I am not a positive person by nature and I never have been.
My first thoughts towards any given situation are usually filled with fear and worry. I immediately think of the absolute worse case scenario in any given situation. Being negative is my first reaction to almost everything.
I have to consciously choose to be optimistic.
This is an area of my life that I have worked very hard on changing. I have to work on being a positive person daily. On some days I have to work on it moment by moment.
And this is the point- if you are not a naturally positive person you, like me, will have to work at the filtering of your thoughts. The first step in doing this is to be alert to your thoughts. It’s like those road signs you see on the side of a highway that flash those words- BE ALERT. We too have to do this with our thoughts.
If we allow negative thoughts to control our mind and hearts, we will become depressed, sad, and even angry people. Too often we go through our day to day life not even thinking about what we are thinking about.
Years ago when I would wake up in the morning my very first thoughts would be negative. “oh I have so much to do today” or “ugh, it’s raining out.” I would wake up negative and depressed.
I finally became so tired of how I was living and decided to change my way of thinking.
Here are some of the changes I made.
1. Start your day praising God
When I wake up in the morning the FIRST thing I say out loud, is “Good Morning Jesus. I love you.” I then speak a scripture, usually Psalm 25:1-2a which says, “Lord I give my life to you. My God I trust in You.”
Starting our day thanking and praising God is extremely powerful. Remember, we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world (Ephesians 6:12).
2. Be conscious of your thoughts and ask yourself some questions
I have to walk in a state of conciousness of my thoughts every minute of the day and I have to intentionally grab every thought and filter it through the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 10:5).
I ask myself questions like “Is this thought true? honorable? right? pure? lovely? Is it admirable? excellent? worthy of praise? (Philippians 4:8).
Other questions I ask myself are “Is this a fact, or am I making it up in my head?” or ” Am I living in the past or the future right now?” By focusing on things that are not necessarily true and/or by living in either the past or the future is dangerous.
3. Replace negative thoughts with God’s truth
Once I am aware of negative thinking, I have to replace that negative thought with God’s truth. For example, if you are struggling with a low self esteem, perhaps someone has rejected you and you feel un-worthy, look up all the scriptures on God’s love for you. Write them on a notecard and memorize them.
The Word of God is so powerful and as Christians we must learn to fight our battles with it. As the scriptures tell us, the Word of God is our sword (Ephesians 6:17).
4. Make intentional choices through out the day
I also have to make intentional choices. Here are some of them:
Today I will CHOOSE to trust God…Today I will CHOOSE to have positive thoughts…Today I will CHOOSE to surrender my life to God…Today I will CHOOSE to live in the moment…Today I will CHOOSE to live life,enjoying every moment of it…All I ask, Lord, is that You help me. Amen.
On days when I am struggling more than usual, I have to work even harder to not allow myself to fall into satan’s trap. Spiritual warfare is real, dear brothers and sisters, and it begins in our thought process. As Christians we should be wise to the ways of the devil. Scripture says in 1 Peter 5:8-9 “ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.“
So, I ask you, is your faith like a paper filter that gets soggy and falls apart under pressure, or is it like a metal filter-strong in Christ, willing to believe all that He has promised you? I hope it is the latter. I pray you are a person that is wanting to live a more content life. One that is filled with God’s peace.
Jesus came and died for us so that we would live a full and abundant life. He warned us that the enemy would try to steal this life of joy and peace from us (John 10:10).
It’s up to you to fight the devil and to not allow him to rob you of a rich life. The battle starts with your thoughts. The mind is the battlefield, but we are the commanders in charge.
I praise God for the freedom I have found in Jesus Christ. Today I am a more optimistic person and therefore a more satisfied person. I now tend to see the glass as half full, instead of half empty. It doesn’t, however, just fall into my lap to be this way.
I have to work at it and I have to ask God to help me. You can do it too. You can fight the battle of pessimism and find a more fulfilling life on the other side.
Please share with me how you handle negative thinking. I would love to hear from you.
“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Awesome truth, Tweeny!!! Thank you for sharing your heart and wisdom <3
Thank you for the encouragement my dear friend. I really appreciate it and YOU!
Love you~
Tweeny
I like the word picture you gave for analogy like the road sign ‘Be Alert’ and the the paper filter versus metal filter. That will stick in my head now forever. Thank you sister.
Dear Jessica,
I like how you pointed that out. I hadn’t even thought about it, but now I am:) I too am a word picture person. It always helps me to grasp an idea better.
Love you sweet sister~
Tweeny