Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm 103:2 (ESV)
When it comes to growing up into a mature believer, a big part is getting your mind to submit to what God says. So here’s what I do: I talk to my mind.
Throughout the psalms, David talked to his mind constantly. Through singing and praying, he made his mind submit to God. In fact, David is one of the few men I can find in the Word who even knew how to encourage himself in the Lord. (See 1 Samuel 30:1–6.) In today’s verse, David told himself to remember God’s benefits, and in Psalm 42:11, he reminded his heart by speaking to it to hope in God.
There are times you have to get up and address your soul or mind as David did. For example, if you’re struggling with fear declare the Word aloud. You might say, “God’s Word declares no weapon formed against me will prosper. The gates of hell won’t prevail against me because I’m planted in Christ. He hasn’t given me a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind.”
Don’t just allow your mind to run wild—force it to submit by actively speaking to it. That also includes using the Word to take our thoughts captive and shut down the lies Satan tries to sneak in (2 Corinthians 10:3–5).
Making our minds submit to God’s Word doesn’t mean trying to send those wrong thoughts away through sheer willpower. Take them captive with the truth. Speaking to your mind means constantly directing it what to believe and accept—and what to reject and discard. It sounds simplistic, but practice it, and you’ll discover it’s truly powerful!
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