Sermon: Negativism

9/20/09 Destructive Attitudes Most Difficult to Change: Negativism
Philippians 4:8-9 – 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.

PD Ouspensky wrote, “The strangest and most fantastic fact about negative emotions is that people actually worship them.”

Paul wrote the words in Philippians 4:8-9 to counter the addiction to negativism. In order to change a negative attitude there are some things we need to understand about our thinking processes and the disciplines needed to effect change.

We should think about the good things
• Negative thinking becomes a bad habit, which over time, becomes an addiction
• In order to change, we need to understand the thinking process
• We need to fill our minds on what is:
o TRUE
o noble
o and all the good things about life
o the best
o the beautiful
• And put all that into practice and God will work you into His excellent harmonies

Thoughts are Powerful
• Positive thoughts produce positive results
• Negative thoughts produce negative results
• All bad things in life came from an idea, which led to action
• From those thoughts have come terrible wars and other terrible crimes
• Our personal lives where we are today, is a result of many thoughts
• Thoughts, if persisted in, can produce results
• Negative thinking: (raises/increases)
o Raises blood pressure
o Fatigue
o Worry
o Stress
• Can wellness be cured by positive-ness?
• Norman Cousins:
o Did a research study lasting for 5 minutes which led him to sleep, experimented with laughing therapy
o Result: People who are more positive news and laughter recover faster
• The bible says laughter is good medicine

It is much easier to be negative than to be positive
• There is a negativity bias
• For the human mind, bad is stronger than the good in our minds
• It takes 5 positive comments to overcome one negative comment because the human brain has a negative bias
• A negative emotion distracts us to emotions rather than decisions
• With positive emotions, we think better and are open to considerations
• Luke 6:45 – The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
o Prayer, bible studies, good deeds are all stored in your mind
o When you have to respond, you should respond with the strength that is stored up

Negative thinking must be treated like any addiction
• How can we make better decisions?
• God created us with the ability to supervise over decision making process
• Philippians 4:8 – 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.
o Disciples
o A disciple knows what to do when they should do it
o According to the Williams New Testament: Practice thinking on what is true
o Practice – is a command in Greek
o
• Verse 9 – 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.
o Practice to think and do
o 2 full thrusts of human life
• Supervise brain
• Practice what is true
• The worse a story is the more we believe it is true
• Paul says to practice thinking this whole world is a temple of God
• Think of pure, lovely, pleasing, attractive thinks
• Anything “fair speaking”
• Our minds should be on winsome thoughts
• How:
1.) Look within
 Jesus resides in us
 John 14:20 – On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
 John 16:33 – "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
 Can look at the media for Jesus Christ
 Don’t let the bad things settle in your mind
 Turn them into good things
 Philippians 4:13 – I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
 Can do through Jesus Christ
 The earth is the Lord’s
 Psalm 24:1 – The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
 1 Timothy 4:4 – For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
 Look within the World

2.) Look above
 Change Things
 Philippians 4:6-7 – 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.
 Spend time in prayer
 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

God did not create us to spend our life in a negative stupor. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. Part of the abundant life comes “by filling our minds and meditating on the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

This Week we can re-orient our minds
1.) Take a notebook, in 10 minutes, write down the good things that happened to you
2.) Write down the good things you did for yourself
3.) Write down the good you did for someone else

Why do this? Because we tend to forget the good and remember the bad
Writing down the good re-programs us!

Dr Phil Lineberger