Preacher’s Wife Teaching Life

Negativity is a nasty thing. It creeps in and takes over our thought processes to a point that can be paralyzing. Being negative becomes a habit that is so hard to break that we don't even want to try. It's a comfortable rut that we sit in and complain about. We spread negativity around like a stomach bug and think it's normal. So how do we get out? How can we dig ourselves out of the rut and change our bad habit of being negative? I know one way: through Jesus. Here are four easy steps to being a more positive person: FIRST: You have to be alerted to your negative words and thoughts. Start each day asking Jesus to alert you when these thoughts develop and especially when those thoughts become words. SECOND: Ask Jesus to reveal the source of these thoughts and squash it like a bug! Get rid of it! You don't want a lying source sitting around in your thoughts. THIRD: Ask Jesus to be the source of your new thoughts: the truth that covers over the place where the...

In a world of social media, quick news reports and the web at our fingertips, a lot of bad news and negative information gets funneled into our minds. There’s not really a way around it and it would be stupid to shut yourself off from being aware of current events. Staying positive and encouraged becomes a rarity in a place crowded with negative thoughts. Being negative becomes a way of life, a habit, a mind-set; God wants us to be the light, the good, the hopeful, the encouraging in the midst of all the dark. He also wants us to be strategic about what we expose ourselves to as we shine our light from within. But we must also be conscious of being self-focused or self-centered in our strategies. To become rightfully aligned, we need to become people of peace, with a peace that comes from the Holy Spirit living inside us and being Christ-centered. Psalms 120:6-7 says: I’m tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war! ...