Bad thoughts of the past see question below?

Question

I love the Lord so much and I want to live and serve Him all the days of my life.

Because of some issues and the thorn that stabs in the flesh from time to time, thoughts of the past come into my mind out of no where even when I forgave all these things and humbly given everything to the Lord Jesus. yet I still struggle. I talk to God all day long and pray a lot as well. what are godly ways and practical ways to handle the bad thoughts that comes into the mind have any of you gone through this is the normal? This has been on my mind and heart so I thought I would post this. I thank you in advance for your answers and peace be with you.

Answer 1

It is normal for grief and forgiveness to be a cycle. But if this has been going on for an extensive period of time, there may be cause for concern.

It's not enough to let go of the bad, you have to cling to the good. Clearly there is something painful in your past. The question is, why do you cling to it? What does that do for you?

On the surface, probably nothing but hurt, right? But really, what does the pain accomplish for you? Are you feeling stuck? Are you having trouble moving toward something joyous and productive in your own life?

It's hard to forgive completely and let go, if you feel immobilized and everyone else seems to be moving right along in life.

Do you feel like letting it go is like saying what happened was no big deal? That can be tough. God knows what happened, and forgiveness is not really about letting people get away with things. It's about setting yourself free.

If you keep flashing back, you aren't enjoying your freedom. Your job is then to figure out why. What are you still emotionally bound to? Is it really worth your own peace of mind and your joy?

One thing that may be helpful is the "love letter." It's not a letter that you send, it's just for you.

Give yourself permission to write everything you are angry about. Get it all out. Don't censor yourself.

When you have exhausted anger, write all the things you are sad about and hurt over. If you find yourself getting angry, go back to the anger section and truly exhaust it.

After hurt, write about your fears.

After fear, your remorse or repentance. What are you sorry for? If you honestly have not done anything to contribute to the problem, can you think of some reason to feel sorry for the person who hurt you? Maybe the hurt and dysfunction in his/her life that made it possible for him/her to hurt you?

After remorse, is love. Can you feel love for this person? Can you release the debt so that you can feel love again?

Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Don't drink it. ;o)

Answer 2

I hope it is normal because I do the same.

Their are several points that I need to make after reading your question.

1 Paul was given a "thorn in the flesh" to keep him humble, to help him to understand that "God's Grace was sufficient" for him, and it is for you and I, as well.

2 Once you have done all that can be done, all that is left to do is "stand".

3 The only "Godly and practical way" is to speak the "Word" out loud. When the bad thoughts, condemnation, and temptations come, speak Gods Word, and then Stand, and keep Standing.

God sees and knows your heart. Believe and understand that and the rest will melt away and stay away.

Answer 3

We all regress back to past failures at times, however, I have noticed that as I have matured in my faith, I don't dwell on these thoughts as much. Instead, I now feel an immediate desire to pray about it and ask God if I am in anyway harboring any unforgiveness in my heart. Sometimes it is not others we need to forgive, it is ourself. I usually feel a sense that God is trying to bring something to my attention, so I pray about it and ask God for direction in dealing with it.
Then I thank Him for working out everything for my benefit and finally I praise Him for everything He is.
If I then feel peace about the thoughts or memories, I just go about with my day and forget them. If I still do not feel peace, I will read some Psalms or whatever book or chapter of scripture that I feel God wants me to read.
Then I will do some soul searching and check my own words and attitudes towards friends or colleagues and see if I have offended anyone by something I said or by something I did.
I have found that when God is silent, it usually means I need to be still and listen. Sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes for 3 hours, sometimes for weeks. God does not always answer as quickly as I would like Him to. I suppose that is because I do not always listen as well as He would like me to.
It is like when Noah built the Ark. God gave him the directions and told him what to do. For the next 100 years while Noah built that Ark, we have no record of God saying anything else to Noah, until the Ark was completed. If God is silent, think back to the last thing He asked of you and more than likely, you will find that God is still waiting on you to do that very thing. Think of it this way: Your mind is like a busy office. A busy office has a receptionist. The receptionist doesn't let just anyone in to see the boss. They ask many questions, "Do you have an appointment"? Is the boss expecting you?
The good receptionist keeps the riff raff out and only lets the approved appointments come in. Our brains are the same way, we need to train our "Receptionist" to screen all incoming thoughts and send the good ones inside and block the bad ones from coming in. Everthing has to check in at the registration desk. And if it does not have the image of God, it is not allowed into the inner office.
God Bless You...Peace.

Answer 4

I believe that the best way to deal with a situation such as this is to pray to God to help you get through this, and to purge your mind of unclean thoughts, and negative energy. Proclaim that you have placed your trust in our Lord, and thank Him for your salvation. When these thoughts come into your mind, say a quick prayer just thanking God for His help in your situation, and firmly move your thoughts in a new direction.

It may not happen immediately, but God will help you through this!

Answer 5

Paul said he pleaded with the Lord 3 times to take
away the thorn in his flesh.
Jesus told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."
Ask Jesus to give you the strength only He can give.
Always remember Jesus makes all things new.
When satan reminds you of the past, remind him
of his future. (He doesn't have one)

Answer 6

I would highly advise you to see my 360 blog, it discusses that. Personally, I went through a bitter money grabbing and drawn-out divorce several years ago. And while many said I should just move on, I spent nights and days refilling myself on anger and hate. I believe that it is a time healing thing, combined with your own efforts to start quickly refusing to allow those negative thoughts to replay in your mind. It takes constant effort to move beyond it, but thank God, it's possible.

Answer 7

Things do come at us at times that try our faith.We won`t forget something that has happened to us but we can forgive it and get on with our lives.Bad thoughts or harboring ill will only makes us sick.We are human and sometimes something happens that brings back a bad memory.Don`t dwell on it.Pray ,put your faith in God and he will see you through.God Bless.I`ll pray for you and you pray for me if you will.

Answer 8

put them out of your mind as quick as they enter and ask the Lord to give you the strength to stay strong.
we all drift back into the past but we have have to learn to leave it there. there is not one thing we can do to change it. all we can do is change ourself for the better.
keep walking in the faith of the Lord. you will get there.
blessings.

Answer 9

You might try sharing your struggle with someone who you can trust. Sometimes it helps to get advise and comfort from someone who is on the outside looking in.

Answer 10

This happens to me too ... a great Christian book with advice on this is "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyers.