Episode 077--Replacing Toxic Thoughts
Stress is rooted in worry. Worry occurs in our minds or thoughts. Negative thoughts are toxic thoughts. A toxic thought is one that is very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way. These are thoughts we can’t get away from. They are constantly on replay in our minds.
Toxic thoughts are harmful, detrimental, destructive, injurious or damaging. They cause us to feel sick, weak, frail, run-down, overwhelmed, afraid and fearful. They begin from the half-truths Satan loves to throw at us. These are lies he tries to carefully conceal.
The evil one especially likes throw toxic thoughts our way when we are getting some momentum towards working with God to manage the stressors in our lives and get a handle on our healthy eating journey.
The devil is smart. He knows we have conquered one area and we’re doing really well there so now he throws something at us to sidetrack us—an issue, an injury, a busy season, an illness of a loved one, financial woes, time constraints, obligations or assignments we feel we just can’t say no to.
We had started thinking healthy thoughts that are new, transformed, redeemed, fit, sound, well, whole, hearty, robust, tough, active, lively, vigorous, thriving, prosperous and good.
Prescription for Healthy Thoughts
The Apostle Paul gave Timothy a great prescription for healthy thoughts in 2 Timothy 1:7 AMP—"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline, abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control.”
When we overload ourselves with to do lists and agendas and oughts and shoulds and musts we are not trusting an all-powerful God to intervene on our behalf. Why should He? We are fulfilling our own prayers and if we do that then we have zero trust in God. We have begun to live from toxic thoughts which are designed to overwhelm us and steal our power from us.
We must allow God to renew our minds by taking the unhealthy thoughts captive and putting the healthy thoughts in their place. This is really the meaning of 2 Cor. 10:5 when it talks about taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
We corral the negative thoughts. When they enter our minds we immediately identify them. I like to think of it as putting an electric fence around those thoughts. If I go there, if I start trying to accept them into my life they can be deadly.
If we have negative toxic or poisonous thoughts, we need to capture them and convert them to positive, life-giving thoughts that will bring about Godly changes in our outlook sand our goals for each and every moment of every day.
This particular episode has action steps which are on the transcript download available when you sign up for the free eating stress course. Go here: teresashieldsparker.com/stress/ to get immediate access.
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