Our minds can be a battlefield and we must learn the rules of engagement and have a strategy ready to deploy if we are to be victorious. If you are at all like me you may have felt “stuck” with a thought or group of thoughts you just can’t seem to get rid of. It happened to me this last month. I had a situation where someone was very unhappy with me. Communication came to a standstill and negative thoughts began to cause me a great deal of stress, I like open dialogue and I want everyone to like me. That was not happening. Logic did not prevail and I allowed the enemy to come in and assail me with  lies and irrational concerns. Well, of course I prayed against the enemy’s tactics. I did everything I could to “take the lie captive”, over and over again. Finally I came before the Lord and begged him to show me what I was missing. I knew this was a battle of the mind but I was loosing!

When we ask, God is always so good. He answered me almost immediately and said;

“ You have forgotten the second part of lie replacement therapy…..”

Ah, the replacement! You see we when we take a thought captive, take that lie and identify it and then work to will ourselves to not believe it, it often times is not enough. We must replace it with a truth. Otherwise we have this void and the enemy comes right back to fill it.

You see God’s will is for us to prosper and be in health as our soul (our minds and emotions) prosper. 1 John 2. If we want to maintain our physical and emotional health and prosper in all ways we must insure our minds are stayed on truth.

Negative thinking and irrational thoughts rob us of peace.

I had to do some quick basic review of what the word says about my covenant relationship with God. The truth is that I am in covenant with the Almighty God. He has promised contractually to protect me and to lead me and to provide for me.

I have taught about listing numerous scriptures that apply to the issue at hand and then declaring them. I still think this is an excellent way to renew our minds and transform our thinking.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2

However sometimes rather than a list of truths it may just be a single scripture or passage that the Lord will lead you to that calm your heart and renew your mind. In my case it was Psalm 23.

The setting for the psalm: King David, who wrote the psalm, grew up and worked as a shepherd, so he knew a lot about sheep and shepherding. He loved the metaphor of seeing God, or the Lord, as a shepherd. The shepherd’s job is to care for his flock, making sure they are safe, nourished, calm and happy at all times. Perfect, this is exactly what I needed! I read that sheep are not very smart and not very fast. Consequently they are vulnerable to predators. Sound familiar??

Take a look with me at how the Lord calmed my heart and my mind with this wonderful Psalm.

Psalm 23

23 

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

Truth: God is watching over me and everything that belongs to me all the time. Consequently I will not be in a place of desperate need. I will also be free from a life of always wanting. That seems to me to equal contentment…

2 

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

Truth: God is leading me out of the storm not into it. Where He leads there is abundance and peace. Still waters depicts a place of peace, a place of reflection. He stills my mind and my churning emotions. He also makes me lie down. Oh yes, He makes me rest! Restoration demands a bit of rest…rest from worry, rest from working it!

3 

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Truth: He restores my mind and my emotional well-being. He leads me along the right path and in the process His name is glorified!

4 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Truth: I am walking through the valley, I will not stay here. It is just a shadow and realizing that I have nothing real to fear. Why, because God is with me. We all will encounter trials of various kinds but God is there and He is leading us in the midst of them and through them. Traditionally, shepherds carried a rod and a staff to guide the sheep and to ward off wolves or other predators that would harm the sheep.  I often need prodding to keep me on the right path, I did this time, I had to be prodded back into the word.

5 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Truth: In biblical times anointing the head with oil was practice to honor a person. Not only will we be cared for but God promises to honor and dignify us in the presence of our enemies. Although I had to wait, in the end there was resolution, we did not have a hugging fest but things were resolved.. To me it felt as if I was being dignified. My cup runs over with gratitude.

6 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell[a] in the house of the Lord

Forever.

I thought the word mercy was interesting. You see mercy is what I desperately needed. I had made an error.  I will make others. I will sin, or not think or act or speak incorrectly. But there is Mercy and it follows me!! When I allow the Lord to guide me I will be treated with mercy.

For now I am camped out by the still waters enjoying His protection, mercy and grace. My emotions are being restored. The battle in my mind has grown quite and I am enjoying His abundance, deliverance and joy.

I am however keeping this Psalm close by…..