There are a few great laws that govern all thinking, just as there are a few fundamental laws in chemistry. We know that thought control is the key of destiny, and in order to learn thought control we have to know and understand these laws.
One of the great mental laws is the Law of substitution. This means that the only way to get rid of a certain thought is to substitute another one for it. You cannot dismiss a thought directly. You can do so only by substituting another one for it. If I say to you, “ Do not think of the Statue of Liberty,” of course, you immediately think of it. If you say, “I am not going to think of the Statue of Liberty,” that is thinking about it. But if you become interested in something else, you forget all about the Statue of Liberty—and this is a case of substitution.
When negative thoughts come to you, do not fight them, but think of something positive. Preferably think of God; but if that is difficult at the moment, turn your attention to something quite different.
But I say unto you, That ye resist no evil… (Matthew 5:39).
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding (Job 12:13).
When we fight or struggle with (resist) anything we give it power and being. We recognize it and feed it by directing effort toward it. Its like the misbehaving child that acts out to get attention. When the child realizes that misbehaving gets them ignored or sent to their room, they lose power and our attention.
If we are to live in the Eden God created for us, then we must develop the discipline of thought control. One of the best uses of that control will be the ability to substitute good thoughts and realities for bad ones. That will mean we are also able to substitute love, peace and joy for fear, conflict and sadness. That’s the way God planned it, and that’s the way God wants it to be.
Embracing good,
Z gardener
Good Morning Garden 