Finding God’s Peace When Your Mind Won’t Stop Racing

It was a Friday morning. Sometime during the hour between grabbing my coffee and checking my email, my morning was hijacked by a lie. I heard it loud, and it dove deep. Rationally, I knew it was a lie. It directly contradicted my place as a daughter of the Most High, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that my creator held me before I was even born.

Yet when the volume is cranked and the “evidence” is stacked high, sometimes it feels real.

These lies are invitations from the enemy, and he fires those invites regularly. You don’t belong. You don’t matter. You’re not enough. You’re too much. You don’t deserve it. You aren’t worthy. You will never get it right. No one wants you.

But as daughters of the King, we can learn to recognize the invitation for our minds to race and spiral – and we can turn that invitation down.

I will be the first to tell you that it can feel incredibly hard to stand firm against the lies we hear. But you also need to know: we don’t have to fight it on our own. On that Friday morning, before I could open a single email, I knew I needed to invite Jesus into that lie.

Our God Disarms the Lies For Us

So, how can we find God’s peace when we’re battling lies? We’re told not to conform to this world or its ways, and instead, as daughters of the King, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). And, because we are in Christ, we know that we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:16)

What does it look like, then, to tap into the mind of Christ? How do we invite God to disarm the lie? Let’s look at five steps we can follow to step into our Christ-centered mind and leave the enemy’s lies unread:

1. Take your battles (thoughts, lies, worries, burdens) to Jesus.

“The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:14)

That Friday morning, I heard that lie felt real. But I also recognized that it contradicted who I know I am in Christ. I had to name it a lie and then give it to Jesus. The conversation probably went something like this: Jesus, I’m hearing this lie. It’s taking the wind out of my lungs. It feels real, and I’m discouraged and tired. Please take it and replace it with your truth.

2. Look for scriptures that directly refute and replace the lie.

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8)

If you know scriptures that refute the lie, start reciting them immediately. If you have your Bible or your phone, type in the topic to find a list of verses that will help to refute the lie. For example, if you’re hearing “I don’t matter,” look up verses that tell the truth about your value and worth in Christ. Many of the lies we hear directly attack our identity as daughters of the King. When we know who we are in Christ and know the scriptures that tell us these truths, we can refute the lies immediately.

3. Read and meditate on that scripture.

“…keep my words, and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” (Proverbs 7:1-3)

Once we learn the scriptures that refute the lies we hear, we must commit them to our memories – again, to transform our minds and have the minds of Christ, we write His truth on the tablets of our hearts. Print out the verses, tape them to your mirror, create a lock screen, and write them on the front cover of your journal. Find a way to keep that scripture in front of you as you battle this particular lie. Scripture is an unfailing truth that we can stand on as a weapon. The sword of the Spirit, the weapon we’re given as part of the armor of God, is His Word. Just as Jesus used scripture as a weapon in the desert, scripture is also our battle-winner.

4. Ask God to speak to your heart about that scripture.

“May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.” (Galatians 6:16)

Let’s not miss this step. Just as we can hear lies, we can also hear Jesus speak the truth. Jesus will not only speak over the lie you’re hearing; He’ll cover it with His peace. In Philippians 4:7, we’re told His peace will stand guard in front of our hearts and minds, even blocking the lies from creating unrest. Listen for His whisper as you reflect on the scriptures, and wait for Him to bring specific verses and phrases to life for your circumstance. We’ve probably all read verses without absorbing them. But as we ask Jesus to battle these lies with us, let’s be careful to read His word and allow those words to reach down into our hearts. We must surrender the lie. When we fully lay it down at Jesus’ feet (I literally picture myself doing exactly that), we open our hearts to listen for His truth to replace it.

5. Overwrite the lie with His truth.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

In your Bible or journal, write down the truth Jesus gives you to replace the lie. Write it down to commit it to your memory (we humans are a forgetful race!) and to look back on it in the future. A few years ago, I sensed that I should write down all of the verses where God promises to be our shelter and refuge. This list, which took up multiple pages in my journal, still serves as a faithful reminder of His protection and safe harbor.

His truth is how we take our thoughts captive. His truth is how we fully enter into the mind of Christ. His truth transforms. Inviting Him to speak truth over our burdens allows Him to replace our thoughts with His. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8), but when we come to Him with our ears wide open, we will find life (Isaiah 55:3).

Jesus invites all who are weary to come to Him. He invites us to lay down our worries and our racing minds. When we do, we will find rest.

“His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7)