The New Bible Cure for Depression & Anxiety Read Online Free PDF Page B

Peace is the opposite of anxiety, and we can develop peace by reprogramming and tearing down all mind-sets or strongholds contrary to God’s Word and replacing them with scriptures.
    Detecting Viruses in Your Mental Computer
    Most of the thought patterns you have today have been learned from your parents or other figures of authority. When you were born, your mind was like a brand-new computer with brand-new software. Your thinking “powers up” your computer and launches the “operating software” that runs your life. Your parents or the people who raised you were the primary programmers of that operating software. If your parents programmed it with praise, contentment, gratitude, love, and joy, you are likely to go through life with these types of attitudes and expectations.
    Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
    —Ephesians 4:21–24
    But if they programmed it with worry, you will be prone to worry; if they programmed it with fear, your automatic reaction is fear; if they programmed it with expecting the worst, you will expect the worst. Your parents may have programmed limitation into your thought patterns by telling you that you will never be smart enough, you will never make it, you will never be successful, or you are not talented enough.
    My purpose is not to have you start blaming your parents—after all, their thought patterns were likely programmed by their parents, who were programmed by their parents, and so on. My goal is simply to help you understand where your thought patterns originated.
    It actually all began when Adam and Even disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. They allowed the virus of sin to infect the hardware of humanity, and from that point on, every heart and mind has been infected. We have been programmed with depraved thinking, negativity, hopelessness, anger, and insecurity.
    When Christians are born again, we receive Christ’s forgiveness for our sins and invite Him into our hearts , but many Christians never purge the bad software from their minds even though the virus of sin has been removed. We need to learn to identify the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs that are distortional and replace them with the Word of God until God’s thoughts and beliefs are automatic in our minds and in our hearts.
    Think about our computer virus illustration for a moment. What happens when a virus gets into even the best computer and contaminates its software? At first, certain parts of the computer will not function properly, and it loses speed. Eventually the computer freezes and eventually may not run anymore.
    So it is with your mind. Sinful viruses infect your life, contaminating your software with bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, hatred, jealousy, anger, rage, and more. If allowed to spread throughout your system, they can affect your ability to function properly, just like a computer. Soon, not only are your mental health and emotional health affected, but your physical health suffers too, leading to depression, anxiety, and a host of physical diseases.
    I wholeheartedly believe that these negative thought processes and toxic emotions are at the root of many diseases and health problems. In my practice, I lead many patients through something I call “forgiveness therapy” as an initial step in their treatment.
    I then teach them how to recognize feelings, beliefs, and thoughts that trigger depression and anxiety. These patients learn to replace their distortional thought patterns and beliefs with God’s Word. I also emphasize the importance of practicing contentment, gratitude, and joy to literally insulate the heart and mind from anxiety and depression. (I will expand on this later in this book.)
    However, too