Eliminate negative thoughts

How to fight negative thoughts with Word of God

Are you experiencing a continuous stream of negative thoughts?

The quality of our life depends a lot on the internal dialogue we are having. If the dialogue is mostly of fear, resentment and worries that will drain our energy; but if the dialogue is positive, that will energize us.

I remember, once when I analyzed my thought patterns, about 80% of it was either hurt from the past or worry about the future and the remaining 20% mostly stress from the present! I have experimented with various techniques to eliminate negative thoughts and to replace it with positive thoughts; found Word of God is a simple yet powerful technique to remain positive.

It is important to note that a thought is just a thought; it is not a fact. So if a thought ‘I am no good at this’ doesn’t mean you are not good. Don’t take that negative thought so seriously, because it is not a fact; it is just a fleeting cloud. Don’t try to suppress that feeling, because it may rebound and increase its intensity. You may find it difficult to ignore a negative thought, instead just accept that you had a negative thought and ask the question “Is it useful?”. This will help you to distance yourself from the thought.

One of the easiest ways to make your inner dialogue positive and empowering is to memorize Words of God and recall them often. There is amazing wisdom in the scriptures and has wide applicability in our everyday life. You can use the word of God as a sword to eliminate negative thoughts. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

Examples

When you have a negative thought, say, ‘I am not good enough’, cut it down with what God says about you:

• You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you. (Isaiah 43:4)
• I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18)

If you are feeling worried, say, about tomorrow’s interview/exam, cut that worry down with the sword:

• Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
• The God of heaven will give us success. (Nehemiah 2:20)

If you are not feeling confident with the thought ‘I can’t do this’, replace it with

• I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

For persisting negative thoughts, you can do the following:

1. Identify the right verse to counter the negative thought or emotion
2. Write the verse on a paper and stick it at a place that you see often (in front of your study table, on the mirror); read it a number of times during the day.
3. Memorize the verse and recite it a number of times during the day
4. Recall the verse every morning, noon and evening; practice daily until the verse pops up every time you have the negative thought.

Please identify the predominant negative thought you want to get rid of, choose the right verse from the list and use it to eliminate the negative thought – the list is available at Meditations and more specifically at Verses for difficult times.

For detailed steps on how to respond to any specific emotion, refer ‘Feel Good Now‘.