Your mind can be your greatest asset or liability depending on how you use it.
by Dr Doug Mamvura
You must learn to harness the power of your thoughts if you are to reign victoriously in this world. The bible says in Proverbs 23:7 “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. James Allen once stated that “A man will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.”
You must understand who you were created to be. You have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Use it.
You are a child of God and His representative on earth. God is a master-craftsman. He does not create junk. God designed you for success. He made you to be a winner. This is true for every person, regardless of what has happened in the past. God has never destined anybody to live a mediocre life.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
This verse says that God knows His thoughts toward you, and His desire is to give you an expected end. That end is promised in the word of God. You can walk in victory like Moses. He was 120 years old, and his eyesight wasn’t dim nor his natural force abated (Deuteronomy: 34:7). He actually climbed a mountain the day he went home to be with the Lord. We now live under a better Covenant than Moses or any of the Old Testament heroes.
The Bible clearly states that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
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So why are some of us not having this abundant life?
Every battle is won or lost in the arena of your mind. You are the sum total of your thoughts.
There is a story in the book of Numbers which is heartbreaking in which Moses sent 12 leaders as spies to the Promised Land but 10 of them came back with a bad report (Numbers 13:1-33). They claimed that the land they had visited “devours its inhabitants and all the people they saw were giants”. They went on to say that they looked like grasshoppers in their “own sight” and they looked the same to them.
It was fear alone that caused them to miss out on the promise of God. Interesting enough, we find in (Joshua 2: 9-12) Rahab telling the two spies that had been sent 40 years later to the same place that the so-called giants’ “hearts melted neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of the spies.”
Compare this with the report that the spies gave about the same people.
It is important for us as believers to remind ourselves that we have been given a name that is above every other name as our spiritual authority and we have a double-edged sword, which is the word of God, at our disposal.
The word of God is very important. All things are possible to those who believe (Mark 9:23), but without knowledge of the word, you don’t have the correct truths to believe. As you follow God’s specific instructions, and fill your thoughts with those things that the word tells you, you will be amazed with the possibilities that will begin to unfold through meditation of this word.
It is very important to stay conscious of what is going on in your mind. Random thoughts lead to random accomplishments that rarely build upon one another. This is why we need to take our thoughts captive as stated by Apostle Paul.
In addition, Apostle Paul encouraged us in the book of Philippians 4: 8-9, that we should focus on things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious, the best, not the worst and not on negative thoughts.
You can never be tempted by things that you never think of. So think about what you are thinking about. Paul encourages us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of mind (Romans 12:1-2). We can only renew our mind through knowledge of the truth regarding who we are in Christ. If you were to build your life like a house of faith, knowledge of God would be its foundation, while knowledge of who you are in Christ would be its frame.
If you do not take control of your inner thoughts, you will become a slave to your outer circumstances. You will not be driving your life, the storms and changing weather will. There is a difference between a thermostat and a thermometer. A thermometer measures the temperature that is there, while the thermostat regulates temperature. You should be able to control your thoughts so that they are not affected by the storms out there. The way you see the world is not the way it is but the way you are. It is all in the mind.
My encouragement to us is not to be left out in the dark as an exile estranged from the abundant life God has for us believers. Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4: 18, that “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them.” Do not be among those who perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Be in the know and unlock God’s secrets for you, and get in on the good life.
Every circumstance in your life can be changed for the best. The moment you convert your imagination into your intentions and your intentions into actions, a change must occur.
Imagination is the natural product of meditation. What you think determines who you are (Proverbs 23:7), it determines what you are, where you go and what you acquire, where you live, whom you love, where you work, what you accomplish. You are always only one thought away from changing your life, according to Joel Osteen.
You will never have more or go further or accomplish greater things than your thoughts will allow.
Your life is a reflection of your most dominant thoughts and meditation. When you make it a practice to meditate on the word day and night, you will become a success (Joshua 1:8). Imagine meditating on the fact that the power that rose Christ from the dead resides in you or as Christ is, so are you in this world (1 John 4:17) or Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).
Nothing limits achievement like small thinking. How big are your thoughts?
Dr Doug Mamvura is a graduate of Charis Bible School. Feedback: [email protected] or Twitter @dougmamvura
