Today’s Reading:
There are four common categories of toxic thoughts. These are negative, fearful, discounted, and critical. Chances are you are struggling with toxic thoughts in one or more of these four ways. Don’t let these toxic thoughts grab hold of you and consume you. The deeper you let them take root inside you, the harder they will be to shake off. Identify those thoughts and reject them today.
Which types of toxic thoughts do you experience most often? What are some examples of your toxic thoughts?
Negative -marked by features of hostility, withdrawal, or pessimism that hinder or oppose constructive treatment or development
Fearful – full of fear; implies often a timorous or worrying temperament
Discounted –to minimize the importance of
Critical –relating to or being a state in which or a measurement or point at which some quality, property, or phenomenon suffers a definite change; of sufficient size to sustain a chain reaction
Fearful – full of fear; implies often a timorous or worrying temperament
Discounted –to minimize the importance of
Critical –relating to or being a state in which or a measurement or point at which some quality, property, or phenomenon suffers a definite change; of sufficient size to sustain a chain reaction
Negative: I find myself constantly in a battle of negative thoughts, jealousy, frustration, coveting the things and lives of the ‘wicked’ who seem to have it so easy sometimes, and without consequence. Fearful of LORD… is this all that’s in the cards for me?
Discounted: Going through the motions… It’s so easy to become content in our spirit until life sways us into a Critical place where we can’t be content and survive. I think your mention of tolerance goes here too.. so easy to be tolerant.. and our society preaches that at Christians… to be tolerant of everyone else and keep our mouths shut. Anger.
Discounted: Going through the motions… It’s so easy to become content in our spirit until life sways us into a Critical place where we can’t be content and survive. I think your mention of tolerance goes here too.. so easy to be tolerant.. and our society preaches that at Christians… to be tolerant of everyone else and keep our mouths shut. Anger.
The deeper you let them take root inside you, the harder they will be to shake off.
Lets combat these toxicities by laying them down at the feet of the cross.
Lets combat these toxicities by laying them down at the feet of the cross.
Give them to Jesus. Wrestle with them. Figure out the ROOT of the issue, not just the symptom.
Why does that toxic thought exist, not just what is there.
Why does that toxic thought exist, not just what is there.
Asking God “WHY” is such a controversial issue these days, I want to [eventually] look into it more.
If you do a quick search there’s a long list of times that people asked God why, even Jesus himself. Jesus asked God “why have you forsaken me” as he was begging him to take his cup the night before he was crucified. I think that sets a very clear example to us to meet God, seek understanding, know that there may not be an answer we like, and we are okay to wrestle that. I believe there’s a difference between asking God why and demanding an explanation from him or accusing him of being anything but good. Think about grief and all the stages you go through, there’s a lot of why’s and wrestling. But wrestling with God for understanding is different than accusing him. Honest doubter wrestles, willful disbeliever points the finger.
My favorite non-fiction/theology book that seriously changed me was by Athol Dickson. In chapter one about questioning God he wrote,
It takes more faith to ask than it takes to fear the asking. It takes faith to be ready for whatever answer comes, and faith to persevere with more questions if the answer is not understood. Asking an honest question means being ready to change in response to the answer, and short of martyrdom, change may be the ultimate act of faith.
The Gospel According to Moses (pg. 19)
“Asking is not doubting. It is trusting.” Questioning is not an act of arrogance, but is an admittance of our own ignorance. Our questions, when brought to God himself, bring us into an encounter with him. One that changes us.
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