I do have my days of negative thoughts - who doesn't? But, I don't believe I am a pessimistic person. That said, our thoughts do play an important part in the level of peace in our lives. When we give in to them we allow ourselves to have the "peace of God" stolen from us.
In his book "Pathways to His Presence", Dr. Charles Stanley says there are seven categories of thoughts that steal peace from us. They are:
- Sinful
- Negative
- Erroneous
- Unrealistic
- Rebellious
- Obsessive
- Enslaved thoughts
Now, I don't know about you, but my mind jumps around like a bouncing ball from one thought to another. Sometimes I can be reading a blog or online article that will make me think of something from years ago and then I'll remember something that someone did and before you know it I'm dwelling on old pains and sorrows. This is when I need to snap out of it and take those thoughts captive. One thing you should always be aware of - Satan knows your past and he loves to bring it up to torment you. Don't let him. Reach out to God in prayer first. The moment that negative or troubling thought hits you, get down on your knees and confess to the Lord that you are struggling with troubling thoughts. Ask Him to remove those thoughts and then turn your mind to Philippians 4:8. Think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, admirable, excellent and praisworthy. The peace of God will be restored to you and your desire to dwell on these troubling thoughts will be done away with. Also, make sure you turn to Scripture when you are struggling with your thought process. God's word is living and should dwell in you to ward off Satanic attacks. Like Jesus in the desert, who used scripture to rebuke Satan, you can too. Follow our Lord's example and memorize scripture so that it is present in your mind as soon as you encounter a negative thought.
It won't be easy, but if you want to experience peace and joy in your life, it begins with your thought process. I am thankful for cars that have CD players and for my iPod. I can turn on my Audio Bible and I can listen to scripture over and over again.
In His Grip,
Pastor J
