Most cases, it’s almost impossible to erase disturbing memories in your mind, which result in negative thoughts. But it is possible to change the influence of such memories to your thoughts. You might still be experiencing flash backs of a series of traumatic events that affected you or your loved ones, but it is when you choose to entertain those thoughts, that you make yourself a prisoner. The devil will always use your past painful events to steal your joy and you remain a victim as long as those thoughts are still disturbing your peace. The sad thing is that your thoughts are incredibly powerful such that you might find yourself experiencing the same pain again for as long as you think about it. The scripture says in Hebrews 11:15 “They did not keep thinking about the country they had left, if they had, they would have had the chance to return.”
But How Can You Control Negative Thoughts As a Christian?
Here are the four spiritual exercises that can help you overcome negative thoughts:
1. Pray for your thoughts not to distract God’s truth about your life
If you find yourself thinking about painful events or facing any negativity, you need to destroy them with God’s truth. There will always be a scripture that speaks directly to your circumstance. The word of God is a powerful sword for any believer. What makes it more powerful is the fact that it’s a double edged sword, it cuts both ways. When you speak the word of God, you destroy the strong holds in the spiritual realm but you also cutting any negativity in your spirit, body and soul. As the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.” This word is a sword that demolishes any negative thoughts planted by the enemy.
2. Think about the testimony that came out of your trial, and give praise to God
Think about how God rescued you from your pain and give him praise. As believer you cannot afford to give more credit to the enemy than you do to your heavenly father. As long as you still see yourself as a victim of your traumatic experiences, you’re giving praise to the devil. The hand of God is always there in every painful situation that you go through to rescue you so that you give glory to God. The bible says in Philippians 4:8 “In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise, things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.”
3. Think about the lessons you learned and how they link to your purpose in life
We often go through painful circumstances so that we discover our purpose in life. If you think deeper, you will realize that there are valuable lessons which you learned during your trials, things that can never be learnt without experience. The knowledge about life is valuable, but experience is what sets you apart. Your testimony is a well that is created by God so that other people can come and drink from your living waters. This is often where your breakthrough is, because God is faithful. He will never allow you to go through pain without rewarding your endurance. “For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it.” 1 Peter 2:20 GNB.
Instead of thinking about the pain you went through, ask God to open your eyes to see the purpose of what you went through as Paul would pray in Ephesians 1:18. God cannot bring you to your promise land as long as you’re still thinking about your “Egypt”. Isaiah 43:18-19 “But the Lord says, “Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago. Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already, you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.”
4. Renew your mind through meditating on the word of God
You will never understand why you went through what you went through until you try and understand the mind of God through the scriptures. Romans 12:2 NLT “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” The word of God is the only reliable manual for every human being. Every time when you feel like you need answers, the Holy Spirit will bring the word of God to your remembrance when you need it, which is what the scripture says in John 14:26. But how can the Holy Spirit make you remember something that you’ve never heard of? Hence, it is very important to make time for meditating on the word of God so that you will hear the voice of God when you need it.
