“Healing from anxiety requires healthy thinking. Your challenge is not your challenge. Your challenge is the way you think about your challenge.”- Max Lucado
“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.”- Proverbs 4:23 (New Century Version)
In Chapter 9 (“Think About What You Think About”) of Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado encourages practicing thought management. For when you manage your thoughts, Pastor Lucado explains, you pick what you ponder. Yes, many things happen in life over which you have no choice. But, it’s well within your dominion to choose what you think about.
Most noteworthy, Max observes, Satan knows this. Thus, the devil loves to mess with our minds. The author illustrates:
“He [Satan] fills the sky with airplanes that carry nothing but fear and anxiety. And he is doing his best to convince us to let them land and unload their stinking cargo into our minds. . . . The devil is to hope what termites are to an oak; he’ll chew you up on the inside.”
However, in God you possess a power that Satan cannot defeat. Therefore, Satan isn’t the master of your mind. As a result, when anxious thoughts fill your mind, Max urges, call on God first. Slap handcuffs on your problem. Next, march your problem before Jesus, the ultimate authority. Then, lay claim to every biblical promise in your memory bank. Finally, set out to learn a few more. Withdraw the welcome mat for Satan’s lies.
In conclusion, Pastor Lucado notes, it’s during times of greatest distress that we feel the Lord’s presence upon us. And, Max adds, “guard your thoughts and trust your Father.”
Today’s question: How does healthy thinking bring healing from your anxiety? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Cling to Christ, abide in Him”
