This just in from our global online tribe: “I think I think too much about being a Christian. Is that possible?” YES, it’s not only possible–all believers are vulnerable to thinking too much about their faith walk.
OVERTHINKING anything in life drains us emotionally; produces a sense of being frozen in place; and creates a stream of anxiety that can easily lead to depression. But OVERTHINKING our faith delivers a devastating blow to our ability to live with spontaneous joy in Christ.
What’s the problem with OVERTHINKING our faith? It turns our thoughts like a laser beam on our perceived shortcomings, problems, and hopelessness. Once that OVERTHINKING train leaves the station, it quickly becomes a hard-to-stop runaway cycle of negative rumination.
As our OVERTHINKING train rumbles through station after station, we move further away from reality by increasing our irrational INTROSPECTION. This over-analyzing dance quickly makes us blind to God’s love and grace and hope…
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
You may be thinking that OVERTHINKING and over-analyzing are driven by “crazy and weird” thoughts. Not always. OVERTHINKING is often driven by what we think is logic. Then we use that manufactured logic to EXCESSIVELY AND OBSESSIVELY DECONSTRUCT everything on our life’s radar screen.
God promises to rescue us from OVERTHINKING.
The Bible draws our thoughts away from excessive introspection and toward thinking about God’s love, joy, and truth…
“Thinking exists to serve love” (1 Timothy 1:5); “Thinking exists to serve joy” (1 Peter 1:8); and “Thinking focuses us on the praiseworthy and noble” (Philippians 4:8).
I ask God to rescue me from OVERTHINKING and bring me into the safety of his ship.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you OVERTHINKING your faith? Ask yourself that question TWICE.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8–9
