The 4 steps to overcome negative thoughts

I had a vision and I feel the urgency to share this with you today. I saw a vision of someone being attacked by arrows that were flying from different directions. To my understanding, these arrows represent words or thoughts that are not good. And the person have been attacked by all these kinds of thoughts and words that are not supposed to be there, that are not right for the person, and that would cause the person to feel bad about himself or herself. 

Now, the enemy will always tell you that you're not good enough to be blessed, e.g. "I'm not holy enough", "I'm not spiritual enough", "I'm a disappointment", "Everyone is disappointed with me", "I'm such a failure", "Everything failed in my hands", "I've not done enough", "It's never enough", "I don't deserve good things, because I'm not good enough", "God will not bless me, because I'm not good enough". And the list goes on. Sounds familiar? 

Do not underestimate all these negative thoughts. These are arrows that are flying at you. Do not let them grow into your thought life. We all know that having the wrong self-perception and giving in to the depressing emotion will only bound you in self-defeat mindset. They prevent you from receiving God's blessing. They deter you from moving forward. And that is definitely not God's will for you. 

To tell you the truth, having people attack you with negative thoughts/words is not as bad as you having those thoughts or words inside of you, and entertaining them. What is from the outside, it's not as scary as what is in the inside, when you agree with them. 

Do not agree with those negative words or those bad words that are being said about you. You know, when we pray, we say: "Amen". That means we choose to agree with the Word of God, and with the prayer that's being prayed. And to say: "Amen" is to say: "Yes, I agree", and to let it be done. But when we have negative thoughts inside of us, it is your authority and your right to choose to rise up against those negative thoughts, and to say "No" to them. 

So, let us resolve all these wrong mindsets together. First, you have to know that no one is perfectly good. In Romans 3:22-23, we are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. 'And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned, and we all fall short of God's glorious standard'. First of all, none of us is born perfectly good. Because all of us have fallen short of God's standard. Think about it. Whether it's only a small drop of sewage water, or a big scoop of sewage water being mixed in a bottle of drinking water, it is deemed contaminated. You won't want to drink from it. So, whether who is better or who is worse, whether who's sinned more or who's sinned lesser, no one can judge others. Hey, stop being harsh on yourself too! Yeah? 

And next. It's our faith in God that helps us fulfill His standard. Romans 3:31 says, 'Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law'. Well, how is our faith in God help us fulfill His standard? When you have faith in God, you receive His saving grace, His righteousness, His enabling, and the personal guidance of His Holy Spirit. We will talk more about this later. 

Now I want you to remember the next four steps, that whenever you have thoughts that are attacking you, that cause you to be down or feel condemned, or feel not good enough, or feel sad, or feel depressed, remember these four steps and apply them into your life. And this is what I've been doing since young. And it works for me. And I pray that it will work the same for you. 

1. Take authority

In Luke 10:19, Jesus says, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you." 

Whatever negative or pessimistic words that you hear in your mind, take authority and bind them in the name of Jesus. Do not agree with them. Do not entertain them. Take authority immediately. For example, if it's fear, say it out loud: "I bind you, spirit of fear, in the name of Jesus." If it's something that keeps telling you that certain accidents will happen to you, take authority and say, "I bind you, spirit of accident, in the name of Jesus. No accident will happen to me." If it's suicidal thought, speak against it with authority, "I bind you, suicidal spirit! I bind you, spirit of depression! You are not from the Lord. I reject you. And get away from me!" Rise up and take authority for yourself, because Jesus has given you the authority to do so. Amen! 

2. Speak God's Word to yourself

Jeremiah 29:11 says, 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.' Now, this is a Bible verse that many of us know. But how many of you really think deep about it? How many of you really agree with it? Let's agree with it today. 

Whenever a negative thought comes to you, or whenever you have a thought that says that you are not good enough, or God will not be good to you; after you have taken authority over all those negative thoughts, don't just chase away negative thoughts and leave your mind empty. If God's thoughts toward you are with hope and future, fill your mind with what God says about you. 

After taking authority over the negative thoughts in your mind, start speaking the anointed words of God that are related to your situation to yourself. For example, if it's fear, speak 2 Timothy 1:7 to yourself: "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but He has given me a Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind." If it's the sense of inability or failure, speak Philippians 4:13 to yourself: "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me!" 

After speaking the Word of God to yourself, you will immediately feel the difference in your mind, in your emotion, and also in the spiritual atmosphere around you. Trust me in this. It works. 

3. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit

1 John 2:27 says, 'But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what He teaches is true - it is not a lie. So, just as He has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.' 

You know there's a reason that Jesus said He had to go, so that the Holy Spirit will come to all of us. If you would allow Him, the Holy Spirit would teach you and guide you in every area of your life. He will teach you to have the right thoughts and mindsets, because He will always remind you of the Word of God. It's through the Spirit of God and by the Word of God that your mindset can be transformed. And with the right mindset, you will make the right decision for yourself. And that will eventually change your life condition and situation. So, allow the Holy Spirit to involve in every area of your life. 

4. Don't compare yourself with others, and learn to be contented

Galatians 6:4 says, 'Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.' 

Now, many of us have read this Bible verse before. But many of us also do not give much attention to this Bible verse. You see, one of the many reasons people having the mindset of "I'm not good enough" is due to pride and ego. Ouch! I know this hurts, but you know, it's true. 

I remember a Chinese saying, that says, 'There will always be a mountain higher than another'. It means there will always be someone else who is better than us. So, do not feel bad if there are others who are better than you in different aspects. If God's people would just mind their own business, spend their own personal time with God, ask for God's specific direction for their lives, seek to improve themselves, and not comparing themselves to others, they will be happier people, whatever vocation you are in, whether you have your own business, you're working nine to five job, or you are in ministry.

If you learn to apply Galatians 6:4 into your own life, you will definitely be happy people. Well, I always believe that to be able to feel contented will lead to a happy life and a happy mind. 

So, whenever you feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts, remember all these steps. 

First, take authority over those thoughts, those negative thoughts, fearful thoughts, threatening thoughts. Take authority over them. Second, speak God's Word to yourself. Speak whatever God's Word that will replace all those negative thoughts. Third, ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. It's only the Holy Spirit who can change a person inside-out. So, ask for His help, and He will help you, even to the small detail. Only He knows every thought of your mind, and so He can help you to overcome them. Finally, don't compare with others, and learn to be contented.

Let's pray together: "God, I pray for understanding for us who are here. Bring us to the understanding that we are saved and blessed because of our faith in You, and not because we have done good or well enough to deserve them. As we put our faith in You Lord, You are transforming our thoughts, changing us and perfecting us through Your Word and Your Spirit. As we focus on Your work in our lives, not comparing ourselves with others, and learn to be contented, we will learn the secret to a happier life. We thank You for Your love and grace upon us. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

That's all my message for this time. If you think that this message will be helpful to others too, please share this with them. Thank you. God bless you. Have a nice day!

You can watch this teaching video by clicking here in TiC YouTube Channel

Born of God

1 John 5:4 (NKJV)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.

Have you ever wondered why the word ‘whatever’ is used here instead of ‘whoever’?

If ‘whatever is born of God’ solely means ‘born-again Christians’, why are there still so many sincere believers of Christ overwhelmed by problems and troubles in the world today?

I believe the word ‘whatever is born of God’ does not just refer to ‘born again Christians’ but anything that is birthed forth from God, by faith! 

It means as you choose to seek God’s help by faith, He will give you an anointed thought or a door of opportunity that serves as the perfect solution to all the challenges in your life. This is how believers of Christ become overcomers in the world and lead victorious lives every day.

Worship for your breakthrough

The Lord spoke 3 times that this is a very crucial time for His people to worship Him:

1st: A vision of a river with rushing water pushed open a door. The Lord said, “Worship Me, and out of you will flow the rivers of living water to push open the door of breakthrough for you.”

2nd: Then, the Lord said, “Worship Me. I will cause the crooked way to be straightened and gates with iron bars to be opened for you.”

3rd: Again, the Lord said, “Worship Me from your heart. I will cause you to see the direction of My wind, where it will come from and where it will go to.

I believe the Lord meant your personal worship to Him. Our God is not crazy for fans to worship Him as an idol. When He asks for your worship, it is always for your benefit. In this case, it is for your breakthroughs in life, be it in relationship, finance, career, studies, etc.

God can teach you to get breakthrough
1st: A vision of a river with rushing water pushed open a door. The Lord said, “Worship Me, and out of you will flow the rivers of living water to push open the door of breakthrough for you.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV)
Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

In your time of worship, you will reach a moment when you feel your burden being lifted up. You will feel lightened and happier. That is because you allow the rivers of God (Holy Spirit) to move in your life through your worship. Rivers is ‘nᵉhar’ in Hebrew with the root word ‘nâhar’, meaning ‘to sparkle, to be cheerful, to be lightened’. In the presence of God, your heaviness is lightened and your sadness is exchanged with His joy.

But don’t stop worshiping after you feel your burden is lifted up. Many worshipers of God stop worshiping right after they feel the presence of God. God wants you to worship Him not just to enjoy His presence. He wants you to come to Him so that He can teach you something in His presence. 

John 7:37-38 (NKJV)
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Drink is ‘pinō’ in Greek which means ‘imbibe’. Other meanings of ‘imbibe’ are ‘assimilate, absorb, learn, acquire, grasp’. The Lord invites you to come to Him and worship Him so that you can assimilate your mind with His, and so that you can absorb, learn, acquire, and grasp ideas or spiritual gifts from Him. After seeking and receiving from Him, out of your heart and your life will flow with His ideas or spiritual gifts that can change circumstances and transform lives.

To worship God is to seek His face and His way. As you worship God, your burden will be exchanged with His joy. In His presence, you will be taught with His knowledge, understanding and wisdom to get breakthrough for difficult situations. 

God can raise people to help you get breakthrough
2nd: Then, the Lord said, “Worship Me. I will cause the crooked way to be straightened and gates with iron bars to be opened for you.”

Isaiah 45:1-4 (NKJV) 
Thus says the LORD to His anointed, 
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held – to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings. To open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut; I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.

Prophet Isaiah prophesied about King Cyrus 150 years before this king of Persia was born. Though he was a pagan king, the Lord protected him, empowered him and used him to destroy the Babylonian’s kingdom. Through his victory over Babylon, God’s people were freed from 70 years of captivity and slavery in the foreign land. After conquering Babylon, the Lord moved the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put in writing that he was called by the LORD God of heaven to help His people rebuild His temple in Jerusalem (see Ezra 1:4).  

Ezra 1:5 (NKJV) 
Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. 

Philippians (NKJV)
For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Soon after, the Lord also stirred up in His people the zeal to rebuild the temple and the wall of Jerusalem. The first batch of Jews who went back and settled at Judea was of King David’s linage. And that’s where the Savior Jesus was born, in Bethlehem, which is in the southern region of Judea. Subsequently, the city of Jerusalem and the temple in Jerusalem were rebuilt. These had enabled the fulfillment of the prophecy where the Messiah, Christ Jesus would die on the cross outside of the city of Jerusalem and the veil in the temple would be torn. The Lord had planned everything perfectly, one thing after another through centuries apart, making His redemption for the Jews and the whole world a reality until now. 

You see, God can use anyone to fulfill His plan on earth. When God’s people turned away from idol worship and cried out to Him during their captivity, He sent a King Cyrus to save them. If you would choose to worship Him instead of allowing yourself to be drowned by the overwhelming situation around you, He can raise up people (whether they are people in authority or common men) to lend you a hand.

To worship God is to admit your frailty and that you need the Almighty God. It signifies you taking your hands off to let His hand intervene. As you worship God, His Holy Spirit will stir up the hearts of people to give you favor and to help you, be it the non-believers, brethren in Christ, or even yourself (God can stir your heart to do things His way so that eventually you are helping yourself). 

God wants to share His secret with you
3rd: Again, the Lord said, “Worship Me from your heart. I will cause you to see the direction of My wind, where it will come from and where it will go to.”

Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NKJV)
As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

Wind is ‘rûwach’ in Hebrew which also means ‘breath’ or ‘spirit’. The above scripture is saying that no one could understand the mind or the heart of God. 

John 15:15(NKJV)
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 

Jesus has promised that He will make those who believe in Him (and walk in His ways) His friends, and they will also know His thoughts (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). By the way, the word ‘friends’ in John 15:15 is ‘philos’ in Greek, which actually means ‘dear, fond of (as in a friend)’. In other words, Jesus calls you His dearly beloved, someone whom He is fond of (as in a friend).

1 Corinthians 2:9-12
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man know the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

 God allows you to know His thoughts by filling His Spirit in those who believe in Him.

To worship God is to fellowship with Him who is your closest confidant. As you worship and fellowship with God, He will tell you what He is doing in your life or in the world currently. He will also reveal to you things to come (see John 16:13). You will always be ready for any issue that may come in the future. As a result, you will have breakthrough after breakthrough and prosper in everything you do.

People of God, always plan time to have personal worship and fellowship with God. Know that He wants you to have an abundant and triumphant life on this earth. Nonetheless, worship Him simply because you know that He loves you.

Come to Him, your 'Master Gardener'

A few days ago, I was tending some of my houseplants that got attacked by bugs. Suddenly the Lord spoke and said, “My people have been suffering from the attack of the enemy and they need to come to Me.”

This attack may be in the spirit, when one is being confined, limited, or restricted by the ‘enemy’ (from expanding and moving forward in life, career or ministry). It may be in the soul or mind, such as oppression (due to fear, guilt, resentment, regrets, self-condemnation, or disappointments), obsession (in lust, greed or pride), or through people (verbal abuse, manipulation, threats, etc). It may also be in the body when one suffers from physical sickness, pain, or physical attack (i.e. robbery, snatch theft, molestation, etc).

No, I’m not writing about prevention of ‘spiritual attack’ in this article (though there is a place for this), but I’m writing for God’s people in the Body of Christ who have been suffering from ‘spiritual attack’ and are currently helpless to overcome it.

Whatever you are suffering at the moment, I believe there is hope for you, because you belong to His garden and God is your foremost Master Gardener. He is, because He created the first garden. Genesis 2:8-9 says, “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden… and out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight…” This same Master Gardener taught me how ‘spiritual attack’ can be ward off by looking at how a plant is washed, trimmed, repositioned, fed, and shielded by the person who tends it.

You see, there are many reasons why a plant gets attacked by bugs or disease. Whatever the reason may be, saving the plant is of the utmost importance to the person who tends it. So it is the same for you if you have been ‘attacked’. He is here to save you too. Whatever happens has already happened. Blaming or finding fault with oneself or others will never solve the problem. The most important thing now is to let Him help you and then move on with the life God has intended for you.

As you come to Him, your Master Gardener (the presence of God), here are the things He will help you:

1.   Wash

A gardener would wash an infested plant leaf by leaf in detail to clean away bugs, larvae, eggs and dust so that the leaves will be clean and able to ‘breathe’ again. Clean leaves are able to carry out the process of photosynthesis effectively and receive ‘food’.

Titus 3:5-6, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Whatever kind of ‘attack’ you are facing, come to Him and let Him remove those ‘attacks’ one by one as well. Because Jesus Christ has already taken all your ‘attacks’ at the cross, you can now therefore come to Him without fear and let Him wash and renew you. When you are washed, you can hear Him again and receive new guidance to walk into a new chapter of your life.

2.   Trim

A gardener would trim away any leaf that is beyond rescue so that it won’t spread to the whole plant.

John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” 

It is normal that when you are in the presence of God, the Holy Spirit will guide you to reflect on certain things in your life. Certain habit, attitude, interest, or influence that He prompts you to ‘cut away’ is for your long-term benefit. Listen to Him and let go. The good things (that had been blocked or hindered in the past due to your clinging to the ‘old’) will then start manifesting in your life.

 3.   Reposition

A gardener might re-pot a plant for further growth. He would also adjust the water content in the pot and place the plant where it may receive the amount of sun it needs to grow healthily.

John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” 

After letting go of the things in the ‘old’ (or in the past), you are ready for a new direction in your life. Allow the Lord to re-align your understanding with His and give you new strategies. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your decision-making and actions, and walk through new doors and opportunities.

 4.   Feed

A good gardener would put good fertilizers in order to strengthen his plants. Strong plants will not easily be ‘stressed’ and therefore able to endure ‘attacks’. Strong and healthy plants are also more likely to blossom and bear lasting fruits.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” 

Come to Him in worship, feed on His Word, and pray in the spirit often. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the understanding when you read the Word of God.

 5.   Shield

A good gardener would also spray organic insecticides (or insect-repellants) on the plants in order to protect (shield) them from further insect attacks or disease.

Colossians 2:6-7, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” 

Ephesians 6:16, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” 

Psalm 91:4, “He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” 

God’s Word is truth, and this truth shall be your shield and buckler. So, walk in Him, rooted and built up in His Word and be established in the faith.

It has been a ‘drought’ season for some of us even in the natural realm, and many plants by the roadsides are drying up and dying due to lack of rain. However, I notice the plants in some gardens (or nurseries) are still fresh, green, and healthy (even in a time like this), because somebody is tending these plants.

People of God, the same it is for you, because your Master Gardener is also here tending you. You belong to His garden (you don’t belong by the ‘roadsides’), and therefore, you too can be rest assured that you will not be left to dry up and die, even in the face of adverse circumstances or ‘attack’ against you. Amen.