You are Not Invited Negative Nancy!

 

Really, Negative Nancy can't come.

At all.

No I'm not being mean... its not a real person. That’s would be rude! ;) We all know this Nancy. BAD BAD negative Nancy! (N.N. for short).Need a refresher of who she is?

That’s the ONE… see the negative signs? That's N.N... the nagging voice in our head that pushes us on that train of “why me?/ no one loves me/my life is over/ I’m not good enough” all the way down to the other side of town.

                                         "Welcome, you have made it to BitterVille."

                                                            OH NOOO!!!!!

Hurry! Get off the train before it starts going to BitterVille!! Don’t get trapped. 

(Pause for a side  note... I think I worked at the preschool too long. Their 3-5yr old minds are rubbing off on me. Gatta love it!)

Anyways...When we don’t get off, it gets dangerous. We start exploring in the train (of our brain). Down the dark row we go to Negative Nancy’s party… the next train cart over. Not the kind of party you want to attend. A self-pity “woe is me” party. Yea, she throws those kinds of parties in our brains and gets us to listen to her “two-cents” about the depressing soap opera story of our lives. And I better stop because look what I just did! I blamed Nancy for starting my own pity party.

Blaming solves nothing! The Lord is good to teach us these lessons over and over again. Crazy how quickly we forget them! When I blame my circumstances or blame a person I just become an even more depressed, sad and sometimes angry/bitter Katie. No one likes to be around that! The Lord does not desire that for us either.  Just as a father would never wish for his child to sit in a pool of sadness, our Heavenly Father doesn’t want that for us either. This is one of many reasons why we need to write down Bible verses to keep with us at all times. We so easily forget how blessed we are. That God knows what He is doing. Who are we to say He doesn’t know what’s up, He is God!

Scripture says “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever thing are just, what ever things are pure, what ever things are lovely, what ever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).  And this scripture is just one of many on how to fight off the negative Nancy within us. 

And oh boy, Sometimes negative Nancy can come on strong! For example, I will be thinking thoughts about how no one loves me or thought about not being good enough and bla bla bla… So I pull out my handy dandy 3x5 card. Read it. Think... and sometimes I have to think REALLY REALLY hard… Nope, nothing.  I cannot think of anything. Ya, no true, lovely, goodness going on. "Nothing is going so lovely in my life… its all so ugly. Nothing is true because it’s all a lie! One BIG POOPY LIE!”

 HALT!

 TURN THE HEAVY DUTY BREAKS ON!!!!!!!!!!!

Ya, Nancy can get that bad. Maybe you have experienced this too? If not that’s ok, might be better if only one of us get this way. ;)

Anyways, what the Lord has shown me to do was to put other verses on the back of the Philippians 4:8 card. Things that ARE true, that ARE good, and ARE lovely. This way, I have no excuse to get all "turbo N.N." on myself. Here are some examples of other verses on the back of my card… John 3:16- for God so loves the world… He loves me! Ecclesiastes 3:11.., He has made everything beautiful in its time… His timing is perfect. A few verses are written out and others are just scripture references so I am forced to get in the Word and to look the verses up. Now I don’t have an excuse to say I cannot think of anything because I already have them written down!  It actually works too. I do it all the time, today even. The Lord is so faithful to get us out of that negative thinking. But we have to be willing and prepared to fight it off. DON’T FORGET… it is soooooo important to get into the Word and to battle it out. The word is living and breathing. It is sharper than any two edged sword.

YESSSS, we are on the battlefield my friends!

                                                            YAHH-YAHH!!

(As the Scheibel’s would say… if you get to know any of us, you will get very familiar with this phrase! So if I don't scare you off, Welcome!)

 OK, HERE IS THE CHALLEGE... 

DRUM ROLL PLEASE. Quietly in your head wont work... make some noiseeeeee. 

TA-DA

 Step 1:Open up your Bible to Philippians 4:8,

Step 2: write the verse on 3 separate 3x5 cards.

Step 3: On the backside of the cards, list a few verses that direct your thinking in the way Phil. 4:8 states. Examples:  Psalms 139:14-16 which talks about being fearfully and wonderfully made, Psalms 139: 17,18 talks about God’s thoughts towards us, 1 Corinthians 6:11 talks about Jesus’ blood washing us. Make a whole list!

 

Step 4:Once you have done that on all your cards, place your cards where you will see them often. Stick one to your mirror where you brush your teeth, keep one on you at all times (pocket, purse), and put the other in your car. When the negative thoughts come up, pull out your card. If your thoughts do not line up with what Philippians 4:8 says or if you cant think of anything, flip over to the back of your card and chew on those scriptures.

If you have a different way of doing it, go for it. JUST REMEMBER... The most important this is that we go to the Word of God. The Word of God is living, powerful and is sharper than any two-edge sword. (Hebrews 4:12)

Lets not get defeated because God has given us a way of escape in all temptations. We need to be looking for that door. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can handle. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Below, list some verses that bring our thoughts to what the scriptures say is true.

 Oh! Another one I like is this one... “You were brought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”-1 Corinthians 7:23

Sometimes it takes me a long time to kick negative Nancy out… what about you? What do you do when Negative Nancy pushes you onto the train and throws you a pity-party? What are some TRUTH verses that get you back on track?