Lying in bed, I want nothing else but to be swallowed up by the velvety blackness of the night. But my brain has other plans.
Deep in the recesses of my mind, there are creatures stirring. Once buried, they emerge from their shallow graves. Zombies named Condemnation, Shame, and Hopeless relentlessly pursue me.
Ah, but tonight is different. I am armed with a mighty weapon, the Word of my Creator, the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.”
When Condemnation lumbers towards me, I drop him with Romans 8:1, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Shame staggers along, but I turn to face him, armed with Psalm 103:12. I say, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”
Hopelessness reaches out his gnarled hand, but evaporates when I tell him what Hebrews 6:18-19 says, “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.”
When zombies come to attack your mind and try to hijack your emotions, empower yourself with strong, positive words. How you talk to yourself represents a fundamental change. Speak to yourself out loud to promote focus and to make your thoughts a reality that you are hearing with your ears. Much like people journal to dump all their negative thoughts, you can talk them out too.
Also helpful is learning how to break the cycle of negative thinking. Learn to derail an unhelpful train of thought and how to use affirmations. Recognize cognitive distortions and practice using “I” statements when communicating with others. Learn Bible verses that are personally meaningful.
There are so many ways we can battle our mental zombies and, with God’s help, we will defeat them every time!
“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Colossians 3:9–10
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
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