A hyperactive mind can be a distraction from our daily grace walk. Some people can’t even sleep well at night because of all the thoughts running through their minds. They’re thinking about all that happened during the day; thinking about their plans for tomorrow; thinking about children, finances, past mistakes, future plans. Some even have imaginary conversations with people, picturing what they’ll say if this happens or if that happens. Sometimes they even rehearse conversations of the day thinking about what they should have said. Thinking, thinking, thinking! Do you sometimes find yourself in a similar situation? It’s not uncommon. Jesus even told His disciples on more than one occasion, “Take no thought.” His instructions literally meant, “Don’t take on the least bit of anxiety.” Nothing drives away our sense of peace more than over -thinking things.
You aren’t helpless over the thoughts that may bombard your mind. The Bible tells us to bring every thought under the control of Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5) A busy mind can be the result of divided loyalties. It is important to nurture yourself with the constant affirmation and realization of your Father’s love and care in every area of life. Relentless reasoning about our circumstances is an independent way of trying to understand how to control our own lives and we weren’t created to live independently. Your Father’s intent is that you learn to live in dependence on Him.
The mind must be brought in subjection to Him at each moment. While it may not be possible for you to silence thoughts that flood your mind at times, you can consciously submit the thoughts to Him. As you grow in His grace and develop the habit of submitting a hyperactive mind to Him, He will bring growth to you and you’ll find rest for a busy mind while you increasingly learn about continuously giving the details of life to Him.
There will always be outside influences that seek to invade your thoughts and shift your focus away from Christ. When your mind runs wild, simply submit it all to Him. It’s a choice you make. Some things in life you just aren’t going to be able to think your way through so you might as well save yourself the stress by simply trusting your way through them. We want answers now, but answers don’t always come when we want. Learning that fact can bring tremendous peace to your life.
Eventually, everything will be answered. Until that time comes, rest in His goodness and grace. He will work it all out. Just trust Him and relax.
(This blog is an excerpt from "The Grace Walk Devotional" to be released by Harvest House Publishers next year.)
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Trusting in God and faithful you will find Him to be. My Dad used to say, control the thoughts you can, and let the rest not build a nest in your head. Let those thoughts fly overhead. Good blog! Dave
ReplyDeleteThank you for this good reminder, Steve. Looking forward to your new devotional.
ReplyDeleteLove this ! I have a friend that is an exchanged life teacher. It seems every time I heard her speak she would talk about the enemies attack on the mind. So I always asked her how a created angel spoke directly to the mind. He is not GOD nor does he have the same attributes as GOD. Our debate on this continues. I love that your blog shows there is a choice. That you can rest. Don't have to have anxiety about an enemies attack constantly. I Love that his yoke is easy when we choose to trust the father for every thought.
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