The other day I was meditating on how our thoughts and our words stir up emotions on the inside of us.

It’s amazing that one little thought, one little reminder of something good – or bad – can trigger a whole chain of reaction through our nervous system, and change our whole countenance.

Our emotions are so powerful.  They can either rejuvenate us or drain us, and they influence whether or not we’re going to approach life with an attitude of victory or an attitude of defeat.

But it all starts with the thoughts in our minds.  When we dwell on the wrong things – negative, self-defeating thoughts – it makes us weak and uncertain and fearful in our minds.  Negative emotions get stirred up, and we waste precious time and energy.

But when we dwell on the right things, when we believe God and meditate on His promises, we become strong in our minds.  We uplift and encourage ourselves as the Bible commands.

Our emotions stay balanced, and we are able to approach life with an attitude of faith and victory.

I encourage you today to take inventory of your thought life.

I never realised how negative my thoughts constantly were (and subsequently the words out of my mouth) until I started taking inventory.  I started thinking about what I was thinking about.  It was no wonder I was sick, fearful and depressed all the time!

Each of us think thousands of thoughts every day, but they are not all positive or beneficial.  I learned to become like a film censor and censor out the thoughts or parts of the film that were negative or not beneficial.  Just clip them out.  Delete them.  Instantly discard them. Don’t give them a second thought!  Let them go.  Don’t let them stick.  Flip the switch.  Change the channel.

“Birds can fly over your head, but they don’t need to build a nest in your hair.”

At one point in my life, I literally HAD to censor out every fear thought, as one wrong thought would send me spiraling down into depression.  That’s how powerful thoughts are…they can send your whole system into an involuntary panic attack or high anxiety.  That’s what the Bible means to take every thought captive.  Don’t let every thought in your head have free reign.  Censor them.  You take control over them.  It’s easy but consistency is the hard part – it may take a while to master it, but you can!  Keep at it, and you will be amazed at the results, and how much better you feel.

Then feed your mind with the right things.  Remember GIGO:  Garbage in – garbage out!  If you’re going to sit down and watch a thriller movie, for example, then don’t be surprised that fear thoughts are going to be a result.

Let the Word of God make your mind strong.  Don’t focus on how big your problems are; instead, focus on how big your God is!

Get your thoughts and words going in the right direction so you can stand strong in your mind and move forward in the path of victory God has prepared for you.

“….take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. (2 Cor. 10:5)

This is a big subject….watch for more posts on this.