The Darkest Thought - The Crosswalk Devotional - January 31
The Darkest Thought
By Meg Bucher
“Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.” - Proverbs 28:26 NLT
The darkest thought. The one that wants us to give up, stop trying and throw in the towel. The darkest thought will try to convince us we cannot live like this anymore. It will hold us hostage in sleep when we would normally wake and hostage awake when we would normally sleep. The darkest thought plagues us, pricking at our thin skin and picking open fresh wounds. There are days we don’t want to do life; it’s as simple as that. The enemy comes for all of us, one time or another, with a dark proposition. See it for the lie it is. And seek the help which surrounds us via counselors and medical professionals to help us heal when our nervous systems have broken down.
Life peels back like layers as we grow closer to God. As we become familiar with His voice, the darkest thought loses its volume. The Creator of the Universe assures us we are here for a reason, each one of us. He knew us before we were born. We are living the greatest love story of all time, in which He sent His only Son to save us. He will never leave us. We are never alone. He understands and meets us where we are at. No unmet expectations or disappointed glances …just unconditional, accepting, sacrificial, unfailing love. The loveliest thought.
What Are We Thinking?
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” - Proverbs 4:23 NLT
This means more than just the actual organ beating inside of our chests. Often when the heart is mentioned, it represents the central seat of all we are, including our conscience, wisdom, will, and emotions. The Hebrew translation, in this case, and many others in the Old Testament, define the heart as “inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding; seat of courage.” The details further define it as the inner part, midst; heart, soul, mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination (of will), conscience, heart (of moral character), as seat of appetites, as seat of emotions and passions.” That’s an all-encompassing definition of what the writer of Proverbs is trying to convey by using the terminology, “guard your heart!”
Literally, we are to guard our innermost being, will, heart, understanding, soul, mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination, conscience, moral character, appetite, emotions, and passions! “Guard your heart above all else,” Solomon wrote, “for it determines the course of your life.” Solomon was renowned as the wisest man on earth! He was King David’s son. He had everything he could have ever wanted in life and knew it meant nothing if the heart was tainted and unguarded.
Guarding our hearts means taking the thoughts we notice and making them obedient to the Word of God. If a thought doesn’t line up …we don’t have to continue thinking about it! “It is the mind’s natural tendency to drift restlessly from one thought to another, moving between memories, imaginings, goals, and plans,” Leigh W. Jerome, Ph. D., wrote for pyscology.com, “the average person has about 6.5 thoughts per minute, or about 6, 200 thought per day (Tseng & Popping, 2020).” Though we cannot control every thought which comes into our minds, we surely have control over them when we notice them. By the power of Christ Jesus in us, we have the power to hold our thoughts captive to the Truth of God. In other words, we have power and authority in Christ Jesus to guard our hearts …above all else.
“…for it determines the course of your life.” The darkest thought of taking life into our own hands and removing it from the face of the earth most certainly determines the course of our lives. This thought is important to hold captive to the Truth of God and get it out of our minds as quickly and efficiently as possible. Declaring, in the name of Christ Jesus, the darkest thought has no power over us. The darkest thought is a lie. A seemingly easy way out but a tragic loss for all who border that life here on earth. This, coupled with seeking professional counsel for the medical healing our nerves and minds sometimes need, leads us back to literal life.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
“We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT
Thoughts are just thoughts. They are not in charge. God is in charge, and He has given us everything we need to fix our thoughts on Him …and on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. There’s no easy way around what we have to do.
“Those who trust in themselves are fools,” Proverbs 28:26 reminds us, “but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.” (NLT)
Paul wrote to the Corinthians the method by which we are to put our trust in the Lord by capturing rebellious thoughts and teaching them to obey Christ.
Everyday life throws 6,200 thoughts into our minds! We know what we have to do and how we are to do it. When we are in the word of God daily, we will be able to better identify thoughts that don’t align with what the truth of God says. The Bible is God’s truth. Prayerfully, we can ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit to help us develop the wisdom and astuteness we need to make sure we aren’t led down a rabbit trail of lies. Our minds are powerful! God made them that way and gives us everything we need to live wise lives with guarded hearts.
Further Reading:
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Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!
Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
