DENY THE LIE
Long distance relationships are hard. 
When my wife, Liz,  and I were dating, we were long distance. No, not just like living in different cities. We lived in completely different parts of the country. The dramatic drive between us was roughly 650 miles filled with traffic, mountain roads, potholes, and hundreds of red Sheetz gas stations. Believe it or not, my then-finance would make that drive every month just to see me. 

We had our Sunday routine down like clockwork whenever she was in town. We would enjoy a late lunch then share our goodbyes around 4PM. Liz would start the drive back up to New York while I went off to church for student small groups. After I had wrapped up my evening responsibilities, I would give her a call around 10PM. We did it the same way dozens of times. One specific night after she left, I threw my backpack in the corner and settling down into my favorite chair for the night, I noticed the clock read 10:11 PM. “Shoot,” I thought, “I am late for our call.” 

I picked up my phone, tapped her name, and listened to the phone ring. It rang and rang and rang, then went to voicemail. “That’s weird,” I thought. She always picks up. She usually uses her phone to play music while driving. Thus,  a phone call is unavoidable, because it likely interrupted a Beyonce song. Not wanting to be creepy, I waited sixty seconds before calling her back again. The phone rang and rang then went back to voicemail. At this point I started freaking out, so I started calling her nonstop. Call after call went unanswered. Fifteen minutes later, I was absolutely losing my mind.

What did I do to cope? I started doing math. With a few simple calculations, I discovered roughly where she’d be on her drive. I pulled up the real-time google traffic reports to see that there was a bold red line on the highway there, due to an accident on her route. I immediately assumed the worst. I imagined her car mangled into a mess of metal on the side of the road. I imagined paramedics persistently doing CPR on her. I imagined some other boy with a beard and a six-pack coming to the rescue, saving her life, and her deciding she wanted to marry him instead of me. Then they’d ride away on his motorcycle. 

After a twenty-minute nervous breakdown, my phone started to ring on my pillow. I pick up and Liz instantly asks, “why did you call me 27 times?” “Because you were dead,” I replied. Confused, she went on to explain that she was in a long line at Sheetz because she was buying some pickles. 

All of this mental chaos. All of my imaginative scenarios. My borderline breakdown. All of this was due to some pickles. You see, I am a really bad over-thinker. My mind can quickly jump to crazy conclusions at the drop of a hat. Did you notice how I transitioned from a missed call to a dead girlfriend in a mere moment? That’s the agony of overthinking. 

This whole scenario that I agonized over, it was just a lie. It was a work of fiction. It is amazing how much mental energy we can give to our negative thoughts. It is such a waste of imagination. When you focus on your fear, it will always fail you.

We give so much mental energy to lies, don’t we? We believe that popularity will make us happier. We believe that we are alone in our struggles. We believe the awful things that person said about us. However, God is calling you to live a different way! He doesn’t want negative thoughts to overtake you. 

READ 2 Corinthians 10:5
“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.” 

The Bible is calling us to deny those lies that live in our mind. It doesn’t just say deny them, it says to take them captive. Negative thoughts are inevitable, but you must realize them and replace them with something more powerful. Replace those poisonous thoughts with the promises of God. 

You may think that you have to struggle in silence, but God has promised to heal your broken heart. 
You may think that you are alone, but God has placed a caring community around you. 
You may think that you will never get through this, but God has promised to give you strength and rest. 
You may think that your mental chaos is unavoidable, but God has promised to give you peace. 
You may think that your life is worthless, but God’s got some amazing stuff planned for you. 

Deny the lie. Proclaim the promise. 

TALK IT OUT 
Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.

Q1: Share a time when you ended up worrying yourself into a panic for no reason.

Q2: What lies are commonly running through the minds of teens your age? 

Q3: What are the most important truths people need to hear to combat those lies? 

Q4: How can your words or actions reveal that you’re battling negative thoughts in your mind?

Q5: What can you do to commit to denying the lies and proclaiming God’s promises this week?