Overcoming Toxic Thoughts
Mindset is major
Do you ever wonder if it's possible to change the way you think? Do you ever find your thoughts spiraling out of in anxiety or negative? Perhaps you've noticed lies taking up residence in your mind and spreading their poison? What thought patterns do you have that you would like to change?
Unfortunately, many people have toxic thoughts regularly, thoughts that are destroying their lives and relationships. A definition of toxic is anything containing poisonous material capable of causing sickness or death.
Toxic thinking can take many forms. Maybe you blame others for your circumstances, or you place unrealistic expectations on how other people should behave. Perhaps you're constantly worrying about what other people think or always replaying conversations in your head.
Whenever you find yourself battling with toxic thoughts, keep this encouragement from Proverbs 2:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Take Time to Renew Your Mind
The good news is that we can overcome stinking thinking! Romans 12:2 instructs, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
As with any new thing, we can learn and grow when we take the time to.
I remember when I first got saved, my mind was a mess. It was constantly going, continually rehearsing conversations I had, ways I could have said things differently, or past situations. The way I thought caused me to lack inner peace. One day, I decided to commit to focusing on this area. I felt the Lord revealing to me more and more how much the root of so much of my stress and anxiety was because of how I was thinking. I began to keep a journal next to me. Whenever I felt a negative thought spring up, I wrote it down. Then, I prayed about it.
If it was a limiting belief, I asked God to show me how He felt about me through His Word. If it was a lie, I prayed for the truth and a proper perspective. I grew in the area of how I thought, additionally, by listening to the Word audibly and by being mindful of the conversations I participated in. I wish I could say that I am always thinking wonderful thoughts all the time, but this is an area I will continue to grow in, and so will you, so don't give up.
Give God Your Thoughts
I don't know why it is that we never think to give it over to God when it comes to some areas. Many battle for longer than they should with things that God instructed us to cast. When it comes to our inner dialogue, give your toxic thoughts to God and ask Him to guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Ask Him to help you safe guard your mind and heart against the lies that get stuck in your brain and the toxic thoughts you keep having. Determine to overcome this through the help of His Holy Spirit. Seek wisdom and ways to find healthy patterns of thinking. One of them is by taking every thought captive in the name of Jesus (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Until next time,
