2 Corinthians 10:5 = "We…take every thought captive to obey Christ,"
I think we all struggle at times with negative thinking…
~ "I'm not a good mom since I yelled at the kids."
~ "The house is so messy! I'm a horrible wife!"
~ "I got angry AGAIN! I'm never going to conquer this sin!"
~ "God is disappointed in me since I don't spend a lot of time in His Word."
The thoughts are never ending, aren't they?! And I've found they build on each other. The more I let the negative thoughts in, the more they take over until I can't see ANY good. Every thing that happens brings me further down into the "pits of despair"!! But…they are all LIES!
Lysa says, "Lies flee in the presence of truth. But just as we have to flip on a light switch to erase the darkness, we have to activate truth to erase the lies. We have to capture our thoughts, hold them up to the truth, and make them line up with Scripture before we entertain those thoughts."
So, how could I counteract those LIES I mentioned above? By applying the TRUTH of Scripture to them.
~ I love my kids - TRUE. I love God - TRUE. I was tired TRUE. God gives grace - TRUE. I can receive forgiveness - TRUE. ("Whatever is true…think on these things" Philippians 4:8)
~ My husband gives me grace and he is pleased that with all I have on my plate the kids are still alive, we're all relatively clean, and dinner is on the table. ("Her husband calls her blessed and he praises her" Proverbs 31:28)
~ God offers forgiveness for my sin and He will give me an escape next time. I need to be mindful of that escape and make an escape plan. ("God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability but will provide the way of escape" 1 Corinthians 10:13)
~ My Father loves me dearly. I am precious to Him and He has never-ending grace/mercy for my failures. ("The Lord your God will rejoice over you with gladness." Zephaniah 3:17)
Give it a try: Take a negative thought you're prone to have and turn it around with the truth of Scripture!
I think we all struggle at times with negative thinking…
~ "I'm not a good mom since I yelled at the kids."
~ "The house is so messy! I'm a horrible wife!"
~ "I got angry AGAIN! I'm never going to conquer this sin!"
~ "God is disappointed in me since I don't spend a lot of time in His Word."
The thoughts are never ending, aren't they?! And I've found they build on each other. The more I let the negative thoughts in, the more they take over until I can't see ANY good. Every thing that happens brings me further down into the "pits of despair"!! But…they are all LIES!
Lysa says, "Lies flee in the presence of truth. But just as we have to flip on a light switch to erase the darkness, we have to activate truth to erase the lies. We have to capture our thoughts, hold them up to the truth, and make them line up with Scripture before we entertain those thoughts."
So, how could I counteract those LIES I mentioned above? By applying the TRUTH of Scripture to them.
~ I love my kids - TRUE. I love God - TRUE. I was tired TRUE. God gives grace - TRUE. I can receive forgiveness - TRUE. ("Whatever is true…think on these things" Philippians 4:8)
~ My husband gives me grace and he is pleased that with all I have on my plate the kids are still alive, we're all relatively clean, and dinner is on the table. ("Her husband calls her blessed and he praises her" Proverbs 31:28)
~ God offers forgiveness for my sin and He will give me an escape next time. I need to be mindful of that escape and make an escape plan. ("God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability but will provide the way of escape" 1 Corinthians 10:13)
~ My Father loves me dearly. I am precious to Him and He has never-ending grace/mercy for my failures. ("The Lord your God will rejoice over you with gladness." Zephaniah 3:17)
Give it a try: Take a negative thought you're prone to have and turn it around with the truth of Scripture!