Intrusive thoughts can be quite disturbing. One night I remember having a dream of these flies swarming around me. I tried pushing them away, but with no avail, they increased in volume to attack me. I draped a jacket over my head and closed my eyes to wait out the attack. I remember seeing one fly fall to the ground. I recognized that it looked almost mechanical or programmed to cause me distress.
Shortly after the dream, I started to experience an onslaught of intrusive thoughts. I realized they were the flies from the dream. I considered them as mechanical programmers- or old belief patterns that came to haunt me.
What are intrusive thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are usually unwanted and can come on suddenly to evoke anxiety in your body (leading to feelings of fight or flight and sometimes hyper-vigilance). Rumination is a close cousin of intrusive thoughts. It is a hyper focus on a problem by continuously thinking of all the possible scenarios that could happen.
Related post:PTSD From Emotional Abuse: Heal Your Wounds Now
The root of intrusive thoughts- Biblical Examples
Intrusive thoughts are a by-product of beliefs that you were programmed to believe since childhood. For me, I feared not being protected, loved, and accepted when I experienced a bout of food poisoning. In childhood , I was taught that love was conditional ( but when I got sick, I seemed to get a lot of attention and acknowledgement).
The root of intrusive thoughts is rejection. Rejection will make you fear that you are not good enough for love, acceptance, and adoration.
We have two examples of rejection in the bible:
- Lucifer was thrown out of heaven (was rejected and not accepted into God’s kingdom due to his pride of thinking he did not need God).
- Adam and Eve were thrown out of Eden due to not believing that God was good enough in saying not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They chose their own will instead of God’s will.
The devil will try to make you feel the same way with intrusive thoughts of rejection. He will make you feel that you do not measure up to receive God’s love or the love of other people in your life. He will make it so that you are performing all your life to prove that you are worthy of love. The truth is you are worthy of love and Jesus proved His love for you on the cross.
5 Biblical Ways to overcome intrusive thoughts
Allow the Holy Spirit to purify your mind
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
(Romans 8:6)
When your thoughts are overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts, invite the Holy Spirit into the deepest parts of your mind. Allow Him to do a clean sweep of the clutter that is over crowding your soul with any lies.
I asked God to purify my heart from emotional trauma over the years. Like king David, my soul needed a deep cleaning- a clean slate. King David wanted not only God to purify his heart but to also give him a brand new heart. Since the beginning in Genesis 1, God created man in his own image ( in the image of God which was male and female). King David wanted a heart that came from nothing, completely new, and custom made by God’s divine nature ( the very make up of God).
Related post:God Create in me a Clean Heart Now: Psalm 51:10
Rest in God and take on His Yoke
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light“
Matthew 11:28-30
If I am tired or sick in my mind and body, I can hear the soft whisper of God in my spirit, saying I love you and I will never leave you. Lately, I have been feeling so out of touch with myself and reality. I got really sick from food poisoning, lost a lot of weight, and felt such an uneasiness in my soul. It has been difficult trying to sleep at night, because I find myself thinking about all of the things that I need to get done or if I will be able to achieve my dreams. I find it difficult to make my mind remain still.
The Lord reminded to take on His yoke so that I am not overcome with despair. God wants you to rest in His loving presence so that He can properly care for your soul.
Worship the Lord in the secret place ( the garden)
Worship is adoration to the sovereign King ( Jesus). It is recognizing God for who He is as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, then giving Him glory from that revelation. Worship is also about having true intimacy in knowing God. It’s becoming one with the Father, one with the Holy Spirit, and one with Jesus Christ.
I first realized that I was encountering God when He took me to an exclusive place in the garden. Hidden from the outside world. It was just me and Him and all of His glory. I longed for God so much that my heart cried out “ come away with me Lord.”
Just like Jesus said to His disciples “Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while- Mark 6:31
In each passage, Jesus understood the meaning of going to a quiet place of solitude to be with the Father. In that place of solitude without any distractions, you are able to fill yourself up to your desired content.
Related post:How to Encounter God’s Presence Now: Devotional (Part 1)
Renew your mind with God’s word
You can be delivered from demonic oppression on your healing journey but if you do not renew your mind with God’s truth (that you are loved by Him), you will continue to live like a slave or a victim. If you believe that you are a sinner who deserves hell and condemnation, then you will live in torment and punishment. It is not about what you deserve, it is about putting on Jesus to experience freedom.
It is important to put your total trust on the finished work of the cross. Jesus took the place as the last Adam so that you can be re-united with God in the garden. You do not have to identify with shame, guilt, or rejection. Receive the spirit of adoption and take your inheritance in God’s kingdom as a king.
Take captive your thoughts
Take inventory of your intrusive thoughts. For me, most of my intrusive thoughts are centered on fear of demonic possession and the name of the devil. I realized these intrusive thoughts are generational. My blood line and mother had great fear of the devil. Although, they were avid church-goers, they operated in the spirit of religion ( performance mentality) and fear.
When these thoughts come, I put them on the cross and declare that who I am in Christ is solidified. The devil is beneath me and is out of God’s kingdom. I have power and authority over any of his plots and schemes. Do not give the devil access to your heart and stay in the garden of God.
Continue reading:
