Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. Matthew 13:7, 22

Worry overpowers the clarity of God’s voice. Historically, I come from a line of chronic worriers. My grandmother fidgeted with her hands anytime she sat down to rest. I’ve been taught, by example, to obsess over fears, to turn them around in my hands in every possible configuration until I find a solution. Weighed down by the impossibilities, I work myself up into a panic. How can I still hear God’s voice? I have too many cares and struggle to concentrate.

As someone who used to live with panic attacks, I can give this advice. Tackle the weeds when they are still small! When anxious thoughts occur, grab them and kill them with the promises of God. The apostle Paul called it ‘taking every thought captive.’ I remember that fear is Satan’s primary weapon.

Weeds of anxiety, fed over time, become strongholds. I develop a mindset of anxiety where, by default, my first response to any bad news is fear. I feed the beast without even making a conscious choice. Is the Word powerful enough to rewire the way my brain works? Oh, yes. Can it demolish a toxic mindset and replace it with a new one? Absolutely.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

The word for arguments is ‘logismos’ or logic. It’s the way a person learns to think and process. Paul wanted believers to be assured that the Word of God is a powerful weapon that demolishes hopeless, fearful, and cynical mindsets.

As we reflect on who we were twenty years ago, may we be able to say, “By the glory of God, my mindset has transformed. I no longer resonate with the thoughts of my past; they are foreign to me now. Neither the pursuits of pleasure nor the burdens of worry should overshadow the breathtaking landscape of our spiritual growth.

Give me the grace to let go of the fears that hold me prisoner, the courage to face the unknown, and the faith to believe in Your goodness. Amen