Hey Besties! Have you ever had an unwanted thought that randomly popped into your mind?
Sometimes these thoughts can go away on their own, but other times they come right back.
People from all around the world deal with intrusive thoughts and don’t know where they come from. Many think that these thoughts are normal and they’re told that there is nothing they can do to stop them.
You may have been suffering in silence because these unwanted thoughts have caused you to think that something is wrong with you. It stops here in Jesus’ name!
No longer will negative intrusive thoughts drive anyone to drinking, drugs, overeating, or suicide! It’s time to learn how to fight the enemy behind intrusive thoughts.
This post is all about intrusive thoughts and today we’re going to learn all about them.
Are you ready? Let’s Geaux!
What Are Intrusive Thoughts
The word intrusive means to cause disruption or annoyance through being unwelcomed or uninvited. It is the adjective behind the word intruder, which describes anyone or anything who enters a territory without permission.
When God had the bright idea to make human beings, he spoke something very specific. He said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the livestock, over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (Genesis 1:26).
Bestie, this is a spiritual battle. Long before you and I were born, God had a plan to extend his rulership to earth through his kids. Heaven being his domain, while earth is ours.
You were created to rule, subdue, dominate, and govern the earth to make it function just like your home country, Heaven.
The moment God established the first man and woman is where we see the Intruder make his way.
Where Do Intrusive Thoughts Come From
When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he forfeited dominion and unlocked many things, including intrusive thoughts.
While some intrusive thoughts are random, others are strategically planted in your mind and watered over time. I’m sure that there are negative words that were spoken to you as a child that still haunt you in some form or fashion.
You may not notice until it’s time for you to face something new or get close to someone. Either way, intrusive thoughts typically sound the same.
Thoughts like: :”I could never do that”. “My family has always done it this way”. “I’m not good enough” are what negative intrusive thoughts can sound like.
None of these thoughts accidently come across your mind because you have a real enemy. But you do have a part to play in the reason why they linger.
I want you to think about a negative thought that always seems to play in your mind. Begin to think about why and when that thought occurs.
For example, a thought that comes into my mind often is “I hate my life”. I’m aware that this thought isn’t mine because I don’t hate my life and it only comes when I’m faced with disappointment.
An intrusive thought can’t stay in your mind unless it has something to cling to. In my case, it would be the disappointment.
Since I’m always trying something new, disappointment will happen often because failure is inevitable. If I allow myself to stay in disappointment, then I am opening the floodgates for intrusive thoughts.
If you are struggling with worry, then it is time for you to get to the root of it so that intrusive thoughts can no longer linger in your mind.
The enemy behind these thoughts cannot create anything new. He can only use what’s available to him, but you are the one who has authority over him. You don’t have to settle for negative intrusive thoughts!
Can Intrusive Thoughts Be Triggered
Intrusive thoughts can indeed be triggered. Certain environments, smells, sayings, stresses, and anxiousness can attribute to these thoughts.
Honestly, there are moments when you won’t be triggered. Remember this is a spiritual battle and you do have a real enemy who would do anything to keep you from being who God created you to be.
You also have to remember that your patterns can attribute to intrusive thoughts. If you’re committed to unhealthy behavior patterns, your patterns can fuel the intrusive thoughts in your mind.
For example, if you have been telling yourself that you will wake up earlier and your actions aren’t following, then you are leaving room for the thoughts to invade.
Or if you’re consistently hanging around people who bring you down instead of build you up then you are opening the door to unwanted thoughts.
Do Intrusive Thoughts Mean Anything
Intrusive thoughts mean that you are human. There is nothing wrong with you and you aren’t alone. What you must know is that these thoughts don’t reflect on your character.
Intrusive thoughts are not the truth. Just because they can pop into your mind doesn’t mean that you have to let them take root.
None of these thoughts have the power to make anything happen unless you are the one to act on them. You are stronger! You are not your thoughts.
[RELATED POST: Why Does God Allow Bad Things To Happen?}
How To Stop Intrusive Thoughts
Negative and positive thoughts will cross your mind and you can manage both! There are four ways that you can use to stop negative intrusive thoughts.
1. Take Every Thought Captive
- 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 (2 Corinthians 10:5).
An intruder won’t come in if he knows that someone powerful is home. When intrusive thoughts pop in your mind, you have to take them captive. You have to make these thoughts submit to the Word of God.
2. Guard Your Heart Above All Else
- Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23).
To guard your heart is to watch what you are allowing yourself to ingest. “What goes in must come out” is not a saying that only pertains to food.
What goes in through your eyes and ears has the potential to live in your subconscious mind long after its expiration date.
Take inventory of what you are watching, listening, and engaging in. Certain movies, shows, podcasts, and videos shouldn’t be ingested by you even if others are able to ingest them.
3. Replace The Darkness With Light
For every negative intrusive thought, speak back to it aloud with light. If the thought tells you to do something inappropriate, you tell it what God says.
You will have to do a little homework in order to complete this step. Once an intrusive thought is exposed to the light, it has to flee.
4. Identify Your Triggers
- My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
As long as you’re ignorant to your triggers, you leave room for the enemy. Any area that you don’t have knowledge in, is an area that the enemy can use to ruin your life.
6 Scriptures To Defeat Intrusive Thoughts
The Word of God is the only way to destroy intrusive thoughts. The following scriptures will be the jumpstart to you putting a stop to these unwanted thoughts.
- We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
- Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things(Philippians 4:8).
- But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires(Romans 13:14).
- Be alert and sober minded. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour(1 Peter 5:8).
- Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it(Proverbs 4:23).
- My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests. Because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children (Hosea 4:6).
Bestie, you don’t have to settle for these thoughts. Many people think that there’s nothing you can do about them, but God says otherwise.
Because you are his child and now his heir, you can’t keep allowing yourself to lose against unwanted thoughts.
It’s time for you to rise up and take back your mind. Remember you are destined to win because He got up!
This was exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you so much for this!!! I am recovering from a physically and emotionally abusive marriage. That trauma has brought on intrusive negative thoughts. I am learning ways to regulate my thoughts and form new positive thought patterns. This was very helpful!
Thank you! I’m so happy that it helped you and I pray nothing but love and healing on your recovering journey!