Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Bible?

You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, “No one sees me” . . . and you said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” Isaiah 47:10

I’m no psychologist, but still, I’ve grown to appreciate cognitive behavioral therapy, which addresses self-destructive thoughts, attitudes and behaviors, striving to find constructive thoughts and behaviors to replace them. In looking at my own life, it is clear to see how my distorted attitudes have contributed to my addictive behavior.

If I want to change then, I must understand those thoughts and feelings that have driven my toxic behavior and I must work at changing them. Today’s passage is a painful, but helpful mirror that reflects my distorted thinking. It’s a litany of wrong thoughts that have fueled my sin.

You felt secure in your wickedness. In my addiction, I arrogantly that I thought I could engage in addictive behaviors without consequences. I’m a doctor. I’m indispensable. I can do whatever I want. This turned out to be painfully untrue.

No one sees me. I told myself I wasn’t hurting anyone and that since no one knew, it was no big deal. I can keep this a secret. No one will ever even know, so who cares? As it turned out, everyone found out and it did matter . . . a lot.

I am, and there is no one besides me. This may be the most distorted attitude that fueled my addictive behavior. It may not even have been a conscious thought, but looking back, it was clear that I pursued only me. I do what I want. When consequences rained down though, they did not fall on me alone.

In recovery and faith now, I need passages like this to show me how I have erred in my thinking. To grow and change, I must address my distorted thoughts if I desire not to repeat my disastrous behavior.

If we want transformation, we must daily look to God and his word, which is alive and active, always speaking to us. The Bible is a light that we must shine into our lives, exposing our toxic thoughts and actions. If we  desire change, we must daily abandon our lies to follow God’s truth.