Banishing Bad Thoughts

It worries me that sometimes I think bad thoughts about God—even though I believe in Him. Maybe it's because I had a traumatic brain injury when I was child. God understands me, right?

—Maribel, via e-mail

> God does understand you, Maribel. He sees your heart. But whether you've had a traumatic brain injury or not, at one time or another, you're going to find yourself thinking "bad" thoughts. That's part of being human, having a selfish, sinful nature—and having an enemy who is actively working to fill your mind with fear and doubt, anger and rebellion toward God.

Having a thought isn't a sin. It's what you do with the thought. Do you listen to it, embrace it, dwell on it, act on it? Or do you resist it and reject it right away? When you find yourself thinking something "bad" about God, stop and correct the thought immediately. Tell yourself, "That's not true. I don't believe that. I know that God loves me." Make a point of memorizing scriptures that you can use to combat these thoughts. (For verses about the goodness of God, you might start with the Book of Psalms; for more on guarding your heart and mind, see Isaiah 26:3, Romans 12:1-3, Philippians 4:6-8, and Colossians 3:2.)

Pay attention to the music you listen to, the tv shows and movies you watch, the books and magazines you read. Are they helping you fight the battle in your mind by filling you with good thoughts, or are they giving the devil more to work with? Philippians 4:8 says, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

By filling your mind with evil things, Satan wants to rob you of the peace and joy that comes from knowing Jesus. But he can't do it if you don't let him! "Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Christin Ditchfield is the host of the syndicated radio program Take It To Heart, and the author of A Family Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia (Crossway).

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today/Today's Christian magazine.
Click here for reprint information.

Read more articles that highlight writing by Christian women at ChristianityToday.com/Women