Don't Give Up!

CHANGE YOUR MIND, YOUR MOUTH, AND WALK IN VICTORY!

So many of our problems are rooted in our way of thinking, and we need to understand that our thoughts create a lot of the problems we experience.

A negative mind produces negative words, and consequently, a negative life. Our words can actually become traps that cause us to continue living in a cycle of negative thoughts and actions. We are all tempted to speak negatively, but we don’t have to give in to that temptation.

With new thoughts come new possibilities.

The truth is, we don’t have to live in the negativity or pain of the past. God’s will is for us to be transformed and renewed in our minds so we can take hold of the abundant life He offers us in Christ (see Romans 12:1–2). And by God’s grace, we have the power to keep moving forward and never give up!

I know from personal experience how important it is to have a renewed mind that agrees with God and His Word—it was the key for me to get my life straightened out. And as I began to think more like God, my words began to show it. It was a life-changing revelation that continues to this day.

Changing your words and thoughts is definitely not an easy thing to do, but with God’s help, all things are possible.

For us to turn our words around, we need to start thinking about what we’re thinking about and then make some real changes. I want to encourage you to be patient with yourself in this process because it will take time, but each day you can make more progress. And one thought at the time, as you change your thinking, your words will change and so will your life.

Let me show you how in the following sections.

Do you generally expect negative or disappointing things to happen? I used to live with this attitude, and I was miserable most of the time. See, the truth is, you cannot have a peaceful, joy-filled, positive life and a negative mind!

I often wondered, What’s going to go wrong next?

Confront Your Negative Thoughts

Many people let negative thoughts and emotions control their lives, so they don’t expect anything good to happen to them. If this is you, I want to encourage you: You can begin to turn this around by thinking and speaking the truth over your life.

For example, when you get up in the morning, start the day by intentionally declaring, “This is the day the Lord has made, and He has a good plan for my life today!”

The key is to begin thinking according to what God’s Word says. And when the first negative thought comes your way, you need to recognize it immediately and confront it. As the Bible says, resist the devil at his onset (see 1 Peter 5:9).

It’s a choice we have to make, and by God’s grace, we can choose to be positive rather than negative. Every day we have many opportunities to get offended or to say negative things, but no matter how we feel—no matter how frustrated or irritated or impatient or angry we get—we always have a choice.

Those are the moments when we have to decide: Are we going to throw a fit, or are we going to go to God and ask Him to help us exercise self-control and do the right thing?

It’s not always easy, but we must get in the habit of immediately going to God. Only then will we begin to see our moods and bad attitudes leave our hearts a little sooner.

We have to choose to think and speak positively—on purpose. It doesn’t come naturally and it doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it takes a lot of practice. But you can do it with God’s help, one right decision at a time.

Here’s some good news: Although we’re often tempted to think wrong thoughts, we don’t have to focus on them. We have a choice! We can purposely choose what we will think and talk about.

Now, there will be days when you have setbacks; we all have them. But the important thing is to get back up, dust yourself off, and start again. Think about it like this: When a baby is learning to walk, he falls many times before he learns how to walk well. Failing from time to time—which happens to all of us—doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It simply means you don’t do everything right all the time or on the first try. Again, what matters most is that you keep on doing what’s right because eventually, you will be able to overcome negativity on a daily basis, if you don’t give up.

If you’ve been consumed with negative thinking and speaking, the pathway to your freedom begins when you face the problem without making excuses for it.

In the Bible, Proverbs 18:21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue . .

We must choose life-giving thoughts. When we do, positive, powerful, life-giving words will naturally follow.

Sometimes people try to control their mouths but do nothing to change their thoughts. That’s like pulling off the top of a weed—unless the root is dug up, the weed will always come back. You’ll never control your mouth unless you first learn to control your mind.

Believing is the first important step to switch our thinking from negative to positive. Remember, what’s in your heart and mind will come out of your mouth. If your soul (mind, will and emotions) is full of negative ideas, your expectations will be negative and the fruit of your life will show it. On the other hand, when you choose to read and meditate on God’s Word, you’ll have much good fruit in your life. The choice is yours!

Some of us tending to focus on the idea of something bad can happen, but God wants us to expect good things to happen.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God’s thoughts and plans for us are for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

God wants you to say, “Something good is going to happen to me!”

Proverbs 23:7 says, For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Simply said: Where the mind goes, the man follows.

The truth is, God doesn’t work in us through negative attitudes that are full of fear, self-pity, laziness, passivity or an “everybody owes me” perspective. God works through faith!

The Bible specifically talks about three things we must do to develop a positive, hopeful mind that agrees with God. I want to share the benefits of each of them.

First:

Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things) . . . (Colossians 3:2).

This is the key to resisting temptation. When you make up your mind ahead of time regarding what you will and won’t do, then when temptation comes, you have laid a foundation to make right choices and are more likely to successfully overcome the temptation. For example, before you get into social situations, decide, I am not going to gossip. I’m not going to ruin someone’s reputation and offend the Holy Spirit.

Other temptations may require you to decide things such as, I’m not going to eat four candy bars today, or I am not going to look at pornography on the Internet, or I am not going to hang out with people who are bad influences. My point is you shouldn’t wait until the temptation comes and then react based on how you feel about it.

Second:

Do not be conformed to this world . . . but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind . . . (Romans 12:2).

Renewing the mind is an ongoing process. Every day you need to take time to study the Word so you can purposely think according to what it says.

Third:

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind . . . (1 Peter 1:13 NKJV).

You are probably thinking, What does that mean? It’s basically saying you need to get all the junk in your mind out of your way so you can keep running your race in Christ Jesus and have the victory God wants you to have.

It’s so important for us to think about what we’re thinking about so we’re aware of any “junky” or ungodly thoughts that we need to get rid of. It will take diligence and determination to learn how to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 10:4–5), but God will give you the grace as you lean on Him for the ability to succeed with this. And remember that God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but He does want you to make a little bit of progress each day in your journey.

One practical way to accomplish these three directions from God is to have a think session every day and take time to think about some things on purpose. Spend some time thinking about scriptures that renew your mind with the truth about what God says—about His love for you, His plan for you, how He wants you to live and behave. Use a concordance to find verses that cover areas you are struggling with or need to know more about. I want to encourage you to write some of them down and put them places where you will see them every day, like the bathroom mirror or refrigerator. If you will commit to setting your mind on God’s Word, renewing your

mind with truth and getting stinkin’ thinkin’ out of your way, then you will experience the fullness of new life that we can all have in Christ. Ask God to help you and trust Him to give you the grace you need to make a little progress each day, one day at a time.

To get you started, here are three power thoughts that will help you think positively:

· I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ.

· I must take action and walk by faith

· I will do what the Word of God says (FACT) to do

Speak Positive

Hebrews 4:14 says we should hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].

Confession means “to say the same thing as.” The way we “hold fast our confession of faith” is by confessing, or speaking, the Word. And when we do, the power of God’s Word works in our lives and on our behalf. So it’s vital for you to learn how to speak the Word of God and not just say things based on your feelings or what others have said about you.

I believe you’ll have greater success with this if you concentrate on what you should be saying, rather than continually focusing on all the things you shouldn’t say.

Here are some ways you can learn to speak God’s language . . .

Bless everything you can possibly bless. James 3:8–10 says you have the power to bless or curse with the words of your mouth.

Be thankful and say so! (See Psalm 100:4.) Don’t just think about how much you appreciate someone—tell them!

Be an encourager. Give someone an encouraging word every day.

Tell the truth! Sometimes the truth will hurts, but being truthful with good intentions is always appreciated more than a lie.

Speak the Word of God. Recite and memorize verses that deal with things you want to change or overcome, such as depression, anxiety, anger, unforgiveness or insecurity.

Don’t talk too much. Be quick to hear and slow to speak.

The mind is one of the hardest areas to get under control and keep under control. Part of why it’s hard is because Satan attacks us with lies and deception.

First Peter 5:8 says to be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring . . . seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

And 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 says, The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ . . . .

These scriptures show us that positive thinking doesn’t just happen. It’s something you have to do on purpose. You have to believe God’s Word is for you, and then you need to take the next step and speak out loud and actually hear yourself say what you believe.

As you begin to reclaim your mind and thought life from the enemy, know that he won’t easily give up the place he’s had. You will have to go to battle against his lies and confusion. You must declare out loud that you will not allow any outside force to do your thinking—man or spirit. Your power and authority come from the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus and the Word of God. Ask God to give you discernment so you can recognize the lies of the devil. As God’s children, we are all in a battle we must fight, and He has provided the mighty weapons of warfare we need to get the victory (see Ephesians 6:12–18). Our part is to make up our mind that we won’t give up! According to Colossians 3:2, you can set your mind on things above and keep it set. As you begin this battle, things may seem to get worse before they get better. Remember to pray for God’s help, in the name of Jesus, and He will give you more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully) . . . (James 4:6).

Don’t Give Up!

The process of renewing your mind takes time, so, it’s important for you to be patient with yourself. God knows our weaknesses; that’s why He gave us Jesus, the perfect sacrifice to cleanse us of all our sin and give us access to God’s grace.

When we make mistakes, we can always go immediately to God, ask for forgiveness and get a fresh start.

First John 1:9 says, If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

Rest in the perfection of Jesus Christ and continue claiming victory over your mind.

You are more than a conqueror through Christ, and as you put your trust in Him each day, you will have more victory!

Be blessed and empowered to succeed!

Love,

Stella Maxwell