Boundaries on your thoughts

Here you are again, it is 7:30pm and you arre tired and hoping that quad shot you got on your way home kicks in again, so you can be sure to get done everything you have put on your list for the day (even though you are fully aware that the list was completely unrealistic for the amount of hours in the day)

You look at your computer screen and long to not be, you want to be in bed reading a book after the long day, and getting sleepy. 

OR

You take pride in how little sleep you can get away with. You don’t have to succumb to that idea that 8 hours of sleep is necessary, you are superhuman and don’t need to sleep.

OR

You have so many fun projects you don’t want to say no to anyone and so as you work on each different project, you are thinking about the to-do list for the others.

OR 

You look in the mirror and say things to yourself that you would never say to a friend of yours. Or you look at your lifestyle, bank account, “accomplishments” and start believing things that no one has ever said to you, but you say to yourself.

These are just a few of the different ways we live and think throughout our day and yet so many of us just succumb to this as normal. We have thoughts, no one sees them, so they aren’t harmful….

WRONG

I am going to nerd out for a minute and tell you that every time you think something, you are telling your brain and mind something and it is HARDWIRING into a belief. After you have said something to yourself 200 times, which really isn’t that long, you now have an internal belief where you once just had a passing through thought. 

This is why God calls us to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ”(2 Corinthians 10:5) - did you catch that? The verse has 2 different parts

1. Take the thought captive

2. Make it obedient to Christ

That means that we take the thoughts running in our head, stop them, and then REPLACE them with truth.

We have to take the time to notice what thoughts are running through our heads, and make sure that they match reality, logic and what is biblical.

This may look like this:

You sit down to work even though you really wish you could be “done” at the end of the day and think to yourself “I am so tired and feel like everyone around me has a bigger and better capacity to be focused and accomplished than i do.”

You STOP and go - OUT LOUD - Nope, hold up, I need to replace this thought

REPLACED WITH

I am tired, so that means I have been working very hard, and God made me in His image, so I need to pay attention to my limits and also recognize where I could have used time better. However, my worth is not tied to what I accomplish, it is fixed in Christ, so I don’t have to earn my worth.

Putting boundaries on your thoughts and mind is not a one and done thing, and it will take time - but it is worth it, I promise. 

You will feel more alive, strong, confident and bold because you know the difference between TRUTH and LIE and ROOM TO GROW.

Sometimes we mix these three up. 

We think the truth is only ever speaking positive and never being corrected: Wrong

We think lies are the thoughts that make us uncomfortable or angry: Wrong

We think that we only go through growth when it is a happy or hard season: Wrong

God uses TRUTH to help us Identify Lies and show us where we have ROOM TO GROW.

Thoughts are powerful, which is why God talks about them so much.

We have to put boundaries on our minds and there are a couple of ways…

1. Ask others - this means you are in community with real people, who will tell you the truth even if it isn’t exactly what you want to hear. It also means you have to take the step to be vulnerable and tell others what you are thinking and be willing to be corrected

2. Take inventory - what are you filling your mind with? When it comes to music, tv, movies, books, youtube videos, social media

• Ask yourself, “is this leaving me feeling rejuvenated or deflated and sad?”

1. Create habits - this one takes time, but it is so worth it! Look at what you do and think without even thinking about, and decide 1 small thing you can do to stop.

• Are you watching tv that leaves you sad, look up other things you could watch, get recommendations from other people, use google

We have so much more power and influence over our thoughts than we care to admit because then we would have to do something about them…I know that may sound harsh, but please know that I say this with overwhelming love in my heart for you to live the life God has for you and to only know joy, truth, grace, and freedom.

Also, know that I have to make a continuous and conscientious choice to do this as well, and frankly sometimes I don’t, but those are days that I really wish to not repeat. 

We are called and given the opportunity to live lives filled with joy, love, laughter, peace, and calmness (and who couldn’t use a little more of that right now, am I right?)

Just remember from last week, what your boundaries are may not match the person next to you, so no judging, God made them in His image as well and what they need is different from you!

Just stop and think about what your life could look like in a month if you put these thoughts into action!