Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind (10 page)

5. Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 for each of the twelve power thoughts.

At the end of your twelve weeks of focusing on each of the twelve power thoughts, I recommend that you start all over and repeat the process, especially with the ones that you feel you need most. I believe that repeating this process for an entire year would be the most beneficial plan, and that at the completion of the program you will be amazed with the results you are enjoying.

Norman Vincent Peale, a pastor who wrote the best-selling book
The Power of Positive Thinking,
said, “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” I have certainly experienced the truth of these words over the course of my lifetime and I want you to experience it too. Are you ready to begin the process of changing your life and changing your world? The rest of this book is dedicated to helping you accomplish that purpose, so let’s get started.

POWER THOUGHT

1

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

“I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].”

Philippians 4:13

T
he first thought I want to focus on that has the power to transform your life is simple:
I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ.
In other words, I can handle whatever life hands me. I wonder, do you believe you can do whatever you need to do in life? Or are there certain things that trigger dread, fear, or cause you to say, “I could never do
that
!” when you think about them? Whether it’s suddenly losing a loved one, facing a serious unexpected illness, having your adult child with two toddlers move into your meticulously clean and quiet house after you’ve had an “empty nest” for years, going on a strict diet because your life depends on it, putting yourself on a budget to avoid foreclosure on your home, or suddenly having to care for a disabled elderly parent—most people have some kind of circumstance that truly seems impossible to them, something they aren’t sure they can handle.

The fact of the matter is, while some situations may be intensely undesirable or difficult for you, you
can
do whatever you need to do in life. I know this because God tells us in His Word that we have the strength to do all things because Christ empowers us to do so (see Philippians 4:13). He doesn’t say everything will be easy for us; He doesn’t promise we will enjoy every little thing we do, but we can enjoy life in the midst of doing them. He does guarantee us the strength for everything we need to do because He Himself empowers us and we are sufficient (which is another way of saying we have everything we need) in His sufficiency.

Think about It

What in your life do you need to begin to believe you can do?

Not Alone

We must understand that Philippians 4:13 does not say we can do anything we want to do because we are strong enough, smart enough, or hard-working enough. No, in fact, it leaves no room at all for human effort or striving of any kind. The secret to being able to do what we need to do is realizing that we cannot do it alone; we can only do it in Christ. For some reason, we often fail to use our faith to believe and act on that truth. Instead, we think
we
have to do it all and, forgetting that the power of Christ works through us, we are defeated before we even begin. As I have mentioned previously, we are partners with God. We cannot do His part and He will not do our part. He wants us to believe and take action on His direction and leading, but He insists that we trust (lean and rely on) Him every step of the way.

I hear so many people make comments such as, “This is too hard. I just can’t do this. It’s too much for me.” But I need to tell you, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are full of the Spirit of God, and nothing is too difficult for you if God is leading you to do it. God will not call you to do anything He will not enable and empower you to do. He will not allow you to go through anything that is impossible for you. Our attitude toward unpleasant things is a vital part of going through them successfully. Although God never authors bad things, he does use them for our spiritual growth. For example, He may use a grouchy person to help us become more patient. God did not cause the person to be grouchy, but neither does He remove them from our life when we asked Him to. Instead, He uses them to change us!

Most of our trials in life are the result of someone else’s failure, carelessness, ignorance, or sin and understandably, we pray for God to change them. I have discovered that just because I am asking God to change someone, that does not mean they want God to change them and although my prayers open a door for God to work, He will not go against their free will to answer my prayer. While God is continuing to work in their life, they may be the tool he uses to form us into the vessel He wants us to be. I can pray for them to be pleasant, but I must joyfully accept each day as it comes, trusting God totally to enable me to do whatever I need to do that day.

God has given you the gifts, talents, abilities, and grace you need to do His will in life. God’s grace is actually His power and He will not only give you grace, but promises grace and more grace (see James 4:6). He never runs out of power—and His power is available to you! Now, if you don’t keep the right mind-set, the enemy can defeat you with thoughts of inadequacy, but if you make up your mind that you can do what you need to do, you’ll find yourself able to do it—not in your own strength, but in the strength God gives you.

Don’t speak out of your emotions because how we feel does not always agree with God’s Word. That is why it is important to realize that even though you feel overwhelmed, you should still say, “I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ.”

Do you consider yourself a person who has faith in God? If so, has your faith reached your thoughts and words? We can easily deceive ourselves into thinking we have great faith but if we are easily defeated by challenges, then perhaps our faith is not as great as we thought it was.

The Bible says that out of the heart the mouth speaks. We can learn a lot about ourselves by listening to ourselves. Do your thoughts and words reflect your complete dependence on God, realizing that His abilities (not your own) empower you to do anything you need to do in life? I had to examine my own thoughts and words and ask myself if I portrayed a person who had great faith in God, and I encourage you to do the same. I didn’t like all of my answers but the exercise in self-examination did open my eyes to understanding that I needed to make some changes. Realizing we are wrong in an area is never a problem. The problem comes when we refuse to face truth and continue making excuses.

Be willing to face anything God wants to show you and ask Him to change you. If you are trusting in your own strength, begin to trust God instead. If you are trying to do things out of your own human abilities and growing frustrated, tell God you want Him to work through you and let His sufficiency be your sufficiency.

When challenges arise I encourage you to develop a habit of saying immediately, “I can do whatever I need to do through Christ Who is my strength.” Remember that words are containers for power, and when you say the right thing it will help you do the right thing. Don’t fill your container (words) with things that disable you, for truly you are able to do all things through Christ.

As you meditate over and over on the power thought “I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ,” you will find that you are not as easily overwhelmed by situations that arise. Each time you roll that power thought over in your mind or speak it, you are developing a healthy mind-set that enables you to be victorious.

Think about It

How often do you say, “This is too hard for me” or “I just can’t do this”?

Frequently________________

Occasionally________________

Almost never________________

What will you now begin to say to reflect your confidence in God’s ability to help you do whatever you need to do?

Miracles Come in Cans

Perhaps you have heard the words “You can’t” repeatedly throughout your life. Many people are good at telling others what they cannot do. Even people you wouldn’t necessarily consider to be “against” you may have tried to discourage you from doing something you wanted to do by telling you that you couldn’t do it. Parents, teachers, coaches, friends, family members, and leaders of church groups or social activities often fail to realize the power of their words over young lives. So many children and teenagers grow up thinking “I can’t” when that isn’t true at all! No matter how many times you have heard someone say to you, “You can’t,” I want to say to you, “Oh, yes, you can!” I believe that miracles come in cans—our belief that we can do whatever we need to do through Christ Who is our strength.

I believe in you; God believes in you; and it’s time for you to believe in yourself. Today is a new day! Put the past and all its negative, discouraging comments behind you. Negative words and words that speak of failure come from the enemy, not from God, so decide right now not to allow the power of “you can’t” to influence you anymore. In contrast, God’s Spirit encourages you and will do everything to urge you forward toward success in every area of life. God tells you to have courage, so always remember if you feel “dis-couraged,” that is from the enemy and if you feel “en-couraged,” that is from God. Choose to agree with God and say to yourself, “I can!” And let the power of your positive thoughts and words outweigh the power of the negative words anyone else has ever spoken to you.

Think about It

Complete this sentence: Yes, I can

Rock Your Box

A long time ago, before some of the medical advances available to us today, a little boy was crippled, and doctors said there was nothing they could do to help him. So the boy’s mother took an orange crate and made a box for him. She put him in the box, tied a rope to it, tied the rope around her waist, and pulled him around with her so she could keep a close watch over him. Everywhere she went, she pulled him along behind her.

After a while, the boy developed a habit the mother didn’t like. He began to rock his box. This made taking him places more difficult because not only did she have to drag him, he was rocking his box. She pleaded with him to stop, but he kept rocking. Sometimes, he rocked his box to the point that it tipped over and he fell out of it. No matter how many times she put him back in the box, he kept rocking. Eventually, he rocked his box until he was finally able to get out of it. Then, to everyone’s amazement he learned how to walk and ended up with a great life.

That little boy did something that the doctors and not even his loving mother believed could happen. He refused to settle for life inside a box someone had put him in. Has somebody or something put you in a box that you want to get out of? If so, keep rocking your box until you are free. The world and people in it are experts at telling us what we can and can’t do. They don’t always celebrate anything “out of the box,” which is something out of the ordinary. Time after time I have seen ordinary people do extraordinary things when they believed they could and refused to give up.

Everyone faces challenges in life. Some people are completely overwhelmed by their challenges while others, like the little boy in the box, refuse to give up. My question to you is, “Do you want to be able to meet all challenges head-on and overcome them?” Then get mentally prepared for whatever comes. Remember, according to Colossians 3:2, the way to be prepared is to “set your mind and keep it set.” Don’t be caught off guard and unprepared. Repeatedly thinking and saying, “I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ,” will help you set your mind and keep it set in that direction, and it will set you up to win in life. Remember, where the mind goes, the man follows!

Do not allow yourself to think thoughts such as,
I just cannot take any more trouble!
Or,
If one more thing happens I am going to go over the edge!
Or,
If things don’t change soon—I am giving up!
There are many varieties of this kind of thinking—and you may have a favorite thought or saying of this type that you use when you feel overwhelmed. But do you realize these thinking patterns actually prepare you to be defeated before you even encounter a problem? There is nothing strong, powerful, enabling, or victorious in thinking you will “go over the edge” or deciding to quit. Those are losing attitudes, not winning attitudes. Don’t say things like “I feel like I am losing my mind,” or “This is going to kill me.” Instead you can say, “I have the mind of Christ,” and “This trial is going to work out for my good.”

Be a person who is mentally prepared for any challenge that crosses your path, and do not allow yourself to be easily discouraged and defeated. Always remember that apart from Jesus you can do nothing (see John 15:5), but in Him you can do whatever you need to do in life (see Philippians 4:13). Decide to rock your box until it falls apart.

Think about It

What box do you need to rock?

Exchange Things That Are Not Working

I’m sure you have walked into a store before with something to exchange. Maybe it was an article of clothing that you decided you didn’t like, a pair of shoes that were uncomfortable, or a gadget that didn’t do what you’d expected. You entered the store with something that didn’t work for you, exchanged it, and left with something that did work for you—something that looked better, fit better, or was more functional. You had to trade what was not effective for something that was.