Positive Thinking - Negative Thinking - Right Thinking
What are you thinking? Right now? What is going through your mind? If you spoke truthfully
would you be surprised by what your heard? Would others?
When I looked at the title of Chapter 1 of Beyond Positive Thinking : "Positive Thinking - Negative Thinking - Right Thinking"
The first thing that came to my mind was this passage from Genesis:
"Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. God made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil." -Genesis 2:8-9(MSG)
There we have it. Choices. It always comes down to choices. Adam was given a choice Knowledge or Life. The choice is not explicit. God never says, "Adam you can either eat from the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge." The choice is implicit in that God never forbids Adam from the Tree of life. Adam fails in his test and we know how the story goes. He loses Paradise and tragically his relationship with God is forever tarnished.
God gives us the same choice. If you were to look at your life can you see how God has planted us in a place where there are things that can build up and tear down. Then He gives us the choice of which we will participate in. Will we embrace life or cling to death.
Which Do You Choose?
Here are three choices that the book discusses
- Positive Thinking
- Negative Thinking
- Right Thinking
The first and second choices can be combined while they are oposites of each other in the end they are the same. It was not just the evil that condemed Adam. It was the knowledge of Good and Evil that got Adam removed from God's presence. So when someone tells you that thinking positive is the answer let them know that Positive thinking will only get you so far.
The Right Choice
Truth is more powerful than all knowledge. You can have all the facts, all the figures, a panel of experts and still be wrong. Knowledge is never enough. There will always be someone smarter than you. Someone can always be better at research but when you cling to truth you will always win. So what is Right Thinking? Right thinking is focusing on God. Put Him first. Think about Him often. Go to Him early. The bible says in Proverbs:
"Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God." -Provers 9:10
Fear of the Lord?
I used to have a hard time with the term, fear of the Lord. I'm a guy and the idea of fearing anything(other than spiders) seemed ludicrous to me. Especially because of my thoughts about God at that time. God, in my mind, was what my Pastor called, The celestial santa claus. He existed to make my life easy. I was His fair-weather friend. When things were good I talked about Him but when I was frustrated or angry, he was the furthest from my mind.
It wasn't until He hit me on the head(revelation) did I "get it". When you hear "Fear of the Lord" it means a true awknoledgement of who He is. When you really understand who He is it fills you with an awe that makes you tremble. I mean if you met you hero, I mean true hero, someone you idolize, wouldn't it make you shake. When I understood who God is: The one who created the heavens and the earth... The one who fashioned every aspect of the universe, set everything in motion I was blown away.
And He wanted to have a relationship with me!
So what are you thinking? What is going through your mind? Speak the Truth because it will set you free. Let God be ever-present in your thoughts and you will only think speak and act in a way the gives life.
-God's Man
