Everything begins with a thought. It is a positive thought or a negative thought. Either way, they begin to mold the direction of which our life goes. These thoughts are not more powerful than God, though. God knows our every thoughts. He understands us and knows what makes us tick. He tells us in the Bible that He wants us to live our lives to the fullest with joy and exceeding abundance. God intended for His creation to enjoy life--not dread it. We need to captivate our thought life...II Corinthians 10:5 says, "Casting down imaginations [assumptions], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God [those things that become more important than God...good or bad], and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ [ask God for forgiveness, and for wisdom, and give God that obstacle]."
Now, captivating your thought life is much easier said than done. Did you know we think about 60,000 thoughts every day? (how does someone track that?) Anyway, by aligning our thoughts according to what God says, we find true joy. A healthy thought life begins first and foremost with gratitude. We need to give thanks daily...not just in front of an amazing feast on Thanksgiving day, though that is equally as important. We need to give thanks for the things we already have...for the blessings God has given us...and even give thanks for the things we don't have yet, but know God will provide.
God encourages us to approach His throne [meaning when you pray, you "enter His presence"] with thanksgiving and confidence. He also encourages us to ASK. I am sure you have heard the expression, "ask and ye shall receive"...well, it's more than an expression, it's scripture. God wants us to approach Him with boldness and confidence, yet humbly and respectfully. God is a God of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. He wants us to experience life to its fullest.
My "thought factory" is staffed with a lot of overtime workers! Haha! I find that my mind is always going. Though I may not be able to control the amount of thoughts that I have every day, I am able to direct them to a positive place. I can turn a negative thought into a positive one...but it is a choice. Sometimes I prefer to roll around in the self-pity of my negative thoughts. I notice that when I do, I lose an productivity, optimism, and hope. When I choose to center my thought life around what is true...I am happier, at peace, and more productive.
Phil. 4:8 says this about our thought life..."Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." So...if it is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report...I find that if my thoughts are negative in nature, they usually will not fit within the guidelines of this verse. It is a process to change your thought life. I have had such a negative thought life for so long. It's a comfortable place where me, myself, and I hang out and talk about how bad this is, or how much I was hurt by this...me, me, me. When I shift that focus to other people, my thoughts begin to shift...they begin to change from selfish to selfless. It's a daily battle, but I am working on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment