Take Back Your Mind

• By candidasullivan
• April 30, 2026
• No Comments

If we truly understood the power of our thoughts, we would never choose another negative, limiting, or controlling thought again. 

Often, the pain is not in the present moment. It’s in the fear of the future or the regret of the past. The enemy wants us to live in any moment other than the one we are currently in. He uses our thoughts to teleport us to other times, so he can create pain in our minds. 

We go into the past because we desire to change it. We think about what happened and wish there was a way to change it. The desire for something we can’t change creates pain. And our mind replays the painful moment, as if on repeat. With every replay, we slip further into the pain and regret. 

Replaying yesterday as if we can change it steals the beauty of living today. Today, we have the power to make different choices and live fully. That’s why the enemy hits us with distractions, delays, and discouragement. 

If he can consume our minds, he can limit us. 

For the last few weeks, the moment my alarm sounds, negative thoughts bombard me. They accompany me as I brush my teeth and make my coffee. In my weakened, sleepy state, the enemy tells me how bad my life is and why I should go back to sleep. At 4 a.m., it all sounds very convincing. 

This morning, I wanted to go back to sleep. I wanted to skip my workout. I wanted to pull the covers over my head and delay starting my day. Not because anything is wrong in my life, but because the enemy almost convinced me that it was absolutely miserable. 

He can take the smallest things and distort them until they feel overwhelming.

So I started calling out the lies and disputing them. Anytime we can flip a lie with the truth, we can overcome it. I also brought it to the Lord and told Him exactly what I was experiencing. Bringing awareness to the situation helps us to see it more clearly. 

I’ve also noticed my behavior and called it out, too. Sometimes the ugliness in my thoughts slips out of my mouth, and I say and do things I regret. While I am not perfect, and I recognize my flesh, I also know it is my responsibility to bring it under control. 

Maybe I can’t do it on my own, but I can pray and ask God for help. I can pray as the negativity floods my mind. I can pray when my mind feels overwhelmed. I can pray when the wrong perspectives take hold of me, and I don’t even like myself. 

I want my thoughts to be kind and loving. I want to encourage and uplift. And negative and hateful thoughts won’t give me the kind of life I want to live. So I’m done with them. 

When I notice negative, hateful thoughts that go against the fruit of my spirit, I rebuke them and intentionally replace them with truth. I also want to pray for the strength to overcome every attack from the enemy. 

When I can’t, my God can.