Today is the last of the 5 Days to Jumpstart Your Confidence in Christ and I want to close by teaching you one of the skills that will help you so very much on this journey you’re on.

I’m talking about the skill of taking your thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5

I’ve worked with thousands of women trying to lose weight and one of the most common struggles we talk about is the simple act of stepping on the scale.

The scale itself is not judgmental. It’s a bunch of neutral pieces and parts, without opinions or judgments, that does its job by telling us how much something weighs. That’s it.

But the women I work with don’t see an arbitrary number (and I sure didn’t used to either!). They feel embarrassed. Humiliated. Shamed. Vulnerable. Like that scale is pointing an accusing finger at them and calling them:

  • fat.
  • A failure.
  • Unattractive.
  • Unlovable.

And, once again, your feelings are always valid…but is it true?

I know how those thoughts can come out of nowhere, blindside you, and ruin your day, BUT you are not a victim of your thoughts. They do not have to tear down your confidence.

Just because you think it doesn’t make it true.

In an ever-changing culture where every “truth” seems to be relative these days, God’s Word is our source of ultimate, unchanging, grounding Truth.

Whether it’s stepping on the scale or starting a new career, if your thoughts about yourself do not line up with God’s Word, take that thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

When you hear yourself think, “You failed again…you’re such a loser.”

Don’t just blindly accept that to be true. But it’s also not very effective to tell yourself not to think that (like telling yourself not to push the red button…it’s all you can think about!).

What works far better is recognizing the lie and replacing it with God’s Truth.

You may say something like, “God, I feel like a loser right now because I messed up yet again, but Your Word says that Your grace is sufficient for me and your power is made perfect in my weakness. I am not a loser. I am redeemed.”

Even when that “I’m such a loser” thought feels like your automatic response, you always have a choice to redirect your thoughts back to God.

And, my friend, that is how you grow in joy and confidence in Christ.

  1. You believe that what God says about you is true.
  2. You separate your roles and actions from your identity.
  3. You own your mistakes and weaknesses.
  4. You trust Jesus to fill in your gaps.
  5. And you stay alert and watchful of your thoughts, taking them captive and making them obedient to Christ.

If you have the Prayer Journal Bundle, go through the Take My Thoughts Captive worksheet. If not, use a journal to write down any thoughts you need to take captive and use God’s Word to make them obedient to Christ.

This isn’t an overnight fix. It takes time to retrain your thoughts but, thankfully, both the Bible and neuroscience agree that it’s fully possible with time, intentionality, and repetition.

If you go through the exercises and don’t feel any different, don’t give up. Keep working to align your thoughts with God’s Word.

Cling to the hope you have in Jesus, knowing you are enough because He is enough.

Thanks so much for joining me for these 5 days of jump starting your confidence in Christ.

You’ll hear from me again soon with more Bible verses and encouragement to continue to grow in joy and confidence in Christ.

Blessings,

Becky