The Power Of A Teenage Prayer

Chapter 6: Lord Help Me Take Control Of My Mind

Do you ever have thoughts in your Mind that are upsetting to you but you can't seem to get rid of them? Do you ever have thoughts that make you feel sad or lonely? Or depressed or anxious? Or discouraged? Have you ever felt so bad about yourself and your life that you didnt want to go anywhere or see anyone? I have had those kinds of thoughts too.

Many people think thoughts like that sometimes. Some people think thoughts like that alot of the time. The enemy wants us to think bad thoughts all of the time. But God doesn't wants us to think that way at all.

I used to think that every thought that came into my mind was real. If I was depressed it meant I had to live with that emotion. It was just the way I was and I coud do nothing to change it. But I was so wrong. I was believing a lie.

Sometimes the thoughts you have are for a very good reason. There is definitely something you can point to that is making you think and feel that way. But too often you can have negative emotions and you don't even know why. There may be nothing really wrong with you or your life, and so you wonder why you can't get on top of them. When that happens you can be certain the enemy is trying to get you to believe a lie.

Learning To Take Control
Do you realize you dont have to allow certain thoughts into your mind at all? It's true. You have control over that. A big part of standing strong against the enemy is taking control over our minds. "The bible says that we must learn to bring "every thought into captivity"(2 corinthians 10:5). It was an astounding revelation to me when i became a new believer and learned that i didnt have to entertain every thought that came into my head. I had a choice about whether to listen to my thoughts or not. Isn't that amazing?

Many criminals talk about how they heard a voice in their head telling them to commit a crime and they just followed orders. When people are not taught to discern the voices in their head,they dont recognize the voice of the enemy. He is a clever deceiver who will come to each one of us and try to speak lies into our mind. We have to be ready for him by being able to identify and resist his lies. We have to catch his lies the minute they enter our mind so that we dont entertain them as truth and make ourselves miserable.

One of the most difficult things about being a teenager is that you are such a passionate thinker. You feel things strongly. This is a good trait,but at this period in your life it can cause your emotions to go from one extreme to another in a short period of time. Extremely happy or excited one minute;extremly sad or depressed the next. Extremely anxious or worried one day;extremely carefree and unconcerned the next.

You may also feel you cannot express your thoughts and feelings to the depth that you would like. You might embarrased to have anyone know your feeling the way you do. In fact your thoughts and feeling may be so complex that you dont even know how to talk about them. You are not sure you completely understand them yourself. And so they build up and become like volcano that is ready to errupt. The enemy would like to step into that situation and take advantage of your passion. He would like you to lose your temper or get so depressed that you do something hurtful to someone or yourself. This wonderful passion of yours, that should be used for God's glory can be turned into a weapon against you by the enemy in a moment if he can get you to believe his lies.

The Lies We Believe
Do you ever have certain thoughts that play over and over in your mind like an old broken record? Have you ever had a thought that produce a physical feeling in your body, such as a pain in your heart?,a quesy sensation in the pit of your stomach,tightenss in your throat,weakness in your arms and legs,a fear or a dread,a nervousness or anxiety ,tears in your eyes,a rash on your face and neck,or rapidly heart beating?
Do you ever have any "what if" thoughts plague your mind ,such as "what if i jumped of the balcony,?" "What if i ran my car into that wall? "What if my parents die"? "What if i cant be successful?"