Day 10 - The 4:8 Principle

   

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You are what you eat?” In Tommy Newberry’s book, The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-filled Life, he believes, “You are what you think.” His book is based on Philippians 4:8:         

“Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.”                    

Life is a mixture of good and bad and we will always have things to complain about and things that bring us joy. He said productive thinking and destructive thinking are both merely habits. We can train ourselves to think about things that produce joy instead of rob us of joy.                                                         

Here is a sample list of what he calls Junk-Producing Thoughts:

1. I’m never going to be happy again.

2. That is just the way it is.

3. This probably won’t work.

4. I don’t have what it takes.

5. That always happens to me.

6. The honeymoon is officially over.

7. I hate myself.

8. I am not worthy.

9. I am just not creative.

10. I can’t.

11. It that happens, I am going to be so mad.

12. It’s never going to work out.

13. That is just my luck.

14. That’s just who I am.

15. It’s hopeless.

“Negative thinking corrupts your brain and triggers harmful mental states such as anxiety, moodiness, depression and irritability,” writes Newberry.  If a thought brings about worry or fear, it is not from God. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.

A better list is this one that causes Joy-Producing Thoughts:

1.    I expect the best, and it shows!

2.    I trust God; my faith is strong.

3.    I now accept the best that life has to offer.

4.    I am a new creature in Christ.

5.    My metabolism works effectively.

6.     I stay lean even as I age.   (Let’s all say this one together!!)

7.     I have boundless energy.

8.    I am healthy and strong.

9.    Everything I need, I already have.

10. God has great plans for me!

11. I learn scripture easily.

12. I am supercharged with joy.

13.I am learning a lot through this experience.

14.My lifestyle supports unshakable faith.

15.I surrender myself and my future to God and I trust Him.

We are bombarded daily with negative information. If we dwell on these thoughts, respond to them, debate them and complain about them we can end up spending most of our time on Junk-Producing Thoughts. Whatever you give your attention to expands in your mind. It’s just like if you buy a new blue car, all of a sudden it seems like every other car on the road is blue. The cars didn’t change, but our thoughts and where we put our attention did.

One of the ways the author encourages us to think positive, Joy-Producing Thoughts is to ask ourselves 4:8 questions. These are questions to which the answers will point us toward thinking Philippians 4:8 thoughts. When you are in a negativity rut, ask yourself these questions:

*What are five things I am thankful for right now?

*What are five of my strengths or positive traits?

*What are five of my best achievements so far?

*Who are the five people who love me most?

*What five things am I looking forward to in the next seven days?

            You are what you think! Let’s think thoughts that will promote joy!

 
**(This is part of a 31 day series on finding Joy in the Journey. If you want to read more related posts click here. )**

     

Joyfully,