CONSTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE THINKING

 *Constructive and Destructive Thinking* 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you Phil 4:6-9NIV

Anxiety and peace of mind are the products of our thinking. Anxiety results when we become concerned about ourselves and those we love beyond what is healthy. Anxiety in simple words means to be worried. Worry comes from our creating images for our minds through our thinking. Someone said, Worry is like a rocking chair; you are moving but actually going nowhere.

I engage in morning walk-outs and I have learned something. We walk around in the Valley View Gardens Estate. It is an estate with more than thirty different streets and more than hundred fenced houses. My walk-out team often chose routs to walk and our team leader told us how many kilometers we cover every morning. I decided to change the pattern by walking on a shorter distance and still cover the same kilometer distance. It soon dawned on me that I can be walking inside the Valley View Gardens Estate and still cover the same distance that would have gotten me from Port Harcourt to Abuja, the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory. In fact, I can spend same time and energy that would have gotten me to USA from Nigeria in Africa walking within Valley View Gardens Estate yet, making no progress. That is what anxiety does to us. The Lord Jesus Christ has this to say about worry or anxiety,

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matt 6:27NIV

Yes, we don’t add but we waste all the hours we spend worrying. Remember we said earlier that worry or anxiety results from our thinking. It is what I call destructive thinking. Thinking that destroy you and steals your peace and diminishes your output in life. Like we have said, the same brain energy and time is spent on thinking. It is the same brain that creates images and ideas that could enhance our lives for good but we divert it to worry.

Our main text recommends a solution to destructive thinking and I will rephrase it in this way, “Instead of getting anxious about your problem, take time and pray about them. And while praying for God to help you, remember to be thankful for the other things He has done for you before. In this way God’s peace will form a wall of protection around your heart and mind against destructive thinking”.

Destructive thinking focuses on the enormity of our problems, in this way our problems seem insurmountable. The result of this kind of thinking is that we are not able to do the little within our power to help ourselves. Our problem maybe large alright, but within us are God-given capabilities that could be employed in whatever little ways to sustain us before the big break comes. But worry or anxiety tells us that it is needless making any efforts because our little energy cannot solve the entire problem. This is one of the causes of suicide and breakup in marriages or other kinds of relationship. It is also the reason some think that they are never-do-wells and have lived a good portion of their lives depressed and looking for who will carry them.

Our main text went further to encourage us to take charge of our thinking. Yes, some of us just let our minds to create images for us to think on. The devil also takes advantage of this to throw in gory images of a bleak future into our minds and we “feed on his poisons”. We relapse into depression and self-pity and in the process distract ourselves from moving forward to achieve. But we are now told that we can change the trend and fill our hearts with better life-lifting thoughts.

It says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things”.

We are told that we should be in charge of our thoughts and not the reverse. This is what I call, Constructive Thinking. Constructive Thinking does not deny the presence of a problem but it is focused on what positive steps that could be taken to overcome them. In constructive thinking our hearts are filled with hope and anticipation of good things. We are very sure that there must be some God-given ways to walk out of this problem. This agrees with the bible.

Unlike the destructive thinker, the constructive thinker believes that he is not the first or only person that has been in this problem; he believes that there must be a way other people walked out of it and he will watch-out until he finds that way.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it 1 Cor 10:13NIV

Your mind and the devil does not stop to harass you when you decide to think constructively. Rather they intensify efforts to get attention and so we are told,

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ 2 Cor 10:5NIV

Now we have come to see that there is serious spiritual warfare in this thing. Until we are properly schooled in the word of God, your mind yields easier to the devil and the world’s systems. It captures more of what the devil wants you to believe and think about. So, by the power of self-will and the Holy Spirit in your life, you must take charge and determine the things you must think on.

Instead of thinking of the things you have lost, you have now to think of what you can do with what you have.

Instead of thinking of who left you, you must now think on how to make yourself happy with those who are around and available to you.

Instead of thinking of people who have despitefully used and dumped you, you must now think of those are begging you to accept their love.

Instead of believing the news of a bleak future, you must open the word of God and accept the message of hope through the many promises of God in the bible.

Instead of thinking of how hard it is to reach your missing son and the contact for that big business, you must now think and believe that God will do anything for you in answer to your prayers.

Instead of thinking of all the defeat you have suffered, you must now think of all the great victories that are ahead of you.

And if the devil brings any contrary thoughts, you take them captive and declare to him what the word of God says! You bind him and cast him out.

Then quickly return to, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you”.

I encourage you to adapt your mind to this simple Spirit-filled principles. This is easy to do if you set your mind to read your bible everyday as you face the issues of life. Pray when you should and the Holy Spirit will enable you by his presence to overcome Destructive Thinking.

My prayer is that you will enjoy this weekend and remember to send me a personal message to share your testimony after you have read this.

 Remain under the atmosphere of favour in Jesus name.

Please remember to share this with your contacts.  Someone may need a message of hope too

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com