I am trying to eat healthier. I recently discovered the great benefits of pumpkin seeds. In addition to eating what is better for my body, I am trying to cut out some things that are not good for the body.

Just as there are things we eat that are not healthy, or even in some cases toxic, there are thoughts we think that are not mentally healthy, or even toxic. The Bible encourages us to guard our hearts diligently because out of it (our own hearts) are the issues of life, our own lives. Since we choose what thoughts we think and harbor, we would be wise to avoid toxic thoughts.

Obviously I’m not talking about every single thought that just pops up in one’s head. Sometimes, for whatever reason, thoughts are in our brain seemingly from out of nowhere. Of course, once they are there, we have the choice to harbor or incubate them, to add other like thoughts to them or simply dismiss them and toss them out.

But isn’t it remarkable our thought process is of our choosing, given to us by a kind a loving God? He allows us to think what we want to think, even if those thoughts are damaging. He preferred to give us free will instead of making robots, but He also gave us His written Word to help us choose right thinking.

Thoughts of anger and bitterness are indeed toxic to our lives, and not just mentally. For example, the Bible talks about how bitterness affects our physical body. Ian Fletcher writes in an article, “‘When harboured for a long time,’ says Professor Wrosch, ‘bitterness may forecast patterns of biological dysregulation (a physiological impairment that can affect metabolism, immune response or organ function) and physical disease.’”

Actually there are many interesting online articles that discuss the affects of bitterness, anger, and resentment. In this article, I want to address some thinking that limits our lives as Christians. Perhaps the most toxic kind of thinking patterns are of guilt and condemnation.

The Bible mentions that if our own heart is not condemning us, then we will have confidence toward God. Condemning in that sense is accusing, pointing a finger, and blaming oneself. Confidence in that verse means free speaking, holding nothing back, open communication.

When we hold thoughts of guilt and shame for what we have done, our heart is most certainly accusing, pointing a finger and blaming. The result will be a lack of free speaking to our heavenly Father; our shame thwarts any open communication to Him.

This not only greatly interferes with our personal relationship with God, but if prolonged, it undermines your dreams and ambitions, and it can lead to depression. All of this can have an adverse affect on your physical body.

But you do have three choices. You can decide that whatever you feel guilty about was not really wrong, that someone fooled you into thinking it was not right, so there is nothing to feel guilty about. The lifestyle of “if it feels good, do it,” fits in perfectly with this confused and irresponsible conclusion.

The second choice would be to continue to live in guilt, shame and condemnation, accepting yourself as a failure. You can choose to see yourself as unworthy of any of God’s promises because you are, and always will be, nothing more than a sinner. You can choose to be miserable.

But there is a third alternative. You can choose to recognize that God is the one Who gave us feelings in the first place, and they are in and of themselves simply barometers. We feel guilty when we realize that we missed the mark somewhere. The feeling is simply a reminder; it gets our attention.

What we do next is very important. If we have indeed missed the mark, and we feel guilt, we cannot allow guilt to move us into condemnation, which will produce feelings of unworthiness. Instead, we must recognize that while we did indeed miss the mark, God sent His Son to pay the price for all sins and therefore forgiveness is available.

Forgiveness from God is not conditioned by how sorry we are and how much regret we have for missing the mark. It is not conditioned by our promise to never, ever do it again. Forgiveness from God is available because Jesus Christ paid the full price for all sins.

If we are Bible believing Christians, we ought to accept the forgiveness that has been freely given to us because of the price Christ paid. We often talk about how the Bible says we need to forgive others, but the same verse that tells us to forgive others also reminds us that God, for Christ’s sake, forgave us, too!

Accepting and believing who God made us in the new birth, how He sees us, and what He has done for us is extremely helpful in eliminating destructive, toxic thoughts. Guilt, shame and condemnation, anger and jealousy, bitterness and self pity all keep us from living the life He gave us to live as His dear children.

We can choose to accept and believe the words of the Bible, or choose to allow our feelings to produce toxic thoughts that will be most damaging, spiritually, mentally, and physically. Choose the former!

Mike Verdicchio
2013

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