This weekend my husband and I watched the new, animated Disney movie about sea monsters, “Luca.” We don’t actually have young children at home, but we were bored and had heard it was a cute film. It ends up that it was. What made it particularly enjoyable was that it was set in Italy. As a mostly Italian family, we thoroughly enjoyed the Italian language and accents throughout, as well as the frequent references to pasta and Italian food. It was a simple children’s story, but it was entertaining.

An endearing part of the story is the friendship that grows between the two main characters, Luca and Alberto. Alberto, who understands the “ways of the world” much more than Luca, teaches him about new things, shows him new experiences, and helps him overcome his fears. When Luca says he is afraid to do something new and scary, Alberto shouts in response, “Silenzio, Bruno!” At first, Luca doesn’t understand, but Alberto explains that “Bruno” is that voice in his head that tells him that he is afraid, so when he hears it, he tells that voice–or Bruno–to be quiet, “Silenzio!” Then Alberto encourages Luca to do the same, which he continues to do throughout the film as he overcomes his fears.

The more I thought about this simple strategy, the more I realized the biblical truth that was hidden in it. We all face fears and battle that voice in our heads that attempts to keep us from being all that God has created us to be. The message of that voice is different for every person and is often tied to deeply rooted beliefs that stem from childhood experiences and family dynamics. For some it is, “you are not good enough,” while for others it might be, “you are a failure,” and in between are a whole host of other negative messages that beat us down.

Ultimately, the root of these messages is spiritual in nature. Even if it was a dysfunctional family experience that planted the seed in our minds and hearts, it is the enemy of our souls that uses it to plague us and cripple us long beyond the initial circumstances that caused it. The Bible tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12) So those battles we face in our minds may have an emotional, psychological and even physical impact, but they are initiated by our spiritual enemy, Satan. As we are told in the Word, he “comes to kill, steal and destroy,” (John 10:10) and the attacks in our minds and thoughts are one of his greatest tactics.

We know that thoughts that cause fear, self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy, and depression are not from God. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7) God’s plan and gift for us is abundant life, which begins in our hearts and minds. He has given us a “sound mind,” not a mind full of fear and angst. Yet, even when we know that truth, we can still find ourselves lost and bound by those thoughts that are not of God. So then what do we do? We cry out, “Silenzio, Bruno!”

No, Bruno is not biblical, nor is Satan Italian, but the principal in the exclamation is what is important. The Bible tells us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corin 10:5) and to “submit ourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) When thoughts come that tear us down rather than build us up in the Truth, we are instructed in several critical steps:

• Submit ourselves to God–His power, authority and truth
• Take that thought captive–grab it, take hold of it, and don’t let it take hold of you
• Make the thought obedient to Christ–submit it to His authority and judgement to expose the lie
• Resist the devil–take a your stand in God’s mighty power and in the name of Jesus, tell him OUTLOUD to go!

In other words, we need to tell the enemy of our souls to “Silenzio, Bruno!” When those damaging thoughts come, we must tell the him to shut-up, be quiet, and go, in Jesus name! And guess what? He will. That’s right, the Word says it. When we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he WILL FLEE from you–him and his lying thoughts! Let’s stop listening to messages that we know are lies, but engage the powerful spiritual truth unexpectedly brought to us from a child’s movie about sea monsters. We may have to do it over and over again, in a day or even a moment, but like Luca in the Disney film named after him, the time will come when that fearful voice inside our heads will disappear and we will soar.