I'm defining negative drag as those things in life that occupy your mind, weighing it down and keeping you from paying attention to the important things.
Identify:Identifying these negative drags is the first step. It is not necessarily easy, but needful. These are the things that tend to gnaw at you, keep you up at night, or are always in the back of your mind. These negative drags can consume you.
Forgiven Sin: A good "for instance" may be forgiven sin. We sin, we confess it to God and repent of it, He forgives us, it is gone (1John 1, Hebrews 8:8-13, 10:17-18). How many times do we need to ask God before He forgives us? One time. If we continue to ask and ask for forgiveness of the same sin, when He has forgiven us the first time, it becomes a negative drag. It is something Satan can use against us. It keeps the mind occupied with the past. It prevents you from moving forward. This is not good. It reveals a lack of Biblical knowledge or a lack of faith in His ability or both.
Worry: A good "for instance" may be worry. It keeps my mind occupied about the future. What might happen! Worry seems to always carry with it some residue of the past with a tinge of the present and typically pointing to a grossly overstated future. Identify the things you tend to worry about. Most likely these are things that you can do little to nothing about by worrying. They drain your energy and consume your time.
Make a List: Make a list of your negative drags. Don't limit it to forgiven sin and worry. You should take the time to identify yours.
Eliminate: Systematically work to eliminate them. What steps will you need to take in order for this to happen? As you begin to identify these negative drags and eliminate them from your life you will begin to sense freedom. Your prayer life will no longer be filled with the things long since forgotten by God, but with the relevant things of your daily life.
Deny
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