Are Negative Thoughts Ruling Your Day?

Over the past few years, I’ve heard and read this statistic numerous times: 80% of our daily thoughts are negative.  80%!!!  On the high end, researchers say we have up to 60,000 thoughts a day. That would mean 48,000 of our 60,000 thoughts are negative.  To put this in an easier-to-understand context, if we only had 10 thoughts all day long, 8 of those would be negative.  

Last time I blogged, I wrote about a season of unfortunate circumstances unfolding all around me and the emotional toll it was taking on my mind.  (I’ll link the blog at the end in case you want to go back and read it.)  I got to the point where I had to fall on my knees and cry out to God for help for my heart, mind, and soul.  I saved my favorite negative-thought-slaying hacks for this post and more upcoming.  I definitely haven’t conquered the negative thought demon yet, but these practices are definitely making me stronger for the battle.

Negative-Thought-Slaying Hack #1

The Belt of Truth

In Ephesians Chapter 6, Paul writes about putting on the armor of God “so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11)  One of Satan’s schemes is to tell us lies.  These can also be described as negative thoughts.  How do we fight against lies?  We fight with the Belt of Truth(Ephesians 6:14).  

I went to my favorite Bible app, Enduring Word, to learn more about this Belt of Truth.  Here’s what I learned:

• The soldier’s belt protected his abdomen and gathered his garments, allowing him to fight effectively.

• The belt was an essential part of the soldier's equipment, keeping other parts of his armor in place.

• Putting on the belt prepared the soldier for battle and put him in a battle mindset.

Now, let’s think of this in the context of God’s truth and our minds.

• God’s truth protects our minds and gathers our thoughts around His word.

• God’s truth is an essential part of equipping ourselves against negative thoughts.  It filters our thoughts to what is good and true or what is bad and a lie.

• Relying on God’s truth prepares us for Satan’s schemes and all the challenges we will face.  It puts us in a righteous mindset, ready for battle against flesh, the world, and the Devil.

The Belt of Truth provides specific guidance on how to handle negative thoughts.  

1. “‘Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” Philippians 2:14-16a (emphasis mine)

2. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

3. “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 about such things.” Philippians 4:8-9 (This one’s my favorite for combating negative thoughts!

4. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Notice God’s Word does not direct us to dwell on our negative thoughts.  Instead, He wants us to focus on what’s “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy”.

I'm Not Talkin' Buddha Style!

When negative thoughts enter our minds, we need to run to scripture.  But we may not always have our physical Bible on hand or be able to be on our phone’s Bible app.  This is one reason why we should memorize scripture.  Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (ESV) 

Now, when you read the word meditate, did you picture a chubby little Buddha statue? If I’m being honest, that’s what used to pop into my mind when I heard that word.  But that’s not at all what Biblical meditation is about.  My good ole pal Google says Biblical meditation is:

the active, reflective pondering and "chewing on" Scripture to internalize its truths, moving them from the head to the heart for deeper understanding, transformation, and communion with God, unlike emptying the mind or achieving inner peace. It involves focused thought, often repeating verses, and relies on the Holy Spirit to apply God's Word to life, leading to spiritual growth, motivation, and changed responses to circumstances.

Whew!  That was a mouthful!  The shorter, on-my-level version might sound something like this: Meditation is centering our heart, soul, and mind on scripture, aligning our thoughts with God’s truth.  There are many times I have to stop and just still my mind so I can listen for a Holy Spirit scriptural prompting.  Memorizing scripture has allowed me to retrieve what I need when I need it by relying on the Spirit’s prompting.  Which of the above scriptures do you need to “write on your heart”?

An Ongoing Battle

My battle of negative thoughts is ongoing.  I can really get in my head about what people think about what I’ve said, done, emailed, or texted.  I can also write a pretty lengthy story in my mind about not being good enough in my job, for my family, as a friend, as a daughter, as a sister… and on and on and on.   But my fighting tactics are getting much stronger.  I’m learning what helps and what doesn’t. Social media scrolling doesn’t help.  My Dr. Pepper and gummy lifesavers don’t help (after the initial 10 minutes of satisfaction).  Wallowing in the poor, pitiful me pond isn’t beneficial either.  What helps the most is my Belt of Truth.  I’ll also add that counseling and medication have also been a great source of support and positive change in my life.  

If there was something off with your physical heart, you would seek guidance from a doctor and help from medication.  Sometimes, there are things off with our brain and our emotional heart.   There’s nothing wrong with seeking help from a trained professional in the mental health and/or medical world.  It also helps to share our struggles with our Christian friends and mentors.  Bring the darkness to the light so they can pray with and for you and guide you with scripture.  

Before I wrapped up this post, I prayed over each person who would read these words.  I prayed they would have a positive impact on your life, that you would run to put on the Belt of Truth, and that you would share this blog post with someone you know who needs some extra encouragement in combatting negative thoughts.

I started this post with the idea of sharing three negative-thought-hacks with you, but the words kept flowing, so I just stayed with the first hack.  I want to encourage you to pick a scripture to memorize and start meditating on it daily, day and night.  And ask the Lord to help focus your mind on His truth.  He promises a peace that will pass all understanding, that will guard our hearts and minds.  Won’t He do it???!!!