Change Your Mind

Psalm 42:11

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

I recently saw an ad for a hoodie with a slogan printed on it that concerned me. It said, "Check-in with yourself throughout the day, and remember that whatever you're feeling is alright." So this little psychological quip has some good advice mixed in with a terrible and even frightening suggestion. Yes, I need to identify my feelings and logically try to understand them, but telling myself that whatever I feel is alright is exactly what can lead a person down a spiraling path of destructive thoughts and behavior.

Has that ever happened to you? Your feelings can be influenced by a number of things that are good or bad. Even a bad pizza can make you feel lousy and effect how you view what you are going to do next. Falling back into an old destructive habit can also determine how you feel and lead you to unwanted anger or anxiety or convince you to just give up all self control.

As followers of Jesus we depend on God's Spirit to remind us of God's promises and proclamations so that His thoughts will determine how we feel. The psalmist in this verse is identifying what he is feeling and why it is not alright. He then tells his own soul how to change. He is, in short, saying, "knock it off….get perspective…get your focus where you know it needs to be so that you end up focusing on the God who gave you life and loves you, not feeling downcast in self pity."

Our hope is not in the desire for circumstances or people to make us feel better. Our hope is in God who is still on the throne and will cause all things to work together for my good, even if it is to transform my character. So when you wake up in the middle of the night, don't fill your head with your thoughts, whatever is generated by your feelings, but determine that you will focus your mind on God's promises. And talk to your soul like the Psalmist. He determined that his own mind was not right and needed to change. Your feelings do not determine reality.

You don't have to feel that God loves you to believe that it is true. He loves you so much that He died to make sure you will live forever…the cross is historical evidence and proof that you are forgiven and He wants to change you to be like Him. Think on that.