I was suffering. The accuser of the brethren was tormenting my mind with lies and vain thoughts. I tried to ignore the thoughts, but they wouldn't stop coming. I laid in my bed paralyzed by the news I had just heard. I was heartbroken. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. But I did neither. Instead, I just laid there in silence. While my voice was silent, my mind was not. It was speaking to me and telling me how unworthy I was. How I wasn't good enough. I allowed those thoughts to play in mind over and over again like a broken record for two days. Until I finally, I said ENOUGH!
King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 23:7, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Let me simplify that for you. Whatever a person thinks about himself, is what he or she will be. For two days the devil told me I was unworthy and not good enough and for two days I believed him. And that belief caused me to suffer in silence. It caused me to question my own worthiness and value. Now understand, no one verbally said this to me. But because of the news I received, I allowed my own my mind to conjure these thoughts and the devil played on them. For two days I gave those thoughts and him power, until I changed my mind! Did you know you have the power to change your mind? You don't have to listen to the devil's lies and accusations. When the devil bombards with his lies, you need to remind him of God's truths in His Word.
God doesn't want us suffering in our minds because He knows what we think we become. And He wants us to think what He said about us. And if you don't know what He said, then read your bible! I allowed myself to suffer because I temporarily forget what God said about me. People don't make us suffer, we cause our own suffering by the thoughts we think. Renowned author Bryon Katie said, "If you're alone in a room and you're suffering, eventually it will dawn on you that you're the one who's causing it."
We cause our own suffering when we allow negative, sad, fearful, depressing, or even suicidal thoughts stay in our minds for long extended periods of times. When those type of thoughts come into our heads, we need to cast them out immediately. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Anything we think that is not in alignment with God's Word is a lie and those thoughts need to casted out. So how do you cast out a thought I am so glad you asked, or thought it, let me tell you how!
You cast a thought out by rebuking it in the name of Jesus and then decreeing and declaring the opposite of what you thought.
Example:
Your original thought: I am worthless. I am not good enough.
New Thought: I rebuke this lie in the name of Jesus. (You can also say, bind, or cast out instead of rebuke). It is written or I decree and declare, I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 39:14) and I more precious than rubies (Proverbs 3:15). God loves me!
You see how I quickly turned a negative thought into a positive one. As we think it, so are we. Refuse to think negative and fearful thoughts. Do what the bible tell us to do! Philippians 4: 8 says, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." You don't have to suffer in silence, you don't have to listen the accuser's lies! Tell the devil, I changed my mind!