It was the end of a long day, and below zero temperatures loomed in the forecast. I sat down to sort through one more pile of things, the last of a cleaning frenzy that had occupied my afternoon. That’s when it happened. Through mounds of old bills and paperwork, out scurried a mouse.
Growing up on a farm cures you of most irrational fears, since no one has time for them. I don’t worry about spiders, bugs, or even the occasional snake, but I despise mice. There’s something about their furry little vermin bodies, teeming with germs and bacteria, that really gets to me. Some people may see them and think of Stuart Little or Mickey. I get visions of the bubonic plague (I realize that was about rats but, well, close cousins).
That mouse robbed my peace that evening, in the same way unwanted intrusive thoughts have done when they scamper unbidden through my mind. Through sudden frontal attacks, they hijack my emotions. When they run loose, haphazardly offending and discouraging, I feel infected by contagions of fear, guilt, and shame.
When it comes to battling the vermin of intrusive thoughts, I’m in good company.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul uses battle language to describe the ongoing struggle taking place in believers’ lives. He describes bullets of “arguments” and “pretensions” that land in our internal dialogue. Our supernatural Enemy fires them with a clear, age-old motive; to undermine our faith.
Paul writes with an authenticity that makes sense, as one who surely battled intrusive thoughts bubbling up from his past. As a “Pharisee of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6) and “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5), Paul had invested significant time, education, and effort into his position. His zeal for persecuting Christians was well-known. He was present at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, holding the killers’ coats and probably cheering on the bloody affair. Later, when God calls Ananias to reach out to Paul after his conversion in Acts 9, Ananias’ reaction is telling. “Lord, please…not that guy,” Ananias basically says; “he’s really bad news.”
Paul had plenty of guilt and shame to get out of his head, which is probably why he uses so many bold military analogies when he describes internal battles (see passages like Ephesians 6, 2 Timothy 2, and Philippians 2). In fact, in Romans 7:23, he mentions that the "law in my members is waging war against the law of my mind." Sounds like he’s facing a vast army to me.
God’s Word teaches us to take our thoughts captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), but most of us don’t know how. This specific type of spiritual warfare is not a frequent sermon topic. Yet many of the battles we fight take place in the echo chamber of our internal dialogue, so it should be. Exterminating intrusive thoughts requires awareness, intentionality, and dynamic fighting faith. On the path of sanctification, learning to handle these threats strengthens our walk.
What steps are necessary to exterminate the vermin of intrusive thoughts? Here are some strategies to consider:
Identify who is speaking. Every believer who has read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John knows the sound of Jesus’ voice. Red-letter editions zero in on his words, which are focused on speaking the truth in love. For example, look at Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery in John 8. Responding to Jesus’ challenge, her accusers slowly drop their stones. Jesus engages her directly, pointing out that her accusers cannot condemn her, and neither will he. Then he talks straight to her heart; “Go now and leave your life of sin.” He speaks truth to her without shredding her character or undermining her personhood. Jesus has the voice of gracious truth.
The motive behind an intrusive thought is also an important consideration. In John 10, Jesus says the Thief comes “to steal, kill, and destroy.” Christ, on the other hand, has come that we may have, “life, and life abundant.” Identifying the motive behind the thought points to who is talking.
Pray it through. Just as soldiers check their gear before heading into battle, believers need God’s almighty power to battle intrusive thoughts. Bringing the thought before God’s throne and asking him for battle strength is essential. Praying through the thought, and the feelings it conjures up, helps refine the target. Praying through the words, lies, and heartaches contained in the intrusive thought gives us clarity. Meanwhile, our Heavenly Father provides what we need to overcome.
Strike quickly. I am a student of Civil War history, and one of the rules of engagement used in that period is applicable here. Both the Union and Confederate armies used advance soldiers, known as “Pickets”, to figure out where the opposing army was encamped. Pickets would often fire into a forest to see if the enemy was about. If their shots were returned, the Pickets’ primary job was to eliminate the shooter quickly, and send word back to his camp about the opposing army’s whereabouts. If the Picket could not kill the shooter quickly, a skirmish would occur, and soon both armies would be locked in sudden, full-on combat.
Taking thoughts captive quickly is essential. When they run rampant, small skirmishes turn into messy battles. Cycling on them prompts discouraging forays of imagination and unrelenting rumination. Quick action is essential.
Tell the Enemy where to go. After I’ve identified my Enemy’s voice, I tell him to shut up and go to hell. I don’t go around saying that to anyone else or to be profane, but that is, after all, where he comes from and where he belongs. Jesus battled a lie in the same way when he told Peter to,“Get thee behind me Satan,” in Mark 16:23. If the strategy works for my Lord, it works for me.
Refute the confounding thought with truth. Believers are loved, forgiven, redeemed, adopted, transformed, and imputed with Christ’s righteousness. Their old lives have passed away, and new lives have formed in their place (2 Cor. 5:17). Our sin can no longer condemn us (Romans 8:1). Hitting an intrusive thought head on with the truth of God’s Word strips it of its disheartening power. It locks it down, disabling its ability to hurt us.
The night my filthy visitor arrived, I fortified my household with poison stations and plenty of sticky traps. I caught one germy offender, and have comforted myself with the idea that he alone had somehow penetrated my household defenses. The extermination of intrusive thoughts is not as simple; it’s a lifelong process that takes practice and perseverance. The joy of walking in freedom is absolutely worth it.
Crystal is a Christ-follower, wife, mother, counselor, and friend. She is passionate about connecting others with the truth of God's miraculous power and sustaining presence.
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