Tug of War with Your Thoughts.

Hello there,

Do you ever have so many thoughts at once that you feel exhausted? Of course everyone thinks from day to day; whether it's a big test coming up, job interview or even simple things like what what to eat for dinner. Thoughts, negative ones for instance, really grabs a hold of you and creates anxiety and overwhelmness. At times I think and worry so much that my stomach aches.

My point is that I really wish that I didn't think so much because all it's doing is making me emotionally tired. There's so many things in my life that I wish was a lot simpler. So many things that seem to be spinning out of control. So many things that I wish I had answers to. I've been in this particular mixed up situation for awhile now and am still trying to find clarity in it all. I think about how things would be if it was exactly how I imagined them to be.

As One Thinks...

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (NLV). In other words, what we think will be evident in our outward attitudes and actions. This means that our thoughts are nothing to take for granted. Our perspectives and thoughts hold the power to determine our attitudes and also our tomorrows. Fortunately, we get to choose what our tomorrows look like, one thought and one day at a time. In the words of Norman Vincent Peale, a popular minister and author, “Change your thoughts, and you change your world.”

True joy and a positive attitude come from the choice to change your thoughts, not from a problem-free life. So, sweet friend, let today be the first day of your new optimistic life. Let it be the first day of a fresh season of life where you begin living a life of optimism, seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty.

You are not alone in this battle. We can either give up or God-up, and when we God-up, He always shows up. As we sojourn through this book, we’ll be unpacking three God-filled strategies that we need to put into practice in our daily lives if we want to transform our thoughts, feelings, and lifestyles:

1) Notice negative thoughts.

2) Reject negative thoughts.

3) Replace negative thoughts.

Scripture reinforces the importance of these three steps: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). If you’re like me, you’ve always known this instruction was important but never really understood how to follow through. How do we take our thoughts captive and then change our lives? Well, we’ll be exploring just that as we move forward in this journey toward optimism and joy. Here's a devotional about negative thinking and I believe it has really blessed me. I'd like to share it with you all.

As you read, I pray that God will open the door of your heart and help you begin to let your faith be in control of your mind so you can take back your thoughts. If you are ready to be rescued, God is ready to pull you out of the muck of negativity and discouragement. My hope is that when you get to the last page of this book, you will find yourself on the shores of a breathtaking place you didn’t know existed—a beautiful land where a positive mind and an optimistic heart thrive.

Does anyone remember when I was talking about me seeing lovey dovey couples?  I wanted to recap on that. I see these couples and see how they seem to have life all figured out and they seem to be the happiest they ever could be. I always felt like that would never be me because I could never picture myself with someone. I don't if its because I feel like an outcast or shy or simply just not enough confidence. But, I've almost had that opportunity of probably being lovey dovey maybe and I almost feel really stupid now having those kinds of thoughts or feelings now because I guess it just seemed too much like a game. I don't know if we would have been hand in hand or googly eyed like all the other young couples but for awhile I sure hoped for something to happen. Even now, I can't say that I've let go of the thought completely but its kind of up in the air now and I'm not going to anticipate for any kind of possibility of something but just go with the flow and most importantly leave it in God's hands. Sometimes I regret of the whole possibility of a relationship happening because I wish it happened differently and at the right time. When I see couples I do get jealous and probably even a little annoyed but I'm getting better. Even though I feel like I've made a fool of myself I know I'll recover from this. And maybe, just maybe all hope isn't lost. Maybe at some point in life we can get together and it would be God's perfect timing or maybe things will stay how they are now. What's most important though is that we're leaving it in God's hands and there's no more drama or confusion. I'm thankful we're mature enough to eliminate all of the unnecessary and unhealthy stuff.

�The reason why I called it "Tug of War with Your Thoughts" is because I often find myself fighting with my thoughts and continue to make myself try to keep my mind on positive things while fighting off the negative at the same time. So, I just wanted to share with you that our negative thoughts don't have to control us. But I've gone through some difficult things and I'm still fighting my way through them all. I have to trust God no matter what and "keep calm and pray on."

I know God's plan isn't to keep us confused forever. He knows what's best for us.