Defeating Negative Thoughts

We are in week three of our series “Winning the War in Your Mind.” We’ve explored how most of life’s battles are won or lost in our minds. Today, we’re focusing on defeating negative thoughts and learning how to reframe our circumstances through the lens of God’s truth.

One of our key points is that your life is often a reflection of your thoughts. If negativity dominates your mind, living a positive life is nearly impossible. But here’s the good news: God’s Word provides tools to overcome these mental strongholds.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.”

Strongholds are those negative mindsets—patterns of thinking—that keep us stuck. They could be lies about who you are, your circumstances, or others around you. But God’s Word is clear: we have divine power to demolish them. The first step is to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

Filters, Frames, and Default Biases

Our thoughts are shaped by experiences, creating cognitive biases—mental filters that influence how we see the world. For instance, growing up in a home with abusive men may lead to mistrust of men, even when they’re trustworthy. If you were taught that wealth is evil, you might view successful people suspiciously. These filters can skew our perspective, but they can also be changed.

It’s not just the filters; it’s also the frames. Reframing allows us to shift how we interpret a situation. For example, Moses sent twelve spies to scout the Promised Land. Ten of them framed it negatively: “We’ll be devoured!” But two spies reframed it with faith: “This land is good. Let’s take it!” Same facts, different frames. How we frame situations determines how we experience them.

Paul’s life offers a powerful example of reframing. His dream was to preach the gospel in Rome, the epicenter of the world. Instead, he found himself imprisoned. He could have said, “This is horrible. God has abandoned me.”

Instead, Paul wrote in Philippians 1:12-14: “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

What most would consider a setback, Paul reframed as an opportunity. He couldn’t control his circumstances, but he could control how he framed them.

I experienced the power of reframing during one of the hardest seasons of my life. In late 2019, shortly before the world shut down in 2020, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. After my wife and I were married, I spent months traveling to California to care for him. My dad and I had a complicated relationship, often butting heads. This made caregiving challenging, and I frequently found myself frustrated, complaining, and focusing on the difficulties.

One day, my dad decided to test out his scooter after hours of replacing the battery. He was determined to ride it one last time. I followed him, irritated and exhausted, texting my family about how frustrating it was. He drove to a burger spot, parked himself in the sun, and refused to eat. All I saw in the moment was an inconvenience.

Looking back now, that time with my dad was one of the most precious seasons of my life. We had deep conversations about his love for ministry, his faith in Jesus, and his hopes for my future. He spoke life into me, especially about my new marriage. What I initially framed as a burden became a gift. Three days later, he passed away, and I’ll forever treasure those moments. And when I remember chasing after him down the street as he left me in the dust on his scooter, I just laugh.

This experience taught me that we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we frame it. Even in hardship, beauty is present when we choose to see it.

Here are three practical steps to reframe your thoughts and defeat negativity:

1. Thank God for What Didn’t Happen

It’s easy to dwell on what went wrong, but what about what didn’t happen? Maybe you totaled your car but walked away uninjured. Perhaps you missed a bonus at work but kept your job. Gratitude shifts your perspective. Thank God for what didn’t happen.

2. Practice Pre-Framing

Pre-framing means setting a positive expectation. If you head into a situation assuming it will be bad, it likely will be. Instead, decide to expect good. Say to yourself, “I’ll find something valuable in this.” Pre-framing shapes how you experience situations.

3. Look for God’s Goodness

What you focus on, you find. A vulture looks for death; a hummingbird seeks nectar. Both find what they’re looking for. If you search for negativity, you’ll see it. But if you search for God’s goodness, you’ll see His hand in every situation.

Too often, we let our circumstances define our view of God. We need to interpret our circumstances through the lens of God’s goodness.

Romans 8:28 reminds us: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Replace negative self-talk like “I’m a failure” with the truth: “I am a child of God. I am loved, chosen, and forgiven. God has a purpose for my life.”

You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you frame it. Life’s challenges don’t have to define you. Instead, let them refine you as you focus on God’s goodness and reframe your story.

If you feel like watching week three of the series, just click here.

You can also check out the book “Winning The War in Your Mind” by Pastor Craig Groeschel.