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Stop Negative Thoughts by Creating a Mental Gatekeeper
by Rhonda Jones Do you battle with negative thoughts or just can't turn off the dialogue in your head? Do you find yourself having conversations with people who aren't even there? Many people suffer from compulsive thinking, but you can learn to stop these voices in your head by creating a mental gatekeeper. A mental gatekeeper is an imaginary guard created to stop unwanted, worrisome, or crippling thoughts from gaining entrance in your mind and planting an orchard of negativity, depression, or self-doubt. It can be in the form of a guard, a bouncer, a mighty angel, or a goalie, just pick something you identify with. I like to use a batter at a baseball game because I envision the way the pitcher throws the baseball as the way negative thoughts of doubt, discouragement, fear and every other destructive thought are thrown our way. Worry Doesn't Solve Problems Acknowledge right now that worry will never change the outcome of a situation. Worry only makes you feel sick inside, takes away your joy, and makes you unpleasant to be around. If you could have fixed your problem or changed the behavior of a specific individual, you would have done so already. Worry won't pay your bills, make your spouse or children act differently, change your boss, make you feel better about yourself, change your bad habits or find you a job. Worry is just a useless waste of your time and energy. Worry is the opposite of faith and an enemy to the believer. So beginning today, I want you to make a choice and commitment that you will not worry about anything any longer. If you have done everything you know to do and everything God has told you to do, you can't do anymore and it's time to turn that situation over to God once and for all. You need to let it go until God gives you clear direction on what to do next or He changes the circumstances. That means no direction, no action! Bat Your Way to Peace of Mind Now that you've made the decision not to worry, how do you stop the thoughts from taking over once again? Let's go back to gatekeeper. When wanting to stop negative thoughts right in their track of my favorite terms is the word "Bam." When I say BAM , I see the batter slamming a baseball, or in my case, a worrisome thought right out of the field (my mind). For example, when those fiery darts come like "you'll neverBAM "your daughter BAM, "that house" BAM, "you should"BAM, "no one will ever BAM, "your bills BAM. I try to BAM every negative thought the enemy throws at me before he can even get it into the net! If your gatekeeper is an angel, see this mighty being intercepting every thought before it reaches your mind. The angel might say as it collects each thought, "NO ENTRANCE, NOT OF GOD! Your bouncer might say, REJECTED IN NAME OF JESUS! If you have a strong Christian Role Model in your life, you can envision them saying, TALK TO THE HAND, I'M NOT RECEIVING IT! You can also back up each rejection with a scripture that not only stops the thought but extinguishes it. When Jesus was being tempted of the devil, he came against every suggestion of Satan by saying, "it is writtenfollowed by scripture. So your dialogue might look something like this. "Your husbandBAM IN THE NAME OF JESUSthe scripture says, forgive as God as forgiven me. "I hate REJECTED IN JESUS NAMEJesus said, love your enemies and do good to those who wrongfully use you. "I can't payTALK TO THE HANDit is written, my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory. I'm going to trust him. "I'm so"ENTRANCE DENIEDfor my God shall never leave me or forsake me and He knows what I need before I even ask. "My boss never" ACCESS DENIEDthe bible says do everything as unto the Lord. Once you let the thought in, it's much more difficult to get rid of it, but not impossible. It's usually the very first thoughts you have in the morning that set the tone for your entire day. If you can start your day denying entrance to worrisome thoughts, it's a lot easier to maintain your peace of mind. But what about when your gatekeeper's snoozing on the job or isn't quite so alert, and before you realize it you're starting to dwell upon a bothersome thought again. Once you realize you're beginning to entertain the thought, you may say, STOP, I REJECT YOU IN JESUS NAME! Whatever you do, don't reason with the thought or don't have a mental conversation with it, instead, knock it right out of the court! It's your ENEMY, not your friend, so kick that intruder right to the curb! If you are a person who is plagued with troublesome thoughts as I once was, you may be hockey pucking or rejecting thoughts almost constantly for the first several days, but as you proceed, the thoughts will diminish and your peace of mind will be restored. Jesus said we can't make one hair turn another color, so stop worrying about things you can't control. Be obedient to God's word and voice. After you have done all you can do, fight the good fight of faith. The rest is in God's hands. He will make provision for you. Incorporating Christian Meditation and Relaxation will help you to transform your mind and build your relationship with God even further. Once you stop those fiery darts, you want to plant good seeds into your mind that will help you to live a more fruitful and genuine Christian walk. In the name of Jesus, I pray for you deliverance over negative thoughts from the enemy and that victory is yours today and forevermore. Now hire that gatekeeper! Rhonda Jones is the creator of over 25 Christian meditation and affirmation Cds and the author of the Christian makeover program, Help Me God Change My Life and A Date with God. Learn more at http://www.thechristianmeditator.com and http://www.holyandhealthyliving.com. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |