Talk Back to Your Thoughts
The journey toward profound spiritual growth and emotional healing requires actively managing internal narratives and challenging negative thought patterns. Drawing on principles that merge therapy and theology, the sources outline a practical, linear path for dealing with toxic and intrusive thoughts. This method emphasizes taking control of your cognitive landscape by making every thought obedient to Christ.
The Crucial Role of Mental Fortitude
Achieving high levels of success, whether in spiritual life or elite sports, hinges not just on inherent skill but on mental fortitude. A top-level sports psychologist noted that while all athletes may share the same physical skill set, the defining difference between top athletes and elite athletes is their mental strength.
It is important to recognize that you cannot always stop the initial negative thought (the “bird that’s flying” into your mind). However, the crucial point is how you respond to it. The goal is to develop an active, immediate response plan against these intrusive thoughts, which can come from within or be spoken over you by others.
The Three Steps to Taking Thoughts Captive
The process of gaining mental and spiritual control over toxic thoughts is defined by a three-step action plan derived from scripture:
- Tear Down: Identify and reject the negative thought.
- Capture: Take the identified thought captive.
- Conform: Make the thought obedient to the mind of Christ.
This framework moves beyond merely thinking about changing your perspective; it requires an active, physical response.
Engaging Your Body: The Power of Speaking Out Loud
Intrusive thoughts often operate quietly inside the mind. However, when you speak a thought out loud, it vibrates your body, creating a bass resonance that microphones can pick up. To gain authority over negative thinking, individuals are encouraged to start talking out loud to these thoughts.
By verbally addressing the negative thought, you activate your body in the process of spiritual warfare. For instance, when anxiety tries to strike, one can immediately declare, “Anxiety, if you at any level try to attack me on this plane, I claim right now this verse: you will bow to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ immediately”.
The Two-Time Factor in Cognitive Change
Negative internal thoughts are considered a “one-time factor”. To effectively overcome this internal negative whisper, you must combat it with the “two-time factor,” which involves speaking truth aloud.
If you hear the thought, “I am a loser,” (the one-time factor), you must cancel it out by speaking truth (the two-time factor). This means declaring out loud: “No, I am the daughter of the King of heaven and earth,” or quoting relevant scripture.
This process is critical because:
- You speak the truth with your mind (volitionally).
- You hear yourself say it, reinforcing the truth both internally and externally.
This physical and verbal action is how you become conformed to the image and likeness of Christ.
Aligning Your Narrative with Fact
Negative thoughts are frequently described as lies originating from the “father of lies,” not the “Father of lights”. However, sometimes the battle involves challenging an entirely revised narrative, especially in traumatic situations like an unwanted divorce, financial betrayal, or emotional abuse.
When history is being revised (e.g., claiming the marriage was “loveless” or that love was never authentic), it is vital to anchor your truth to verifiable facts and actual events. One person worked to combat these negative narratives by pulling out scrapbooks and looking at pictures to confirm that their efforts—such as being a loving wife and honoring the marriage—were authentic and truthful at the time.
The objective is to ensure that “your truth” aligns with the facts of what was genuinely experienced. Once authenticated, these revised, negative narratives must also be taken captive and made obedient to Christ.
Brain Bypass and Neuroplasticity
Spiritual and mental exercises, such as taking thoughts captive and conforming them to scripture, lay new neuropathways. This process is likened to a “brain bypass” or muscle memory, supported by brain research proving healthy neuroplasticity.
As you exercise this conforming process, the temporal and emotional distance between the negative thought and your pathway to healing will progressively shorten.
The Principle: We Will Steer Where We Stare
A fundamental principle governing cognitive and behavioral direction is: “We will steer where we stare”.
Focusing on negative thoughts—whether they are personal struggles or lies spoken by others—turns them into liabilities, taking life in the direction of that believed lie. Just as a driver can accidentally follow the wrong car entirely if their view is momentarily blocked and they lose focus on the correct lead car, focusing on the wrong source of direction can lead to unwanted destinations.
Conversely, the more you focus on God’s Word and the truth of who God says you are as an image-bearer of Christ, the more those truths become magnified. These magnified, God-focused thoughts are intended to occupy the high place in your life, lifting your eyes up to the truth.