I sometimes struggle with negative thoughts. Not too often, but once in awhile. I wonder if you do? I suspect so, as it is such a common trait within the human condition. We’ve all had these recurring mental battles. To be honest, I’ve been dealing with them on and off for the past month, maybe longer.
Negative thoughts can flare up from out of nowhere, like a dog suddenly appearing and nipping at our heels or fruit flies buzzing annoyingly around our head. Suddenly we are thinking the worst, just bad stuff, of ourselves or someone else. These thoughts are never of God. They are always self-condemning, self-deprecating, or judgmental, never uplifting.
There is one effective way to defeat negative thoughts and that is to give them NO room in your head. Train yourself to reject them the second one pops into your mind. Like clicking off the radio or TV. Don’t give it a second thought; nor allow the negativity any place to take root; cast it out before it settles in.
Then replace it with the best, the most positive and joy-filled thoughts you can possibly come up with. God’s Word encourages us to: “Let our minds dwell on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely; and to think on the things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8
Where has your mind been? What have you been ruminating upon? What have you been thinking? What have I? Maybe it is time for a change of thinking.
Prayer Focus This Week
- Maureen Smith’s mother is near passing
- Parents of rebellious teens who are at their wit’s end.
- Pray for a supernatural release from those in the stronghold of addiction
- Deliverance from all those stuck in negative thinking
- Fruitfulness for Little Church at Hospitality Night this Friday evening
Robin Tench reading Scripture from Isaiah during our first Advent service last Sunday –photo by Greg Sowle-
Coming Up In December at Little Church
- Friday, December 2, Hospitality Night, 5-9 pm
- Saturday, December 10, Christmas Family/Talent Night 6 pm
- Advent Services, Sunday Evening at 5 pm, December 4, 11, 18
- Children’s Christmas Pageant, Sunday, December 18, both services
- Christmas Eve Candlelight Services, December 24 at 4:30 pm and 6 pm
- Christmas Day, December 25, one service only, 10 pm
Did You Know? Every watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind and every orange has an even number of segments? And every ear of corn has an even number of rows and each stalk of grain has an even number of grains? Isn’t God amazing?
May this be a God-responsive week for all of us,
Pastor Jay