Psalm 19 Meditations

           Cognitive distortion is a term used for erroneous thinking that leads to believing things that are not true, and thus causing actions and reactions not based in reality. In my previous article simply called Cognitive Distortion, I listed some of the common ways our thinking processes can go astray (and cause us to believe lies). One of the best prevention strategies against distorted thinking is reorganizing (restructuring) our thinking according to biblical truth. Psalm 19 gives us a solid foundation  upon which to build our structures of clear thinking.

 Let’s look at this Psalm and begin with the ending.  The final verse (14) of Psalm 19 reads,

“May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.“ (HCSB, Homan Christian Standard Bible)

The Good News Translation says, “May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!” (Psalm 19:14; GNT).  Substituting the word “thoughts” for the phrase “meditation of my heart,” brings us to some remarkable conclusions.  First, the thoughts in our mind and the attitudes and motivations of our heart are intrinsically linked.  The direction we allow our thoughts to go will feed our desires, and the desires we choose to allow to surface will fuel our thoughts. Secondly, to avoid distorted thinking, our heart must be kept from distorting our desires. If our desire is to please God, the focus of our thoughts must be on God (as our Refuge and Redeemer).

                Focusing our thoughts on God can be a challenge, as we live in a very distracting world. But soaking in (meditating on) this Psalm can help immensely.  The first six verses speak of God’s handiwork in creation. The Psalmist ponders how the light and heat from the sun works to sustain the life of man on planet earth. Important to note however, is the emphasis on the glory of God. God’s glory is contemplated, and not merely nature itself. The God who fashioned creation is worthy of worship, causing the creation to bring fame to God’s name.  It is God in nature that makes it beautiful and harmonious, not merely the elements themselves.

                As God’s creation, man is brought together with the rest of creation through the God in man. God gives man the ability to enjoy God’s goodness and God’s perfect and all-loving qualities. Verses 7 – 11 of Psalm 19 discuss some of these qualities and how they benefit us. In the Good News Translation (GNT) they are referred to as laws, commands, and judgments. They give us strength, wisdom, and trustworthy assurance (verse 7).   They are always right, just, fair, make us happy when we follow them, and help us to understand life the way it is meant by God to be understood (verses 8-11).  

                What comes in the next 2 verses is a solemn reminder that we have been tainted by a sinful nature that entered the world through Adam and Eve.

“None of us can see our own errors;

    deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults!

Keep me safe, also, from willful sins;

    don't let them rule over me.

Then I shall be perfect

    and free from the evil of sin.” (Psalm 19:12-13; GNT)

God’s laws, commands, and judgments reign supreme. Our best understanding and intentions to follow them, fall short. At least to some degree, there is no escaping distorted thinking and feeling and the accompanying sin that results. Man, in his greatest need, is supplied with God’s greatest provision. “Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” is the final thought of this Psalm.Jesus Christ is the Redeemer. Jesus is the final Word. Jesus is the Savior from all our distorted thinking and feeling. In Christ Jesus our salvation is complete. Meditating on the completeness of Jesus as our Redeemer provides thoughts  for  the most peaceful, pure, and pleasing posture before God. When we practice this as a daily habit, and adopt heart transformation as a lifestyle, we are changed more and more into the person we are meant to be according to God’s original design . Psalm 19:13 calls this “freed from the evil of sin.” The completion of God’s redeeming grace is a process that continues throughout our whole lives.

                May I encourage you to take a few moments right now and read Psalm 19 several times, in several versions of the Bible, and allow God to renew your thinking (Romans 12:1-2). Psalm 19 is a great treatment for cognitive distortion, and the best cure for doubt and unbelief. May we live in truth, and not by lies.

 by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Cognitive Distortion

    There are a number of deficiencies, discrepancies, disconnections, and discombobulations in our thinking processes that field of psychology refers to as cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is a thought that is not based in reality. Thoughts not based in reality create false assumptions, mis=perceptions, and inaccurate beliefs.  False beliefs and lie-based thinking can take many forms.

 

    Our thoughts are powerful things. What we choose to allow ourselves to think about determines our feelings and behaviors that influence future outcomes. Have you ever been fooled by an optical illusion? Sometimes what we “see” isn’t the reality, but only a superficial representation. In a similar way that optical illusions misshape our visual perceptions, we can develop mind illusions that can mis-shape our mental perceptions. We can sometimes develop subconscious patterns of thinking that do not match up with reality. Our brain can fool us into thinking something that is not actually true. When untrue or twisted thoughts are repeated, they form inaccurate, unhealthy, or even dangerous patterns  

 

Examples:

· All-or-nothing thinking – Everything is thought of in terms of black or white extremes. It omits balanced perspectives. Thinking goes like, “I won’t go to the doctor for help to treat my sickness, because all doctors are bad.”

· Over-generalizing  - One negative experience or interaction is overlaid onto the entire relationship or situation. Thinking is, “John/ Jane doesn’t love me,” when their spouse does something by accident that irritates them  Or, it could involve jumping to conclusions by thinking about quitting a job after a boss corrects a small detail for improvement.

· Minimizing or magnifying – Making too light of good things and dwelling on bad things to much. This could be thinking of yourself as unworthy of a compliment someone gives you (after a job well done), or falling apart emotionally when someone says something bad about you.

· Mind reading – This is assuming something negative about a person or situation without a confirmation of truth. This might look like assuming a friend is ignoring you at a party, without finding out why they are preoccupied for a legitimate reason.

· Disaster predicting – Fortune telling of events toward the negative. This is about thinking in worst case scenarios like concern for losing a job following an excellent review. Or it could be worrying about losing a close friend over a small disagreement.

· Catastrophizing – This is the proverbial “making a mountain out of a mole hill.” A small mistake becomes an insurmountable problem.

· Emotional reasoning - This amounts to feeling being allowed to rule, feelings leading over facts, or grossly confusing feelings for thoughts. This may explain how  a person abandons a relationship with a friend or family member because they didn’t “feel heard,” or “feel understood.” It may also explain abandonment of a successful job or business venture simply because it didn’t “feel right.”

· Consuming regrets – Dominated by would’a, could’a, should’a scenarios.  Focused on stories in the past for which nothing can profit the future. This is staying stuck on past event (perhaps an accident that could have seemingly been avoided) which steals vision and hope for the future.

· Victim – Thoughts creating a victim mindset. This can develop into oversensitivity in feelings of impoverishment, underprivilege, or being part of an oppressed class of people. Common losses in life are turned into one of two extremes; inward to perpetual self-pity, or outward toward aggression (eg. when an abused person becomes an abuser).

· Labeling – Stereotyping is common expression of this distortion. This is unnecessarily categorizing another person (or yourself) by singling out an unwelcomed characteristic. You then overlay your assumptions and perceptions onto interactions with other people (or yourself) to “confirm” negative traits like unintelligent, awkward, disrespectful, or unloving.

· Personalizing – This is taking things personal without an objective reason. This is when you take on too much responsibility for another person’s negative reaction(s).

· Projecting – This is transferring thoughts from memories of negative experiences in the past. It may present in things like difficulties relating to a person of the opposite sex because of repeated ill-treatment by people of that sex in earlier years.

· Over-spiritualizing – This is when God is used as a rationalization for something inconsistent with the Bible or common sense of morality. It may look like “God told me __x__” being used to justify something others may find disagreeable. Yes God speaks, but people’s mental processing sometimes distorts God’s speech.

· Trauma-related – Irrational thinking may sometimes accompany the initial impact of a traumatic event. The initial distortion is normal, as it reflects the brain’s function in trying to suddenly deal with “abnormal” circumstances. But much later, getting stuck in the grieving process of the loss in tragedy, it may become a problem. This could be unintentional unawareness of a state of denial for example, or an intentional remaining stuck as part of a victim role.

· Defying logic – This is a sort of “catch all” for twisted thoughts not fitting in categories above. It may also be irrational thinking for the sake of being wreckless or contrarian can become dangerous. This may include vindictive thoughts or thoughts meant to harm themselves or someone else.

 

Thinking patterns create outcomes of behavior and habits for an individual’s interacting with other people. Distorted thinking may shape a person’s expectations for other people to think and see their world, to match their own distortions. Instead of healthy differentiation, they seek to control. They think everyone should think with the same distortions, and agree with them in the same distorted conclusions they have drawn. They impose a distortion(s) on others’ minds. For example, this happens when a third party is involved, and a person distorts (misinterprets) the failure of  Friend A’s failure to say hello as disrespectful when they entered a room, and then gets mad at Friend B who doesn’t agree that disrespect was shown by Friend A’s actions (irregardless of the fact that Friend A had an emergency situation to deal with).

Another example of how a person can impose distorted thinking on another, is with mind reading. This can occur when a person takes offense at a relatively small unintentional action from a friend or family member, and then expects the “offender” should have known that would have hurt them. Refusing to reconcile (try to make things right) without the perceived offense being recognized and confessed to, without the distorter thinker telling them what caused the offense, is an irrational expectation.  Most conflict in relationships is caused by one or both parties’ distorted thinking.  

     Cognitive distortion is a huge topic, and more than can be discussed here.  I recently encountered two books each devoting a chapter to the topic, for reading more about cognitive distortions.  One Is Frank Viola’s Hang On, Let Go: What to Do When Your Dreams Are Shattered and Life Is Falling Apart, and the other is Debra Fileta’s Are You Really OK?.

A common thread running through these distortions is overthinking. Getting too much into the mind, and not acknowledging the heart, leads to cognitive constipation. Knowing the “why,” and knowing the right things is not enough. However,  “distorted knowing” (believing the wrong things) can be even more destructive. This condition can contribute to a wall (barrier) that keeps the heart from being able to receive truth.  Cognitive distortions are usually the raw material for bitterness and condemning judgments. They happen frequently. and sometimes so automatically, we rarely notice until we intentionally trace the “fruit” (behavior) to the “root” (thinking and feeling). The way to combat these distortions of healthy thinking is to focus on truth. Getting to the root of things and focusing on truth are topics I address in other articles.

    May we be honest enough with ourselves to, first, admit that our own thinking is not always free of distortions. Secondly, may we yield to an inner transformation process that intentionally thinks and acts based on truth and not falsehood. “Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within” (Psalm 51:6). The Psalmist recognizes this as wise, and part of our Creator’s desire.

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

The Cost of Truth

            Does truth have a price tag? Sometimes the Truth offends. Recorded In Acts 7 is a story of one of the first Christian martyrs. I encourage you to read in for yourself right now beginning with Acts 6:8 through to the end of Acts 7.

The story begins, “Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). It is clear Stephen had a following of people who greatly appreciated his ministry. This created jealousy among the high-ranking religious leaders of his day. They dragged him in before the Council to be tried and most of Acts 7 is his defense statement. His defense gives a overview of the ancient Israelite people, from the calling of Abraham up to the present. God’s people were on a journey, not unlike each God follower’s call and journey we are on as individuals today.

Stephen’s hearers seemed to track with his message until he spoke truth about Jesus as the true Messiah. Stephen boldly pointed out where his hearers were mistaken in their beliefs, and they became indignant. He reminded them of how their ancestors persecuted prophets who spoke of Messiah, and then Stephen spoke these words, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.  Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;  you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it” (Acts 7:51-53).  The “Righteous One” referred to is Jesus, who is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

            The narrative goes on, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.  But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;  and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”  But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse.  When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him ….” (Acts 7:54-58).

            Declaring the truth sometimes has a cost to our personal preferences, comforts, and  livelihood. Even Jesus, as the very embodiment of Truth, gave up his life on earth to accomplish God’s higher purposes. Is Truth worth the cost? Ask Jesus. I think his answer is an obvious, yes.

            Truth is truth whether people believe it or not. Stephen’s hearers were okay believing the truth of their Jewish heritage, but when he declared them “stiff-necked,” their Belief turned to disbelief, which turned to anger, rage, and bitterness. In truth, Stephen’s hearers were murderers, and they proved it once again, by murdering Stephen. Their denial of truth set them up to act wickedly. In God’s eyes they were bringing condemnation upon themselves. Stephen  lost his life, but by knowing Jesus, he entered into eternal glory. Without repentance, it cost Stephen’s murderers much more dearly; eternal damnation in hell. Even if they believed they were doing the world a favor by getting rid of Stephen, God’s reality (truth) was just the opposite.

            As religious leaders, Stephen’s adversaries were leading people away from God, not towards him. Because Stephen bore witness to the Truth, regardless of the outcome, his leadership was authentic and authoritative. Truth always wins. Wisdom never shrinks back from the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.   

            The culture we live in seems to have lost its respect for truth. Although this is a display of darkness, as Christ followers we much shine the light of truth everywhere we go and with everyone we meet. The Truth of the Word is our standard, and if we do not lift the standard high, who will?

            May the Lord keep us from being “stiff-necked” in our worldly wisdom. May our hunger for truth keep us searching for more satisfying measures of truth.  May we be proclaimers of truth. May we value the truth enough to point out when someone is being untruthful (like Stephen did, even at the cost of his own life). The cost of  rebellion, denial, or silence is far greater than any imagined price tag on Truth.

 by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry