It’s been a while since I’ve written about daily affirmations or scripture affirmations. Right now over on Periscope in the mornings (replays on Katch), we’ve been working through some verses I used when I was really struggling with my mind. My mind was in a constant struggle with fear, anxiety and scary thoughts. Part of this struggle was a spiritual attack, “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.”[note]Ephesians 6:12[/note] And part of this struggle was forming the bad habit of thinking about whatever popped into my mind and letting my mind wander all over the place. I was a slave to my thoughts. When I started the discipline of daily affirmations, one of them was, “I take every thought captive.” This affirmation was based on the scripture found in 2 Corinthians 10:5.
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When I realized part of my problem was a bad habit of bad thinking, I knew I needed to break that habit. But, I knew I couldn’t just “stop thinking bad things;” I had to fill that thinking void-take something out, put something in its place. I had heard the scripture about having the mind of Christ. If I believed the scriptures-and I do-and they said I had the mind of Christ, I needed to know what that meant. So I asked myself, “What does the Bible say about my thoughts?”
This a question I have revisited and will continue to visit and write about.. I wrote about our thoughts in the Bible again, “Bible Quotes: Our Thoughts in the Bible” and included a free printable listing scripture verses about our thoughts.)
I mentioned one of the daily affirmations I repeated to myself was, “I can take every thought captive.” I specifically included the word “can” to remind myself I had a choice. I could decided what I wanted to think about and what I didn’t want to think about. The thoughts that popped into my mind that I didn’t want to think about, I could restrict them, capture them, replace them, and confine them…take them captive like the scripture said.
Reading through and spending time in meditation with those verses on my thoughts, made me realize what I didn’t want to do or think about. But as I mentioned above, I had to fill what I didn’t want to do with what I wanted to do. If I didn’t want to think whatever/whenever, I had to choose what I did want, so I did, “I want to be a joy thinker!” With the help of the scriptures and one of my favorite books, The 4:8 Principle, I learned and continue to learn how to choose what I wanted to think about! Such a simple and profound concept…but not always easy!
It took me more than one reading, but now I understand about positive affirmations! Funny how one day I don’t get something and another day the light bulb goes off!!! Will be checking out these daily affirmations and writing them down! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you both for your suggestions. My husband’s family (who are evangelicals, although Greg is Catholic) would say things like “I bind you spirit of ________ and command you in Jesus’ name….” I don’t feel comfortable doing that because in the prayer of St. Michael, we say “May God rebuke…” I always understood that the power to rebuke spirits was given to the apostles/bishops/priests under the auspices of the Church…not me. But your “formula” prayer of “sending … to the foot of the cross to be judged by the Lord” and also “I renounce the lie…. or thought…” that comes into my head is very helpful. Sending ________ to the foot of the cross to be judged by the Lord acknowledges God’s power to protect me. And renouncing lies or bad thoughts about myself reminds me to release it and replace it with what God thinks about me. Thank you very much… I think I will try using them.
This is so important. This knowledge of the power of God in his word. And the power to “take our thoughts captive” that we have been given in baptism.
I have been listening to some of the replays since I don’t have the capability for Periscope. 🙁 2 Timothy 1:7 happened to be highlighted in my wedding bible. What struck me was that if we have not been given a spirit of cowardice, then when we feel these feelings or have these thoughts, they are opposing spirits. Spirits that we’ve invited into our hearts and minds for one reason or another.
You’ve taught us that we can retrain our thought patterns and reclaim our identity with the truth. Thank you for that. And also I was recently taught to renounce any spirits that do not represent God. Here is what I do and preferably out loud privately, unless I’m helping my children to renounce any lies that I think they are accepting.
I renounce whatever lie or spirit as soon as it enters in or has taken up residence. “In Jesus’ name, I renounce the lie that I am ugly.” or “In Jesus’ name, I renounce the spirit of envy.” Through the power of God, I can also command, in his name, any spirit of ______ to leave NOW.
God bless you and know that I am listening even though I cannot interact.
In Jesus’ name
I have used something similar Michelle. I pray, “In the name of Jesus, I bind you spirit of ________ and send you to the foot of the cross to be judged by our Lord.” I heard this formula from a homily titled “Spiritual Flyswatters.”