When our minds are not submitted to the Word of God, without realizing it, our prayer life can become a list of complaints that feed into our negative thoughts and feelings and yes, even anxiety! When we feed these things, they gain more power in our life than the power of the Word.

 

For example: “God, I am so overwhelmed with all that’s going on and my anxiety is bad! Please take away my anxiety and stop this feeling. I can’t get out of bed. I am worried about (fill in the blank). I can’t (fill in the blank). Did You see what they (said to me, did to me, fill in the blank)? Please change my boss, my spouse, my (fill in the blank). I can’t handle the people at work. I need a new job, Lord please open another door for me. I can’t handle this anymore. Please change my circumstances. Please remove (fill in the blank) from my life…why aren’t You showing up? Why did you let (fill in the blank) happen to me… why God, whyyyyy?!”

 

Can you relate to this type of prayer?

 

If our prayer life comes from a place of fixating on what we are believing to be the problem, begging God to please show up, we can feel heavier after we’ve prayed and not understand why. Many of my brothers and sisters are not connected with this reality because they went down their checklist of “time with God” magnifying the problems over seeking His Truth about what they have access to as a citizen of Heaven.

 

I realize the Word says to bring our petitions to Him. I also believe that God is big enough to handle everything we are feeling and thinking. Believe me, I’ve been so real before God, I’d be embarrassed if anyone overheard some of my conversations (protests, yelling, screaming, crying) with Him. But if our prayer life is only giving account to all that’s wrong, never shifting to declarations of God’s Word over our situations or believing that God is going to fill us supernaturally, we remain the same. Instead, we believe that God is not showing up and our struggles are just what we have to accept and live with. And we remain broken and unchanged.

 

Can I give you a quick perspective shift?

 

Of course God is going to show up in your situation—He is in you!

 

We need to check in with our thought-life to see what we are believing and find out how often we are believing things that oppose Truth. Then we hold each thought up to God’s Word to see if they are in agreement with what He says. If our thoughts don’t line up, we have to capture them, remove them, and replace them with God’s thoughts so that we are living from a belief system that lines up with our new natures in Christ. While it is our responsibility to become aware of our thought life, it is also our responsibility to choose which direction we will allow our minds to go. We do not have to do this in our own strength. We do this in His Strength!

 

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

— Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

 

Not some things . . . ALL!

 

Choosing to fight back with Truth over what we’re thinking and feeling, and partnering with the Holy Spirit is vital. God needs us to partner with Him to experience a deeper level of healing. We have to believe that a healed and “sound mind” is available, and turn to Him.

 

We need to make a conscious decision to place a higher value on God’s Word and recognize that His Word has the power to fully transform us. When our feelings have permission to rule over us, and our thought-life remains in contradiction to the Word of God, we lessen the power that His Word could have in our lives through doubt and disbelief.

 

Let’s stop putting limits on our limitless God by giving our feelings more authority than His Word in our lives. Amen?

 

I love reading Psalms. David was so real before God, but you can also read a shift in His prayers from desperation to believing God is who He says He is. That is what we have to do too. Remember, the mind is the powerful driving force that determines what we believe and how we navigate our lives. Our thoughts will either take us to powerful prayers and declarations of God’s Truth over everything we see and feel, activating faith, or the opposite. Interacting with God through prayer and getting into His presence should lead us to a tangible shift.

 

For example: “God, I am not okay. I have things going on in my heart that I am pretty overwhelmed with, but I know You are faithful! You are for me, You are good, You are rich in grace and mercy. I’m bringing it all to You. I know that You care for each and every detail of my life and that You want to help me in my greatest place of need. Lord, I am coming to You for help. Thank you so much for loving me. Thank you for Your promise to stand by me and never leave me no matter what I face in this life. Father, I am choosing to forgive those who have wronged me. I’m releasing them into Your hands. I believe that You are who You say You are and that when I am weak, Your strength becomes my strength. With You, I have nothing to fear. You are my Provider, my Fortress, my Shield, my Peace, my Comforter, and in You I have fullness of life and joy. Thank you for empowering me through Your Holy Spirit to face and overcome any and all situations that may arise. Thank You that You both go before me and beside me and that nothing that comes my way is a surprise to You. I may face seemingly impossible and painful life experiences, but in You and through You, nothing is impossible for those who believe. God, I believe! I am casting all my worries and fears to You; I know You care for me. Your grace for each day is sufficient. You guide me along the right path, and I am believing that You will show me which way to go as I continually yield to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen!”

 

When our thoughts are lined up with God’s Word, our prayers go from petitions into declarations of praise, power, and His Truth. All of a sudden, we can taste and see the goodness of God woven into the details of our lives as we are simultaneously filled with a supernatural strength that was not activated before. From there, we are given insight and strategy as we partner with the Holy Spirit. He shows us things that we cannot see through our human, limited scope. He expands our capacity to manage the hard areas of our lives, giving us a clear vision to see what we could not see before. When we re-establish a new pattern of thinking, leaning into the power of the Holy Spirit, life in the Spirit becomes our new normal as we learn to walk in His strength and peace—all day, every day!

 

 

If today’s encouragement resonated with you, you’ll love my book, Ripple Effect. Grab your signed copy HERE!

Much love, J