Maneuvers - No. 55
I Give You
a Pure Heart
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a negative thought, friend?
Perhaps it was a thought fueled by anger, unforgiveness, insecurity, fear, or stress. Negative thoughts and emotions have a way of capturing our full attention, causing us to feel so far from God.
That’s why the apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (see 2 Corinthians 10:5).
Why did Paul say it that way? Could it be because he knew that the enemy’s attacks against God’s children wouldn’t stop… and that the only way to keep our hearts pure was to continually surrender our thoughts to Jesus?
Perhaps this is why he challenges us to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16, ESV).
But how do we capture our thoughts when they won’t stop filling our minds?
How do we extinguish the enemy’s flaming darts when we feel so angry or hurt or fearful?
How do we keep our hearts pure when temptation is all around us?
If you’re asking these questions, friend, you’re not alone.
We recently asked the Lord some questions about keeping our hearts pure and taking thoughts captive. As we listened, here’s what we heard for you…
01.
The Message
“How do you hold your thoughts captive, child, when you are full of anger? How do you hold your thoughts captive when you are irritated, critical, your heart filled with judgment towards other people? How do you turn to me when you feel the push and pull of tension within you? How do you surrender yourself to my love, to what is good, to what is better for you than strife?
“Lean into me now. Breathe deeply. I am here.
“Slow. Feel your heart beating in your chest.
“Align your heart with me now. Focus your attention on me, on my heart’s beating. On the rhythm of my inhale and exhale. My beating heart is felt everywhere–it is not contained in a body. My peace is everywhere. It is not withheld from you. My love is everywhere. It is for you, and it sustains you. Let my presence help you surrender your mind–each thought, to me.
“You are the captor of your thoughts when you want me to be with you. You are the one who can capture your ideas, your mind’s tendencies to think in certain ways. I have given you strength to trust in Me–so you can ask for my help and keep your mind pure. You do not have to be overwhelmed by negative thoughts. You do not have to succumb to temptation to criticize or judge or be irritated by people you love. You do not have to separate yourself from people because you’ve decided you are different–and cannot relate–to them.
“Align yourself with me. Trust in my truth. Trust in my love. Trust in my power. I am peace and hope. I am love–and I hold all things. If you do not align yourself with me–trusting my power and love to sustain you and purify you–your thoughts will take you where you don’t want to go. And these thoughts will be what hold you captive. Rather than you being in charge of them, they will be in charge of you.
“Do not be imprisoned by sin, dear one. You have everything you need–you have me–to be free from not only criticism of other people, but self-criticism too. Be what you are made to be. Holy and pure. Kind and good. You are my child. You can trust me to help you hold your thoughts captive and be transformed. You can rely on me.”
02.
Listen
As Holy Spirit spoke of rejecting temptation, capturing your thoughts, and trusting him … what stirred within you? How did his words settle your heart or envision you for the challenge you’re facing?
What do you want to say to the Lord in response? Let’s take a few minutes to write out a prayer.
03.
Think
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV).
1. What negative thoughts have you been struggling with lately?
2. How do those thoughts affect your view of yourself and of God? How do those thoughts make it hard to say no to sin?
3. How does Jesus want to help you capture those thoughts? How can you refute those thoughts with truth?
04.
Trust
Sometimes negative thoughts are relentless, aren’t they? When insecure, judgmental, or bitter thoughts flood our minds, it can be difficult to recognize them as lies.
The more we give in to them, though, the stronger they get. And soon, we feel stuck–as though we can’t stop thinking or believing them. Have you ever felt that way, too, friend?
But what if instead of solely trying to get rid of negative thoughts, we focused on replacing them with truth?
Think about it this way… Imagine a glass full of mud. We try scooping the mud out, but we can’t seem to get it all out. Some of it sticks to the sides, some falls back in, and the rest covers our fingers. It’s a mess.
But what if we stopped scooping out the mud and started pouring pure water into the glass? The water might be muddy at first, but we just keep pouring. We don’t stop.
Eventually, the muddy water is displaced by fresh, pure water–until that’s all that’s left in the glass.
This is how our thoughts work, too, friend. When we replace worldly thoughts with God’s truth, it’s much easier to fix our hearts and eyes on Jesus. His Word and his love flow through us, purifying our minds and displacing negative attitudes.
So let’s try this right now…
Let’s grab our journals, Bible, and a pen and find a quiet spot. Now, let’s write down every single thought we’ve been struggling to take captive. They can be thoughts about ourselves, about other people, or even about God.
Now, let’s search for Scriptures that speak directly to each of those lies. As we write those verses down, pay attention to what Holy Spirit says. What is he speaking to our hearts? How does he want us to apply these passages personally? How is he healing our hearts with his love?
After we’ve finished this exercise, let’s pause… How do you feel? Do you feel lighter? Healthier? Free? Encouraged?
Now, let’s respond to Jesus in prayer.
05.
Pray
Lord, thank you for showing me the truth about the lies I’ve been wrestling with. If there are any other negative thoughts I’ve been believing, please show me.
Help me surrender every untrue and unhealthy thought to you. And as I do, replace those lies with your truth. Let your Word wash over me, filling every part of me, changing me from the inside out.
I love your heart so much, Jesus. I love your truth. I love you.
In your name I pray, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
