It is SO important to monitor our thoughts and realize how they are impacting the rest of our lives. When we catch a lie, we must identify it, reject it, and replace it with the truth. Say the truth over and over. Out loud. This is how we begin to take back our lives from fear, shame, and overwhelm.
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed at the thought of bringing my fourth child into the world. I have three children, ages 5, 3 and 1, with another on the way. I am so grateful for my children. We have been truly blessed. And with each child, we grow in ways I couldn’t even begin to understand before becoming a mother. Sometimes though, when chaos is abound and our tiny house feels like it’s spinning in a hurricane of loud noises, clutter strewn about by tiny hands, and chores left half-finished from the last time I stopped to wipe a tear, I get pummeled with the intrusive thought “Gee, and you’re adding one more to the mix? How will you handle it?”
No. I reject that thought and all it assumes. I reject the lie that I am not enough. That I am not worthy of God’s blessings. That I cannot handle the responsibilities God has given me. That I am not capable of rising to the occasion and growing stronger through God’s provisions. These are lies. Weeds to be pulled up by the roots.
Further than that, I repent for the sin of doubting God and his sovereign plan for my life. I repent for not believing I can do it. You do not give us more than we can handle when we rely on you. I trust You and your plans for my future. I know that you will prepare me for what you have called me to do, as you have prepared others you have called to carry out your will all throughout time. With you, I can do all things through faith.
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28