Recognizing and Avoiding Negative Thinking

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Nothing will steal your Godly destiny faster than indulging automatic negative thinking (ANT).  The difficulty lies in having automatic negative thoughts.  This sort of default position must be challenged and confronted with the truth of who God is and what His promises are for every person on the planet. The key is to kill the ANT, and instead re-framing the negative thought to one of faith in God, and then take some positive ACTION.

Here are 9 types of negative patterns to stay on guard against.  They include:

All or nothing thinking - your thoughts are either all good or all bad.

• For Instance, "There is nothing I can do to move toward my Godly destiny - I am doomed."
• Replace with, "There are many small steps I can take to discover, unlock and live my Godly destiny."

Always thinking - using words like always, never, no one, everyone, every time, everything. 

• For instance, "No one ever listens to my ideas." 
• Replace with, "I only presented this idea to 3 people who for whatever reason seemed uninterested, so I am glad there are 7 billion people on the planet."

Focusing on the negative - only seeing the bad in a situation. 

• For instance, "I got splashed with water on the curb and now my whole day is ruined and the big meeting might as well just be cancelled." 
• Replace with, "I now have a great icebreaker to share with my group and have a good laugh and build rapport.  That soaking might just be the thing that makes this a great day."

Fortune Telling - predicting the worst possible outcome with little or no evidence. 

• For instance, "I just know that the cleaning service is going to break my grandmothers vase."
• Replace with, "I am so blessed to have people come to my house to help keep it clean.  I am sure if anything gets broken that we can work it out."

Mind reading - believing you know what another person is thinking even though they have not told you. 

• For instance, "My boss thinks I am useless." 
• Replace with, "My boss seems overwhelmed and is having a rough day.  I wonder if I can do anything to make it better?  I am sure she would tell me if I have done something that is upsetting her."

Thinking with your feelings - believing negative feelings without questioning them. 

• For instance, "I feel annoyed and irritated with my brother." 
• Replace with, "Even though I feel irritated, I need to take a step back and consider where these feelings are coming from.  Regardless, I will choose to be forgiving to others and myself and embrace grace and mercy."

Guilt beatings - thinking in words like should, must, ought or have to. 

• For instance, "I must lose weight or I will never realize my destiny." 
• Replace with, "Lord I pray that you use me as I am and help me to be all you called me to be.  It's not by my strength but by your Spirit."

Labeling - attaching a negative label to yourself or someone else. 

• For instance, "I am such an introvert - how will I ever meet the people I need to work with to be all I am called to be?"
• Replace with, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Blame - Blaming someone else for the problems you have.

• For instance, "My dad beat me so now I can never be a gentle loving person." 
• Replace with, "With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will overcome this challenge and be seated with Christ."

By engaging your Christian faith, the ANTs will perish, leaving you one step closer to hearing on that fateful day, "Well done good and faithful servant."