Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Clear the Clutter
Hi friends! In my last post I mentioned that I wouldn’t be able to post daily this month, as I have in some Novembers past. However, I am still trying to post a little extra, as we focus on gratitude. I will try to post on Tuesdays and Saturdays for three weeks, and Tuesday and Thursday for the final week in November.
Today I want to talk about some prep work we need to do as we work towards having more grateful hearts…
If we are trying to be more grateful and optimistic, or even if we are in the midst of a battle, it’s important that we clear the clutter of negativity in our minds.
It’s not easy to grow good seeds in our garden when there are weeds taking up territory in the soil.
It’s not easy to push towards victory when our thoughts are full of land mines.
The Bible reminds us to take control of our thoughts:
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
I will admit, this isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work. If we have allowed our thoughts to run rampant for years, it will take time to retrain our minds. But it’s necessary and it’s worth the effort.
Choosing life-giving thoughts over life-draining thoughts will not only have lasting impact on our daily lives, but this will also honor the Lord.
In the words of Dr. Charles Stanley, “The mind is the primary battlefield for spiritual warfare. Remember, what you focus your mind on has lasting ramifications. This is because a thought reaps an action, an action reaps a habit, a habit reaps your character and your character reaps your destiny. Therefore, we must reject anything that does not honor Christ in our thinking.”
It is much easier to choose good thoughts when things in life are going well. Praise and gratitude are an effortless choice when we have all we want and need, and when we are not facing any difficulties.
However, when trials come our way, the enemy will take that opportunity to bring us down. Therefore, in the midst of challenges, we need to press forward and choose thoughts and words that build our faith.
Susie Larson wrote, “When we find ourselves on the battlefield, we need to clear the field of the accompanying emotions and attitudes that make fighting and winning almost impossible. No one can do that for us. Fear has to leave. Worry too. Unforgiveness. Ungodly assumptions. Attitudes that usurp authority. Pride. Jealousy. Judgments. Idolatry. Hatred. Bitterness. And a host of other heart conditions that open the door to the enemy’s influence in our lives. He is a legalist. If we give him the opportunity, he’ll take it. Every time.”
And the Bible is clear on this too. We have to protect our hearts, minds, thoughts, and words from the evil one:
Proverbs 4:23-27 (NIV) says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
Something I have started praying each morning for myself and my family is that Jesus will break the spirits of depression, anxiety, bitterness, resentment, offense, fear, anger, and negativity.
You might be thinking that having some of these emotions isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And that’s true. There are times when anger, for example, is appropriate. However, what I am getting at is when these emotions have control of our lives in an unhealthy way. The enemy wants us to wallow in these feelings.
But Jesus wants us to find joy and peace and gratitude, by keeping our focus on Him.
I don’t believe it’s enough to just pray about this, though. I also believe we have to act on it. For example, if I pray that Jesus will break the spirit of offense, and then I am easily offended by something someone said, I am not getting very far on this path.
Moment by moment we might need to evaluate the posture of our hearts and our thoughts. As we weed out the negative, this makes it easier for us to build gratitude inside. This places us on the path to victory.
Dear Jesus, please help us on this path. Please help us to lay aside the negative thoughts and feelings that have taken root. We want to choose joy over depression, peace over anxiety, faith over fear, gratitude over grumbling, kindness over bitterness. It’s not easy, but with Your help we can do it. We turn to You and rely on Your strength. Thank You. We are so grateful for You. It is in Your holy name, we pray. Amen.
© 2018-2024 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Bridget A. Thomas 
The mind is truly a battlefield. And we must be diligent about keeping our thoughts pure and admirable as the Bible tells us. Although there are times we will fall short. It helps when we are quick to acknowledge our wrong and repent when convicted of something we’ve said or done. As you stated, “Moment by moment we might need to evaluate the posture of our hearts and our thoughts.” Thanks Bridget, nice post!
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So very true, Dawn. We really do have to be diligent in this area. It doesn’t help that we are surrounded by negativity, foul language, and worldly views. But I’m so thankful that we can hold tightly to Jesus. He is our Good Shepherd and He helps us every day. Thank you, my friend! 💕
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Dawn is right about the battlefield. Joy Meyer even wrote a book about it. I found it helpful in learning to change my thinking, among many others.
It was a really challenge to shift from “follow your heart” to “your heart is easily deceived.” I made the transition by shifting to “Follow your heart but take your brain along.” And then I realized how easily we are deceived, so I shifted to “Follow Jesus; He knows the way.”
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Yes that is an excellent book. And I agree. I cringe when someone in a movie or on television says to follow your heart! 🤦🏼♀️ I love the saying you landed on. That’s perfect ♥️♥️
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♥️
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This is SO GOOD! I like your garden and weeds analogy.
I think of Luke 6.45: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
This is why God wants us to forgive, to seek His face: He wants us to live in the joy He offers.
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That is a powerful verse. Thank you for reminding me of that one. It definitely gets the point across. And such a good point. The Lord has all the answers laid out for us. We just have to listen and obey! Thank you for sharing your insights! 🤍
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Bridget, a really good post. The mind is where the real and intense battle is. To remove or clear the clutter of those negative thoughts first so that there is room for the thoughts we want – that is such a good point. And indeed no one else can do that for us. We have to keep choosing and leaning on Jesus to be victorious in this. Love the verses.
Bless you my friend 💙
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This can be such a difficult path as the enemy loves to attack our minds. But I love what you said about keep choosing and leaning on Jesus. He is our key to success. I’m so thankful for the Lord and how He continually guides us. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Bless you too, my friend 🙏🙏
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Clear away the clutter, renew our minds with God’s word, focus on Jesus, spend time with Jesus and in fellowship so we can stay strong
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Keeping our focus on Jesus is key. Every moment. I’m so thankful for Him! 🙌❤️
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I love this reminder! Beautiful post!
“It’s not easy to grow good seeds in our garden when there are weeds taking up territory in the soil.” So true 🥺 Know what soil you’re planting seeds in. And if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. 👏🏻
I love how we can’t enter into this season of gratitude if we haven’t prepared our way for it. How timely! Thanks for sharing this. 🤗
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And I really like your point about “try try again.” Because this can be a really difficult road. And when we set out on a good path, the enemy will attack. But Jesus is mightier. And we have Him to guide the way. 🙌♥️
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What a great post of encouragement to get rid of the negative thoughts..”flood them with truth” my therapist reminds me. I’m so thankful God gave us His word for overcoming mental negativity. He is faithful in not leaving us without direction and hope.
Praying over a November of gratitude. ❤️
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“Flood them with truth” – I love that. And we definitely need to do that. The enemy’s schemes and our own worries can overwhelm us. But truth can set us free. 🙌♥️
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