Every thought captive: The war on negativity (I) Hope

Graham Cook in his “Game Changers” course asks “Is there any negativity in heaven? Do you know someone, or perhaps you yourself are someone,  who goes on and on, and on about what is wrong with this, or that or the whole World. Perhaps  it’s not surprising, since just about all we hear on the news is bad news, and in the end it is so much easier to see the bad,  than it is the good. I mean think about someone you have trouble with, and then try and think about their good points. At least with me, their bad points stick out like sore thumbs, but their good points? But our negativity is killing our relationships, families, work, churches, in fact society itself. It is like being drawn into the vortex of a whirlpool, and being sucked deeper and deeper into depression, despair and hopelessness.


Negativity too easily becomes a stronghold of the mind. For the longest time I myself was caught up in obsessive thinking. I am happy to tell you however, that I am now celebrating recovery over this addiction, and have been for some time. What I am saying, is that these strongholds can be broken. But as with any addiction “half measures profited us nothing.” A saying of Albert Einstein comes to mind “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that got us into them.” Likewise, I believe it was Stephen Covey who said “The amount of energy we need to get out of a situation is far, far greater than the energy required to get into it” But in Christ, all things are possible (Philippians 4:13).


We need to make war on negativity. I am not talking here about a healthy grieving over a significant loss, nor about our need to deal functionally  with our hurts. I am talking about the habitual negative pessimistic way of looking at things,  that is so much a part of our culture.  Now human beings have  the ability to think about what we are thinking about. I can look at my thoughts and know what is a good thought, and what is bad. And so for the Christian there is hope where there is no hope.  In the midst of disappointment and loss, we can go back over and over to the promises He has underlined for us, and choose to think on these things.  And we can look back and remember that He has answered our prays in the past that this brings hope, because He is faithful. Now every thought has an emotion attached to it. And when we choose positive thoughts, positive emotions will eventually follow. It does takes energy and determination, and there is hope here too because He works in both our desires and the wherewithal to do it (Philippians 2:13). 


Father, thank You that You have gave us access by faith to Your Grace which enables us to stand (Romans 5:2), and that every negative thing has the potential for us to learn how to tap into this Grace. We are not the victim our our circumstances Lord, You have given us weapons to demolish the strongholds of the mind and to take our negative thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). When we do our part You do Yours, and Lord I am praying this morning that You will give us faith and hope, and to believe that You are for us and not against us, and that You will bring us through in Jesus Name Amen