Thoughts. They cannot be turned off, scared into silence, or controlled. Sometimes they even seem to have a mind of their own. And if you are not careful, they can take you places that you did not know you could go or had any intention of going. So, what can you do about these pesky thoughts, especially negative and unwholesome ones? Well, I have learned to replace them. With what you ask? Replace them with positive and wholesome thoughts. Hence, instead of obediently following each and every thought, when you recognize a thought as negative or unwholesome, turn around in your mind, walk back, and start thinking about wholesome and positive things.

Philippians 4:8 is our guide for positive and wholesome thinking. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. 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” (NLT). Need I say more? The antidote for negative and unwholesome thoughts is to replace them with positive and wholesome thinking.

Here is an example of how I replace negative and unwholesome thoughts with positive and wholesome ones. Let’s say, for example, someone failed to perform a promised task. Well, instead of automatically labeling the person as irresponsible, neglectful, lazy, untrustworthy, undependable, unreliable, and going on and on about how disappointed I am, or how I knew this person couldn’t be trusted, and so on, I usually give that person the benefit of the doubt, which means that I reserve judgment until I have a complete understanding of the situation. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt has almost always proven to be the right course of action because if I had followed my negative thoughts where they were leading me, I would have mischaracterized and misjudged the person.

Next, you may need to change your environment. The idea that we are products of our environments has a high degree of truth to it. Consequently, if we are surrounded by people who always have negative and unwholesome thoughts, there is a possibility that we will also have those same thoughts. First Corinthians 15:32-34 alludes to this, “Don’t let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people” (GW).

Finally, yield to the Holy Spirit so that it can transform or renew your mind, enabling you to produce positive and wholesome thoughts. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect” (GW).