Winning the Battle of Life: Self-Control: You are what you think!
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7 NKJV
Our thoughts creates our emotions. Self-talk is nothing new. We talk to ourselves constantly by what we are thinking. How many times have you passed that mirror today and said something negative about yourself versus something good? Count them. You might be surprise.
Proverb 23:7 tells us that "as he thinks in his heart, so is he." What we believe is manifested in our bodies, our speech, our choices. We can even have physical symptoms as well. When people are deeply depressed, their bones ache, and their bodies begin to feel as if they are wasting away from lack of food. What you continually think of becomes a reality for you. Jeremiah the prophet continually thought of his misery. No wonder he was known as the weeping prophet. He was depressed!
Our thoughts affect our behavior. I am a Computer Scientist by trade, and in computer languages we have a saying called GIGO, "Garbage-In, Garbage-Out". In other words the computer processing unit (CPU) will not do any more than what you program it to do.
Our thought patterns are programs that are executed in our head and carried out in our feelings. Our mind is the CPU, and it will not do any more than what it is programmed to do. In the Computer, if your software is corrupted with bad logic ( a virus) it corrupts the entire computer. This is true with your thoughts. If you continue to focus on negative thoughts (better known as "stinking" thinking) you will produce a negative environment. Your entire body gets involved in your belief system and you feel bad, everything hurts.
In every situation our responses are based on how we choose to interpret that event or what someone said to us. We filter other people's words through our own experiences. If you are into "group' thinking this gets even worst. Have you ever been in a good mood at the office and then you meet up with a group of your friends after work, who are all complaining about some lady who they don't like? You may not even know the person, but you begin to get angry and start complaining along with them. Your smile becomes a frown, your head is turn side ways and you are ready to fight. You went from "happy" to "mad", just like that. Before you know it, you can't stand her either. And it is all because you believed what they were saying about someone you don't even really know. Now, watch how your emotions will interpret the situation, the next time you casually pass her up in the hallway. You will think something negative about her. Yet, you don't even really know why.
Next time form your own opinions and get to know the lady for yourself. We women often take sides and form "clicks" all the time. We are group thinkers! But to be a Leading Lady, you must pray alone, worship alone, and think alone, turning your heart and thoughts to God alone!
Now, God has always been especially concerned about a woman’s heart or mind (one reason I started this blog). God is concerned about what we as women think, because what a woman holds in her heart, or thinks, has a great effect upon her spiritually, mentally, and physically. God created a woman to behold His beauty, but when our thoughts are ugly, so are our hearts, our minds and our bodies. A woman with a bad attitude is a ugly woman, I don't care how she looks in a St. John, Saks Fifth Avenue suit; her attitude will make or break her.
Your heart or mind largely determines what you will be and what you will do. If your mind is evil it will manifest evil acts.
We must keep God at the center of our thoughts. I don't mean everything you think must be about God. What I am asking you to do is to think about what you are thinking about. Ask yourself is it good, and honest? Is it rational or irrational? Paul teaches in Philippians 4:8 that every thought that enters our mind is to be whatever is true, honorable, just, pure , lovely, or gracious. "If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." And the promise is that "the God of peace will be with you." (v.9)
Guard your mind and watch what you think about yourself and others. Words said either spoken or in the privacy of your mind are still powerful. Don't allow anything that drives you to uncontrollable and overwhelming feelings lead your thought life. Self-control begins with controlling your thoughts! You control your thinking by capturing every thought that enters your mind and examining it to see if it is worthy of finding a place in your belief systems.
First you must know what you believe in. If you believe in God, what is right and good, then your thought life should test everything against the Word of God.
Question: What do you believe about yourself, your love ones, your friends? If you find that more than 50% of the time you have negative thoughts about you, your family and your friend, something is wrong, your trust bank is low and you need to get a healthy thought life back. The only way to do that is to find your way back to the mind of Christ. Do not be conform to this out of control world way of thinking. Give your mind, heart and the soul over to His love and His way of thinking. Do you know that God is always thinking good thoughts about you? He tells us that we are what we think. So guess what, God is always thinking good about you, because He is good.
Exercise self-control today and if a negative thought enters into the door of your mind, stop it at the door, examine it and see what it is worth. Don't get caught up in the trap of irrational, accusing thinking. Let it go and think on what is right and good continually.
For His Glory;
Pastor Patricia
Our thoughts creates our emotions. Self-talk is nothing new. We talk to ourselves constantly by what we are thinking. How many times have you passed that mirror today and said something negative about yourself versus something good? Count them. You might be surprise.
Proverb 23:7 tells us that "as he thinks in his heart, so is he." What we believe is manifested in our bodies, our speech, our choices. We can even have physical symptoms as well. When people are deeply depressed, their bones ache, and their bodies begin to feel as if they are wasting away from lack of food. What you continually think of becomes a reality for you. Jeremiah the prophet continually thought of his misery. No wonder he was known as the weeping prophet. He was depressed!
Our thoughts affect our behavior. I am a Computer Scientist by trade, and in computer languages we have a saying called GIGO, "Garbage-In, Garbage-Out". In other words the computer processing unit (CPU) will not do any more than what you program it to do.
Our thought patterns are programs that are executed in our head and carried out in our feelings. Our mind is the CPU, and it will not do any more than what it is programmed to do. In the Computer, if your software is corrupted with bad logic ( a virus) it corrupts the entire computer. This is true with your thoughts. If you continue to focus on negative thoughts (better known as "stinking" thinking) you will produce a negative environment. Your entire body gets involved in your belief system and you feel bad, everything hurts.
In every situation our responses are based on how we choose to interpret that event or what someone said to us. We filter other people's words through our own experiences. If you are into "group' thinking this gets even worst. Have you ever been in a good mood at the office and then you meet up with a group of your friends after work, who are all complaining about some lady who they don't like? You may not even know the person, but you begin to get angry and start complaining along with them. Your smile becomes a frown, your head is turn side ways and you are ready to fight. You went from "happy" to "mad", just like that. Before you know it, you can't stand her either. And it is all because you believed what they were saying about someone you don't even really know. Now, watch how your emotions will interpret the situation, the next time you casually pass her up in the hallway. You will think something negative about her. Yet, you don't even really know why.
Next time form your own opinions and get to know the lady for yourself. We women often take sides and form "clicks" all the time. We are group thinkers! But to be a Leading Lady, you must pray alone, worship alone, and think alone, turning your heart and thoughts to God alone!
Now, God has always been especially concerned about a woman’s heart or mind (one reason I started this blog). God is concerned about what we as women think, because what a woman holds in her heart, or thinks, has a great effect upon her spiritually, mentally, and physically. God created a woman to behold His beauty, but when our thoughts are ugly, so are our hearts, our minds and our bodies. A woman with a bad attitude is a ugly woman, I don't care how she looks in a St. John, Saks Fifth Avenue suit; her attitude will make or break her.
Your heart or mind largely determines what you will be and what you will do. If your mind is evil it will manifest evil acts.
We must keep God at the center of our thoughts. I don't mean everything you think must be about God. What I am asking you to do is to think about what you are thinking about. Ask yourself is it good, and honest? Is it rational or irrational? Paul teaches in Philippians 4:8 that every thought that enters our mind is to be whatever is true, honorable, just, pure , lovely, or gracious. "If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." And the promise is that "the God of peace will be with you." (v.9)
Guard your mind and watch what you think about yourself and others. Words said either spoken or in the privacy of your mind are still powerful. Don't allow anything that drives you to uncontrollable and overwhelming feelings lead your thought life. Self-control begins with controlling your thoughts! You control your thinking by capturing every thought that enters your mind and examining it to see if it is worthy of finding a place in your belief systems.
First you must know what you believe in. If you believe in God, what is right and good, then your thought life should test everything against the Word of God.
Question: What do you believe about yourself, your love ones, your friends? If you find that more than 50% of the time you have negative thoughts about you, your family and your friend, something is wrong, your trust bank is low and you need to get a healthy thought life back. The only way to do that is to find your way back to the mind of Christ. Do not be conform to this out of control world way of thinking. Give your mind, heart and the soul over to His love and His way of thinking. Do you know that God is always thinking good thoughts about you? He tells us that we are what we think. So guess what, God is always thinking good about you, because He is good.
Exercise self-control today and if a negative thought enters into the door of your mind, stop it at the door, examine it and see what it is worth. Don't get caught up in the trap of irrational, accusing thinking. Let it go and think on what is right and good continually.
For His Glory;
Pastor Patricia
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