November 24

“But if we refuse to listen to the voice of our Comforter and insist instead on listening to the voice of discouragement or despair no comfort can reach us.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, God is Enough, 11/1

I think I’m finally “getting it”.  Negative thoughts kill positive thoughts.  Discouragement always begins with a negative thought.  In the past I’ve claimed that because the negative thought was the truth there wasn’t anything I could do about it.  But I see that I can.  But first, I have to believe that just because a negative thought might be true, doesn’t mean I’m allowed to entertain that thought.  I must immediately replace it with a positive thought.  I used think this was a form of denial and did not want to play that game.  Now I realize that there are positive thoughts that are creative rather than destructive.  The “truth is” can always have a positive spin to it if I see things as God sees things.  Because He is able to bring good out of the bad I can always count on anything negative to have a positive side to it.  It isn’t up to me to judge it as bad.  I can acknowledge that I don’t like the way this feels to me, but I will no longer dwell on that aspect of it.  I will instead dwell on wanting what God wants and trust that He will show me what that is so I will be obedient to His will.

“But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his works:  to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.”  Romans 2:5-8