Psalm 27:8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to Thee, “Thy face, O LORD, I shall seek.”
(Inner dialogue – my heart said – of David in prayer)
In our last discussion, we talked about the importance of monitoring our inner dialogue. We emphasized practicing awareness of the images we form with our imagination and the words we say to ourselves. It is those very images and words that determine what we believe and how we feel within ourselves. Positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale, Napolean Hill and others observed and taught these ideas to their generation to help them understand how their minds worked. Today, in the field of Psychology, Cognitive-Behavioral therapists use these same concepts to help the depressed and anxious find relief. What these people have discovered is the divine design of the human soul, nothing more.
The bible explains that even unbelievers are able to observe the patterns of God’s creation and discern “truths” about how the divine design operates. In fact, God’s own essence can be discerned from observing nature.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities– his eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
The reason that Mr. Peale and the field of psychology have been effective in changing peoples inner experience is that they have observed and utilized some of the truths of God’s design. Psychologists especially have studied and categorized human behavior to a great degree and they have been helpful for understanding the patterns of man’s problems. Little do they know, but the field of psychology is the greatest student of man’s sin and sin nature that ever existed. Psychology understands the problem, but listen, they have no solutions for Christians that will please God. They understand the system God designed for changing the heart, but the poor fellows just don’t know the content of what God wants operating in the human heart. Thanks Sigmund for your keen observations but I’m betting you’ve had reason to reevaluate your position on the existence of God, especially Jesus – so sorry for you buddy.
As Christians, indwelt and nurtured by God-Holy Spirit, (GHS) we have options that a psychologist does not have. He/she might be able to discern our irrational thoughts and advise us to abandon them, but at that point, they are at a loss. What now doc? Ok, I put off the old man beliefs (Paul’s term) that were making me miserable, now what do I put in its place? What do I believe instead? The best a psychologist can give anyone is a human idea that makes them feel better than the old idea. As Christians, with God-Holy Spirit (GHS) enabling us, we have the option to replace our old, faulty ideas with the literal thinking of God. He has given us the very belief system that Jesus used when He walked the earth. The way we become an imitator of God (Eph 5:1), is by removing the lies we have believed in our hearts and replacing them by faith with new man beliefs based on the truths of scripture. When we do this, the truths of the scripture become the operating system of our hearts (excuse the computer metaphor) rather than the old stuff that dominated us in the old life. Rather than learning concepts and trying to apply them by human will power, when we put a new truth in our heart, that truth becomes how we think, feel and naturally behave about that area of life. The truth flows effortlessly from us by the power of GHS in every area where we have allowed GHS to transform us. In those areas where we are still holding to faulty viewpoints, we will find ourselves still dominated by those false ideas. Let me give an example:
Joe is Christian and has been married for 3 years to Ann also a Christian. Joe was taught by his father that as the husband, he is to act as the authority over his wife in all things. He believes that it is his job to make all the decisions for them and to be in charge of everything that goes on just like his father did. While different churches hold differing positions on this issue, I will tell you that Joe is having a difficult time with his marriage. His wife’s complaint: “Joe is overbearing and domineering about everything. He won’t even let me decide what to buy at the grocery store. I have had it with Joe telling me every little thing to do.” My take is that Joe has learned a true principle but misunderstood the application. He has believed that God is expecting him to take a personal hand in everything and has taken the idea too far. He is acting like a boss instead of a loving leader. For Joe to bring some peace to his marriage, he must stop believing the false ideas he has connected to his authority in marriage (that God wants him to control his wife). Then he can seek wise counsel about how the husband’s authority truly works in love as a nurturing force, not a dominating force. As he comes to understand the Lord’s intent for the husband’s authority, GHS will enable him to take off (stop believing) that which is false and replace it (by believing it) with that which is true. GHS will use these truths to enable Joe to lead in love. It is in this way that we all learn, grow and are transformed into the image of our Savior.
Let me summarize some important points:
1. The human soul uses images and dialogue to process human thought
Our thoughts are formed chemically and electrically in the brain and we experience these chemical – electrical events as images seen and words heard inside our minds.
2. The images and words processing in our minds are a direct reflection of what we have chosen to believe about anything in life.
Our beliefs determine what we see/say to ourselves about any given issue
3. We are in charge of the images we choose to imagine and the phrases we choose to say to ourselves.
We process internally based on choice – we can change our inner experience
4. GHS will enable us to remove lies and replace them with truth
Rom 12:2 – transformation by the renewing of your mind
One of my favorite prayer exercises is to imagine myself entering the gates of heaven and as I do, I hear my Lord say “well done my good and faithful servant, you did good little brother, I am proud of you”. What a motivating, invigorating image. It is better than my old one where I kept telling myself that God was looking for a reason to squash me for my sins.
Father, please help me and my friends learn how to tell ourselves the truths of scripture rather than the lies of the world.
Home run!