You’ve been lying awake with your eyes closed trying to fall asleep. But your mind won't let you. Your thoughts are blurred between past and new problems.
Your thoughts have become entangled in a morass of regrets, ‘what if’s,’ and self-doubt.
The more these thoughts multiply in your mind, the bigger your problems seem to get until they seem insurmountable.
A cold panic starts gripping your heart. For yet another night, sleep has fled, and so has your peace. You begin to dread the new day!
Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
Negative thoughts lead to despair
I think it’s fair to say that we’ve all been there at some stage in our lives. The truth is, the more you feed into negative thoughts, the bigger the problem grows until it becomes too much for your brain to handle and you feel you’re suffocating.
Science backs this up as studies have found that your habitual thinking forms physiological paths in our brains until you can’t control these disparaging thoughts anymore. It has the potential to adversely impact your overall health.
Once you allow your mind to be overtaken by negative, unproductive thoughts, you are facing a life robbed of your inner peace, joy, hope, and quality relationships.
Choose your thoughts –Think on purpose
I have great news for you! As a child of God, you don’t have to entertain or focus on any old disruptive thought that falls into your mind. You can be selective about your thoughts and decide to think about the things you want on purpose!
This means you separate the wheat from the chaff – throw out the negative, stress-inducing doubts and lies of the enemy, and focus on faith-building thoughts that enrich your life.
It’s a proven fact that if we change the way we think, we can change the physiological paths that developed in our brains through negative thoughts.
The scripture verse in Proverbs 23: 7 sums it up so well, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he,”
God is concerned about your inner life; what you think about, and what is hidden in your heart. Your thoughts create your feeling and is a deciding factor in how you live your life, the decisions you make, and the relationships you build. This is all the more reason to be aware of the kind of thoughts you are allowing into your mind.
Bring your thoughts in alignment with God’s Word
The first step you can take to change the disruptive pattern in your brain is to align your thinking with the truth of God.
In 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5, The Apostle Paul urges the believers in Corinth to “Take every thought captive in obedience to Christ.” In other words, you need to take control over your thoughts and bring it into subjection to the Word of God.
Dr. Caroline Leaf, Christian Cognitive Neuro Scientist, and author confirms that your thoughts can change your mental and physical health. In her research and clinical studies, she emphasizes that the power to ‘switch’ on your brain is contained in your mind.
By taking determined steps to change your negative thinking you can succeed at maintaining higher levels of intelligence, optimal mental and physical health, lasting inner peace, and happiness.
Meditate on the Word of God, believe His Promises
The best place to start is by meditating on God’s Word and believing His promises. Jesus sacrificed His life so that you can be reconciled to God the Father and live life in the joy of His blessings and unconditional love.
Friend, don’t allow others’ opinions and your own feelings to mess with your thoughts and steal your peace and life purpose. You were created to do something for mankind that only you can do while on the earth. What legacy do you want to leave behind?
“Who knows, perhaps you have been born for a time such as this” (Esther 4:14)
I want to share a few essential principles of how you can think better and actually train your mind to be more productive with each passing day.
How to change the way you think
· Recognize and control negative thoughts: When your mind dwells on a past or future situation or event and suddenly a flood of negative thoughts enter your mind, ask yourself, “How do these thoughts help me at all? Do they create positive, happy feelings or do I feel unsettled and find my peace disturbed?”
· Ask God’s Holy Spirit to make you aware of harmful and negative thoughts so that you can immediately pray and take control of your mind. Even your memories can be deceptive as it gets distorted with time, so bring them into subjection to the Word of God as well.
· In Matthew 19:26, Jesus told his disciples 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” It means you can safely hand over your thoughts, problems, unpleasant memories, and anxieties to God who is faithful and all-powerful to deal with each one of them.
· Don’t make important long-term decisions when you are ‘snowed under’ with responsibilities. For instance, deciding on a weight-loss or major career change goal when you are busy with a difficult project at work or under severe emotional strain, is bound to falter or fail.
In one study researchers discovered that the prefrontal cortex of the brain responsible for willpower and cognitive thinking is easily depleted, especially during times of mental strain. It appears the ‘self-control muscles’ become rapidly exhausted during prolonged stress. You will have less willpower to adhere to your goals when you are stretched with too many responsibilities.
· Take time to look at the kind of mistakes you’ve made and how often. The most successful people generally share this character trait. Never willing to settle for mediocrity, they are not ashamed to admit their flaws and will look for ways to improve.
I’m not saying you should become a perfectionist, but if you want to rewire your brain and change your thinking, then this component of your learning process is pivotal. The brain cells are programmed by nature to analyze what went wrong and will find a solution to get it right.
· You have the power to refuse negative emotions that influence negative thoughts and replace them with the Truth of God. Find the scripture in your bible’s concordance that responds to the insult or negative incident that occurred. Then speak it aloud so that your affirmation infiltrates and changes the atmosphere as well as your thoughts.
· Refuse and replace negative thoughts: If you know who you are in Christ, and believe what God says about you, then no one can hurt you or steal your confidence. You don’t have to allow anger or bitterness to defile your thoughts, soul, and spirit.
In Conclusion
Friend, remember that you alone have the power and authority to make a conscious decision to reject any negative thoughts that enter your mind. Be mindful of the conversations you have and be selective in the people you engage with, ensure that they share your values.
Be intentional in your thinking and choose your thoughts carefully so that you can enjoy peace, joy, and harmony as your spiritual gifts and not a ‘once-off’ occurrence.
If you have been struggling with your thought life and you feel too overwhelmed and exhausted to change those invasive negative thoughts on your own, please reach out and click this link Free 20-minute session to book a session with me.
Every goal starts with a decision and then taking the first bold step out of your situation.
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