Learning to Take Thoughts captive to Christ
I was definitely blessed this summer. I was able to speak four times at three different churches and I am excited about the topics and the responses of the listeners. At the Dwelling Place, where Karen and I regularly worship and have fellowship, Pastor Rich asked me to speak on "Blocks to Intimacy with God" with a special emphasis on the importance of forgiveness.
My Bible passage was taken from Psalm 27 where David focuses on his desire to have a deep encounter with the living God.
Verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear!
The Lord is the salvation of my life, of whom shall I be afraid!
Verse 4. One thing I ask of the Lord;
This is what I seek;
That I might dwell in the house of the Lord forever
To gaze on the beauty of the Lord
And seek Him in His temple
David knows that it is fear and worry that keep him from being with God. As a Christian Counselor and Minister I have listened literally to hundreds of Believers who wanted to
draw closer to God, know His will and embrace His peace but discover as soon as they get quiet and try to enter prayer only to discover they are blocked by fears, worries and condemnation.
They may read Verse 4. and long to have a prayer life like this but fail and are overwhelmed by guilt, shame and anxiety. These feelings, of course block all attempts to understand God's will or even get to the place to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Ever sermon on prayer sends people into tremblings and anxiety. Failure is always close at hand in fact and in feeling. Withe those so deeply embedded in my mind I find God very far away.
I was plagued by similar thoughts, feelings and self condemnatory nonsense until I was blessed by the Lord to study how the brain works and how to stop its old, sinful habits from interfering with my new Christian life.
I am amazed that it took me so long to learn the simple ways to stop old, intrusive thoughts from blocking my prayer life and start enjoying time with God. I had finished a Doctorate in Counseling with an emphasis on Christian practices before I ever heard of the ways we can actually do what the Bible commands and "Take every thought captive to Christ".
I had heard that verse many times of course but all it meant was read more Bible verses. The problem was in my ability to actually STOP old thoughts and THINK new, Christian thoughts. However, in 1979 or 1980 my friends Alice Petersen and Margaret Rick attended a seminar put on by Dr. Maxie Maultsby, M.D.
He was a Plastic Surgeon who treated people with facial and body anomalies whose self esteem was low as a result. His surgical practice had been very successful. However, but his patients did not think any differently after surgery than they did before surgery. He gave up his practice to study Psychology. he discovered that their bad feelings about themselves had not changed, he gave up his surgical practice to study Psychology.
Dr. Maultsby concluded that it is not the physical attributes of beauty that cause one to feel good or bad about themselves. Instead, it was the way the perceived themselves and thought about themselves. For example, some kids who suffer abuse and abandonment grow up and turn to crime, drugs or sex to relieve their pain. Most, however, do not go that way.
A decade ago I was in a group of leading Christians that met in one of the high class rooms of the new P&G office tower in downtown Cincinnati. The man who had invited us was a top executive of the company and he told us a story of trauma and poverty straight out of Dickens. A part of his story included what his siblings were doing. Several were involved in addictive behaviors and crime. The group suggested that they were victims of their environment and could not help themselves.
I asked a question: "Mr. Johnson, how did you become so successful when you were such a victim of poverty and pain? Why are you different?"
Here is the answer. People who survive and thrive have learned to think differently. Mr. Johnson had become a Christian, attended a Christian college and excelled in sports. All along he had a mentor and several coaches to helped him think rightly. His siblings had no faith experiences and no mentors from the church and schools.
Go to our great Sweeten Life web for more articles on healing and growth.
If you are depressed or caught in a cycle of sin, call Life Way at 513-769-4600
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