Philippians
4:8 « Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there
is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things»
Psalms 1 :1-2
« Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his
delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. »
What does negativity mean?
For this article, we consider negativity to be any thought or attitude contrary to the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We know that the fruits of the Holy Spirit according to Galatians 5:22 are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and temperance. These are qualities that, when "practiced", bring us closer to the image of Christ and testify that we are disciples of Christ (Matthew 12:33).
Why do we need to avoid negativity?
The following verses from the Old
and New Testaments provide the complete answer to this question:
Proverbs 4:
23 « Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues
of life. »
Matthew
15:19 « For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies »
These verses
teach us that negativity takes us away from what God wants us to be like. Our
actions and words come first from our thoughts. They are the materialization of
our thoughts. Moreover, good and bad thoughts come from our heart, and in turn
the state of our heart is influenced by our persistent thoughts. It's like a
vicious circle. So a heart filled with resentment and hatred will only inspire
words and actions of vengeance. It
won't lead to any forgiveness.
Luke 6 : 45
« A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and
an evil man out of the evil [i]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out
of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. »
A heart full of
lustful thoughts will lead to all kinds of sexual sins and perverse words.
A pessimistic
heart focused on the bad things in life, will make a man give up and resign
himself to failure, believing that nothing good can come from his efforts. So,
we understand that a heart filled with bad thoughts will make a person who is
frustrated, jealous, resentful, and hateful. It leads to everything the Spirit
of God rejects (Genesis 6:5, James 3:13-15) and, as a result, keeps us from
experiencing God's presence and the grace to live God's love (1 John 3:17,
Colossians 3:6). You cannot give what you don't have. You can only give what
you have.
However, a heart
renewed by the Holy Spirit will inspire things that please God. The Bible says
we can't serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). In other words, the Holy
Spirit can't live in our hearts if we also harbor evil.
So, we have two
options:
1.
Let ourselves be guided by thoughts influenced
by the flesh and consequently, walk in the flesh.
Ephesians
2:3 « among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, just as the others .»
2. Let the Spirit guide us, produce the fruits of
the Spirit, and get closer to the image of our model, Jesus Christ (Colossians
3:7-10).
Galatians 5 : 16-17 « I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish »
How to avoid negativity ?
We
know that our hearts are mainly influenced by the things we see and hear. In
short, by our environment. It's pretty clear what we need to do to avoid
negative influences. We need to be really selective about what we listen to and
watch so that our hearts produce thoughts that are pleasing to God. To make
these changes, we need to develop a few new habits:
1. Take
some time to meditate on God's word. God's word can help us stay on the right
track. The Bible guides us to living a life that reflects God's presence in our
hearts.
Deuteronomy 11: 18 « “Therefore you
shall [h]lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind
them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. »
Psalms 119: 15 « I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate
Your ways. »
John 14 : 21
2.
Strengthen our intimacy with the Holy Spirit by
spending time with him in prayer. Because to be influenced by someone, to
imitate someone (since we have Jesus as our model), we need to spend time with
him and get to know him.
John 15 : 4 « Abide
in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it
abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. »
2 Corinthians 3 : 18 « But
we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the
Spirit of the Lord».
3.
It's important to build a circle of friends
(influence) with people who share your values because we all learn from the
people and things around us.
Psalms 1: « Blessed is the man who
walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor
sits in the seat of the scornful »
Psalms
101:3 « I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those
who fall away; It shall not cling to me.. »
4.
Strengthen our faith. One of the reasons we get
negative thoughts when we're going through a rough patch is because we lack
faith. Let's stop dwelling on the problem and focus on the solution.
Philippians 4 : 6 - 7 « Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. »
