What is the very thing you are thinking about right now?

All of us, of course, will have very different responses, which change by the second. One moment, we may be thinking about kitties, and the next moment we may be thinking about lunch. What's for lunch? Pizza! Thinking about pizza may then lead to thinking about how pizza is cut into slices. What else has slices? Cake. Cake has slices. Mmm. You haven't had cake in a while. Just how long is a while? Heh. 'While' sounds a lot like 'whale'. I like whales. Hmm, where is Wales? Am I Walsh?

The transition from kitties to questioning one's Welsh identity is a stretch in and of itself, but the train of thought above shows how seamlessly the statement seems to flow. Our thoughts are just like that, jumping from one topic to another in an instant. Doing a quick search, it is estimated that we think one thought per second (some articles will say 70,000/day or 6.5/minute, but for illustrative and mathematical purposes, let's stick with one thought/second). Doing the math, that would be 60 thoughts per minute, 3,600 per hour, 86,400 per day, 31,536,000 per year (not including leap year), and 315,360,000 per decade. If the average life span is around 70-80 years old, then that would mean either we think a grand total of 22,075,200,000-25,228,800,000 thoughts in our lifetime. Again, this is the extent of just one thought per second.

Just where does a thought come from? A thought comes from a neural process, which combines internal information with external information to form a logical, cohesive statement. Suppose your body feels the need for food. Well, through learning the phrase "I am hungry" and understanding what hunger is, you think to yourself, I am hungry. Your mind can modify the statement I am hungry (e.g., I am so hungry I could eat a horse! or Boy, am I starving!), but you would first need to be exposed to such phrases before thinking them. After receiving external information, we may then connect what we have learned to what we feel. So, after learning the phrase "I am hungry" from an external source, you now are able to connect your longing for food with a understandable thought -- I am hungry. Eventually, this thought becomes automatic; for every longing for food, you think to yourself, I am hungry.

Now, doing another quick search, it is estimated that 80% of our daily thoughts are negative. Some articles will go higher, some lower, but the gist of it is that a majority of our daily thoughts can be negative. Taking 80% of our estimated number of thoughts per day, 86,400 (which may or may not be the actual number), it is found that we think about 69,120 negative thoughts per day. This, of course, translates to 25,228,800/year, 252,288,000/decade, and perhaps 17,660,160,000-20,183,040,000/lifespan. Remember, our total thoughts are 25,228,800,000, so potentially 20,183,040,000 of the thoughts that we think are negative. This then leaves us with 5,045,760,000 thoughts that are non-negative. Realistically, the number may be much lower, but the point is that our entire life is plagued with negativity. From the struggles of everyday life to what we see online, our world is a swirling storm of negativity. Not only does negative thinking affect our mood, but also our general behavior and life outlook. Ultimately, negative thinking can lead to health problems and a shorter lifespan.

So where does a negative thought come from? As with all thoughts, a negative thought comes from exposure to negative things. Slang, derogatory words, and rude phrases are the external information the brain receives, which we pick up and process as we go. As our brain analyzes the context of the negativity, we may apply what we have learned to how we feel. For instance, the word 'suck' means to fail to achieve standards or expectations, or to not be good at a particular hobby. So, suppose I struggle with mathematics. The negative thought that quickly comes to mind is, I suck at math. Why? Because my mind has heard the word ('suck'), understood its context (to not be good at something), and applied it to my current situation. Hence, my mind outputs the thought, I suck at math.

As Christians and as people, we cannot live life on negative thinking. This is not to say that we must live life under a façade of happiness; it is important to feel sorrow and grief every now and then. However, we must learn to take every thought captive. The apostle Paul touches on this matter in his letter to the Corinthians. Paul writes:

"For though we walk in the flesh, we don’t wage war according to the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, WEB).

As Paul mentions, we fight a war that is not physical but mental. Moreover, we must also bring into captivity every thought and lay it before Christ.

In the world of computer science, there is a popular concept called garbage in, garbage out -- GIGO, for short. The concept revolves around the input-output of code. If any nonsensical data is inputted into a program or line of code, the program is going to output the 'garbage' data. Logically, GIGO makes sense; if an application is poorly programmed, the results will show. But, GIGO also is applicable to the Christian faith. If we allow ourselves to think negative thoughts, those thoughts will manifest in how we live. As followers of Christ, we must be careful not to allow negative thoughts -- or garbage -- to run rampant in our minds.

So, how can we stop negative thoughts from running the show? How do we truly take our thoughts captive into the obedience of God? Here are four suggestions, carefully crafted into the acronym PART:

1. Prayer

The first way that can take our thoughts captive is through prayer. Prayer is communication with God, and through the help of Holy Spirit, we are able to submit our thoughts to Him. Spend at least 10-15 minutes each day in prayer, giving to God any wild thoughts.

• "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, WEB).

• "...throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." (2 Corinthians 10:5, WEB).

• "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6, WEB).

• "...casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7, WEB).

2. Avoid

The second way that can take our thoughts captive is by avoiding sources of negative thinking in the first place. While this may not always be practical, avoiding toxic sources can help us spiritually and mentally. Remember, the more we are exposed to something, the more it becomes a part of us. If possible, avoid people, places, or platforms that cause negative thinking. Don't watch or read the news too much. Stay off social media. Spend time with God, family, and friends.

• "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23, WEB).

• "Thorns and snares are in the path of the wicked: whoever guards his soul stays from them" (Proverbs 22:5, WEB).

3. Replace

The third way that can take our thoughts captive is by replacing negative thoughts. In cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this is referred to as 'reframing'. The concept around replacing/reframing is taking the negative thought and modifying it so it is no longer negative or as negative. Let's revisit the I suck at math statement. Not only is this a blanket statement (for, if one truly 'sucked' at math, they would not be able to correctly count or add at all), but it is a very blunt negative thought. And even if I do struggle with mathematics, how would that thought be productive? Therefore, to command action and stop the flow of negative thoughts, the thought I suck at math must be retooled. Instead of thinking I suck at math, perhaps it would best to say: Math is hard for me, but I will strive to do my best. This, once again, is another way to take negative thoughts captive.

• "Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8, WEB).

4. Therapy

The fourth way that can take our thoughts captive is by talking to someone about it. Therapy, whether professionally or pastorally, can make a difference. Understanding what goes into a thought, how emotions are built off of thoughts, and how to change the course of negative thinking are examples of topics that may be discussed during counselling.

• "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, WEB).

Recap

As you are reading this blog post, hundreds of thoughts have already passed. Whether it was about the blog post, what was for lunch, or kittens, there have already been at least 400-500 thoughts. But out of those thoughts, how many were good? How many were bad? Negative thinking plagues our soul day-by-day, but it certainly does not have to be this way. Instead of giving into the negative thoughts, let us take captive our thoughts and give them to Jesus.