The Power Of Negative Thoughts

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“The Power Of Negative Thoughts”

1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

 

For so many years of my life, I have heard podcasts, sermons, read books and heard stories of the power of positive thinking.  I want to be clear that this is vital and very important for us to consider, but what I have been feeling and thinking about is how we need to also realize the power of negative thoughts and where those can lead.  I’m NOT focusing on the idea of having negative thoughts, but I AM focusing on what negative thoughts can do to us.

 

For most of my life, I have struggled with a negative self-image.  I have struggled with having a low self-confidence and low self-esteem.  However, God has brought a lot of encouragement and resources into my life in the past several years to combat this way of thinking. 

 

I want to encourage all of us not only to focus on the power of positive thinking, but to also be very cautious and aware of what can happen when we focus on the power of our negative thoughts.  We need to be aware of both sides. 

 

If we are focusing on negative thoughts a lot in our lives, we need to be made aware of how those thoughts spiral out of control and do so much internal damage to the way we see ourselves.  Last week, I shared about how our old self is gone and we are now a new creation in Christ.  The enemy wants nothing more than to bring to our minds constantly all of the negative thoughts that surround that old self. 

 

I have found through much wisdom in therapy, through reading Christ-centered books, Scripture and talking to people who really love me, that I need God’s wisdom and strength to help me battle the negative thoughts train I often have.  I have learned that I need to be very proactive when I’m battling these thoughts and when they surface.  I have to learn better how to combat them with what God says in His Word about who I am. 

 

I want to encourage myself and you all that every single day, we need to be intentional about filling our minds with positive thoughts to push out the negative thoughts.  It’s very hard to do some days.  There are days when things are going great and it’s very easy to focus on the blessings of life.  There are also days when we feel like nothing is going right and our world is falling apart.  The blessings are STILL there, but they are being drowned out by the enemy filing us with negative thoughts. 

 

Every day, we need to be very intentional about focusing on the power of positive thoughts and be aware of the power of negative thoughts that are trying to drown out the positive ones.  We need to be on alert and ready for the enemy’s attacks. 

 

Are we ready?