Change What You Can Change

While we do not have control of how we feel, we do have control of our thinking, our words and our actions. Once we are in complete control of what we can change, the things we can't change will change on their own.

Changing Our Thinking
A lot of people think that thy can't change their thinking, and so they tend to run from any bad thoughts they get instead of dealing with them head-on. Your mind ought to be controlled by your will. And your will ought to always be ready to judge your thinking. If you detect that your thinking is drifting into negative thoughts, you must recognize this and then shift your thinking back where it should be. At first it is tedious to do this, but it gets easier as you practice it. God's Word gives us a guideline on how our thinking ought to be.

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

So this is God's will for our thinking. If we have trouble maintaining this standard, we need to identify what is causing our thinking to veer toward the negative. Once this is identified, it is easy to resolve using God's Word that addresses that particular problem. This can be done on your own by doing your own study of God's Word or you can get some assistance from a pastor or counsellor. It is definitely God's will that you have peace in your mind with no undue pull from negative thoughts.

If your thinking is unusually negative, you may need to use the scripture cards below to give your thinking a complete overhaul. Below are a selection of key Bible verses you can use. By printing the 4 pages below onto card stock, you will end up with five 3" X 5" cards (printed both sides) which you can take with you wherever you go. The best way is to memorize these verses, but you can also just read them, but say them out loud, as it will strengthen your spirit by you hearing yourself speak them. Fortunately your mind can't think of two things at once, thus by using these verses you will both take your attention away from your problems, and you will help yourself develop your own personal faith.

Card 1A      Card 1B        Card 2A         Card 2B

Changing Our Words
Negative words are a large problem for most people who have emotional problems. When something bad happens, they may go around and tell everybody what their problems are, but by doing so, they repeatedly hear themselves speak the problem and risk beginning to believe just how bad off they really are. And that is the key. Once a thought goes from just a thought and becomes a belief, they are headed for problems, because our feelings are attached to our belief structure. That's why some people can get away with speaking negative words and are not really affected in their emotions because they really don't believe what they are saying, while other people speak negative and it brings them down because they are allowing their words to affect their beliefs. Believing is everything in the arena of emotional health. And so, part of what shapes our belief system is our words and the weight that we put them. Certainly our words can have a profound affect on us when seeking emotional restoration, and speaking God's Word into our hearts helps to change our belief structure. As you take time to meditate on God's Word (repeating it over and over), faith develops, and it carries you to a new place closer to God, allowing you to view the problem more from God's perspective. Once you see a problem from God's perspective, it is no longer a problem, but rather a challenge for God to work it all out. You'll have successfully transferred the problem from your shoulders onto God's, and that frees you up to enjoy life, while God works it all out.

Changing Our Actions
Changing our actions is another way to overhaul your feelings. Sometimes when stressful situations arise in our lives, our resulting anxiety causes us to do things that make the problem worse. People do all kinds of things when anxious, some drink alcohol excessively, take drugs, shop excessively, gamble etc. While the anxiety is curtailed somewhat while in these reaction modes, the negative feelings only get worse in the end. It is better to act in ways that will empower you, such as physical exercise, listen to inspirational music, listen to teaching tapes, visit a friend who can inspire you, visit a sick person, see a minister, help somebody, buy a gift for somebody, call a prayer line, attend a Bible study or church service, etc.

Conclusion
By changing the things you can change, the things you can't change will change.
 

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