If you’re anything like me, there are days when your mind runs wild with thoughts that weigh you down. Maybe you look in the mirror and wonder, “Why did God make me this way?” Perhaps you find yourself comparing your body, talents, or life to someone else’s and always come up short. You find yourself asking, “Why am I like this? Why don’t I have what they have?”
It’s easy to let those thoughts take over, to let self-criticism play on repeat until it feels normal. But here’s the hard truth: what we let run loose in our minds will eventually show up in our lives. Those private, negative thoughts? They do damage. If someone talked to your loved ones the way you speak to yourself, you’d step in and put a stop to it. But for some reason, we let ourselves live under a storm of self-condemnation, day after day.
Today on my podcast, Followed by Mercy, we’re getting real about “stinking thinking.” We’re going to examine what the Bible actually says about our thoughts and how to stop letting them control us. I’m not talking about fixing things with willpower. I’m talking about learning to soak in God’s promises until His truth drowns out the lies.
Jesus made it clear that what comes out of our hearts is what shapes our lives. When our hearts are full of anxiety, bitterness, or shame, it shows up in our words, our actions, and our relationships. However, the Lord also provided us with a better way. In Psalm 23, we see David facing the darkest days of his life. He doesn’t deny his pain, but he doesn’t get stuck there, either. Instead of focusing on his hurt, he anchors himself in the goodness of the Shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
Maybe you’ve never learned how to take your thoughts captive. Perhaps you’ve never considered that what you meditate on, what you rehearse and replay in your mind, can either steal your joy or set you free. We’re going to talk about that. We’re going to talk about what it means to mutter truth to yourself, not just in your mind, but out loud. We’ll talk about how God’s Word can become the foundation you stand on when everything else seems to be shaking.
And let’s be clear: I don’t have all the answers. I’m still learning right alongside you. But I know this: God’s goodness and mercy are following you, whether you see it or not. You don’t have to keep living under a cloud of stinking thinking. There is hope, there is truth, and there is victory for you right now.
So, if you’re weary or tired of the old tapes playing in your head, I want to invite you to tune in to this week’s episode of Followed by Mercy. Let’s walk this journey together—out of shame and into grace.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and share it with someone who needs a little hope today.