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Trauma And Trusting God: Turning Your Thoughts To God

November 4, 2013

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Trauma And Trusting God: Turning Your Thoughts To God

Everyone has experienced pain and disappointment, and many have experienced trauma that makes it difficult to trust. We have struggles that are common to man. We have experienced rejection, loneliness, abandonment, fear, persecution, accusations, and judgment. We face uncertain futures and our hope needs to be in God.

Many of us have experienced things that have left us wounded and emotionally bleeding. Divorce, abuse, addiction, the need for peoples approval, financial fears and economic uncertainty, are just a few of the experiences that have produced messages, thoughts and formed core beliefs that are contrary to what God’s Word tells us. These faulty beliefs have produced tumultuous emotions, negative and destructive speech patterns, and life skills that may leave us stuck, lacking the skills to overcome as God desires us to.

From our experiences it all begins producing thoughts and beliefs that we focus on that produce the outcome of less than desirable consequences.

How do we take our thoughts captive?

Identify automatic problem thoughts

Dispute thoughts

Identify core belief that drives your thoughts

Dispute faulty core beliefs and align them to agree with God

As a counselor, I have many tools to help in this process. Tools that help you learn to identify what you are thinking and what core beliefs are driving your thoughts, as well as tools to identify where they began. There are many tools to teach you how to tear them down and replace them with core beliefs that agree with the Bible and not your life experiences, feelings, human reasoning and rational thought or the opinions of the world, religion, authority figures, family, or friends.

We can look at our life experiences and trace the message and beliefs that developed and then find the behavior that we adapted to navigate through life. Here is an example:

Experience — Parents emotionally unavailable

Message – Don’t bother going to them for any help or support

Faulty Core Beliefs –

No one will ever be there for me
I should take what I can get
I am not loveable

Behavior –

Inability to draw near to people having a wall up to deter emotional intimacy
Take whatever I can get in unhealthy relationships
Always try to please and win approval

We can also choose to go the other direction, and identify our problem areas and behaviors. We can search for the beliefs that lock us in those patterns and recognize the messages produced from past experiences. We need to tear down faulty core beliefs, or mental strongholds, and reinstate the truth of the Bible into our knee jerk reactions so our emotions, speech, and life skills reflect the character of God. The result is we become overcomers who rise above challenges and walk in trust, peace, and the abundant life God wants for us all.

Behavior –

People pleaser with no boundaries
Overlook what people do; operate in denial, minimizing, rationalizing, and justifying
Operate in fear and withdraw from people

Faulty Core Belief —

I must please people to get my needs meet
No one will ever love me
This is the best I will get

Message – No one will ever be there for me

Experience – Parents alcoholic/codependent

Taking thoughts captive can be done by rational reasoning or by using the scriptures. Remember all truth is God’s truth.

Using Rational Reasoning:

Example: My friend didn’t call me back because she doesn’t like me.

Rational Reasoning: They may have not gotten the message or they may be busy. I should try again.

Using Scripture:

Example: No one will ever be there for me

Scripture: God will never leave me or forsake me

Using the Word of God and praising and worshipping Him are effective ways of turning your thinking and gaining a healthy, hopeful, and faith filled perspective. All scripture tells us to direct our thoughts and focus to God’s character, and His promises. Apply these principles to the challenges that you are facing and align you thoughts with God.

Psalms 146:1-10 is a perfect example of turning your thinking towards God’s character and His promises.

The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord ; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD His God Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. The Lord shall reign forever — Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 146:1-10 (NKJV)

The Psalms focus on God’s character and His promises. Cognitive distortions cannot operate in us when we think in agreement to the Word. Adopting these truths in our core beliefs stops faulty speech patterns, uncontrollable emotions, and encourages healthy life skills. Print this list and meditate on these scriptures, applying them to your life, to see yourself transformed: