Negative Thoughts: Taking Them Captive One Thought at a Time
Negative thoughts are the crippling, self-defeating monologues you have within your head and it's time to take them down.
80% of the thoughts that you have in your head are negative. Ouch. They are typically automatic, which means that before you even have a chance to consider the best or more realist thought, they're taking over. Typically, if your thoughts are negative, your emotions will follow. Can you imagine having terrible thoughts about yourself yet wonderful emotions? You may be able to get away with that for a little while, but the minute you put your guard down, your emotions will follow suite with the thoughts.
If your thoughts and emotions are bad, it becomes extremely difficult to have positive behaviors. That doesn't mean that being insecure within yourself will cause you to rob a bank, but your heart and intention behind any good behavior will be warped. Think of helping someone at work with a project. That's a great behavior. Except if you don't think positively, was that behavior done because you feel happy and want to make others feel happy by helping? Or was it done because you struggle to say no, felt guilt-tripped into it, or wanted to help simply to feel good about yourself? See, those aren't great behaviors when the intention is faulty. It's tricky.
How to Take Negative Thoughts Captive
I've written before about taking your thoughts captive and how to help block anxiety. However, I wanted to share this blog entry with a helpful exercise. See, 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." But, how do we do that? What does that actually look to have thoughts that are obedient to Christ?
To help out, I've include a Thought Record template that is typically used in secular psychology and doctored it to integrate wonderfully with the Christian faith. You can also just follow these steps and do it yourself. Here are the steps:
Taking Thoughts Captive: A Biblical Thought Record
Step One: What is the negative thought(s) that you have about yourself? Write them down.
Example: No one likes me at school, I'm pretty much alone and it's embarrassing. Therefore, I'm a joke and unlikeable.
Step Two: Rate on a scale of 1-10 how much you believe that statement. 10 means that you believe it the most.
Example:7
Step Three: Next, examine the thoughts using scripture. Is there biblical backing to your negative thoughts? Or is there biblical words that go against your negative thought. Another good way to examine the negative thoughts is to compare them with this Automatic Negative Thought Sheet. These are typical negative thoughts that you may automatically gravitate towards but they don't hold much truth.
Example: No where in the Bible does it say I'm unlikeable or call me a joke. Additionally, I am using black or white thinking and labeling myself (from the negative thoughts sheet).
Step Four: Write the biblical response to these counteract these statements.
Example: Is. 43:1 "But now, this is what the Lord says-he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."
Romans 8:39 "Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
1 John 3:1 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"
Jeremiah 31:20 "The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."
Step five: Rate how true those beliefs are about yourself from 1-10. 10 indicates full belief.
Example: 9
Step six: Finally, based on your thought record and challenging the negative thoughts, how much do you believe the original negative beliefs now from 1-10?
Example: 1
Start Your Thought Wrangling Now
In conclusion, this is a great way to take your thoughts captive. It reflects back on the automatic thought you just had, questions the validity of the thought, then sheds light on God's view of the thought and who you truly are. Want the pdf Biblical Thought Record sheet? Download it by clicking here or on the picture.
