The danger of negative thinking

Negative thinking seems to all around us, and with all of the
chanlleges of today, it's no surprise. I've wrestled with negative
thinking for years, and I always ask God to remove this sprirt
from me. I pray daily for this for I know it's crippling effects
and how it effects all of my actions and decisions. I know that
I am not alone; there are many people who go through periods of
doubt and struggle.

When I was still a pastor in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod,
I spent my last years of ministry working as a full-time chaplain
at two jails in the city of St. Louis. This was indeed, an negative
enviroment, and I dealt with indivduals who came out of negative
enviroments and where facing bleak futures. At times, I got depressed
and burned out. There were times when my own outlook was negative.
In addition to all of this, my parents and my only brother passed
away within a spann of three years. All this, and other pressures
left me feeling pretty negative.

From my time spent in congregations and in the jails, I've seen the
dangers of negative thinking. In my own life, I've seen how it has
affected me. I know that I'm not alone. Many people are going
through situations that have left them bruised, hurt, and bitter.

We all will hit those rough spots along the journey. The devil,
the world, and even our own flesh will bombard us with negative
thoughts and with bitter feelings. There might be times when we
don't know what to do or where to go. There might be times when
there's a temptation to just give up.

When the negative thoughts come, I turn to prayer and to the Word.
The Holy Spirit reminds us that we can cast all our concerns
upon Jesus Christ, for he cares for us.(1 Peter 5:7) Rather
than allowing the negative thoughts eat at you, turn it all over
to Christ. When the thoughts come, I am always reminded to do this.

Don't allow negative thinking to cripple you or to hold you back
from reaching your God-given potental. Go forth in faith even
through the storms, Christ will guide you safely through.

You'll have your share of setbacks. They might slow you down,
but just keep pressing on. Press on and seize your dreams.
Use the gifts that God has given you, and live up to your
potental.

When negative thoughts and the devil speaks to you, don't listen.
They don't have anything good to say. Listen instead, to the
voice of the Master. He has good things planned for you. He'll
guide you safely through the journey. Along the way, you'll
be changed. When you walk with the Master, you'll go from the
danger of negative thinking to the joy of a positive faith.

Michael Carter-2006