Challenge139 — Day 39

FILAS Women Online — Devotional for a deeper, more intimate walk with the God who knows you completely.

Today’s Scripture — Psalm 139:19–24 KJV

“Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” — Psalm 139:19–24, KJV

Devotional Reflection — Lord, Try My Thoughts

Sis, yesterday we looked at the beautiful connection between the beginning and ending of Psalm 139. David begins by saying, “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me,” and near the end he willingly prays, “Search me, O God.” Today, I want us to go just a little deeper into the next part of David’s prayer: “try me, and know my thoughts.”

We have spent a lot of Challenge139 talking about what God knows about us, and we already know from verse 2 that God “understandest my thought afar off.” So once again, David isn’t asking God to discover something He doesn’t already know. David is inviting God to examine what is happening inside of him. And when we consider the strong emotions David expresses in verses 19–22, that invitation becomes even more meaningful. David has been talking about what other people are doing wrong, but before he closes the Psalm, he asks God to examine his own thoughts.

Sis, our thought life matters because what stays in our minds long enough can eventually begin shaping our hearts, our words, and our actions. We can smile at someone while replaying anger toward them in our minds. We can say we have forgiven while mentally rehearsing the offense over and over again. We can look confident while privately feeding ourselves thoughts of insecurity, comparison, fear, or inadequacy. People may never hear those conversations, but God does.

That’s why “try me, and know my thoughts” is such a courageous prayer. We are asking God not only to examine what we do, but to examine what we continually think about. Lord, examine the assumptions I make about people. Examine the conversations I keep replaying. Examine what I tell myself when I look in the mirror. Examine the fears I entertain before anything has even happened. Examine the thoughts I have allowed to live comfortably in my mind simply because nobody else can hear them.

But here’s the beautiful part: we don’t invite God into our thoughts because we are afraid of what He might find. We invite Him because we trust what He can do with what He finds. He can replace fear with faith. He can replace bitterness with forgiveness. He can replace insecurity with truth. He can replace confusion with wisdom. He can take thoughts that have kept us bound and begin teaching us to think differently.

Maybe today our prayer needs to be simple: “Lord, don’t just change what I do. Change the way I think.”

Because when God transforms our thoughts, He begins transforming the woman those thoughts are shaping.

Journal Prompt — What Have I Been Thinking About?

Take a moment today and pay attention to the conversations happening inside your own mind.

What thoughts have been occupying the most space lately? Are you constantly thinking about a problem? Replaying something someone said? Worrying about something that hasn’t happened? Comparing yourself to someone else? Criticizing yourself? Or perhaps your thoughts have been filled with gratitude, Scripture, prayer, and reminders of God’s faithfulness.

Write down three thoughts or thought patterns that have been showing up repeatedly.

Then ask:

“Lord, are these thoughts helping me become more like You?”

Be honest about your answer.

Today’s Challenge — Thought Check

Challenge139 — Day 39: Catch It, Check It, Give It to God

Today, pay special attention to your thoughts.

When you notice a thought that produces fear, bitterness, jealousy, insecurity, anger, unforgiveness, or unnecessary worry, don’t simply allow it to keep running through your mind.

Catch it. Check it. Give it to God.

Pause and ask:

“Is this thought true?”

“Is this thought helping me?”

“Does this thought agree with what God says?”

Then pray:

“Lord, You know this thought. I give it to You. Help me think differently.”

Tonight, write down one thought you intentionally stopped today and what you chose to replace it with.

This isn’t about pretending negative emotions don’t exist. It’s about refusing to let every thought that enters your mind take up permanent residence there.

Today’s Prayer

Father, You already know every thought before I ever speak a word. Today, I invite You to examine my thought life. Try me and know my thoughts. Show me the thoughts I have entertained that are producing fear, bitterness, insecurity, anger, comparison, or anything else that is keeping me from walking in Your truth. Help me recognize what does not belong and give me the discipline to replace it with what You say. Renew my mind and teach me to think in ways that produce faith, peace, wisdom, love, and obedience. Lord, don’t only change my behavior—change my thinking, so that my life can continue becoming more like You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sis, Remember This…

Every thought that enters your mind doesn’t deserve a place to stay.

Some thoughts need to be challenged. Some need to be surrendered. And some need to be replaced with God’s truth.

Sis, before your thoughts begin shaping you, let God examine them. Pray today: “Lord, try me and know my thoughts.”