What to Do with Intrusive Thoughts?

I once was talking to a friend and he said, “I feel really gross because of my stray thoughts.” Not necessarily sexual thoughts, but more the random, disruptive thoughts. “Maybe I’m sitting in a staff meeting and I think, What if I took all my clothes off? Or, What if I threw this chair through the window? Or, when I’m driving, What if I steered my car into oncoming traffic or drove off this bridge?”

I could add to that list. What if I stuck a knife in the electrical socket? What if I simply walked out the door and kept walking?

Kris Vallotton said that if he is giving a talk to 300 people, if he asks them, “Have you ever thought about driving into incoming traffic,” the majority of them would raise their hands and say, “Yes, I’ve thought of this.”

We don’t usually talk about these stray thoughts, because it’s awkward and embarrassing.

But apparently it’s more normal to occasionally have them than not have them.

I would suggest that these aren’t actually our thoughts, but thoughts lobbed over from the demonic realm, trying to see if they’ll stick. Pestering thoughts.

Another friend asked if it was worth it to try to root them out or chase them down.

I liked what Cindy McFaden said. “I once went to the zoo with my children, and the apes literally were throwing their poop at us. It was the most disgusting thing. If someone throws poop at you, don’t hold on to it! Get rid of it as soon as possible!”

I can say, “Eww! No! Not today!” And go on with my day.

No need to live under a sense of dirtiness.

For my friend, when he heard this, his eyes grew enormous, and he said, “Why has no one ever told me about this?!”

Thirty seconds to hear truth and have a lifetime of lies broken off.

Thanks be to God.

Paul Van Hoesen had an interesting take on this topic, a slightly different theory, and I really appreciated what he said.

If you could “hear” and “see” in the radio frequency range, the air would be filled with sounds, voices, images from radio and TV. These are emitted from very large towers emitting megawatts of radio signal power that extends for miles depending on altitude and antenna orientation. If you grew up in the 60’s, you remember rabbit ear antennas on your TV and fiddling with them constantly to get the strongest signal (no cable back then).

What if we have a similar receiver in our spirit?

What if the people we are around, the state of our spouse (we are one), the area in which we are living, the state of our body, and our soul (mind, will, emotions) at any given instant allows us to tune into different frequencies in the spirit realm and “see” and “hear” things?

Maybe we encounter wacky thoughts in a less random way than we think?

Maybe we are like a giant radio.

Maybe we need to find the tuning control!

A wacky thought becomes dangerous when it becomes a feeling, an emotion, or a narrative.

The next time you have a wacky thought, become aware of it and note as much as you can about the circumstance.

When we turn wacky thoughts into scientific inquiry, it somehow dispels their energy—at least that’s my experience.

So there’s another suggestion! What are we picking up from the world around us? How would the Lord have us pray?

Lord Jesus, thank you that we don’t need to dwell on pestering thoughts. We don’t need to track them to the root. We can throw them away as quickly as possible, and listen for your beautiful voice instead.

Let us not hold on to anything nasty, whether a stray thought, or unforgiveness, or resentment, or bitterness.

Continue to teach us to pray. When we have unpleasant thoughts, give us the wisdom and discernment to know what to do with them.

Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Think in the same way,

Amy Joy

P.S. The best prayers I’ve come across for keeping the nasty things away are in Good Spiritual Hygiene. Get a copy today.

P.P.S. Some of these challenges are best walked through in community. I went for healing prayer almost weekly for several years. You can search “healing prayer near me” for compassionate care. Some ministries offer support virtually as well.