The Holy BIBLE Print Media of Our Creator: Depression

A mind that is filled with negative thoughts is like a dark cave that limits positive and faith-filled thoughts from entering in. Having a chronically negative thought life is a mental mindset that focuses more on what is wrong, then all that is right in our life. Generally, negative thinking isn’t something that just happens overnight. Most people have been thinking the same thoughts for years without even realizing it. If you were to take an inventory of your mind, you would see that your mind plays the same messages most of the time. So how can you break free from negative thinking?

Although we all have many unpleasant experiences at one time or another, there are just as many positive experiences as well, we just forget to recognize them. Our positive experiences get lost under our negativity and despair, yet they are all around us. Begin by keeping a gratitude journal to record 3-5 positive events that happen every day. It could be a simple as getting a great parking space or eating a great cookie. As you notice or focus on the positive, you will not only attract more positive situations but your eyes will be open to seeing them more prevalently as well.

Many people don’t understand the beauty of meditation. Although meditation creates fear in some people, it really is unfounded. Meditation simply is a way to quiet our minds and teach us how to get control over our thoughts. It is also effective in making us aware of what we think about on a daily basis so we can change our thoughts if they really aren’t promoting peace, joy, and love. The Bible tells us to renew our minds and to bring every thought under God’s control. You can find all types of meditations on a variety of topics. There are guided meditations, Christian meditations, and meditations that use nature to help us relax. By practicing daily meditation you will learn to free yourself from your compulsive thoughts, that record in your head that bombards you with constant negativity.

Another way to squash negative thoughts is to have faith in the presence greater than you. When you believe that God is in control and that all things are working together for your highest good, you can let go of negative thoughts that create fear and doubt. Reading the Bible or stories of people that have overcome through their faith will inspire you to trust God more and help to restore your own peace of mind. Also, knowing that you are not alone and that others have suffered the same experiences have overcome will give you a sense of empowerment and inner joy.

Spend Time in Nature

It’s hard to spend time surrounded by the beauty of nature and hold onto negative thinking. That is because nature is healing and soothing to the soul and spirit. Therefore, spend time regularly just sitting in a park, driving through the country, or watching a sunset. Somehow our problems just don’t seem as big and we can easily get a better perspective on our problems. In even nature, the storms come, but once they pass, a blanket of peace returns. We must learn to anchor ourselves to God through the storms and then once they pass, allow our peace to prevail.

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About the Author Stressed, worried, or feeling disconnected from God. Learn how Christian meditation can restore your peace, joy, and intimacy with God. Rhonda Jones is the author of 25 Christian meditation and affirmation Cds.

Think about it! How often do you just stop thinking? Try it for one minute. Even when we’re trying to spend time with God, we’re thinking about what we need to do next. These thoughts cause us to rush through our devotional time or scripture reading. Our mind has us convinced that we’re going to miss out on something if we don’t hurry it up. But just like we need to take time to relax our bodies, if we are to have ongoing mental health and well-being we need to spend time relaxing (and renewing) our minds as well.

According to many scriptures in the Bible, God speaks to his children with a still, small voice. God isn’t going to scream at you or cause lightning to strike to make you listen to Him. No, instead, he’s going to wait until you become still and quiet. Psalms 46:10 tells us to “Be still and know God.” It’s implying that it’s through our stillness that our relationship with God becomes more intimate.

Doing Versus Being

Do you remember the story of Mary and Martha? In Luke 10, Jesus was invited to Martha’s home for dinner. Martha had chosen to serve Jesus by busily preparing her home for his comfort, yet, her sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet to learn from him. The text goes on to say that Martha got upset because Mary wasn’t helping her and she wanted Jesus to scold her. However, Jesus reprimands Martha and said “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.

Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. Most of us tend to be more like Martha than Mary. Martha’s spend most of their time doing for Jesus (having meetings, attending services, singing in the choir, heading committees, making a living, etc) and not enough time just abiding (dwelling) in his presence, meditating, being still enough to listen, and being filled up by his words.

Jesus said it is only through abiding that we bear much fruit. Christian Meditation is a useful tool to assist believers in getting still before God so that they can build a relationship not based on doing, but on abiding. Abiding promotes intimacy. Intimacy involves time. It involves not only listening but getting to know the person for whom we have affections.

Saint John 15:4 declares, “Abide in me and I will abide in you.” Verse 7 says, “if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” That means we must integrate dwelling with Christ by embracing his word. The abiding build relationship and the Word of God bring transformation. It also brings blessings our way. Just imagine the effect on the world if Christians actually took the time to linger in God’s presence!

Your Mind is Like a Garden

The Bible says, you can’t put new wine into old wine bottles or you’ll ruin the new wine! If you have corrupted thinking, you’ve got to get rid of it before you can embrace the new truth. Here is another example. Remember the parable of the sower? Your mind is like the soil in a garden. Imagine a garden plot filled with weeds, worms, snails, and the like. You take a perfectly healthy plant and place it in the middle of that garden plot. What’s going to happen to it? Is it going to continue to grow and thrive?

Absolutely not! Before long the weeds and insects are going to devour it and suck out all its nutrients. That is the same thing that happens when we try and plant new truth, God’s truth, in a mind that is tainted with faulty mindsets, past conditioning, and falsehoods. Eventually, the weeds are going to take over again.

Therefore, before we can truly embrace God’s truth we need to identify and get rid of the weeds planted in our minds: the negative thoughts and debilitating mindsets that we’ve accepted as truth. They are choking out the word of God and causing our Christian walk to be unfruitful.

If you don’t do anything about your mental garden, your mind and spirit will continue to war against each other. This is usually an unconscious pattern. For example, God’s word will tell you to give to receive, but your mind constantly tells you to hold on to everything you’ve got. Your mind tells you to always get the last word, but God says to turn the other cheek and a soft answer calms the situation. Again, your mind tells you to work hard and strive for success, yet the Bible says, seek God’s kingdom first and everything you need will be added unto you.

If you don’t address the false thinking that contradicts God’s word, you’ll continue to be what the Bible calls “double-minded” and because we continue to waiver in our desires and beliefs, we can’t receive anything from God.

It was practicing meditation integrated with the scriptures that helped me to overcome years of depression. Christ-centered meditation helped me to become still enough so that I could observe what was really going on in my mind. Until then, my mind was controlling my thoughts and ultimately my behavior. It took me being still to even realize it. But once I recognized the thoughts I was thinking I was able to challenge, alter, or eliminate them altogether.

Ongoing and consistent meditation taught me how to control my thoughts instead of allowing them to control me. We can’t change what we don’t see or acknowledge. I call it unconscious living. It’s when we continue to live on autopilot, doing the same things, the same ways without really considering whether these behaviors are working for us anymore. Our greatest inspirations and truths come during times of quietness, stillness, openness, and reflection- all components of meditation.

Ten benefits of Biblical meditation:

Relax and Quiet Your Mind

Turn off Compulsive Thinking

Understand the Scriptures More Fully

Live with More Balance in your Life Hear the Voice of God More Clearly

Live in the Present Moment

Abide in God’s Presence

Create a Greater Intimacy with God

Reduce or Eliminate Toxic Emotions like Stress, Anger, and Worry.

Observe the Thoughts You Think So You Can Challenge and Eliminate Them

Rhonda Jones, MA is the author of 23 Biblical meditation and affirmation Cds and the creator of the awarding-winning website, http://www.thechristianmeditator.com. Visit her website to learn more about Christian meditation and its benefits and subscribe to Free Daily Christian Meditations.