Immerse yourself in Scripture. Every day, make time to read, study, and meditate on some passages from the Bible. Absorb Scripture deep into your soul, where its truths will transform you. When you make decisions, look to biblical principles (rather than just your own feelings) for guidance.

Learn from your history. Reflect on important moments and events in your life so far, and take notes on some important ways God was at work through them. Think and pray about what God wants you to learn from how He has used your life’s circumstances to draw you closer to Him. Thank Him for all He has done for you, and trust Him to continue to help you now and in the future.

Trust in God’s protection. Every fear you hold onto blocks you from experiencing a close relationship with God, because it undermines the trust on which a close relationship is based. Recognize that, while you’re bound to encounter pain because you’re living in a fallen world, God is always with you in the midst of that pain, and all pain that He allows to come into your life will ultimately accomplish a good purpose of some kind. Place your trust in God to protect you from evil and always act according to what’s best for you. Pray about all of your hard questions about the pain you’ve gone through, knowing that He cares, and that nothing can ever separate you from His love.

Trust in God’s plans. When God created you, He ordained good plans for your life. You’re not a mistake; He created you for a specific purpose. Recognize that your life is part of a much bigger picture than you can see from your limited perspective – but God can see the bigger picture and He wants to lead you in the right direction.

Replace unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones. Whenever a negative thought that doesn’t reflect biblical truth enters your mind, refuse to dwell on it. Instead, replace the thought with a positive one from the Bible. To become more aware of the unhealthy thoughts that pass through your mind, write down some of your negative thoughts (like hopelessness, hate, fear, bitterness, or jealousy) in a notebook to keep track of them. Then read passages of Scripture with positive thoughts that contrast with those negative thoughts.

Choose a new direction. Even though you can’t control what happens to you, you can control two crucial things: your attitude, and the direction you take in life. Trust that God allows certain circumstances to happen to you so that something good can happen in you. Rather than letting the challenges you encounter defeat you, be thankful that God is with you in the midst of them, leading you in the right direction. Follow His guidance, even when you don’t understand it, because with Him you’ll end up in a better place than you ever could on your own.