Guard Your Mind Against Negative Thoughts
No matter how good of a person you are or how strong your faith is, negative thoughts will come. These negative thoughts will try to weigh you down by taking residence in your mind.
Deal with the “never” lies.
“Never” lies are thoughts that will try to steal your peace, kill your joy, and discourage you from pursuing God’s purpose for your life. They sound like, “My body will never be healthy. I’ll never get out of debt. My children will never make good decisions.” These lies may not sound subtle but often appear when you least expect them. By studying God’s Word — the Bible — you will learn how to combat these “never” lies from the enemy.
Your mind is like a home for your thoughts. Don’t let just anything in. Just because a thought comes into your mind doesn’t mean you must dwell on it. You have to guard your mind against these unwanted guests.
Pay attention to what you’re dwelling on.
The Scripture says, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The word “heart” represents the inner man — your mind, will, and emotions. Think about this:
Your thoughts influence words, words influence actions, and actions determine the course of your life.
The White House is one of the most heavily guarded residences in the world. Securing it falls to a secret service branch known as the Uniformed Division. There is a squad of over 1300 police officers and agents who establish and control the outer perimeters around the U.S. president’s home. Regularly, they handle knife-wielding protesters, thrill-seeking fence jumpers, and gate-crashers while fending off helicopters and airplanes.
Getting shot at by people near the White House is not as rare as one might hope. The Uniformed Division is the first line of defense against chemical or biological weapons. They incorporate the service’s counter-sniper team, motorcade support unit, canine, and EOD divisions. The job requires being put in harm’s way to guard a home from unwanted intruders.
Picture God’s peace like a squad of well-trained, highly skilled soldiers standing watch over the dwelling place of your mind. The Apostle Paul wrote, “God’s peace will stand guard over your heart and mind as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
There is peace from a source that is not from this world to protect you from the negative thoughts that come from living in this world (here’s how heavenly peace is God’s gift to us here on this Earth).
Don’t let your mind stay empty.
If those negative thoughts get past the security of peace and try to attack your mind, remove and replace them. Meditate on good things. Meditating means to think about something again and again. The Apostle Paul makes some suggestions. He writes,
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).
When you’re tempted to think you are always sick and you’ll never get well, replace that thought with the truth that God is your healer. Start saying, Thank you, Lord, that Jesus carried my sickness and pain on the cross. By his wounds, I am healed and made whole (Isaiah 53:3-5).
When a thought tells you you’ll never get ahead financially, remove it by replacing it with the truth that God is your provider. Start saying, Thank you, Lord, that you can do immeasurably more than I can dare to ask, think, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
When you are worried about your children making poor decisions or hanging out with the wrong crowd, remove that thought by replacing it with the truth that your children are a gift from the Lord. Hold tightly to the Scripture, “The children of the upright will be mighty in the land” (Psalm 112:2). Start saying, Thank you, Lord, that my children will be mighty in the land.
Guarding your mind takes practice. Remove the “never” lies, replace those negative thoughts with what is true, and experience God’s peace that surpasses human understanding.
Prompt: What is one thought that has been attacking your mind recently? How can you replace it with God’s truth?
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for keeping my mind steadfast in peace as I trust you.