Change
Your Environment
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus
got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.
Mark 1:35, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
Are you facing challenges today or feeling overwhelmed by
your circumstances? Perhaps what you see on the outside doesn’t match what God
has placed on the inside of you. The key is: don’t sit around in self-pity,
depressed or discouraged. Go out and find someplace you can dream and connect
with Almighty God. Go to the park and watch the sunset. Look up at the stars
and think about His goodness. Take a break from the environment that seems to
be holding you back. Find a place that inspires you, a place where you can
meditate on His Word and let your faith be elevated. Stay in a good,
Bible-based church where people are going to build you up and not tear you
down; a place where people are going to challenge you to rise higher and become
all that God has created you to be.
I know people who get home from work every night and
watch the same depressing TV shows week after week. Don’t let that be you! If
you’re going to enlarge your vision, you’ve got to get out of a limited
environment. Put yourself in an atmosphere of victory and success and move
forward in the good things God has prepared for you!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father, today I choose to separate myself from my
circumstances and from my environment so I can set my heart and mind on You.
Show me Your ways. Reveal Your love to me. Give me Your vision of victory for
my future in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
"Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." (Proverbs 4:23 GN)
Long before psychology came around, God said your thoughts determine your feelings and your feelings determine your actions. If you want to change your life, you have to control the way you think.
Our minds are really an amazing creation. It would take a computer the size of a small city just to carry out the basic functions of your brain. Your brain contains more than 100 billion nerve cells. Each individual cell is connected with 10,000 other neurons.
You’re also constantly talking to yourself. Research indicates that most people speak at a rate of 150 to 200 words per minute, but the mind can process about 500 to 600 words a minute. That's why you can listen to me and plan today's dinner at the same time.
The problem is that a lot of us are like Job, who says, “Everything I say seems to condemn me” (Job 9:20b GN). He's saying, in effect, “Everything I say puts me down.” If you are a typical human being, you are your own worst critic.
We’re always putting ourselves down. We walk into a room smiling, but inside we're thinking, “I’m fat. I’m dumb. I’m ugly. And I'm always late!”
But when you say those things, you’re really pointing to the Creator who made you. When you say, “God, I'm worthless. I'm no good. I can't do anything,” you're saying, “God, you blew it with me.” That's why God says it's wrong to put yourself down.
How do you eliminate negative self-talk so you can become a more confident person?
The Bible teaches the principle of replacement. “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right … Think about all you can thank God for and be glad about" (Philippians 4:8 TLB).
In other words, don’t think about all those weaknesses in your life. Focus on who God wants you to be and what God wants to do in your life. I don't know a better antidote to low self-esteem (or to facing your hurts, habits, and hang-ups) than to read God's Word every day — study it, memorize it, meditate on it, and apply it in your life.
The best thing you can do to raise your confidence level is to start believing what God says about you. When I find a verse in the Bible that speaks to me, I write it down on a card, memorize it, and then affirm it by saying it back to God: “Father, thank you that I am valuable, significant, forgivable, and capable." Let God renew your mind, because “your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23 GN).
Talk About It
|
No comments:
Post a Comment