Interrupting the Argument In Your Head

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                                                      Image courtesy iStock                              

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That was a popular children’s rhyme back in the 70s and 80s. The kids knew it was far from the truth, yet we chanted it anyway. I think deep down, we all want to be so strong that words can never affect us. In Proverbs 18:21, God tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. In reality, words will always carry weight in both the spiritual and physical worlds. Genesis 1:3, God said. God said, and out of nothing came the existence of light, a world, and mankind. We are made in His image, and with it also comes the power of our words. That does not mean we can create things out of nothing because we are not God, but we can create good and evil from our words, and the devil knows it. If we have this powerful tool, our mouth, why are we not using it more to defeat the enemy? God knew from the beginning that the enemy would attack our minds, the most powerful organ we possess. The mind controls everything, and if the enemy can thwart our thoughts, then he has gained control over us. 

People who speak and do evil have simply listened to the lies of their enemies. He is the culprit, the Oz behind the curtain. God has given us the power and authority over Satan, but it is our choice whether we use it or not.

In my last blog, Taking Your Thoughts Captive, I discussed the Container Exercise, because I have experienced times when I could not speak aloud against the intrusive thoughts planted by the enemy. Sometimes I was in class, at my job, or even at a funeral, just to name a few, and I could not just speak aloud over those thoughts at the moment. The Container Exercise is a useful tool for mentally doing something in the moment so that you can pull it back out later and fight against it. For example, after having a negative thought in my painting class, I'd container it for later. But the real battle comes when I speak aloud against the lies. I would drive home from the college class and pray aloud something like, “Okay, you say I am an idiot, and I look like an idiot to everyone in the class. You say I am no good at painting and making a fool of myself. I disagree because God loves my paintings. Sure, they are not the best in the class, but I am getting better. That is why I am there, so I am not going to quit. That's not your choice to make. I do not need to be the best either. I just need to love and enjoy what I paint and continue to grow in my skills. Jesus, I ask that you protect my mind from these thoughts. God, I pray that you will show me the beauty in my paintings and never let me forget that I am your daughter. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to attend these classes and learn new things. I am painting so much better than when I started. Thank you for protecting me from the enemy's lies. I love you, Jesus, Amen.” This is just an example of how to speak out loud against the enemy and his lies. In class, I felt the heaviness of them. It could have been a distraction and, in the end, affected my ability to paint the way I wanted to.

When we are in the privacy of our own home or anywhere that we feel comfortable speaking aloud against these lies, we must speak immediately to shut it down. I came across a short video clip of someone explaining the power of speaking out loud to stop our thoughts. I never realized that if you are thinking something and speak out loud, the mind is forced to stop whatever you are thinking to listen to the words you are saying. It is quite fascinating. It is the tool God gave us to defeat the enemy in this mental battle. I have included the link below. Be sure to watch it. He explains it so well. 

I know it is not easy. It takes intention and discipline to fight against these intrusive thoughts, but it is possible to achieve victory over them. If it were hopeless, Jesus would have told us so. In fact, He did not die on the cross just so someone else, whether it be other people or the enemy, actions and words could destroy us. God loves us too much to leave us defenseless. 


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Voice of Truth: https://youtu.be/9cKm_mYVPQE?si=Fn-7CNazhIbVhajN



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