Are Toxic Thoughts Killing You? Set a Guard Over Your Heart

Would you let some obnoxious stranger push his way into your home, sit in your favorite chair, change your TV channel, and raid the fridge? Then why let toxic, harmful thoughts remain in your heart? Kick them out!!! God has given you that power!

*My Head is Killing Me
“My head is killing me.”  People say that when they have a headache.  But it is true if you let just any little thought that pops into your mind move into your heart, push you out of your favorite chair, prop up its feet, eat your snacks, change the channel of your thought TV, and totally make itself at home.

“You’re a loser.” The thought just popped into your mind.

“Huh?” Where did that come from, you wonder.

“Oh.  Uh, I don’t have time to deal with you right now,” you think. You just let him in.

Mr. Toxic Thought invades.  No, not just him.  When you open the door, he brings his relatives and his equally toxic friends – fear, anger, hurt, rejection, confusion, and insecurity.

*Set a guard Over Your Heart.

Be careful what you think [L Above all that you guard, protect your heart], because ·your thoughts run your life [L life flows from it].
Proverbs 4:23 EXB

Thoughts come into our minds. They may be our thoughts or the toxic words of others. But we don’t have to let them stay!

*Your heart is the living room of your spirit. Your life is in your heart.  You can’t just let anything into your heart.

*God has given you the power to tear down every  every lie and  thought that opposes God and His truth!

In 2 Corinthians 10:5, TPT, Paul writes:
We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.

We replace deceptive, ungodly thoughts and ideas with goodness and truth:
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

**Activation - Let righteousness, peace and joy be the guardians of your heart.
God has given us 3 guardians to keep our hearts healthy and pure.

For the kingdom of God is … righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 4:17 (NIV)

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

1. In all of your thoughts, your words and in everything you do ask:
“Is this right? Does it feel right?”
“Do I have peace in this?”
“Is there joy in this?”
Romans 4:7 is a powerful tool to find the toxic thoughts that creep into our minds and try to move into our hearts.

2. With our hearts connected to Jesus, we have righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who leads us into all truth (John 16:3 (NIV)) He reveals to us the things of God. Listen. You will hear Him. ( “Holy Spirit Helps You See Lies and Replace Them With Truth.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YeCobuiB3U )

3. If something is not right we have a “check” in our spirit. It doesn’t feel right. We lose our joy. And we have no peace about it. That is Holy Spirit leading you to reject that thought.

4. Look for the Lie. When you sense something isn’t right, go back and look for the lie. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. “What did I believe that led me to think, say or do something that resulted in losing the inner knowing of being right, having joy or losing my peace?”

5. Reject the Lie.  Embrace the Truth.
When you have found the lie, look for the truth. Then realign your thoughts, your words, and your actions to the truth.

Action Step.  Listen to your “self-talk” this week: the stream of thoughts inside you.  Look for the toxic thoughts and replace them with the truth.
You are going to have a great week.  That’s the truth.