For more than ten years, I gave negative thoughts full jurisdiction to roam freely in my mind.
As a teenager, I thought of myself as a free-spirited person who had grit. As I got older and experienced limitations on the journey, I collected a suitcase of negative thoughts from things others had said, assumptions of what others thought of me, and menacing things I thought about myself that seemed to take on what looked like the truth.
Many years later, I listened to what the Lord said about me and understood God created His people to take their thoughts captive. I realized I had not been intentional about checking what thoughts I had invited into the door of my mind. I exposed the enemies in my mind and kicked them out.
Jesus went through a similar situation when invited to visit a home where a little girl had died. When He stepped into the home, He tried to prepare the crowd to see the young girl soon, but spectators ridiculed Him. The Son of God responded by kicking people out of the home. He was bold. He ensured the environment was swept clean of all conflicting and negative thoughts so He could focus on why He was there.
If Jesus had the authority to kick naysayers out, then we have the authority to do the same thing with our minds so that we can see and experience things that seem impossible.
We can take inventory of our minds. Any thought that doesn't measure up to what the Spirit of God says, we should escort out, then shut and lock the door by writing down Scripture that combats that thought if it tries to re-enter. Removing such distractions will help us focus on what God is calling us to do.
What steps can you take to kick out negative thoughts?
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Lawanda Jones is a writer, speaker, and singer. She writes from her experiences of being married to her high school sweetheart, being a mother of five children, being a working woman, and being raised by military parents. Her passion to teach foundational principles has led her to lead personal finance classes and to coach individuals on finding confidence and identity. She serves on Fellowship of Christian Athletes Board in Williamson County, Texas. She holds a B.A. in Communication, an A.S. in Music Production Technology, and an A.A. in Education.