How Is Creativity Subdued by Negative Thinking?

Creativity can be kept in submission through repressive feelings of fear and anxiety. Negative thinking will strip away what it takes to risk failure while pursuing success. Matthew 25:25 points out how fear predetermined failure for someone who refused to use his knowledge and creativity to bring him success. "I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground..."

My dad commented on how negative thinking had prevented him from purchasing property that had quadrupled in value almost immediately. Negative thinking comprised of “what if,” permitted a good investment to slip away.

God never intended for us to act on every potential, but to use our intelligence and creative abilities to assess an opportunity. Courage and confidence linked to creative investigations are necessary core ingredients for grasping a future opportunity. Faith and trust anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ are foundational for creativity.  

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You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourself, and tell your children and grandchildren as well. 

~Deuteronomy 4:9 Contemporary English Version 

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Reset Priorities to Create Harmony and Acceptance

Competition exists in most loving relationships. Sibling rivalry is commonplace even though it fosters conflict. Marriage partners may compete for recognition, which can create discord within the marriage. Eddie and Joanne are high-achieving professionals driven to be successful. When they arrive home each evening, they continue working on projects, giving minimal time to their young daughters and each other.

Behavioral problems and dismal academic grades have forced Joanne and Eddie to seek counseling for their daughters. The two girls compete with each other for negative attention, which they consider better than being totally ignored and neglected. These sisters have everything materially. What is non-existent in their lives are expressions of love and affection and special time spent with their parents.

Remember, a husband or wife as well as children are special gifts from God to be cherished and loved rather than neglected. Realigning priorities is not only a possibility but a necessity, especially in a rushed and conflicted world. Ask God to help you be committed to this task.  

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Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?

~Psalm 127:3 The Message

And now a word to you parents: Don’t keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves.

~Ephesians 6:4 The Living Bible

You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves and tell your children and grandchildren as well.

~Deuteronomy 4:9 Contemporary English Version

Teaching Values: Walk the Walk - Part 3

Have values in your life taken a tumble because sin has lost its meaning? Carl Menninger asked, "Whatever happened to sin?" Do you think the definition of sin has lost significance? Is sin just being naughty and of no real consequence and nothing to worry about?

Values compel a person to take seriously the responsibility for the health and well-being of oneself and others. Constant exposure to depravity will numb a person's sense of what is right or wrong. Someone asked a counselor, "Why should I teach my child what's right and wrong?" The counselor’s response: "Children are self-centered and will seek what they want when they want it."

You do not have to teach children to lie or steal or be self-centered. When one of my children came home with a friend's toy, we went together to the friend's house to return the toy and apologize. Deuteronomy 4:9 commands parents to teach their children and their children's children all of God's word and his expectations so that they might live for him all of their days.  

Pervasiveness of Evil: Guard Your Heart - Part 2

The predictability of evil’s being everywhere is undeniable to the point of evil’s being accepted as commonplace. Explicit sex in films and on T.V. is a prime example. Newscasts are so inundated with violence that we become numbed to its power and influence. Evil invades our belief system and cleverly begins to question our values and morals.

Initially President Richard Nixon’s highest aim was integrity for himself and his presidential office. Yet the dark side of himself and his advisers eventually gained power to the point of corruption and destruction.

Balaam, an Old Testament prophet, purposed to believe in God. Listen to his testimony. "How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? Let me die the death of the righteous and may my end be like theirs." That sounds like a man of faith, but his dark side contaminated by evil upstaged his best intentions. How unfortunate.