Through prayer and the power of God, we take every thought captive. Here is a visual way of thinking about this. We want you to actually do this!
Get a box
It doesn’t have to be fancy or big: a small Amazon box or a shoebox.
Now write, “God” on the box
Every time you have a worry, burden, temptation, or runaway crazy thought, write it down on a slip of paper.
You might write:
• I’m afraid I’m going to get fired.
• My seventeen-year-old son worries me sick.
• I want to get on my phone and go to websites or social media I know I shouldn’t.
• I can’t pay all these bills.
• What’s going to happen with my mother?
• I want to smoke so bad.
• I’m never going to change.
• I’m angry with my spouse constantly.
Write them down and put them in your God box.
When you put them in your God box, pray, “God, I am trusting you with this. I know you are in control. I know you are bigger than this. This is not a thought I want to think, so I am giving this to you.”
Once you pray and put the problem in the box, go on with your life.
From that point on, if you decide you want to worry about whatever it was, go to your God box, take it out, and tell God, “I don’t trust you with this. I am going to take it back from you.”
When you read that last sentence, you probably thought, I could never say that to God, but every time we worry or panic, that is what we’re saying to God.
That is not how we want to live, and we don’t need to live that way. Paul told us, “The Lord is near,” so we need to practice God’s presence, so we’ll be persistent in prayer. Peter told us we can cast all our cares on God, because he cares for us.
Our thoughts seek to betray us, but we know:
• If it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about.
• If it’s on your mind, it’s on God’s heart.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)