TAME THE WILD THOUGHTS
Withdrawal. Depression. Anxiety. All these are without doubt very normal occurrences when dealing with pain. You try to distract yourself with movies, hangouts, games and all sorts of activities but when all is done you creep back to that dreadful corner.
It started with one thought and I hardly noticed when the others flooded in. Before I knew it my thoughts were running wild. I was no longer in control of myself. Since I had reached a point of no return, or so I thought, I decided that I might as well pitch a tent and make this little world my home. I knew I was only adding fuel to a fire I deeply desired to extinguish but I was helpless.
It was during one of those long nights in bed when I had a different kind of thought. In fact, it seemed like it was just deposited there. In the midst of the enemy's lies I somehow managed to discern it.
Whenever my busy thoughts were out of control, the soothing comfort of your presence calmed me down and overwhelmed me with delight.
Psalms 94:19 TPT
By entertaining the negative thoughts I hadn't realized that I had been running from the only one who could tame those wild thoughts.
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
Silencing the voices in your head takes more than a single try. Since the human mind is naturally weak and prone to focus on the cares of this world, I had to be intentional about shifting my focus to God.
Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.Philippians 4:8 TPT
Renewal of the mind is a process, not a destination. It becomes even tougher when your judgement is clouded. Even so, we are instructed to keep our thoughts continually fixed on God. That is what having a mind that is stayed on Him means.
It is the devil's plan to keep you in cycles. He'll use every opportunity he gets to fill your mind with lies. The first part is always isolating you from others, convincing you that you don't have to talk about your situation. Making you believe that whatever you're facing is just too unique.
You have the authority to shut down the white noise and tear down the mental strongholds.
We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.
2 Corinthians 10:5 TPT
You don't have to fight those thoughts alone. There's always someone who is willing to listen and walk with you. In addition to praying (which should always be your first response), talk to someone you trust. Make sure at least one person knows the battles you're fighting so that they can help pray for you and offer you sound wisdom.
One last thing, be careful what you intentionally feed your mind with, especially when going through grief. You might be praying and reading the scripture but your efforts may succeed or prove futile depending on what you do outside of these two. Listening to sad music seems totally okay but it will eventually leave you in a worse headspace than before. It's one of the paths that appear good to us but always ends in destruction.
Next time try listening to worship music instead and notice the difference. While sad secular music pampers, justifies and magnifies your pain, worship does the opposite. Worship shifts the attention from yourself and the situation to God. As you soak yourself in worship His peace is released into your heart and mind. You will be elevated to a place of stillness.
It's normal to have racing thoughts when nursing an emotional wound but it's unhealthy to stay there for too long. Don't try to distract yourself from them. Use truths to conquer those lies and soon the meditation of your heart will be pleasing to God (Psalms 19:14)!
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