Lose the Negative Thoughts....

....gain a renewed mind.

Arterburn (2007) states:

Renewing the mind is different from positive thinking in that truth must be experienced from the One who is truth. [....] Although we are saved and our spirits are made new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), our minds are still in need of renewal. Yet we cannot be free of the lies and distorted thinking on our own power. A renewed mind comes as we receive truth from Christ and deeply plant His Word in our hearts.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are told to take our thoughts captive: "We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ" (MSG).

How do we live this out within the context of the continual onslaught of negative thinking at every turn these days? Just as soon as we wake up in the morning, it begins. Walk into any institution and negative thinking has won the day. So what can we do?

Well, the easiest way to lose negative thinking is to ditch the source. Actively move away from folks who are clouded with negativity. But, what if the negative thinking is from within?

I like Arterburn's idea of treating any negative thinking like spam mail on a computer. He states that "the thoughts just show up and keep on coming. As with email, the trick is not to click on the thoughts to open them. Instead, delete them instantly and avoid giving negative thoughts a foothold in your mind, because they are messengers of Satan, not God."