When comparing our cognitive distortions against the eight descriptive words in Philippians 4:8, we find our solution. With these eight guardrails in place, we can choose which thoughts to keep and which ones to set aside.
Pure
Right
Excellent
Praiseworthy
Lovely
Admirable
Noble
True
Using the acronym, PREPLANT, we can check ourselves regularly throughout the day to make sure the thoughts running through our heads line up with at least one on the list.
If a thought does not meet the criteria, it is deemed unhealthy and carries the potential to make us sick. We cannot level up until we let go of the thoughts that don’t measure up.
When we catch ourselves feeling discouraged or ashamed, we simply ask, “Is this thought excellent and praiseworthy?” If it is not, we need to drop it.
As hard as it is for us to believe, we have more power over our thoughts than we ever imagined. We find it is perfectly fine to set a negative thought down. We don’t need to lug it around with us until we make sense of it. We aren’t required to analyze and over-think, searching for some secret solution hiding inside our rapid-fire scatter thoughts. We can just let go and let God.
Unhealthy thoughts are just that. Unhealthy. They can never help us level up. If a thought is not healthy, we can set it down and choose a healthier topic.
As it turns out, our thoughts are a lot like books in a library. If we happen to pick one out that isn’t good, we can just put it back and choose a better one.
Using the criteria listed in Philippians 4, while paying particular attention to the instructions following the word finally, we can select our thoughts with intention and precision. We don’t need to be saddled with thoughts that hold us down and hold us back. We are leveling up and need to clear our minds of the unproductive clutter.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4
As it turns out, these times when we feel spiritually depleted or disinterested are not red flags for us to fret over. They are simply tests. These temporary times when we lack inspiration or get caught up in life’s drama have no bearing on our position in Christ or our commitment to His work.
We have come to understand that the testing of our faith can never happen during good times when inspiration flows freely, we are highly motivated, and praise songs play on a loop in our heads. Times of high spiritual energy and passion are thrilling, but they can’t do the work of generating patience. Only the testing of our faith can do that.
What is the Testing of Our Faith?
When our feelings betray us and tell us we don’t love God like we should.
When our behavior slips into an old pattern and makes us believe we have not changed.
When the excitement and enthusiasm we once had for God seems dull and muted.
When we just don’t care about trying so hard, because it’s too much work.
Previously, these difficult times had been dark and made us doubt our relationship with God. We were frustrated to find Him so distant when we needed Him the most.
However, when we begin to view these events as a process which increases our patience and equips us for the next level, we start to see their value. We no longer need to feel frustrated when God goes silent. A good teacher is always silent during a test.
Sometimes we make really good progress and are pleased with the distance we cover in such a short time. We feel that our relationship with God is in great shape, and we are motivated by our sense of accomplishment.
At other times, however, we feel as if we were trudging through mud, putting one foot in front of the other, lacking any drive or inspiration. We feel inadequate, overwhelmed, and disinterested. During these times, we don’t feel so great about our relationship with God. We assume He is disappointed with our lack of energy and enthusiasm.
These times are rare, but they happen often enough to make us question our stability and resolve. We wonder if one of these periods might last so long that we will just give in and give up.
We don’t want to lose what we have gained, and we don’t want to miss the joy of the journey, so the thought of trudging through the marshy swampland of doubt, discouragement, and disagreement feels very threatening.
We love the mountaintops and the flowery meadows, but we must face the fact that dry deserts and muddy bogs are also part of the expedition. We must make peace with both if we want to get where we are going.
The power of God flows into each person like an electric current. For it to have an effect, there must be a conductor to draw it out. Our beliefs create the cord that connects us to the Source.
An electrical outlet by itself will not turn on a fan. The receptacle may hold the promise of power to run the fan, but if the cord is not plugged in, the current cannot flow.
Imagine the outlet as God’s promises. The cord is our belief which connects us to the current. Sure, we can become shamelessly independent from time to time, using arrogance and aggression to empower ourselves, but in that frame of mind, we are turning the blades of the fan by spinning them with our fingers. It is neither efficient, nor productive.
Self-induced exhaustion is the result when we resist plugging in and letting the energy flow. We use our own manipulations and self-defense mechanisms, rather than just resting on the promises of a hopeful future, because of God’s goodness.
One might wonder, “If God’s word is true, why are there people living without hope? Why wouldn’t His promise apply to everyone across the board?’
The answer is deeply complex. The reason God’s promises are not fulfilled is because His words rely on someone laying claim to them. These fantastic promises of God are often hard to believe for ourselves. Sure, we believe God is good, but we also know that we aren’t. We believe He does great things for good people, but it seems a bit presumptuous to expect the same blessings as someone who was busy doing great things for God while we were selfishly making a mess of our lives. We know the Bible talks about penalties for bad behavior, so it seems that if we believe in the blessings, we must also fear the curses.
That may have been a valid statement before the cross. But we live under Grace, not Law. Jesus broke the power of the curse, so we can all live in the blessing if we choose to believe it. We need not fear the curse or the consequences of our own mistakes. Those issues have been resolved. We are in a continual state of cleansing, like standing beneath a waterfall. Even a sin committed one second ago, is already washed away in the living water. We live exclusively in the blessings and enjoy firm standing on the promises. Curses do not cling to us. Blessings chase us down.
Many of us remember cruising down the highway singing along with the distinctive voice of Tom Petty as he wailed, “The way-ay-ay-ting is the hardest part.” Ironically, we drove at least 10 miles per hour over the speed limit because we were too impatient to slow down. We wanted to get where we were going and not waste time in the process.
In our human condition, we seem to find ourselves here, trying to get there. Then, when we finally get there, it becomes here, and a new there looms on the horizon.
We are not made to be static or immobile. We are made to move. We are designed to set goals and achieve them. We are passionate about progress and driven by ambition. However, we are often annoyed by the process.
Waiting is exhausting. Waiting is painful. Waiting is a violation of our sense of urgency. Waiting disrespects the value of our time.
Leveling up means we are advancing in position, power, purpose, and experience. We are being promoted.
God is powerful and purposeful. All authority has been given to Jesus who is exalted over all things. He has bequeathed this status to us. However, He does not empower us just to make us powerful. He empowers us so we can be effective in taking care of each other and accomplishing His goals in this world.
The Christian faith assures us of eternity in Heaven at the end of our human experience. Most believe that our religious traditions and practices cause us to become better people. We believe we can find comfort, peace, and purpose through spiritual enlightenment. We trust in the comfort of our Creator as we encounter the difficulties of life. These beliefs serve as the pillars of our faith.
However, as we level up, we find ourselves not only looking inward at what God is doing in our own lives, but we are also looking outward to see what He is up to in the world around us. We notice a distinct sensitivity toward spiritual vibrations and are intrigued about what role God might want us to play in the grand scheme of His design. We stop focusing on our own performance and begin asking God, “What are you up to right now, and how can I help?”
As far back as we could remember, we felt different, damaged, and just plain wrong. We did not know exactly what was wrong with us. We only knew that we felt more intensely than others and we processed our problems with great difficulty.
We obsessively examined ourselves, looking for clues to solve the mystery and to find a key which would unlock some invisible door into normalcy. We noticed people we admired and made feeble attempts to imitate their personas. We sought out damaged friends who would validate us in our dysfunction. We pursued money to prove our worth. We questioned and we blamed. We fought with ourselves and resented God. We learned how to act right, but we didn’t know how to feel right. Eventually it was our feelings which became our undoing.
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 