We once thought of the mind as an immutable thing. The brain you were born with and the way it worked—or didn’t—were just “how it was”; no sense fretting over what can’t be changed. We now know that the brain is constantly changing, whether or not we intend for it to.

With this in mind—and in hopes of discovering how we can break free from our spiraling thought patterns—I started studying the brain. I began to see a pattern at work in many of us. Our emotions were leading us to thoughts, and those thoughts were dictating our decisions, and our decisions were determining behaviors, and then the behaviors were shaping our relationships, all of which would take us back to either healthy or unhealthy thoughts.

Round and round and round we go, spinning down, seemingly out of control, our lives becoming defined by this endless cycle.

Depressing.

Unless. Unless there is a way to interrupt it.

What if, instead of spending our energy trying to fix the symptoms, we went to the root of the problem? The reality is that our emotions are a byproduct of the way we think. What’s good about this news is that we can change our thinking.

The apostle Paul understood the war that takes place in our thoughts, how our circumstances and imaginations can become weapons that undermine our faith and hope. The Bible records his bold declaration that we are to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV).

Take every thought captive? Is this even possible? Because honestly, my thoughts run wild a lot of the time. But my deep dive into the inner workings of the brain confirmed what the Bible says: we can take every thought captive. Not only can our thoughts be changed, but we can be the ones to change them.

PRAYER:God, help me break the cycle of my out-of-control thoughts. I want Your truths to invade every decision, every emotion, every thought I have. Amen.

SCRIPTURES: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, James 4:7

If worrying was a professional sport, many of us would be the Most Valuable Player on our team. Can you identify with this? It’s so hard not to worry when troubles loom all around us.

The word worry has a few definitions in the dictionary. The one we’ll refer to in this Plan is to torment oneself with cares and anxieties. Every time we worry, we’re tormenting ourselves. No one else is making us do it or doing it to us—we’re doing it to ourselves.

When we worry, we’re allowing our minds to dwell on difficult circumstances, overwhelming fears, and other stresses that are weighing us down. We’re consumed over actual things we’re facing or potential situations that may never occur. Worry causes extreme distress to all areas of our bodies. It prevents us from sleeping, impacts our relationships, affects our appetites, and causes us to perform poorly at work.

Imagine that worry is a fire. The more we allow worry to occupy our thoughts, the more fuel we are putting on the “worry” fire. The more we do this, the bigger the worry fire we’ll have to put out later. Most of our worry is directed toward things that might happen. The truth is that if you’re worrying about it, it’s dictating your life. It does nothing but make the problem bigger.

What if we didn’t worry at all? How much extra time in the day would we have to devote to things that are positive and actually make a difference? The return on our investment would be unbelievable! We have a certain amount of mental and emotional energy each day, and we mustn't give worry any of it.

Reflect

But taking our thoughts captive and living by the Spirit rather than our flesh is easier said than done. Half of the battle of anxiety is realizing when you’re entering the battle. This is mainly because our fears and insecurities feel so true. We tend to go along with whatever pops into our heads.

But there is one thing that we must get down today if we’re truly going to start breaking free…

Just because the thought exists, doesn’t make it true.

(Go ahead, speak this to yourself, “Just because this thought exists, doesn’t make it true.”)

This is your reminder that you don't have to believe everything you think today.

You have this incredible God-given skill called metacognition.

Metacognition means you have the ability to think about your thoughts.

This means that you can pause, momentarily separate yourself from your thoughts and begin to discern what’s healthy and what is not; and discard the following.

Work through anxiety in these 4 steps.

1. Identify the “trigger” (What’s causing you to react).

Start pinpointing the event or individual that keeps triggering your emotions.

Ask yourself: Why does this have so much power over me? Is my anxiety about the

situation appropriate or created by my own fears and insecurities?

2. Write down the thoughts that follow.

Write down everything that you’re thinking. Analyze those thoughts and be your own judge.

Ask yourself: Is my thought process rational? Is it being led by the Spirit or led by fear?

3. Note the Reaction

What is your first reaction in response to the trigger event?

Ask yourself: How does this make me react?  What is a healthier behavior I can exchange this for (ex: praying, journaling, exercising, deep breathing)?

4. Bringing yourself around to the reality.

(choosing faith and weighing your anxieties against a more likely truth).

At this point, you separate yourself from your feelings, whether that be by journaling or talking through them with someone else and begin weighing the more rational reality. Think of 2 other ways you can view the situation.

Today's Prayer: "Lord help me become more aware of any thoughts that do not come from you."

In my effort to control the uncontrollable, the busyness overwhelmed me and left me exhausted until finally one day I collapsed in a pile on the floor and wept. My mind ran to all the “what-ifs?” that cancer brings. As I desperately cried out to God, I heard His familiar question yet again: “What if . . . you trusted me?”

What if you believed that this didn’t take Me by surprise? (Psalm 139:16; Matthew 6:8)

What if you believed I really do work all things together for your good? (Romans 8:28)

What if you remembered I know the plans I have for you, and I have declared that My plans for you are good, and they include a future and a hope? (Jeremiah 29:11)

What if you remembered I am good, My ways are good, and My love for you is everlasting? (Jeremiah 31:3)

What if you remembered I proved myself faithful to you when you went through this before, and knowing I am the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, you believed I will be faithful through this as well? (Hebrews 13:8)

What if you stopped listening to the father of lies, who fills your mind with what-ifs, and listened only to the voice of your heavenly Father, who speaks truth and love? (John 17:17)

As I dried my tears, I found a new determination to let go of the anxiety-producing what-ifs and take hold of the prevailing peace God promises. Because even if, God is still big enough to handle whatever comes my way, and none of it takes Him by surprise.

Father, You know all the what-ifs on my heart today. I want to replace them with the truth of who You are. Your love for me isn’t something I have to wonder about the way I wonder about so many other things. Help me to live in the peace of this reality. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Years ago, in the face of unanswered prayers for my son, I frequently thought back to the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. As Jesus and the disciples traveled to Jerusalem, they stopped at Mary and Martha’s home. Mary sat at Jesus’s feet, listening to his teachings. But Martha was distracted by her dinner preparations. She complained to Jesus, asking him to see the unfairness of the situation and to make Mary help her in the kitchen.

As a parent, nothing tempts me to worry more than concern for my children. During that difficult week with my son, I let the concerns that preoccupied my mind distract my heart. When the results didn’t go as I’d hoped, I echoed Martha’s complaint: “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you?”

God replied by asking, “Will you trust me when you cannot see My hand at work? Will you trust that I am always good and My plans for you are always good? Will you choose what is better?”

I had a choice to make. The enemy screamed, “God doesn’t care. If He cared, you would’ve gotten the answer you wanted.” I had to choose to believe the truth of God’s Word: God is sovereign. He knows the good plans He has for me and my child, which include a hopeful future (Jeremiah 29:11). And He promises to work all things together for our good—even this unfortunate situation (Romans 8:28).

My tearful answer was a prayerful “Yes, Lord. I trust you. And I praise you in and through the storm. May the seeds that have been planted in faith be watered by these tears to grow a harvest for Your glory.”

Worrying never accomplishes anything, but trust opens up a world of possibility and allows God to change everything.

Father, You know the days are long, and the pressures are many. I thank You that while we may plan our course, You establish our steps. Help me to trust You, even when I can’t see You at work. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Do you ever feel as if your thoughts are tumbling around in your head like balls in a pinball machine? Will the insurance agent call me back? Can I pick up the kids from school without running out of gas? What will my boss think if I don’t get this sale?

I think we forget sometimes that all those everyday worries add up to an uncomfortable way of living, void of the peace God promises. Worry stems from believing the father of lies, the accuser of the brethren (John 8:44). I’ve taken his bait many times. Have you?

The enemy always wins when he convinces us to divert our attention from God to the details of to-do lists, overcrowded schedules, praiseworthy holiday costumes, perfectly set dinner tables. We focus on “impression management” with styled social media photos and status updates to engender likes, comments, and shares, as if they mean anything about our value and worth. We might even say yes to commitments when we’d rather not, just because we desire acceptance and affirmation. We work ourselves into a frenzy with insufficient rest because we don’t trust next month’s paycheck or perhaps because we’ve fallen victim to the lie that our worth is equal to our busyness or our possessions.

We never see Jesus worried or hurried. He had enough ministry needs to meet to last multiple lifetimes, yet He had only three years to complete the work the Father sent Him to do. He wasn’t ruled by to-do lists or public perception. Never once did He rush to get more done. We never read of Him running to His next divine appointment. Rather, Jesus walked at a pace that was sustainable. He simply did the next thing His Father told Him to do, and that was enough.

I pray, Lord, that You will help me to lay down my worries and, instead, trust in Your perfect provision. Help me to recognize that when I worry, I am believing the enemy’s lies rather than Your promises. In Jesus’s name, amen.

When we allow the spirit of fear to operate in our lives, it is like we are putting a cast on an arm or a leg that doesn’t need it. We are allowing it to immobilize us and hinder us from effectively living in the center of the peace that God has offered us. We are not alone in our struggle. Scripture gives examples of biblical greats who also struggled with fear.

Consider Job. He was devoted to God and hated evil. Through Satan’s doing, all of Job’s livestock and shepherds were killed, his children were killed when a great wind leveled his son’s house, and Job was struck with painful sores over his entire body.

What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil”

Scripture repeatedly commands, “Do not be afraid,” “Do not fear,” “Do not worry,” and “Be anxious for nothing.” Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our real struggle takes place in the spiritual realm. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, we must guard against the spirit of fear. Job’s devastating situation underscores a crucial truth: our thoughts have power. The enemy ushers havoc and trials into our lives when we agree with the spirit of fear instead of with God’s truth.

Father, thank You for being our strength and our peace. Thank You for caring about every detail of our lives. Lift the weight of worry from my shoulders. Help me to cast all my cares on You, confident that You will comfort and provide in every circumstance. In Jesus’s name, amen.

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Remember don't ashame to tell your story. You got a testimony to tell.

This morning devotional was a little different for me. God want us to WORSHIP him and show him that you are THANKFUL for he has done in your life because it could be WORST. 

Just be GRACEFUL and THANKFUL!!!

God want us to TRUST him know matter what!!!

As God walked with me in my journey to relinquish worry, anxiety, and fear, He showed me that exchanging them for his peace isn't a one time event. IT"S A PROCESS.

The best way to prepare to fight worry, anxiety, and fear is to learn God’s Word and plant it firmly in our hearts. Then we must take our thoughts captive and discern if they are from God or from the enemy. When they’re from the enemy, we must exchange them for God’s truth, just as Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians 10.

Many people have asked me how they can determine if their thoughts are from God or from the enemy. Here are some suggestions:

* When God speaks, He never contradicts the Bible or His character. That is why it’s so important to know what the Bible says.

* God never condemns or shames us like the enemy does. God forgives us, and His voice gently corrects us out of love, to keep us in a right relationship with Him.

* God leads us and stills us, whereas the enemy pushes and rushes us.

* God’s voice is comforting, calming, and reassuring, while the enemy worries, frightens, and stresses us.

* While the enemy confuses, God encourages. God is never the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).

To gain freedom from worry, anxiety, and fear, we must shift the responsibility for all outcomes to God. We must choose not to be anxious but to keep our peace by trusting that just as God causes the leaves to remain green and a crop to grow, so He will help us fulfill whatever He asks of us. “Whatever he asks us to do, he equips us through!” When it comes to keeping our peace rather than letting our hearts become troubled or anxious, we have a choice to make: choose to trust in God’s powerful and loving provision or try to do it ourselves.

God, I want to take every thought captive in obedience to You. Help me to choose to trust in You instead of in myself. In Jesus’s name, amen.