling you.
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