Stopping Negative Thoughts Prayer
This Stopping Negative Thoughts Prayer gives you God’s help in identifying and stopping negative thoughts by affirming the truth about your self-worth in God’s sight.
Stopping Negative Thoughts Prayer
Dear God, I’m having trouble stopping negative thoughts.
There’s a voice in my head that keeps telling me negative things.
The Bible says that you know my thoughts even when I feel like you’re far away. (Psalm 139:1,2) It also says that you help me discover my secret thoughts. (Psalm 139:23,24)
Please show me the specific negative thoughts I am having_____________________
Open my eyes to how these negative thoughts are affecting my emotional well-being and my ability to accomplish things.
Are they:
Depressing me and stressing me out?
Making me doubt myself and my abilities?
Causing me to feel circumstances and other people are against me?
Taking away my feelings of worthiness and competence?
Keeping me from accomplishing things?
Making me hypersensitive to my health and being afraid I have a serious disease?
Making me feel like the universe is trying to tell me something when I connect things that are really unrelated?
Making me feel alone and isolated?
Here are the specific ways negative thoughts are affecting my life_________________
God, please give me the strength, wisdom and guidance on what to do now.
I now follow your directions in the Bible to “take captive” one specific negative thought. Here is the thought I need your help to capture: ______________ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
In light of your truth about who I am and who you are, show me what part of this thought is not true and is harming me. Here is what’s not true about the thought ______________________
I now replace this negative thought with “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – anything excellent or praiseworthy.” (Philippians 4:8) Here is a true, positive thought I am replacing this negative thought with _________________________
Going forward, make me more aware of negative thoughts as soon as they come into my mind so I can stop and question them in light of your truth.
I pray against all negative voices whether in my head or ones that come from others, from the Internet or social media. I reject each thought and “take it captive” to your power. I pray your protection from negative voices from diabolical sources because the devil is a liar and there is no truth in him.
Give me insight into what or when things trigger my negative thoughts so I can be prepared beforehand. Here is a time or situation when I have more negative thoughts ______________
Show me some action I can do to focus myself on something positive when I have a negative thought_____________________________________
(examples: writing in a journal, listening to uplifting music, repeating a Bible verse or affirmation, praying, taking a walk etc.)
Guide me in when and where to seek professional help_______________________
Direct me to supportive people who are positive, faith-filled thinkers who can support me as I learn to stop negative thoughts. Here is someone I can turn to for support ________________
Here is the name of someone I can ask to pray for me _____________________
I now claim the truth about who I am in your sight. You made me, you love me and are always with me. I am worthy. You give me strength and hope. You are my healer, my savior and my light in the darkness.
Because of who you are, I claim the victory over negative thoughts standing on your promise that I “will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Amen.
Warning: Be aware that negative thoughts can sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts. If you are beginning to think that you’re worthless and the world would be better off without you, please get help right away by contacting the suicide hotline at: 988.
Bible verses to claim when battling negative thoughts
Mediate on and use the following Bible verses as tools to claim God’s power in stopping negative thoughts
Capture every thought
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. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
Show me my anxious thoughts
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139: 23,24 NIV
Renew my mind
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, prefect will. Romans 12:2 NIV
Help me think on good things
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Philippians 4:8 NIV
You perceive my thoughts
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceived my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139:1,2 NIV
Reading the Bible uncovers my thoughts and attitudes
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NIV
God’s thoughts are much higher than mine
“For my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my way,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9 NIV
The devil is a liar
(The devil) was a murder from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 NIV
My mind can be controlled by God’s Spirit
Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5,6 NIV
I am made new in Christ
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
I can do all things through Christ
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NIV
The power of our relationship with God counteracts negative thoughts
God not only gives insights and tools in stopping negative thoughts, he provides the ultimate remedy. He invites us to a relationship with him as our loving God who accepts us, forgives us and empowers us to live positive, faith-filled lives.
Here are a few of the countless positive thoughts to claim for yourself:
God loves me
We live by faith in Jesus who loves us and gave himself up for us. Galatians 2:20
God made me for good works
We are God’s handiwork and he has good works for us to do. Ephesians 2;10
My mind is set on heavenly things
We set our minds on things above in Christ and not on earthly things. 2 Colossians 3:1-4
I am more than a conqueror
We are more than conquerors because God loves us. Romans 8:37
God made me
We are wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I am a new creations
In Christ we are new creations. The old is gone and we are renewed. 2 Corinthians 5:17
My experiences with negative thoughts
All of us need God’s help stopping negative thoughts. Writing this article has helped me think about the kinds of negative thoughts I have. When I was younger I was painfully shy and my negative thoughts were about my worthiness/self-confidence. These days my negative thoughts are more of the worrying type. I tend to be focus on what could go wrong, which keeps me from doing things like planning a picnic because it might rain.
I also have negative thoughts about my perceived areas of incompetence. Whenever there’s a computer glitch or a website problem, I panic. My heart pounds with stress. Why? Because of my deeply felt negative thought that I’m no good with technology and I never will be. My mind is so focused on my perceived inadequacies that I can’t rationally solve the problem.
Mental Health and Negative Thoughts
Negative thought may be due to mental health disorders and professionals can help you deal with them.
Mood disorders
When we are experiencing emotional trauma, anxiety or depression, it’s impossible to think positive thoughts about ourselves. our world or even God. Automatic negative thoughts and intrusive thoughts are often a symptom of a treatable mental health condition, such as OCD, Anxiety, Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder etc.
My mother suffered from clinical depression when she got older. She tried to fight it herself. Among the negative thoughts she battled was, “As a Christian I shouldn’t be depressed.” The word “shouldn’t” in that statement uncovers the negative thought that places blame on the victim. This thought is untrue. Many of the greatest Christians throughout history suffered from “the dark night of soul” when they felt depressed.
A mental health professional can help you determine if a mood disorder is causing negative thoughts. There are medications and therapies that can stabilize us. My mother was greatly helped when she received medications and therapy. Professional mental health care providers had many effective tools in helping with automatic negative thoughts. These include medication, counseling, group therapy and useful techniques to help you question negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
Automatic Negative Thoughts
Professionals call these ANTs for short. Sometimes you might have intrusive automatic negative thoughts that come persistently and repeatedly and seem very compelling.
Someone I knew suffered from automatic negative thoughts. These thoughts were very accusatory. They said, “It’s all your fault. You never do anything right. Everybody hates you.” And the thoughts even said, “You’re better off dead. Just end it all.” These thoughts were persistent, sometimes coming 20 times in an hour.
Often ANTs come at our most vulnerable times such as when we are about to fall asleep, when we wake up, when we’re alone or when we’re already emotionally stressed.
Expert advice about stopping negative thoughts
Researchers and psychologists have done much study of negative thoughts and have created therapies to help us overcome them.
The different types of negative thoughts
These are some examples of negative thoughts:
“Always” and “never” thinking. (Example: I always mess up. I never deserve anything good.)
Being focused on negatives instead of the positive.
Thinking catastrophes are coming and the worst will happen. (catastrophic thinking.)
Assuming that others are thinking bad things about you. (projecting onto other people your negative thoughts like you’re reading their mind.)
Believing that your depressed or negative feelings are the truth about you and your life
Regrets – always looking back at what you didn’t do but should have.
Blaming yourself or others for your problems.
Absolute thinking – things are either black or white with no mixed blessings.
Making unfavorable comparisons of yourself vs. others.
Low self-confidence leading to giving up.
Seeing yourself as a victim of circumstances over which you have no control.
Strategies used by therapists in stopping negative thoughts
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one technique used to help change thinking and behavior. In the case of negative thoughts, it teaches us to identify negative thoughts, examine them to see what’s not true about them and to replace them with helpful thoughts.
As an example, let’s look at my case, as a shy teenager. I often was left out of conversations and felt isolated. I thought, “Nobody cares about what I have to say.”
Back then I didn’t know about therapy, but if I had, here’s how I might have applied it.
First, examine the thought to see what’s untrue about it:
I used the word “nobody” which was a negative absolute. Just because those in the room weren’t giving me a chance to speak didn’t mean that there weren’t others who might care about what I had to say. The word “nobody” made the thought negative and stirred up feelings of inadequacy.
Second, look for other false assumptions.
I also was doing “mind reading” assuming that I knew what the other were thinking. I assumed they didn’t care what I had to say because they didn’t stop to ask me.
Third, change the thought to something positive.
After you identify a negative thought, change the thought with something positive and true. I might have thought, “What I have to say is worthy of being heard. I need to speak up.”
Fourth, celebrate growth and see how God can turn struggles into something positive.
As I was writing this, I realized that God indeed used my need to be heard in a very positive way. It played a part in my desire to become a writer! Now I have both something worthwhile to say and a way for it to be heard. If I had believed the negative thought, this never would have been possible.
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copyright Karen Barber 2024. All rights reserved.
