Monday, February 25, 2013 -- Think Before You Act

Monday February 25, 2013

What we think leads to what we do. Thought almost always precedes action, yet thinking can be inaccurate and miss the mark. One of our greatest spiritual dangers, especially as we walk in the steps of our recovery, is “stinking thinking.” One false thought is the conviction that God cannot or will not help me. When we think that way, we tend to allow ourselves to be dominated by fear – fear of relapse, fear of the past, fear of guilt, fear of embarrassment, fear of loneliness, fear of being hurt in relationship.

God's promise to us is: "Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you." (Psalm 37:3-5 NLT)

When we think that God cannot or will not help us, we leave ourselves wide open to negative actions. When we’re too afraid to do what is good, we end up experiencing dissatisfaction and emptiness. Too often we then choose addictive habits to fill the gap. When we think we have to take care of ourselves we get tired, we fall short, and we get hurt. In our frustration we lash out at others. We blame them or our circumstances for what we are feeling and experiencing and so we vent our fears and angry thoughts on whoever is closest to us at the moment. Then we end up experiencing discouragement, loneliness, and increased pain from the angry conflicts.

God invites us to the peace and security of living in the truth of His care for us. He knows we need to trust what He says so He has made promises that we can count on, and act on, even before we experience the outcome. Our part is to acknowledge God's truth in our situation and then stand firm in obedience to this truth. As we do that, we come to experience all God has promised us.