Have you ever been doing something you enjoy and into your head pops a memory of something you said to someone 20 years ago, or they said to you and you begin to beat yourself up for it? This happens to me all of the time.
So much so that, I would play the scene over and over and mentally berate myself for being such a horrible person. I figure that we are here on earth to spread cheer, happiness and hope. This is not at all what these pop-up memories show me. They show me what a wretched person I am. How I am so horrible for saying this or that.
My day would be ruined. My joy would be zapped.
I was defeated.
I thought I was stuck with these replays, I thought this is how it is! But no, it is not how it is suppose to be.
We need to get a grip on our brains. I never knew that we could actually change our way of thinking. I would ask God for forgiveness for my attitude at the time of the wrong doing over and over. I assumed, (everyone knows that you are not to assume) that since this horrible wrong that I have committed keeps coming back up then I have not asked God in the correct way to forgive me. I haven’t beat myself up enough for being so stupid way back then. I felt I needed to suffer longer and I also believed that if God truly forgave me, He would not allow these bad memories to come to the front.
The more I studied the Bible; I realized that God did forgive me and that satan was using these things to keep me down, by keeping my focus off of what really matters. It kept me from reaching out to others, because I felt I would again say or do something to offend someone. This went on for years.
Then one day, when I was bouncing around my living room exercising, another bad thing I said 30+ years ago came into my head and I began beating myself up and asking God for forgiveness again. God has forgiven me for this a while back I told myself. Then I turned it around. God you are amazing. Thank you for all you have done for me. Give me power to go beyond these negative thoughts that keep me down. Give me strength to stand and not let satan pull the rug out from underneath me. Please don’t let these negative thoughts from the past keep me down.
I turned it around. I have, and you have the right to control your brain/thought process. YOU, ME, we all have the tools to control our thoughts. As time went on satan didn’t bring bad memories up as often. Why? Because I used those moments to turn my focus to God and praise Him and thank Him and satan hates that!
We so easily forget that the story has been written and “spoiler alert” we know the ending. We forget that God wins, don’t we? We forget that God the Almighty, the most powerful God, the one and only deity that created everything that we see and touch and He has created even more than what we see, God wins. Yes, everyone – God wins. Not satan.
When those negative, unwanted thoughts come prancing into our minds and you have asked God to forgive you, you claim that forgiveness and then you remind yourself and satan who God is and that God wins in the end. Get behind me satan because my Father wins. Satan wants us weak, weary and defeated. Let’s draw from the strength of God and go about our day with a song in our heart while sharing hope and love to a world drenched and suffocating in satan’s lies.
Scripture: Ephesians 4:23 says, “Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.” (NLT) Don't let the enemy plant negativity or things against God's word in your head. Instead, take control of your mind with God’s work and arrest those thoughts.
"Be very careful about what you think. Your thoughts run your life." (Proverbs 4:23)
Remember to always claim the Victory and the Strength of our Heavenly Father.
Warm Hugs,
Cheryl
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