Anytime you substitute positive thinking for faith in God and obedience to His Word, you’re on dangerous ground! But don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. As a believer, you’re supposed to train your brain to trust God and think positive thoughts that are founded on His Word. A study conducted in the Netherlands found that people who are optimistic have healthier hearts than those who are grumpy. Self-described optimists died of cardiovascular disease at a lower rate than those of pessimists. Dr Becca Levy of Yale University conducted a study which concluded that ‘a positive attitude towards ageing was greater than physiological measures such as low blood pressure and cholesterol,’ each of which is believed to add a maximum of four years to a person’s life. The same study discovered that optimistic people live longer than people who always worry, and that a positive attitude can add more years to life than exercising or refraining from smoking. Additionally upholding the mind-body connection, a 2005 Associated Press article reported, ‘New research suggests that once Alzheimer’s disease robs someone of the ability to expect that a proven painkiller will help them, it doesn’t work nearly as well.’ Isn’t that remarkable? When people are able to think painkillers work, the medicines seem to help. Our minds are amazing! The Bible says, ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength.’ And that’s not just spiritual strength, but physical, mental, and emotional strength. If you want to have a healthy life, you must have a healthy mind, and that starts with thinking positively instead of negatively. So, train your brain.
