Not being able to keep our minds on what we want to keep them on is one problem, but being unable to get something off of our minds is another. We might worry about a situation, or continually roll it over and over in our minds trying to find a solution. We want to get it off our minds and enjoy peace, but it appears to have taken up residence.
Does this sound familiar to you? Do you ever experience times when you know a particular line of thinking is making you miserable and doing absolutely no good, but you just cannot seem to stop? We all do, but we can learn to discipline our minds to allow other thoughts in and not focus so completely on one issue or situation. The way to stop thinking about something you don’t want to think about is to simply think about something else. Even getting in a different atmosphere helps. If you are worried, don’t just sit home and worry-get out of the house and go do something! Get your mind on something that will produce good fruit because worry does absolutely no good. I have discovered that even when I feel bad physically, doing something that gets my mind off how I feel makes me feel better.
I recently spent a good deal of time with a friend who was experiencing a tremendous mental battle that was rooted in a fear of displeasing an authority figure in her life. She thought about the situation-and thought about it and thought about it and thought about it. At one point, she asked, “Why can’t I get this off my mind?” Her one-track thinking caused her to be stuck in the fear she felt in the situation with her authority figure.
However, I soon noticed that when we became involved in some ministry activity together, she got her spark back and no longer mentioned her mental battle. When I asked her later that day how she was doing, she said, “I’m fine when I get involved in what God has called me to do.”
What we learn from this story about my friend is the answer to the question, “What do I do when I cannot get something off my mind and I know it is making me miserable and probably displeasing God?”
The answer is to get involved in something that gives you joy, something that forces you to get your mind off the troubling circumstances and onto something positive and worthwhile. Satan was attacking my friend at a weak point. She had been abandoned by her birth mother and abused as a child, which caused her to battle with an excessive need to be accepted by authority figures.
Likewise, I have struggled with insecurities and a need to be accepted by authority figures in my life.
These areas were “open doors” for the enemy in my life (places where he could easily take advantage of me and gain influence over me). As God continually works in me, these doors are shrinking in size and getting more and more difficult for the enemy to get through. What was once a wide door of opportunity for the devil has been almost completely closed?
Satan often works through or takes advantage of our weaknesses at the precise time God is trying to promote us or lead us to take a step of faith that will advance His kingdom or move us closer to fulfilling our destinies. I believe this was the case with my friend, and I know it has been the case in my life and the lives of many others.
I well remember times when God was trying to get me to make a decision that would enable me to do more in His kingdom, but fear of what people would think held me captive and immobilized me. When you find yourself stuck in a thought pattern that is detrimental to you-one that plays out over and over again like a broken record in your mind-get busy doing something God has called you to do or something that will bless someone. Don’t be passive and merely wish you could get it off of your mind. Be aggressive and refuse to lend your mind to the devil for his activity. Remember that bad thoughts lead to bad moods and bad decisions, so don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t add to the quality of your life.
Think about It
What do you consider your weak point(s), where Satan could take advantage of you?
