Moving Forward Counseling Services, LLC

06/12/2025

Mind Battles & Biblical Truth (part 2)

There are about 10 common cognitive distortions that most people struggle with. In this post I will focus on Mental Filtering & Jumping to Conclusions and how they manifest in spiritual warfare.

3. Mental Filtering
This type of thinking consists of two dynamics, focusing on the negative and disqualifying the positive. In a given situation, all the negative details will be magnified and highlighted while all the positive details may be acknowledged, but not accepted. The positive will be minimized and can end up being turned into a negative. For example, you got an excellent performance review, but receive one constructive critical comment and you only focus on this and label the review as “negative.” Maybe you went on a vacation and had wonderful experiences with food and sightseeing, but only focus on the delayed flight or long lines in the airport.

4. Jumping to Conclusions
This kind of thinking also consists of two dynamics; mind reading and fortune telling. When a person engages in mind reading they’re making the assumption they know what others are thinking and know their intentions without any evidence. Similar to this, fortune telling consists of making conclusions and predictions with no evidence. This type of distortion can have a great impact on relationships as a person can make decisions based on assumptions of others’ negative intentions and negative interpretations.

Cognitive Distortions and Spiritual Warfare

3. Mental Filtering
Focusing on the negative only may cause thoughts such as:
a. “God is silent, so He must not care”
b. “I keep failing, so I must be a spiritual failure.”
c. “I felt distant from God in worship today, so I must be disconnected..”

Distortions:
a. You overlook past answered prayers and current blessings because you're hyper-focused on what feels like divine silence or a delayed response
b. You ignore growth, repentance, and God's grace, focusing solely on sin or struggles with temptation
c. One off experience is filtered as evidence of spiritual decline, ignoring other ways God may be at work..

Balanced View:
a. God's silence isn't absence. Often, it's space for faith to grow, trust to deepen, or unseen work to unfold. His love remains constant even when His voice is quiet.
b. Failure is a part of the sanctification journey—not a sign that God has abandoned you or that you’re a failure. Your identity is in Christ, not in your performance.
c. Spiritual dryness or emotional distance is part of the normal Christian experience. It doesn’t necessarily indicate sin, failure, or disconnection. Like David in the Psalms, you can be honest about your feelings while still choosing to trust in God’s unchanging presence.

4. Jumping to Conclusions
Quick and negative assumptions that show up in thoughts such as:
a. “They didn’t greet me at church—they must be judging me.”
b. “They didn’t pray for me out loud, so they must not believe my struggle is serious.”
c. "I’ll always struggle with this sin—there’s no hope for freedom.”

Why it’s problematic:
a. The enemy uses this assumption to plant seeds of bitterness or rejection, causing disunity in the body of Christ.
b. Satan breeds mistrust within the church, breaking down the community through suspicion..
c. The enemy whispers hopelessness, making you believe that your spiritual future is locked in bo***ge

Balanced View:
a. Maybe they were distracted or dealing with something themselves. God's love isn't based on human approval.
b. Silence doesn't mean apathy. God hears even when others don't speak
c. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed or discouraged in your faith—many faithful people in Scripture wrestled with despair. But feelings aren’t the full picture. God has not abandoned you. His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23), and even when you can’t see the way forward, He is still at work in you (Philippians 1:6).

06/10/2025

Mind Battles & Biblical Truth

Do you ever struggle with negative thinking or a self-defeating attitude? Maybe there are days when you suffer from a case of Stinking Thinking, “I never do anything right” or “what’s the point in trying?” Perhaps it is an everyday struggle that you face and may not even be aware of it. Stinking Thinking is negative or irrational thoughts that affect the way you view life, yourself, and the world around you. In the field of Psychology we refer to these thinking patterns as “Cognitive Distortions” because they highly influence your feelings and behaviors in a negative manner.

I believe that some of the greatest battles we can ever face in our lives are the ones in our own minds. These distortions have been recorded long before the field of psychology and are some of the most powerful tactics the enemy has used (and continues to use) to hinder our spiritual walk. Thankfully, we have the greatest weapon to combat these tactics from the enemy, the Word of God! He knew our minds would be under constant attack and they would become a battlefield where spiritual battles of internal conflict between right and wrong are fought; some won and some lost. So, why do we struggle with cognitive distortions? Is it stress, learned behavior, or trauma? The short answer is they often stem from a combination of factors. One thing is certain, if left unchecked, they will become a stronghold in your life. As a Christian therapist, I spend a lot of time helping people identify these patterns and giving them the tools to combat them with biblical truth for the renewal of their minds.

There are about 10 common cognitive distortions that most people struggle with. In this post I will focus on the first two and how they manifest in spiritual warfare. I will cover the rest of them throughout the week.

1. Polarized Thinking
This is also known as “Black and White” or “All or Nothing” thinking. This type of thinking perceives the world in two extremes: either “I am perfect or I am a failure.” The desire for perfection can lead to procrastination and paralyze someone out of fear (“if I can’t do it perfectly, I won't even try”). It can also cause deep shame in a person when making a mistake ("I forgot one point in my presentation, I am a failure and will never get a promotion”).

2. Overgeneralization
This kind of thinking focuses on a single negative event and makes a conclusion based on a single piece of evidence from this one event. It concludes all future events will have the same negative experience “nothing good ever happens” or "everything is always going wrong”

Cognitive Distortions and Spiritual Warfare
So, how is this ‘stinking thinking’ manifested in spiritual warfare? Well, it is a significant obstacle in our spiritual walk as it may be rooted in fear, doubt, and self-criticism. It is a powerful weapon the devil likes to use to discourage and prevent spiritual growth. If the “stinking thinking” dominates your mind, the devil can lead your spiritual walk. How far do you think you can go in pursuing God’s will if the enemy of your soul is leading your walk? It’s a scary thought isn’t it? The truth is, cognitive distortions go against any biblical truth we have from God. These thought habits are often rooted in lies we believe about ourselves, others, or God. Let’s take a look at how each one of these two thinking patterns manifest in the mind in our spiritual walk.

1. Polarized Thinking
The desire for perfection may show up in thoughts such as:
a. “if i sin, I have completely failed God”
b. “If I don’t hear from God clearly, he must be displeased with me.”
c. “If I’m not constantly praying, reading scripture, or evangelizing, God will be displeased with me and reject me.”

Distortions:
a. Believing that one sin erases all past spiritual growth or relationship with God.
b. Believing that lack of clarity equals abandonment.
c. Defining spirituality only by constant high activity, leading to guilt and burnout.

Balanced View:
a. Everyone falls short; repentance and grace are central themes of most spiritual traditions.
b. Silence can be part of growth, testing, or the natural rhythm of spiritual life—not punishment.
c. Rest, balance, and grace are also spiritual practices. God values the heart, not just the output

2. Overgeneralization
Broad assumptions may show you in thoughts such as:
a. “If you have enough faith, Satan can't touch you.”
b. “Everything bad that happens is a demonic attack.”
c. “Prayer and fasting will fix every spiritual problem instantly.”

Distortions:
a. Suggests that genuine Christians with strong faith will never face demonic opposition or spiritual struggles.
b. Attributing all suffering, sickness, failure, or hardship directly to Satan or demons.
c. Treats spiritual disciplines as guaranteed formulas for victory

Why it’s problematic:
a. Even Jesus and the apostles faced demonic resistance. Faith doesn't make you immune to attack, but equips you to stand firm (Ephesians 6:10-18).
b. It ignores natural causes, human free will, or God's purposes in trials (James 1:2-4). Not everything bad is necessarily spiritual warfare.
c. God’s timing and purposes vary. Spiritual battles may require long-term perseverance, not instant solutions.

I hope this post was helpful in helping you understand the impact of 'stinking thinking' and label some patterns (cognitive distortions) you may struggle with. I hope it gives you hope and direction in the healing of your mind and aligning it with the mind of Christ. Stay tuned as I continue to discuss the rest of the cognitive distortions this week and will follow up with the antidotes next.

06/06/2024

Why do we punish a child if they can't control their emotions? If a child doesn't know how to ride a bike, read, or count, we don't punish them; we teach them how to.

We often expect a child to be able to control their anger, but a child's brain is still developing. The frontal part of the brain, which is responsible for controlling emotions, continues to develop until adolescence. A child is not a small adult. A child is a child. 👧🏽👦🏼

A child cannot control their emotions. Not because they're being difficult, but because the connections in their brains haven't fully formed yet. 🧠

When a child experiences strong emotions, they need connection, they need us to calm their chaos with our calmness. The child will gradually learn to control their emotions, but we are the ones who help them in this process. By connecting with them. By naming the emotions. By being calm and managing their and our emotions calmly. 🧡

Let's prioritize empathy over punishment—It's what our children deserve. ✨

05/24/2024

Our expectations of our kids can be so incredibly unfair. They are learning everything. It is our job to teach and guide. Emotions are hard to negotiate. Adults often find it hard, so why do we expect kids to know?

More information in my book

Guidance from The Therapist Parent
Available on my website www.thetherapistparent.com and Amazon

05/24/2024

05/24/2024

05/24/2024

05/24/2024

Every parent has fear around boundaries because of the pushback can be hard to deal with.

Kids will ask. That's what they do.

Parents are allowed to (and at times definitely should) say NO.

Your child might feel upset that you said no. They might cry. They might feel frustrated and angry (who likes being told no?!) - and that's ok. However they feel is ok - It doesn't mean you change your answer

You can show up with care and love and comfort for those feelings:

Validate how they're feeling ("I can tell my decision upset you.").
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Show you care ("I care about how you feel." "I'm here for you.").
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Explore the feelings under their behaviour (“How were you feeling when you _____?”).
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Offer comfort ("Do you want a hug?").
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Love them all the way through the big feelings. See their pain. Stay strong with your boundary decision (no means no). When you do this, you teach them how to deal with upsets and tough feelings - what an amazing life skill!

More information in my book

Guidance from The Therapist Parent
Available on my website www.thetherapistparent.com and Amazon

05/24/2024

The Gottman Institute 💕

♡ If you would like to be kept in the loop on everything Synergetic Play Therapy or get resources to support you on your journey, join us here: https://linktr.ee/synergeticplaytherapy ♡

05/09/2024

Gottman’s research is impressive! And this is like 90% my experience when assessing relationships during Couple’s therapy.

05/07/2024

If you or someone you know has a mental health condition, like antisocial personality disorder, use these resources to learn more about the signs & symptoms, and to find treatment and support for yourself, a friend, or a family member ➡️ samhsa.gov/mental-health/antisocial-personality-disorder