Thought Life: Be A Navy Seal Sharp Shooter!
- Julia Hefner
- May 15, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: May 23, 2023
I have dealt with different attacks of depression, fear and anxiety in my life.
I was attacked with postpartum depression on different levels after the births of both of my children. I had reccurring nightmares and night terrors throughout my teen years. And I have had anxiety attacks, and fearful thoughts attack my mind. I can stand at this point in my life and say, I continually stay in victory from these weapons of the devil- but it is NOT because I am strong- it's all about learning to LET the Holy Spirit live inside of me, and drawing from HIS strength! Do I get tempted with fear, anxiety or depressing thoughts? Absolutely. But the key to continual victory, is to answer every thought with the truth of God's Word.
The most powerful verse for attacking anxiety, fear and negative thoughts is 2 Corinthians 10:5.
Let's look deeper by reading three versions of it:
AMPC: We refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ.
MSG: We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
TPT: We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.
Wow! God gives us the EXACT strategy, offensive position and powerful weapon to COUNTERACT every attacking thought that enters our airspace! Like an enemy invading missile (the Bible calls them fiery darts) we take each one CAPTIVE as prisoners of war, and your only job is to interrogate them. Ask them, "Do you line up with God's Word?" "Are you from God or from the devil?" "Do you match what God says about me?"
One of my favorite quotes about thoughts is from Nichole Marbach, one of my favorite online teachers, who was completely healed of depression, bi-polar disorder, alcoholism, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. She says, "YOU are the CEO of your thought life. You gave the POWER to fire or promote any thought that comes into your mind!"
When Christians hear this verse, sometimes it intimidates them.
"Answer EVERY thought? How can I do that? I feel like a million thoughts hit me every hour!" But don't be fooled. This is the enemy attacking again. He knows that if he can intimidate you from using the powerful tools God has already given you, that he can win. The devil is hoping you don't know about God's tools! 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God has NOT given you a spirit of fear, but He has given you a spirit of POWER, His Love and a Sound Mind!" That is HOW He has called you to live! Good news: Answering thoughts is way easier than it seems. God would NEVER give you weak weapons. His weapons are bigger than rocket-launchers. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal(physical) but MIGHTY in God for pulling down strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:4)
Personal Story:
I used to rock Serena to sleep throughout her first and second year, in my glider chair, and sometimes that time would be the first time I was still and quiet all day. As a busy homeschool mom and Bible college student, I ran around most of the day from task to task, and sometimes thoughts don't come to you when you are so busy. Most of the time, bad thoughts come when you finally go to rest, sit down, or lay down at night. Can you relate? When I finally started rocking Serena at night, I was calm and reviewing sleep scriptures.
But I would feel intense fearful thoughts suddenly (very bizarre) while sitting there, and for a moment, these feel like your own thoughts. This is where the devil baits you to bite his hook. I had to realize these intrusive bizarre thoughts were NOT MY OWN! They were poisonous bait sent as a trap for me! I talked to my husband, and spent time praying and whispering the Word while Serena was drifting off to sleep. One time, after telling Tye again I was attacked by these horrible thoughts (which a lot of the time were bad pictures/imaginations!) Tye told me, you must approach that glider chair in victory, from an OFFENSIVE position, casting down any thought that doesn't match God's Word. He even got me pumped up by calling that chair "Our Jesus Chair!" That chair was no longer a beating post from the devil, it turned into a beating post against the devil! Never let the devil bully you with thoughts that are LIES, and totally false! Sucker punch that little bully back, with the mighty weapon of God's Word, and he always flees! He runs away like a dog with his tail between his legs. Instead of getting worn down and letting the devil exhaust you with his thoughts, you start to WEAR him down, and exhaust every demon, until they say, "It's not worth the effort!" They will go attack an easier target, and start leaving you alone! The bad thoughts become significantly less and less, to where they only attempt a few times a month. Your "casting down" muscle becomes so strong in the Holy Spirit (like a well trained Navy Seal, that can spot a threat from a mile away) that bad thoughts are recognized before they even take root in your mind, and they die. In the words of Greg Mohr, they are zapped like a mosquito on a bug zapper! The devil's hope is that Christians never
recognize his hooked bait, never realize these are hell's thoughts (not their own) and never use the mighty tools God already gave them!
YOU CAN WIN the fight against bad thoughts, and walk in continual victory!
*NEW UPDATE: I wanted to add an example of exactly how I answered bad thoughts:
Example: The bad thought (a thought of sickness, or a bad picture of a fake future) enters my mind. I immediately realize this is not my own thought. I respond: NO, devil. I rebuke that thought. That is not mine. I send you BACK to the pit of hell where you came from! (You can say the same to lying symptoms!) Devil, get OUT of here, you are trespassing illegally, and It is Written, my daughter will live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord! (Psalm 118:17) It is Written, devil, that my daughter was healed the moment we prayed on Nov. 11, 2018, that by Jesus stripes she was healed fully 2,000 years by Jesus' stripes! (1 Peter 2:24) It Is Written, devil, your spirit of fear must LEAVE now, God has not given it to me (2 Timothy 1:7) but He has given me a spirit of POWER, His Love, and a Sound Mind! Newsflash! My mind is sound, and I kick out your bad thoughts, devil! God has given me authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power of the enemy! (Luke 10:19) Including your lying, illegal thoughts, devil! I am anxious for NOTHING, but in everything, through praying to God and supplication, I make all my requests known to Him and His PEACE that passes ALL understanding guards my heart and mind through Christ Jesus right now! (Philip. 4:6) I erase that negative picture from my mind NOW, and replace it with God's pictures of her future, which is never to harm her, but to PROSPER her and give her a future and a hope! (Jer. 29:11) I have the mind of Christ! I am surrounded with His favor as a shield! Hallelujah!!!
Repeat after me: The more I practice responding to those thoughts with God's Word/Truth, the LESS these thoughts come to me! Through the Holy Spirit in me, I grow strong muscles inside of me that sends bad thoughts running away from me! It is like an warning in hell, "Don't attempt sending bad thoughts to them! They quench every friery dart we throw at them, with the shield of faith!" TODAY, you can build a STRONG shield around you, where bad thoughts are repelled off of you like water off of a duck's back!
DECLARE this out loud today:
I REPEL negative, anxious or fearful thoughts with the Word of God!
I have the shield of faith that QUENCHES every fiery dart the enemy throws!
The weapons God gave me are MIGHTY to overthrow every stronghold!
I Am Proactive in my thought life!
I respond and cast down ANY thought that doesn't line up with God's Truth!
Hell gets tired and wastes energy on me!
I Am surrounded by His Favor like a shield!
I Dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High!
I Rest under the shadow of the Almighty!
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge & Fortress!
I AM everything God says that I am!
I have everything God says that I have!
I walk in continual VICTORY!
My mind is FREE!!!
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Julia and Tye