4 Toxic Areas Christians Need to be Aware of
If you want to do everything God called you to do, you have to recognize the areas where toxicity may be leaking into your life. While you may not recognize it initially, toxic things will wear away at your health, influence, and your relationship with God and with others. Today, we’ll talk about four types of toxicity: toxic thinking, toxic emotions, toxic relationships, and toxic habits. As you listen, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you specifically and reveal any areas that he wants you to work on. As you start to remove these toxic behaviors and relationships, I know that you start to see God do greater things in your life!
1. Toxic thinking
“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6”
Sometimes we have so many thoughts going on at once, we forget to keep track of what we are thinking and make sure it lines up with the word of God. If you let your thoughts line up with the spirit, you will have life and peace. But if your thoughts are not in line with the truth, you will start to sabotage yourself and believe those negative thoughts. You have the choice to control your mind, so tell those negative, untrue thoughts to shut up!
Q: Do you feel like you have the choice to control your thoughts? Why or why not? Read Philippians 4:8. How do your thoughts line up with that verse?
2. Toxic emotions
Have you ever felt like your emotions were ruling your life? The Enemy wants to rob you of your joy and keep you from showing up by messing with your emotions. Those emotions will keep you from showing up in your work and your routines. They will convince you that it’s not worth it, that you should quit because it doesn’t feel good. But God has given you grace for every day! You cannot be lead by your soul and still show up in whatever He has called you to do. So the next time your emotions try to lead, choose to override your emotions and keep showing up.
Q: What emotions tend to dominate your life? How do they affect your actions?
3. Toxic people
Toxic people in your life might not always look like what you think they should look like. We typically think of toxic people as those who are intentionally hurtful, but they also can be just any person whose interactions with you make you feel yucky. They could be drawing out the old nature in you instead of cultivating the Spirit in you. Or maybe they just rub you the wrong way and offend you over and over. You want to be around people who will be a blessing to you and who will push you forward. So you may need to change your relationships with certain people, even if only for a time so that you can deal with your heart toward them.
Q: What are some signs of toxic relationships? Why do you think you hold on to toxic relationships? How would your life look different if you changed some of your relationships?
4. Toxic habits
Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with, toxic habits are easy to form and hard to live with. Habits can be something as serious as a sin or as minor as procrastinating housework. But the Bible tells us that we have to discipline ourselves en every area. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 that he disciplines his body so that while he is doing good for others that he will not be disqualified. So the next time God identifies an are in your life where you need to mature and grow in self-dicipline, listen to Him! Don’t let your badhabits disqualify you from the good works that god wants to do in your life.
Q: What bad habits do you have in your life? Ask Holy Spirit to help you choose one to work on correcting this week!