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We talked last week about toxic thinking and how harboring and thinking negative thoughts can actually cause damage to your brain resulting in sickness of your body. Today we learn about awareness of our wounds or negativity and then we will learn how to begin changing from those negative thoughts.
All of our thoughts put together determine our attitude towards life. This in turn reflects that state of our minds. As we think, our brains release chemical secretions which cause either a positive or negative attitude. These chemicals then translate that information of our thoughts into a physical reality in our body and mind as emotions. These emotions impact our bodies in either a positive or negative way.
Our brains have many opportunities to reject these toxic thoughts before they become a part of us. The bible tells us it is a sin to worry about things. Worrying stops us from receiving God’s best for us. It distorts the natural flow of chemical secretions in a healthy mind. This interruption and flow of negative thoughts can lead to disease and sickness in our bodies. Think about how many people you know that gets sick after going through a stressful time in their lives. We don’t have to put our bodies through that toil.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
The first thing we are going to work on is taking note of what is in your thought process currently. This might seem like an easy task. Think about what types of thoughts you have in your brain. When you hear good news do you instantly think of the negative aspects of it? When someone gives you a compliment do you automatically cut yourself down and degrade their remarks? When faced with a negative situation or person do you join in and add more chaos to the situation by being negative as well?
Sometimes we are so programmed from our past to think a certain way. But we can change that.
If a situation happens in your life, do you look to the bad that will happen? Let’s say you have been praying and believing in faith for someone close to you, the moment you see that person backslide, what are your thoughts?? Do you listen to Satan who is right there saying “see, they aren’t worth it, praying didn’t help at all?” Or when a situation doesn’t go the way that YOU expected and had been praying for, do you immediately dismiss God and think, “well, that’s my luck?” NO!!! That is Satan coming to steal all your peace. We need to STOP listening to him and START focusing on GOD no matter what.
Some of us have just been harboring thoughts for years and they are deep down in the subconscious mind. Those are sometimes hardest to recollect. They have been playing over and over again for years and they are so deep seated that they can be hard to bring up to the surface and remember. You might be harboring ill feelings towards someone who has wronged you in your past and that you have never forgiven. That will play as a bad signal over and over in your life.
Here are some steps to help us become aware of our thoughts:
- We need to love ourselves. How do you do that? By loving the One who created you. In Luke 10:27 it says to love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart, soul, and MIND. Once we learn to love God with all of us, everything else can start to fall into line. If you realize that God loves you and cares for you, you can better look at yourself and see that you are important, you are loved. God made you a certain way, in His image and likeness and we ALL have a task and plan to do while on this earth. Instead of loathing in self-pity we need to BREAK that cycle and look to the heavens to see what it is GOD has for US.
- Stop believing ALL your thoughts. If you haven’t been trained—which you are doing now—then you can allow thoughts from Satan to take part in your mind. He will put doubt right in the middle of good things, to make you think his way. Philippians 4:8 says to think on things that are PURE, LOVELY, COMMENDABLE, EXCELLENCE, or WORTHY of PRAISE, think about these things. That list didn’t include negative or bad thinking—-God knows what is best for our minds!!
- This is not a quick fix situation, it has to be long term. We would all LOVE to goto bed and ask the Lord to rid us of all our bad and negative thinking and life would be perfect right?? But, the moment we wake up and are faced with a negative situation, we will crumble again. We need to learn how to train our minds to accept negative situations and deal with them effectively. Dealing with obstacles in life and going through the motions of healing, is sometimes hard, BUT it is much better than being trapped in a situation where you have no where to escape to.
- Distance yourself from people who won’t accept the REAL you. Stop with putting on a “front” for the world to see. If you have friends that you wear your “mask” around, more than likely they are wearing their own “masks.” People that hide behind a mask are putting on a “play” for everyone to see because they are afraid of what is under their own masks. A person who chooses to be REAL around fake people, will always be rejected. The fake people choose to reject that part of real in their own lives so they can’t accept it in others. There are people out there that will accept the REAL you. Sometimes they are just waiting for you to get off the stage so they can join you.
- Stop with the self-help books. There is nothing wrong with the self-help industry except that it misses that one important point—–GOD!! They will direct you to become aware of your feelings and thoughts but then leave you hanging so that you are always searching for more awareness, more self discovery. There is only ONE person who KNOWS the REAL you. That person knows exactly what you need to clear your mind of negative thoughts, heal, and move onward to a life full of greatness. Only one person can do that–God.
Philippians 4:6-8
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
God’s word is truth. If we read these verses, believe them, and put our trust in the Lord, then these things will come to pass. We guard our hearts and MINDS with the word of God. God wants you to have a life of peace.
Analyze your thought life.
I would recommend taking some quiet time and asking the Lord what are some negative things that you are harboring. Quiet your mind, avoid any kind of distraction, get out your pen and paper and ask the Lord to show you what it is that is causing negative thoughts. Then start writing. Make a list and write every thought that keeps coming.
Your list represents your wounds. Most of our negativity in our brains is caused from how people have hurt us. Somewhere at sometime in our life someone has offended us or hurt us. Those are wounds that affect every part of our lives. We are going to be learning how to heal those wounds so that we can have a life that is free from sin and toxicity.
Convinced you need a detox?? Keep reading part 3 Analyze
