Choosing Right Thoughts

Thoughts determine actions, attitude, and self-image. Really, thoughts determine destiny. We must be extremely careful not only about what we ingest through our eyes and ears, but what we think about. If you dwell on depressing thoughts, you will live a depressing life. If you continually gravitate toward negative thoughts, you will gravitate toward negative people, activities, philosophies, and lifestyles. Your life will always follow your thoughts.

Almost like a magnet, we draw in what we constantly think about. If you're always thinking positive, happy, joyful thoughts, you're going to be a positive, happy, joyful person, and you will attract other happy, upbeat, positive people.

Our thoughts also affect our emotions. We will feel exactly the way we think. You will never be happy unless you first think happy thoughts. So much of success or failure in life begins in our minds and is influenced by what we allow ourselves to dwell on.

Many don't realize it, but we can choose our thoughts. Nobody can make us think about something. God won't do it, and the enemy can't do it. You decide what you will entertain in your mind.

Anyone can be temporarily discouraged and depressed. Life is tough, and it sometimes takes a toll on us. We all get knocked down occasionally. But you need not remain down. If you are depressed, you must understand, nobody is making you depressed. If you're not happy, nobody is forcing you to be unhappy. If you're negative and you have a bad attitude, nobody's coercing you to be bored, uncooperative, sarcastic, or sullen. You are choosing to remain in that condition, and the first step out of that mess is to recognize that the only person who can improve the situation is you!

We must take responsibility for our own actions. As long as we keep making excuses and blaming the family tree, our environment, past relationships with others people, our circumstances, and attributing blame to God, satan, anyone, or anything, we will never be truly free and emotionally healthy. We must realize that to a large extent, we can control our own destinies.

Acutally, your circumstances don't have you down. Your thoughts about your circumstances have you down. Obviously, we can't ignore problems and live in denial, pretending that nothing bad ever happens to us. That is unrealistic. Bad things do sometimes happen to good people, just as good things often happen to bad people. Pretense is not the answer. If you are sick, it's okay to admit it; but keep your thoughts on your Healer. If your body is tired, if your spirit is weary, fine; we all understand that. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to get some rest.

Tough times come to all of us. God doesn't say that troublesome time won't come; He says that when they do, we can choose our attitudes. We can choose to believe that He is greater than our problems; we can choose the right thoughts.

As you dwell on the promises of God's Word, you will be filled with hope. You will develop a positive attitude of faith, and you will draw in the victory. You must cheer up first, then God will turn your situation around. As long as you harbor that poor, defeated outlook, you will continue to live a poor, defeated life.

The first place we must win the victory is in our own minds. If you don't think you can be successful, then you never will be. If you don't think your body can be healed, it never will be. If you don't think God can turn your situation around, then He probably won't. When you think thoughts of failure, you are destined to fail. When you think positive, excellent thoughts, you will be propelled toward greatness, inevitably bound for increase, promotion, and God's supernatural blessings.

If you are going to live God's way and be the person He wants you to be, you must line up your vision with His and learn to live in a positive frame of mind. Learn to look for the best in every situation. No matter what you're going through, if you look hard enough and keep the right attitude, you can find something good about the experience.

You must make a choice to keep your mind focused on the higher things. It's not going to automatically happen. You must be determined and put forth some effort if you're going to keep your mind set on the good things of God and experience His best.

We must be especially on guard during times of adversity, in times of personal challenge. When troubles strike, often the first thoughts that come to mind are not higher thoughts; they're not positive thoughts. Negative thoughts bombard us from every possible angle. Right there, we must choose to trust God for good things and not allow ourselves to be down and discouraged or just give up.

Stay focused on the positive things in life. If thoughts of joy, peace, victory, abundance, and blessings dominate your thoughts throughout the day, you will move toward those things, drawing them to yourself at the same time. Your life will follow your thoughts. God will help you, but you are going to have to make quality decisioins every day, choosing the good, rejecting the bad. Determine to keep your mind set on the good things of God. Start expecting good things. Get up each day knowing that God has great things in store for you. Our thoughts contain tremendous power. Remember, we draw into our lives that which we constantly think about. You are setting the direction of your life with your thoughts.

The only thing that limits God is your lack of faith. There is not such thing as the wrong side of the tracks with our God. If you will put your trust in Him, God will make your life significant. God longs to make something great out of your life. If you can catch a glimpse of how much confidence God has in you, you will never again shrink back into an inferiority complex. You will rise up with boldness. When we know that somebody we respect has confidence in us, it often inspires us to believe better of ourselves. More often than not, we'll rise to the occasion and meet that person's expectations. When somebody has confidence in you and believes in you, things once thought impossible become possible.

The enemy in your mind says you don't have what it takes; God says you do have what it takes. Whom are you going to believe? The enemy says you're not able to succeed; God says you can do all things through Christ. The enemy says you'll never get out of debt; God says not only are you going to get out of debt, you will lend and not borrow. The enemy says you're never going to get well; God says He will restore your health. The enemy says you'll never amount to anything; God says He will raise you up and make your life significant. The enemy says your problems are too big, there's no hope; God says He will solve those problems; moreover, He will turn those problems around and use them for your good.