By Pastor Andrew Farland
Scientists say that people have over 60,000 thoughts a day, the majority of which are negative. How’s that for an uplifting intro to today’s devotion?!
The reality is, though, that when you’re depressed, your thoughts are even more negative than usual. The types of things that used to annoy you are now annoying at an even higher level. And somehow, you’ve found new people to be cynical toward and new foods to hate.
This is important to talk about because thoughts have the power to affect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Because of their capacity to influence our overall health, I want us to comprehend the impact that our thoughts can have on our recovery. Don’t get me wrong. The goal is not to prevent all negative thinking because that would be impossible. The objective should be to begin acknowledging our unhealthy and unhelpful thoughts so that we can manage them in our daily lives.
Author and speaker, Zig Ziglar, famously said, “your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.” In other words, how you think determines your success.
Ziglar could say this because he overcame challenges with a positive attitude from the very start. When he was 9 days old, he stopped breathing. His mother whispered in his ear until he was revived in her arms. As a teenager, one of a dozen kids, Ziglar sold vegetables and milk to help support his family. Giving up his dreams of being a Navy pilot, he stuck with sales and continued to overcome poverty until, one day, he could look back on a life of success in which he saw millions of lives impacted by his message of positivity. He didn’t let his circumstances influence his thoughts. In turn, he didn’t allow his thoughts to influence his circumstance.
Your thoughts have the power to move you closer to or further away from health. Tomorrow, I will share with you the essential, practical steps for transforming your thinking. We’ll do some hard work together. But, today, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed, spend time focusing on these words of Jesus from John 16:33. Remind yourself that you are an overcomer because He is in your life.
John 16:33
“In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Be encouraged today because God is with you.
