Fighting back against harmful thoughts

December 29, 2025

Maria Philippians 4, Proverbs 18, Proverbs 23, Proverbs 4, Spiritual Warfare, Truth , , , , , Leave a comment

For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Proverbs 23:7 NASB
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true… Philippians 4:8 NLT

As I reflect back over the year 2025, I give thanks for the defensive spiritual weapons the Lord has given me to fight back against the foul spirits directed by Satan. The essence of these biblical truths and commands above, together with some cultural adages, have served me well.

You do know we are engaged in a cosmic war, right? As those who have been transferred out of Satan’s kingdom of darkness and into God’s bright kingdom of light and righteousness, we are constantly under attack.

Last week, on Christmas Eve day, I battled jealousy on and off until mid-afternoon. Current photos our daughter-in-law posted of her four children delighting in some curated fun with “the other grandparents” triggered me to conclude that they are “the better grandparents.” It also didn’t help that we were not around family, although we had recently spent most of Thanksgiving week with all six of our grandkids.

So, how did I fight back?

All I can say is that I kept at it. I didn’t stop battling. I alternated between confessing my sinful thoughts and thanking God for these other loving grandparents who live closer and can lavish attention and gifts on them more frequently than we can.

What helped most was uttering out loud to Maria, “The story I’m telling myself is…,” as well as reminding myself of the many times we, too, have planned fun experiences, building strong bonds and creating. Finally, Satan let up, and my heart (thoughts) returned to a state of peace.

In 2025, “the story I’m telling myself” has served as my go-to shield. I wield this defensive weapon whenever I find myself succumbing to harmful thinking. At times when Mike articulates a negative script about his circumstances, I will remind him to choose a different possible story. Yes, we are able, through God’s Spirit, to select what we know to be true and not draw damaging conclusions from our imaginations.

On Thursday, I was just feeling sorry for myself, and Satan toyed with me.

Scripture teaches us that God has endowed ALL believers with the gift of sound, or logical, thinking (2 Timothy 1:7), and He expects us to use this gift—to practice it.

As the verses above show, we are commanded to keep guard over our thought lives (our hearts). I’m sure you’ve heard Proverbs 18:21 multiple times, reminding us that life and death are in the power of tongue. What we think and say to ourselves DOES matter.

My only goal for 2026 is to work on my heart. I am praying that daily, with intentionality, I will weed the garden of my heart. I’m counting on God’s Word and some curated self-talk to keep my armor in shape.

By the way, I haven’t forgotten one other self-talk help in my arsenal—the title of the book What If It’s Wonderful? by Nicole Zasowski. I use these four words whenever I catch myself, out of fear, futurizing “the worst possible scenario.”

How do you fight back with God’s help?

God did infinitely more than I imagined.

November 30, 2025

Maria Fear, Psalm 40, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Trusting God , , , , , , 1 Comment


What if It’s Wonderful? — title of a book by Nicole Zasowski

I read Nicole’s account of listening to God rather than her fears probably four years ago. Her title has become one of my “tools” for battling the temptation to picture negative outcomes. Nicole, a believer in Christ, suffered multiple miscarriages before delivering a healthy baby. She learned to keep trusting the goodness of God despite her past.

“What if it’s wonderful?” turned out to be key this Thanksgiving week. Our family of 12 gathered at our oldest son’s house in Tampa. Mike and I drove down to join our six grandchildren, our two sons, and their wives.

Prior to this journey south, I had indulged in some fearful imagining based on previous experiences with family. On several occasions as grandparents, we had not met the expectations of our sons and their wives in our interactions with the kids.

To top it off, Mike and I had been home not even two weeks from our last trip, and Mike was slowly recovering from a cold. He was feeling the pressure to complete audio work and assist the choir with a strong voice before we departed. We were both stressing.

That is when God started to work His wonders.

By Sunday morning, He had restored Mike’s voice. The choir at Westminster Pres assisted all of us in praising God with song. Later that afternoon, Mike completed some audio work, and we departed with a thankful heart the next morning.

Starting on day one, I made two constant requests of the Lord: one, that our four grandchildren driving down from Virginia would remain healthy so they could enjoy being with their Florida cousins; and number two, that Mike and I would simply enter into all the activities, relax, and enjoy each moment.

I kept hoping and praying, “What if it’s wonderful?” I also asked two friends to lift us up to the Lord each day.

Family holidays are prime time for spiritual attack and for sin to separate us. During our four days with everyone, I sometimes interpreted facial expressions, imagining that someone was not pleased with me. I know—I can be an insecure mother-in-law! As an only child of older parents, I did not grow up with extended family. I never enjoyed the delight of hanging out, basking in the love of grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts.

Guess what? The Lord did provide for a marvelous visit. I bet you’re not surprised. After all, this is God who sets us in families and gives us friends. Why wouldn’t He do something more than we could ask or imagine?

All 12 of us remained healthy.

The sun shone, and we spent a lot of time outside. All six kids benefited from fresh air and playful exertion.

Graham and Shay offered their Airbnb to us and our other son and his family. We all had plenty of space.

Laughter reigned as all 12 of us played multiple group games each day.

A sourdough disaster turned into a learning experience for me, thanks to my daughter-in-law Anne. I had brought some sourdough starter and my Dutch oven to make bread with Vera.

We all connected in one-on-one conversations and gained fresh insights about how others think and what energizes them.

Finally, as a small “kiss” from the Father to Mike, my husband shared cigars and conversation last night out by the Hampton Inn firepit with another guest. This was a first.

Our takeaway? Our minds, when predicting the future, can only draw on past experiences. But God is infinite. My motto remains: What if today is wonderful!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
 Psalm 40:5 ESV