Mind Control
It's been a minute guys! I've got to say how I have truly missed this, more than two weeks is far too long! I haven't written since March 1st and to be honest, I beat myself up so bad about that. For me, these past few weeks have been mentally challenging, but I am beginning to have a new perspective of the feelings I've experienced.
Is it just me, or are there times when you feel as if every negative thought you've ever had floods your mind? Every thought that says, "you can't do it" or "you don't deserve good things" or "you aren't good enough" continuously swims around your head, and it seems so loud that you can't ignore it. It seems like someone is literally screaming these things at you. Well, that is what I have been feeling these past few weeks. I haven't been motivated, and I have felt completely stuck. It was even hard for me to have devotional time daily. It has been rough, but I have decided to try and get out of this funk. I am beginning to see how my thoughts are currently running my daily life, whether they are good or bad, and while I have noticed this fact, I am also struggling with how to resolve it. I am learning to fight these feelings you've got to do research.
During my search, I came across a message by Craig Groeschel on the most prestigious educational video library I have ever seen (aka YouTube) and the title alone fit my current state, "Winning the War in Your Mind". In this message, he came from the scripture 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, and verse 5 stuck out to me "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (NIV). He also gave 2 points on how to begin the process of taking control of your mind.
1. Identify your biggest stronghold. Identifying the one thing that is screaming the loudest. What is the one thought that manifests a whirlpool of negativity?
And
2. Name the truth that demolishes the stronghold.
Now, these two points seem like the easiest thing in the world to do but, as I started to try and put them into action they proved to be more difficult than expected. Intentionally thinking about the thoughts that spark all of my negativity is not an easy task. As I attempted to try and organize my negative thoughts, I noticed just how many of them I had. Though there are a lot (and I do mean a LOT), most of them seemed to have a common theme. "YOU ARE UNQUALIFIED!". Almost every thought that keeps me stuck rang with these words. I often feel as if I am not qualified to be a wife or a mother. I'm just fumbling my way through occasionally stumbling on good moments or principles. Every career goal I have I am 1000% unqualified for, and I most definitely feel completely unqualified when it comes to writing for The Work. When I think of these things they are so loud but in the spirit of winning the war in my mind, I picked up my bible to help combat these thoughts.
Once I identified my loudest thoughts, I knew what type of scriptures to look for. For me, naming the truth that demolishes strongholds meant searching for biblical truths that remind me of my source. I think that one of the reasons I struggle with these particular thoughts is because I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect in these areas. Let's be honest, when we attempt to reach our goals (whether it's to be a wife, mother, boss, entrepreneur, or whatever) society has not modeled reaching with Christ as our anchor. More often than not, we attempt to do these things in our own strength and with social norms guiding us. I want to break that mold and pick up a new process.
To help break out of my unhealthy habits I searched google to find scriptures that apply to my thoughts. My goal is to find 5 scriptures so when my thoughts come I can fight them with God's word. Think about it even Jesus practiced this principle when he was tempted by the devil ( Matthew 4: 1-11). During Jesus' 40 day fast the devil tried to tempt him, but with every word the enemy had, Jesus had a scripture for it. If Jesus used this process, then I am pretty sure it would be wise for us to do the same!
This week I am going to take the time to embed scripture into my heart. My goal is to have 5 scriptures memorized so that if I'm having a moment I will have something to fight off my thoughts with. If you are anything like me, let’s commit to doing this together. I would love to see what scriptures you find that help guide your day. I am still doing a lot of research, but I have already found one of my scriptures Matthew 21:22 “ you can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”. For me, this scripture reminds me that my faith is the starting point for my mind control. If I truly want to be mentally well it starts with praying and BELIEVING for it. The Work that we do is vital to our spiritual growth so let’s start with something small. Memorizing 1 of your scriptures a day and repeating it like a mantra when your mind is swimming is a great beginning. I’m excited to see what you all find so as always, Let’s Get This Work TOGETHER!
