Day 7 - It's The Thought That Counts

Today's Scripture: Colossians 3:1-17

Today's Devotional: Colossians 3 encourages us to set our minds on God and not on earthly things, which, cause our toxic thoughts.  One of the best ways to start focusing your thoughts on God is to spend more time with Him each day in prayer and in the reading of His word.

Response by: Chad Schuchmann

At 25 years old, as I was leaving my first job as a Youth Pastor, the senior pastor at the church told me I should spend some time considering whether I was called to ministry.  For a couple of weeks, I sat totally dejected, unable to focus on anything except those words.  The Questions swirled in my head, was he right?  Had I failed miserably at youth ministry?  I had spent the past five years preparing for a vocation in youth ministry. If I didn't continue in Youth Ministry, what would I do?

After some encouragement from the pastor of the church I grew up in, my parents, and a couple other mentors; I began the search process and was eventually hired at a new church.  And yet, those words still haunted me, caused me to question every decision and at times, disabled me.

A little over a year later on our summer mission trip, our youth did an exercise in which each person shared something positive about every other person in the group.  When it was my turn, I listened to the words of affirmation, of gratefulness for my ministry and of the ways kids said they felt impacted by me.  New thoughts built up in my head.  They replaced the questions and doubts I had struggled with over the previous year.  I no longer doubted what God had prepared and called me to do.


It is so easy to have toxic thoughts--thoughts that tell us lies about ourselves, thoughts that cause us to act, react and respond to things negatively.  One toxic thought can lead us down a very slippery slope. One toxic thought can cause us to believe all kinds of lies.

Have you ever thought, "I'm not good enough," "life doesn't matter," "God doesn't care about me," "That's so stupid," "I hate this about myself," or "I hate myself"?

What toxic thoughts do you have?  Really think about it.  Do you believe them to be true?

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to "carefully guard our thoughts because they are the source of true life."

What you think determines what you become.  If you are always thinking negative thoughts, then you will begin to think of yourself negatively or lower than you really are.  Likewise, positive thoughts can help us develop a more healthy mindset.

Today's passage tells us to "put to death" (v. 5) and "get rid of" (v. 8) our toxic thoughts.  Instead, it encourages us to "put on the new self" (v. 10) and "Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts." (v. 15)

When we learn to hear the words God speaks into us, we begin to change the way we think.  We begin to hear "You are loved," "You are good enough," "You have worth," and "You have great purpose"! And our thoughts about ourselves begin to mirror God's.

Something to talk about:  What are some specific toxic thoughts you have that need to change?  What are some ways you can begin to make that change?