Delete! Delete! Delete!
By Michael A. Verdicchio

How many times do you have to hit the "delete" key on your computer when you check your email? Sometimes there are a number of those annoying advertisements all in a row, so it's, delete, delete, delete. And what about those annoying little "pop-ups" when you go to some web sites? Delete, delete, delete!

The reason we delete the things on our computers is because we don't want them! They are of no value to us. They are just a waste of time. And, we are also aware that some of them could contain those nasty little viruses, just waiting for us to open them up. Those are a big threat to our computer system.

There are many times in life that we Christians really need to delete thoughts that "pop up" in our brain. Thoughts that are of no value to us are a waste of time. Other thoughts, if we harbor them, dwell on them, and allow them to incubate, will also negatively affect our lives.

God gave all of us free will. You can choose to think about anything you want to. But, just thinking about anything you want to think about is not the best course of action.

For example, if you think about an unpleasant situation that happened several years ago, dwell on that, and think about all the negative things associated with it, it will trigger some unpleasant memories. Those unpleasant thoughts will then trigger emotions. You will feel unhappy, and your attitude and actions will follow suit. The next thing you know, someone will be saying, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Feelings follow thoughts, and actions follow feelings. Our feelings are a product of our thoughts, and our actions are a product of our feelings.

Have you ever been in a bad mood? Or, has someone ever said to you, "I'm just in a bad mood"? Well to hear some people talk, these "bad moods" are just flying around all over the place and every once in awhile, boom, one hits you, and suddenly you're in a bad mood. Maybe some people are just prone to getting hit by these, because they always seem to be in a bad mood!

A bad mood is a feeling. A good mood is a feeling. And feelings are a result of our thoughts. Have you ever watched a depressing movie? When it was over, how did you feel? Did you feel light hearted and happy? More than likely you felt gloomy. That's because you spent some time allowing depressing thoughts into your head.

On the other hand, after watching a comedy that you found to be funny and entertaining, how did you feel? I'm not trying to be critical of depressing movies, nor am I advocating comedy movies. I'm simply making a point of how our brain works.

It is true that, "as a man thinks in his heart so is he." Do you know that hundreds of books, seminars and courses, are all based on that one principle from the Book of Proverbs? As he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Certainly not every thought you think gets lodged into your heart, just like not every email you receive gets saved. But the thoughts we harbor, dwell on and stay fixed on will eventually get into our hearts.

Someone who consistently day after day see himself as a failure and unsuccessful will be just that: an unsuccessful failure. He is a product of the thoughts that he allowed to get into his heart.

So many Christians today are negative, and the results they are getting in their lives are negative. Perhaps you've noticed that a positive person sticks out like a sore thumb! In fact, when some people encounter a really positive person, they think the positive person might have a screw loose somewhere (not a playing with a full deck, bread not quite baked, out of touch with reality, etc).

But why are some people positive? Are they just born that way? No! We are all a product of our own thoughts. What we have allowed to get into our hearts is what we manifest.

The good news is that you can change what's in your heart if you really want to! As Christians, with all that God has done for us and all that he has given us, we ought think and believe that He says! His promises for you are true!

But remember, you still have free will! You can be a successful Christian in every area of your life! Choose the thoughts you want to keep, and the rest, just delete, delete, delete!