By Pastor Ryan Stockstrom

Harvest Fellowship Church

Have you ever sat back and thought about your…thoughts? Like how sometimes your mind can just run amuck on you without even trying?  

In his book, “Soundtracks,” Jon Acuff challenges readers to reconsider the “tracks” that run through your mind like a bad song. It is very easy to get stuck focusing on things that are negative; whether about ourselves or other people. It’s a negative soundtrack that is most likely based upon lies or partial truths at best. And, our minds are really good at assigning old soundtracks to new situations.  

Like that one time you were bold enough to do something new, and because it wasn’t an instant success, your soundtrack said “you can’t do that,” “don’t even try,” “you’ll just fail,” as a matter of fact, “you’re a failure.” And because you failed that one time; you let that soundtrack dictate what you can and can’t try to do. In reality, you’ve maybe just never stuck with it long enough to know that as a matter of fact, you can do it.

Another thing we have a tendency to do is think the worst about a situation. The thought of “I don’t feel good” can quickly and all too easily turn into, “oh my gosh, I’m having a heart attack.”  “I must surely be dying!”

If we let the negative thought patterns, based in lies continually run on repeat without ever being challenged; it can become all too easy to live a negative life. Sadly, many people do. But there is hope for us all.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Be transformed by thinking differently. Well, how then am I supposed to think?

Paul also says in Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  

Rather than fixating on how poorly you think you are going to do today, or how bad the weather is, or how terrible your co-worker is, fix your thoughts. Fix them on truth. Fix them on Christ. Fix them with God’s word.

Replace those negative soundtracks, with positive, life-giving ones, and you’ll find life can be a whole lot better.