The Power of Negative Thinking
January 23, 2005
Dear Friends:
Many years ago, Norman Vincent Peale wrote a best-seller called Power of Positive Thinking. No doubt, there is a lot of power in positive thinking. However, there is also a lot of power in negative thinking. This power is not good power, but potent nevertheless.
Stress and worry have tremendous power in the US. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental illness in the US with 19.1 million (13.3%) of the adult US population (ages 18-54) affected. Amazingly, they cost the US more than $42 billion a year, almost one third of the $148 billion total mental health bill for the US. These figures refer only to anxiety that reaches the level of a disorder. What about everyday, common worry, stress and anxiety?
Stress and worry have power over our bodies. Among other things they have the power to make us lose sleep, experience back, shoulder and neck pain, headaches, upset stomachs, weight gain or loss, fatigue and high blood pressure. They also have emotional power over us. Stress and worry cause nervousness, anxiety, depression, irritability, moodiness, lack of concentration and overreactions. Of course, when we are experiencing such emotional and physical turmoil, it is a natural progression for it to cause problems with our relationships. They have the power in our relationships to cause increased arguments, isolation from social activities, rage and even violence.
The Bible provides us with a solution to the power of negative thinking: “Cast all your anxiety on him[God], because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) This conjures a clear mental image to me. In my area, we have a county dump. People drive up with their trucks full of garbage and pitch all of it piece by piece into a big metal bunker. Everyone so often, a huge metal arm comes and smashes all of the trash into a little bundle and it is carried off. Peter seems to describe a similar process for our anxiety. We bring all of our burdensome, power-draining anxieties and stress to God and cast out it of ourselves and onto Him. He takes His big, strong, loving arms and smashes it all down and takes it away. It is the process we call faith.
Faith destroys worry and carries it away. Faith acknowledges that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” (Rom. 8:28). Faith says that when God says “all things,” He means “all things.” Faith believes that God is bigger than any problem we have. Faith says that I will do the best that I can and leave the rest to Him. Faith helps us to “not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Matt. 6:34 NJB) Faith makes us feel the presence of the Shepherd. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:4) Faith allows us to do our job as servants to the Master free from worry and anxiety because He will take it away.
Does stress, worry or anxiety have power over you? Cast it upon God in faith because He cares for you.
Have a great week!
