Caroline Naoroji wrote, “Let us begin each day with a thankful heart, with a prayerful attitude, with a joyous spirit and with a beautiful smile and make it a great one.”
Studies show our normal rate of talking is approx 120 words a minute, but we can think at a rate of 1,300 words a minute!
Imagine ten minutes of negative self-talk – that’s 13,000 negative, sad, angry, and discouraging words pumped into our soul, every minute. What a great picture of warfare—a reminder that most battles are won or lost in our minds.
Whatever you believe on the inside is what manifests itself on the outside.
How depressing. No wonder we sometimes feel discouraged and overwhelmed!
2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV)
Keep your THOUGHTS positive – your thoughts become YOUR WORDS
Keep you WORDS positive – your words become YOUR BEHAVIOUR
Keep you BEHAVIOUR positive – your behaviour becomes YOUR HABITS
Keep your HABITS positive – your habits become YOUR VALUES
Keep your VALUES positive – your values become YOUR DESTINY
Though this was written by Mahatma Ghandhi, God also encouraged us in Colossians 3:1-3 to set our minds and keep them set on higher things not on the things of this world.
When we begin to think negative thoughts, we must spring into action…demolishing and taking those thoughts captive. God’s Word encourages us to keep our thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honourable, fair, pure, acceptable or commendable. We are to practise and do what we have learned, for then God’s peace reigns in our lives, not the negative soul-destroying imaginations of an old mindset. We are encouraged to renew our minds, to have our identity in Christ, not on how we see ourselves but how Christ see us. Even those situations or circumstances that surround us trying to pull us back into a life of misery, poverty, low self-esteem, we are to speak to the problem and tell it to go.
If we don’t speak and don’t take captive our thoughts and situations, we will be the ones held captive by them.
What are some practical ways to fight these enemy thoughts?
Memorize Bible verses related to our struggles.
Start confessing scripture into those negative circumstances
Start praising God when negative thoughts try to take hold
Interrupt negative thoughts by counting our blessings, with a heart of gratitude
Faith involves us placing confidence in God’s word and responding to it. So next time the battle begins, let’s fight by speaking and trusting in God’s Word, with a thankful heart, with a prayerful attitude, with a joyous spirit and with a beautiful smile declaring: “I am undefeatable in Jesus” 1 John 5:18