God's Joy With Us!Sample

Attacking Toxic Thoughts: Winning the battle for your mind

Spiritual warfare is often focused on the battle for our minds. The devil is a liar and a hunter. He loves to set traps for us by whispering thoughts that feel true but lead us down a path that ends in destruction. As we read in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Jesus echoed this theme in Matthew 7 when He told the disciples, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (13-14).

Some emotions, like anxiety, are completely rooted in our thought life. Anxiety is caused by imagining bad things that could happen. This is why Paul told us to fight anxiety by thinking about what was good and true and lovely and excellent. (Philippians 4:8) He understood that toxic thinking sabotages healthy living.

Whether your battle is with anxiety, shame, despair, or some other negative emotion, the key to victory is developing a battle strategy for replacing toxic thoughts with Spirit-led, Scripture-based thoughts. Ask yourself, “what toxic thinking routinely fills my mind when I feel anger (or some other oppressive emotion)?” Then ask, “What would Jesus want me to believe instead?”It is not enough to suppress toxic thinking; we need to replace the thoughts with what is good.

Practice Exercise:

Increasing our joy trains our brains to look for good things in life and relationships. Just like looking at a field and focusing on the flowers we can enjoy instead of the bees that can sting us, we learn to notice joy when it crosses our path. Find a comfortable place to sit where you can look at something beautiful. It may be in nature (like a sunset, a tree, or water). It may be something in your immediate environment (like a piece of furniture or the decor). Focus on what you enjoy about this moment. Share your thoughts with a friend or family member.