Free Looks Good on You: Healing the Soul Wounds of Toxic LoveSample

Did your parents ever tell you to watch your mouth? As a young girl, whenever I complained my mother’s voice rose a few octaves as she warned, “Christine, don’t give me any lip! You’d better watch your mouth!”

I knew it was time to shape up when she used my full name.

My mom wasn’t a Bible student, but if she had been, she’d have realized she was teaching me a spiritual principle. 

Before a word is formed on our tongue, it’s first a thought in our mind. Believe it or not, we get to choose what thoughts we allow ourselves to think about. You’ve no doubt heard the saying, you are what you eat. The same is true with your thoughts: you are what you think.

Remember the castle illustration I used in the fifth devotional when I asked you to think of your soul as a castle? Your mind is like the door to your palace. Only you can decide what thoughts or meditations you allow inside. You also decide what meditations are not allowed to come in. 

When negative thoughts try to invade your castle and influence your emotions, you have the responsibility to kick them out. If a robber rang your doorbell and asked if he could come in and steal all of your valuables, you’d slam the door in his face, bolt it shut, and call 911. And yet when harmful thoughts try to rob our valuable peace, we often open the door and welcome them in. We may even offer them coffee and say, “Sit down for a while, and let’s talk.”

I have a speakeasy on the front door of my house—a small-latched opening that allows me to talk to a person ringing the bell without opening the door. It’s very useful because I can keep the door shut and locked while I decide if I want to allow the person to come in. Just because someone rings the doorbell doesn’t obligate me to welcome them inside. That’s the way we should deal with our thoughts. 

Satan's battleground is your mind. His brand of deception combines a lethal lie with a dash of truth. That way, a lie doesn't really sound like a lie. A lure of self-pity seems reasonable. The bait of bitterness seems justified. He makes pride seem like confidence and insecurity seem like humility. The list goes on. He twists and tweaks the truth, but if he can penetrate your brain, he can pollute your thought life. 

Make a choice daily to free your mind of toxic thinking. Refuse to entertain thoughts that contradict what God’s word says about you!  

Thoughts to Consider: 

What toxic thoughts and lies do you need to replace?

Say a prayer and ask the Lord to help you renew your mind with His truth.