I experienced one of those restless nights where you seem to wake constantly. I woke several times with thoughts of things I need to do or things I just can’t control. Work thoughts, house thoughts, issues that aren’t issues unless I allow myself to keep thinking them to issues…you know those nights. Nights like this leave me tired, frustrated and cranky and in need of extra guarding of my thoughts.
I’ve been practicing capturing of all of my thoughts and in the process have come to the understanding that so much of our trouble, our “feelings”, truly are the by product of what we think, what we believe about a situation, issue or event, how much time we have spent thinking about or focused on a thought. I believe many of our issues began as non-issues that we bent and twisted until we made it into an issue.
There are several scriptures that remind us not to trust our own mind or heart, to weigh it all against truth. Just a few such as 2 Corinthians 10:5 ‘casting down arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ”. Proverbs 3:5-7 tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your mind, all your heart and all our soul, and lean not on your own understanding, “ Jeremiah 17:9 tells us “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it”
There is a saying “garbage in, garbage out”. You can read scripture in the morning, spend time with God then spend the rest of the day talking about, reading about, listening to things about any topic and that will become your truth for the day. As you scroll through news outlets, social media postings, have the news on and literally bombard yourself with opinions and sensationalized negativity, by midday you can be depleted of humility, trust, submission to God and literally have lost your faith in the one truth that matters most.
What we focus on is so important for our mental well being as well as our spiritual well being, likely our physical well being as well.
When I journal, when I read scripture and remind myself all day of what is true, remind myself of who actually runs the show, who actually has it all figured out, I only need to work hard, focus on what is right in front of me, stay intentional in my day. When I unplug from the constant unrest of the world, and plug into His peace, I can see hope, I can see truth, I can be joyful even in really rough times. There is purpose in that peace. That is when I get to be part of the fruits of faith. That is when I might get the prompt to write, text or call someone, and never, not once, has the person not said “how did you know?” That is a beautiful place of blessing and joy.
When we are busy fighting the world, plugging into our own ego or bombarding ourselves with bad news or worrying about things we really have zero control over, we can only be used as a weapon and likely most of that attack is against our own faith and well being.
When we are submitted, focused on His truth, making sure we surround ourselves with those that remind us; that is how we keep ourselves centered on truth. It intentionally seeing we don’t have to participate in the chaos, unplugging from the lie of it all. We don’t have to speak our minds, fix the world, air our thoughts on social media or argue with others about who is right or wrong. The lie of our own hearts is that our opinion is going to do more than our prayer will; than ministering hope and truth will. Of being a light on a hill. Different than the rest, a beacon in the dark. Love.
Our mind is our enemy if we don’t control what we focus on, if we don’t measure our thoughts against truth. We have to be vigilant, at all times, the enemy is always prowling; seeking to rob your peace, your joy, your hope, and ultimately he wants to rob your faith in our Lord. He uses you to do it to yourself.
I have learned for myself to not take myself too seriously, to remember the pause. Pause any reaction I may have and weigh it against truth. Learning to be quiet in it is more of a challenge. My heart is only part of the problem, my tongue is the other, but that is a “whole nuther topic”! This should be our vigilant effort every day: every thought should be seen as the battleground and our weapon is truth. Truth is, we have already won the war, we have a protector fighting battles we don’t even always see, we have a power that lives within us to do great and wonderous things for His purposes. We are His and He is ours, and we are meant to be a blessing from that blessed gift. We need to die to our own thoughts and pick up His truth instead.
That is where the peace lies.
beachgirl952 
I mentally wrote a similar post!!! Oh how I’ve tried to get Philippians 4:8 in the forefront of my mind for the past few months. The harder I try the worse I get. Hopefully Lysa’s book will help in this area, too.