Can We Really Pray Bad Thoughts Away?
If we are trying to get rid of bad thoughts, mentioning them over and over in our prayers is the wrong thing to do. The more we focus on them, even while praying about them, the more they thrive because repetition etches them on our minds. It is more helpful to replace them.
Rather than replace bad thoughts, many people put effort into:
- pushing them aside;
- ignoring them;
- praying them away.
Instead of telling God about them over and over, we do better to ask His help in instilling the good thoughts that we know would benefit us.
This is not attempt to put words in the pray-er’s mouth; just an attempt to help us pray meaningfully. There are two prayer instructions which can help us prevent our bad thoughts from thriving in our prayers.
The Instructions
Devote yourselves to prayer with
(1) an alert mind and
(2) a thankful heart.
- Colossians 4: 2 NLT
(1) Be Alert
We hear much about continual prayer, and little about alert, intent prayer. The Greek word grēgoreō translated in this verse as “alert” is also translated “watchful,” “awake,” and “vigilant.”
At times, none of the above words seriously describe our state of mind when we pray. It may be prayer time by our schedule and we mumble through the usual words. In such a state of stupor, prayers do more harm than good if we repeat the bad thoughts mindlessly.
Jesus, the Model of Alertness
How Jesus Dealt with Bad Thoughts
Jesus in the wilderness after his forty-day fast (Matthew 4) was the model of alertness.
While in the attitude of prayer, he was tempted to satisfy his appetite by working a miracle to break his fast. Bad thought, since yielding to the temptation would jeopardize His life’s mission.
He immediately replaced the thought of physical hunger by focusing on life-giving, spiritual bread. He thought it and said it, quoting from the Scriptures.
“No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4: 4).
It was not enough to tell the tempter, "Be gone" with his idea of making bread. He established the new thought of having the bread of life which comes from God.
How Eve Dealt with A Similar Thought
Thousands of years earlier, the same tempter brought a similar temptation to Eve in the Garden of Eden to indulge in forbidden food (Genesis 3). She was less than alert repeating senselessly what she had heard her husband say--that God said they should not eat from the tree. Eventually she succumbed to the bad thought she repeated, and ate from the tree. An alert prayer would have mentioned obedience to God.
Prayer is more than words; it is the expression of what we truly believe and desire. It is helpful to speak in our prayers the situations which correspond with our beliefs; not the thoughts that oppose them. Jesus showed us how. Process the thought, replace it immediately without repeating it or weighing the consequences. Be alert enough to speak the replacing thought.
(2) Be Thankful
Here, we focus on giving thanks. Prayer with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6) is a principle which many Christians overlook, especially in the prayer for victory over bad thoughts. An expression of thanks changes the perspective and provides a whole new scenic view for the thoughts. Here is how it works.
A married man finds himself close to an attractive woman with all the physical features which bring his sexual urges to the surface. He is tempted and begins to fantasize about a sexual tryst with her. He has been taught that prayer is the key to overcoming temptation.
How to Respond with Thanksgiving
Not Helpful:
“Lord help me overcome my fleshly desires” and continuing with a list of the fleshly desires that bombard his mind may solidify those desires (unintentionally). Instead, having processed what he is up against, he needs to pray a prayer which replaces those thoughts.
Helpful:
“Lord, thank You for Your beautiful design called woman. Thank You especially for the woman You gave me to be my wife. Thanks for my ability to respond appropriately to her appealing figure . . ." and so on. He has recognized the temptation, but instead of dwelling on it, he begins to replace the thought of temptation “with thanksgiving” about his beautiful wife.
A single man or woman tempted by an image of the opposite sex can thank God for healthy sexual urges, and for the ability to control them and reserve them for expression with the right person at the right time. Giving thanks changes the focus from the possible weakness to the possible strength of the individual, made possible by his or her dependence on God.
In Summary
Prayer with awareness and thanksgiving works.
For example, a woman is depressed about negative results from her medical tests. Here's how she demonstrates alertness and thankfulness:
- She thanks God for His promises to heal, instead of focusing on the misery of ill-health.
- She finds those promises and affirm them in her prayers.
- She thanks God for guiding her toward the appropriate adjustments she needs to make in preparation for her healing.
Giving thanks helps us focus on the solution we have fixed in our minds, not on the problem from which we want to rid ourselves. There is really no better way to say it, Don’t worry about anything [[including the struggle to maintain pure thoughts]. . . Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6).
- Twelve Quotes on Prayer and Its Effect on Well-Being
Read these opinions of scientists and conclusions of scientific data that confirm brain changes as a result of prayer. Prayer produces changes in thoughts and emotions and improves overall well-being.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2013 Dora Weithers
Comments
Very great hub about a Christian's thought life and replacing bad thoughts with productive, good, penitent thoughts! It is very difficult for me sometimes to just stop thinking about something, especially if I've attached strong emotional feelings to it. And how many of times when I'm responding emotionally to something is it even necessary? A strong emotional reaction is probably not necessary nearly as often as I allow it to be.
I like how you described specifically the idea of replacing a sexual urge or temptation with an appropriate thought, like about your spouse. I was reminded of when Joseph literally RAN out of the arms of Potipher's wife in order to escape sin while he could. He did not pause to pray right then and there for God to help him overcome it, and he did not explain his actions to Potipher's wife. Joseph just jumped up and fled; no apologies and no explanation, because he already knew the appropriate action to take and he knew that the only One he needed to explain things to was his Lord.
I was also reminded of this verse about taking every thought captive through Christ:
2 Corinthians 10:5
"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."
You made an important message here in this Hub. I learned to obtain a clean mind through Carman Licciardello, Evangelist Christian Entertainer of Carman Outreach World Ministries back in the early 90's. I am grateful to him - he is suffering with Myeloma Cancer and he needs prayer. Beautiful.
Such a great point about replacing bad thoughts with good. Just like it says in
Romans 6:19 "As a fellow man, I say to you because of the weakness of your flesh, that as you presented your members to the servitude of defilement and of evil, so also now present your members to the servitude of righteousness and of holiness."
What a treasure this hub is, thank you for sharing!
Dear Ms. Dora,
Thank you for a wonderfully thoughtful hub. The power of thanksgiving & gratitude is immense and we are admonished and inspired to give thanks in all things because doing so focuses our hearts and minds on the One from Whom all blessings flow.
"...but prayer is more than words; it is a conscious dialogue with God." I LOVE this. So true and powerful. Not mindless repetition, but active, sincere dialogue! Big thumbs up!!! L.
I found this hub very helpful and will be trying to put it into practise in my prayer life Thankyou MsDora
This is indeed a very deep hub MsDora. This is quite an interesting concept! Sometimes all we need to do is to simply enter into his gates with thanksgiving in our hearts, and just praise his name. Once we give him the agenda, we don't have to be constantly repeating it - just leave it alone and go about our business. The next time we can just praise him and thank him in advance for the victory we know he is going to provide us with.
Thanks MsDora. This reminds me of my article of The truth about Prayer. But you took it from a complete different angle. Surely something I can definitely put into practice, so that I can grow even closer to Christ.
Thank you, Ms. Dora. This is excellent practical advice. I think that awareness and gratitude are our two most powerful tools for allowing the Divine to heal our broken minds.
There is much power in the human mind to change the condition of our thoughts, feelings, and desires. As we tap into the power of prayer, we can make progress over the enemy of our souls. Thank you for these wonderful observations of how this principle works.
Beautiful words thank you
Anything done regularly over a period of time becomes second nature and we get to doing it as a habit without much thought to the action .So it is with prayer. As you rightly state, most of the times our prayers do not suppress our desires as that one important ingredient- thanks, is missing.
To change the direction of our thoughts this is indeed very good advice.
Voted up and useful.
Ms Dora,
Very useful and thoughtful messages to process about each of our prayer lives. An alert mind and a thankful heart is sound advice to take into the prayer chamber.
Thank you. God Bless voted useful, beautiful and up
Wakefulness/watchfulness/vigilance/prudence and gratitude. I like those two keys that you have used for an extremely pertinent subject. Well done.
Hi MsDora,
really beautiful hub that you have here
it was detailed and very organized
Voted up
If the cup is filled with gratefulness where is the room for anything else?
Your wonderful hub reminds us all very well -- thank you.
Beautifully thought of, and such a meaningful Hub.
Be thankful! Now there is a concept many people could benefit from. Love the message here my friend.
Hi MsDora,
Absolutely there must be a replacement and thankfulness and praise are hard to beat. I'm thankful that you shared these thoughts. We have the ability to overcome anything through the cross.
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