Stinking Thinking Remedies
It’s hard to forgive people who hurt us – especially unbelievers who can’t “repent” because they don’t believe they “sinned” in the first place! So we can’t confront them with what they did to us like the Bible says to in Matthew 18:15 or Luke 17:3.
But, the same thing is also true with confronting Christians who can’t handle a face-off, too. In some cases we might lose a friendship with immature believers or cause them to backslide if we try to confront them. You need to use your own judgment. Certainly, serious offenses must be confronted while personal slights may be overlooked.
But, in either case we need to concentrate on overcoming our own bitterness and resentment about the situation – our own “stinking thinking” (even when we are in the right). But, how?
Philippians 4 “Prayer & Think List” Keeps Us Sane
Read the following verse carefully:
Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus…Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things (Philippians 4:6-8, NIrV).
Making a List of 5 Mind-Engaging Things to Do
In this verse God promises to bring us “sanity” when we pray over difficult situations – his peace will guard our hearts and minds. Yet, to subsequently focus our minds on things that are “noble, lovely or worthy of praise” does not mean we must only think about religious things. They could be things like watching a favorite sports game, fixing old cars, shopping or going to a good movie. So we can start by making a list of five mind-engaging things that capture our interest in normal times.
Be sure to write down a list of things you like beforehand. Then, make yourself do one or two whenever your mind begins to obsess over hurtful events again.
Do it even though you don’t feel like it – that’s important.
Tapes Compete with our Own Thoughts
If you are awakened at night with obsessive thoughts then plan ahead for that, too. Put on self-help tapes or CDs that talk about your problem. Teachers like John MacArthur, RC Sproul or Nancy Missler offer excellent audio tapes dealing with a variety of issues.
At night you can use a “walkman” so you don’t awaken others. Just be sure to acquire your tapes ahead of time so they are ready when you need them. Keep them going all night if you need to.
“Take Every Thought Captive to Obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5, ESV)
We can win this battle against our wayward minds. Prayer, our Philippians 4 “Think List” of things to do and self-help tapes are three positive things to do so that “I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5, NIrV).
Just do it! “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13, NASB).
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Resources:
Adams, Jay E. 1994. From forgiven to forgiving: Learning to forgive one another God’s way. Amityville, NY: Calvary Press.
MacArthur, John. 2004. Worry-free living. (CD or tapes). Available from: www.gty.org.
Missler, Nancy. 1999. Faith in the night seasons. (CDs). Available from: www.khouse.org.
Sproul, RC. 1996. If God is good, why do I suffer? (CD). Available from: www.ligonier.org.