Last week one of my posts got attacked by a spam-bot. I didn’t have a fat clue about these vile creatures before this happened. When I went to sleep one of my posts had 3 comments. When I checked it the next day it had 14 comments. Later that day it was up to 105. Normally I would get really excited about a bombardment of comments, but these comments were embarrassing. They said things like “Great post! Want to see naked pictures of Katy Perry?” I don’t know how they work but a spam-bot attacked my site and left what ended up being hundreds of inappropriate comments. I had to download a spam blocker which removed the spamy comments and blocked any new ones from coming. Annoying.
The annoying thing is that they planted themselves on my blog and they wouldn’t leave. Even after I put up a spam blocker I got a couple of hundred nudy spam links. They attacked and attacked. Then once they got bored they attacked some more but this time they sent out the big guns…Viagra. I finally had to delete the post all together.
This event led to to the following thought. You know thoughts can be a lot like spam-bots. Whether it’s worry, negative thoughts about a person, insecurity, or lustful thoughts destructive behavior starts with our thoughts. A destructive thought-bot plants itself into our brain and when it does we have two options.
- We can act on it and give in.
- We can fight back and destroy those thoughts.
My thoughts are so powerful. Sometimes I get tempted and I feel like I’ll die if I don’t give in. Is that dramatic? Yes. That’s how I feel. Thoughts are powerful. So powerful I will dub them thought-bots. Thankfully I don’t have to battle my thought-bots alone. Philippians 4:6b-7 “…but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Did you catch that? When we pray with thanksgiving the peace of God guards our hearts and our minds. It’s like Jesus becomes the spam blocker and destroys evil thoughts. Thank God for Himself! My thought-bots attack me but I fight back with the power of Jesus.
When a thought-bot attacks me I quote scripture, pray and thank God for protecting my mind. I’ve even been known to quote the Bible out loud until the thought-bot leaves me alone. “IF YOUR RIGHT EYE CAUSES YOU TO STUMBLE, GOUGE IT OUT AND THROW IT AWAY!” Thoughts don’t seem as powerful when I yell the Bible at them.
Spam-bots are powerful but my spam protector is more powerful. Thought-bots are powerful but my thought protector is more powerful. The sad truth is that I had access to a spam blocker long before I got attached. I just didn’t take advantage of it. The same is true with your thoughts. If you don’t take advantage of Jesus’ promise then you will get attacked and you will give in. I’ve found that when I am thanking God and focusing on Him I have a lot less thought-bots to battle.
Do you have a spam protector? Which thought-bots attack your mind the most?
NOT A SPAM COMMENT
(LOL). Great post Rob. Another implication that I can pull from this is that “thought-bots” often disguise themselves as things that will bring us releif, or pleasure, or that they will satisfy a need (like how psyched up you got when you saw 105 comments).
Miss you Bro!!!
JK
JK, Thanks for your comment. I wish I would have thought of that. You are so right! Those stupid thoughts come on strong and it’s easy to justify that and think that they will satisfy us.
For a while there we were seeing each other everywhere we went. We need to run into each other again. Maybe next time it could be an actual planned meeting.
WOW!!! Thanks so much for this post. I really needed this today! It is so awesome to know that He will protect us if we only ask!
Laura, thanks for the comment. It’s something that I need on a regular basis. I’m glad that what I go through helps someone else.
Oh, this is good stuff my friend! I too have had my site attacked by this sort of thing. However, it was only the occasional comment or two here or there. Never had 100+ come in. Ugh. Frustrating and embarrassing. I do not have a spam blocker set up as the problem has not recurred in more than a year. As for thought-bots, I have a few that are deeply engrained in my operating system. Processes with names like lust, elitism, anxiety, regret, bitterness, worry, doubt. The list goes on and on. Ugh.
Daniel, the ones that are engrained are the hardest to reprogram. That’s the way I am with food. I have had such bad habits for so long it’s really hard to live differently. I’m working on it and I know that I can find freedom.
I have been getting killed by them. The most common…the author’s name is Male Enhancement…you get the idea.
And thought bots…whew…
Biggest one is this…
I’m 29 & pastor a church. Do they believe me?
Michael, that thought is one from the devil himself. We’ve never met but I can tell by the way that you write on your blog that your church can and should believe you and in you.
Battle of the mind is rigorous warfare. However, even though we multitask and seem to be thinking on more than one track, we really bounce back and forth between thoughts and can really only focus on one thought at a time. Therefore, when I try to crowd out a negative thought, I focus on something positive. It’s a battle, but I crowd out the scary or worrisome thought with something good; it is usually not a 1-time process. Thoughts are like revolving doors and keep re-cycling until we break the particular cycle and force the neurons to detour from the negative pattern and form a new path. Phil 4:8 works–but it takes persistent effort. I can’t watch violent stuff that others may enjoy–it stays with me and becomes even bigger and scarier and creates a visual that is hard to erase.
I agree with the effort. Staying away from things that trigger those thoughts helps a lot.
good stuff. my sr. pastor loves to use a similar analagy, and it def. fits. although, i don’t think he got any “nudy spam links” 🙂
Rob, has your site ever been attacked? I don’t have a fat clue what brought it on. And they attacked a guest post called Leaning on the promises of God. I’m not sure why they picked that one to attack.
Wow, I really like this post! Good thoughts and analogies! It’s so difficult sometimes to push or fight those thought-bots!
Kelly, it is. In fact I’d say it’s impossible without help. I think that having God’s help and having people in your life to help as well makes a huge difference.
Akismet does a pretty good job at blocking 99% of those types of comments on my blog. It’s frustrating, though, when one gets through….!!!
Dustin, that’s what I downloaded. It stopped them from posting but I still was getting hundreds in my spam box. Until I deleted the post they kept on attacking.
Love this post Rob! I really needed to hear that this morning. I have a worry “spam bot” that gets the best of me alot
Thanks Austin-Lee. I think worry is one that gets a lot of us.
I have an email account I can’t even use anymore because of bots! It is frustrating. Sometimes I miss the good ole days, of writing someon, writing a book, calling someone, those types of avenues to convey thoughts, or correspondences. No turning back now though…
As far as expression of thoughts goes, my mind is like a mixing bowl of thoughts! Some random, like What was the orginal use of velcro? or I wonder if the Giant Redwood tree I saw displayed in Santa Cruz CA during vacation WAS really alive around the birth of Christ? Other thoughts are not so random. Those are the ones where, I wonder where our Society is really going?
Joseph, I hear ya. Thanks for the comment.
That is embarrassing. They didn’t even spell Katy Perry right. Kidding. Such a relatable topic on all sides. Way to take a crappy situation and find the useful in it.
Clay, thanks for the catch. I normally Google celebrities names but I failed on that one. Thanks again.
Rob, I couldn’t agree with you more. Thoughts are the most powerful influence we have in our lives because most people don’t realize their power. We can choose not watch TV or listen to a negative song, or even choose the people we spend our time with. But thoughts are the silent killer we don’t even know is influencing our decisions on life. I live by Phil 4:6-7. I deal with fear all the time, but this verse helps me focus my thoughts on God.
Joyce Meyers teaches “battlefield of the mind” and she really taught me how to focus my thoughts on something else (Jesus) when negative or thoughts not of God would try to sour my mood, attitude, or influence me in making a bad decision through temptation.
Joyce is right on. Thanks for the comment!
Sorry about that. I’ll try not to do that again.