The "Quit Being So Negative" Challenge

Identity by Sheanna Marie

During a recent Bible study class I came across a quote in our study book Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry by Kris Vallotton. This quote has inspired the discussion for today and challenge for this week.

For a little background info:

The past six months I have spent launching my business. I have been going full force with no other income and no other hobbies or jobs. At six months in, as you could guess, I’m not a millionaire mogul, yet. As a person with a history of instant gratification, being a spoiled only child, and impatient to say the least; I started to really get down on myself and question my abilities and worth as an artist and entrepreneur.  I was becoming unmotivated and deeply negative about every aspect of my life, concentrating only on what wasn’t happening and what wasn’t going right.

Here is what I learned:

“You did not paint yourself, God painted you. Not only that, but Jesus is the one who sat in the chair and modeled for the [your] portrait. We are created in His image and in his likeness. Every time we demean ourselves we are talking badly about the Artist and the Model. “ – Kris Vallotton

WOW!! What a revelation this was to me. How quickly this truth resonated inside of me and began breaking chains immediately. As an artist myself I can totally relate to this. If someone were to be rude and demeaning about one of my paintings it would be offensive to me and the subject in which I had painted. We are all made in God’s image.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” –Genesis 1:27

So to speak and or believe negative things about ourselves is to speak and believe negative things about our God.

So the next time you catch yourself saying something negative about yourself or anyone for that matter, take the thought captive and ask yourself again in this format..

EX: “I’m stupid and can’t do anything right”

STOP

“Do I believe God is stupid and can’t do anything right?”

I suspect that you will find that you are speaking a lie about yourself. Much of our thinking and behavior problems come from a problem in what we believe about our God.

I encourage you all to take a challenge with me this week. Spend this week keeping track and taking purposeful notice of the negative thoughts that enter your mind, especially about yourself. Consider keeping a journal or note log. At the end of the week look back over these notes and see if there is a common link in the negativity so that we can together begin to figure out what our incorrect beliefs are and begin to guide each other in truth and knowledge.