Are your thoughts helping or hurting you?
That’s the question I have been asking myself a lot in the past two months, and God has been pruning me from a lot of negative thinking. John 10:10b says, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” So how do we practically live life more abundantly daily?
As I was asking this question, God reminded me of what the apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think on such things.” This verse has led me to analyze my thoughts and figure out what thoughts trigger which emotions.
So I have been trying to analyze every thought and asking if it is helping or hurting me? If the thought is helping, keep it. If not, it goes.
We are not slaves to our thoughts. Sometimes refuting the negative thinking is a fight. In Romans 8, it says we are conquers in Christ, and in Ephesians 6 it says to put on the full armor of God. If we are conquerors and need to put on the full armor of God, then that means there are fights, battles, and a war to win!! You and I have to fight to win the war that is going on in our minds. We are not slaves to our thoughts. Any thought that is contrary to what God thinks about us or our situation is a lie. Any thought that does not produce hope is not of God.
Also, I think self-awareness is very important. For instance, I am a verbal processor. So sometimes after I tell God and/or someone I trust what I am thinking, I think “Oh that’s stupid. What was I thinking? Moving on.” Which is why having trustworthy people in your life that will speak truth to you is so important because you can’t do life alone because that’s not life more abundant. We are called the “people of God” not the “individuals of God.” (That’s a whole other topic by itself lol).
This past week I got in a negative mindset and wasn’t sure how I got there. Then I realized I was frustrated about some circumstances. I acknowledged what I was frustrated about, talked to God and people I trust about it, journaled about it, and then moved on. Sometimes we just need to move on and stop dwelling on circumstances we cannot control.
In addition, God recently revealed to me that believing the lie that one is powerless causes negative thoughts and feelings, which it has been HUGE for me in conquering negative thoughts and emotions. It is a LIE to think that you can’t make a difference in the world or simply change your own life. You are POWERFUL!! Your thoughts are powerful and can change the course of your life and others, which is why it’s so important to know what Jesus thinks and says about us and our circumstances. I am continually reminded of the African Proverb, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.” Dude, mosquitos can do some damage, and they are soo small!! (Mosquitos LOVE me and many times I am left for days or weeks dealing with the damage they’ve done lol) You are SOO much more powerful than a mosquito. It’s time to believe it and live it and be self-aware of your thoughts.
We only have one life to live. Let’s live life more abundantly, refute the thoughts that are not helping us, win the war in our minds, find out what God thinks about us and our lives, and believe it.
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My team and I leave Filandia, Colombia today for a thirty plus hour travel day to Ecuador. I have loved Colombia!! It is a beautiful country, a hidden gem.
This has been an incredible year. Thank you for your support and providing the opportunity for me to serve others.
Keep your head up. Live loved because you are.
Love,
Amanda
