How Much Control Do We Actually Have Over Our Thought Life? - Your Nightly Prayer
How Much Control Do We Actually Have Over Our Thought Life?
Your Nighlty Prayer for May, 14, 2025
by Tracie Miles
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” - Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
SOMETHING TO PONDER
It had been seven years since my marriage ended and my husband had left, and it was time to move on. But oh, my goodness, it was hard on my heart.
After much prayer and anxiousness, I finally made the decision that I needed to move from the house my family and I had lived in for 25 years and downsize to a smaller home. I believed that change would probably be a good thing, yet still, in the face of this major transition in my life, sadness kept overriding my joy.
It was a huge, tear-filled adjustment to leave behind the only home where I had raised my family and made so many memories, and transition into a new, unfamiliar house for the first time in my adult life. After all, I had already gone through so many changes and transition periods, that my heart had grown weary.
One day as I was trying to get settled into my new surroundings, busying myself with unpacking boxes and putting things away into big empty rooms, I found myself focusing on how much life had changed and secretly mourning the way things used to be. That was when God spoke to my heart with a life-changing thought:
We have a choice as to which rooms in our minds we allow ourselves to mentally walk into. The mental rooms where we let our thoughts linger will always determine our joy.
You see, our minds are filled with "rooms" of memories. Some rooms we’d rather never visit, yet we do. Rooms filled with memories of grief, heartbreak and loss. Rooms filled with seasons gone by and days we wish we could get back or do over. Rooms filled with memories of the past that look much different than the present. Rooms filled with unfulfilled desires, unmet expectations, heartbreak or loneliness.
But there are also those rooms where we love to let our minds linger. Rooms that hold fond memories, special occasions, special people, special times. Rooms filled with thoughts of beloved family and friends, God-ordained blessings, hope, and so much more.
I had to switch directions in my mind and choose which room my thoughts would visit the most.
That one small decision was a game-changer. And I realized we have complete control over our thoughts.
The Bible talks often about how powerful our thoughts are. And we see in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Who wants a heart void of cheer? Who wants to feel like their spirit is crushed? Who wants to be bone tired from the inside out? Who longs to feel sad and stuck in the past all the time? Who wants to mourn what we don't have anymore, instead of embracing and enjoying all the blessings we do have?
Certainly not me! And I feel confident you don't either. Instead, we can intentionally choose positive thoughts that will always steer us toward those rooms in our minds that bring us joy.
Each morning after God revealed this to me, as I arose from my bed to face whatever the day ahead may bring, I began to purposefully, mentally run into those rooms filled with beautiful memories, gratitude and blessings. I opened the doors to see the beauty God has allowed me to enjoy in each season of my life, which helped me shift my focus from what is no longer to all the blessings present and to come.
You can do the same today! Slam shut the doors to all those rooms that threaten to steal your joy, and commit not to let your thoughts creep into them. Determine to think differently, optimistically, and through the lens of faith - even when hardships abound – rather than falling into the habit of thinking negatively.
Ask God to capture each thought that tries to pull you back into sadness, and immediately make you aware of where your thoughts are heading, and then run headfirst into your room full of joyful and happy thoughts.
Focusing on our blessings instead of our burdens takes intentionality, but it will change our lives for the better. We have the power to choose what we think, but we first have to choose to want to.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear Lord,
Please help me be aware of when I’m letting my mind linger in a room that is causing me angst instead of joy. Guide my thoughts into those rooms where blessings and abundance reside, and help me make a habit of choosing optimism in the present rather than regret over the past. In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. If you’re in a tough transition period right now, think about all the negative thoughts that may have entered your mind today.
2. Ask God to help you be more aware of negative thoughts, and help you capture those thoughts and turn them around into something positive instead.
3. Make a commitment to wake up each day and intentionally try to focus on your blessings instead of your burdens.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Frank Mckenna
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