“Our lives are affected much more by our mindset than by our circumstances,” says Marian Struble, and I wholeheartedly agree!
Attitude is the great determiner of how we live our lives each day. And here is the greatest part of all – we have the ability and power to choose our attitude, whether it works for us as our friend or against us as our foe.
“Attitude” means our approach, outlook, stance, or way of thinking about something. How we approach the issues of daily life can either lift us to higher achievements and a sense of delight in who we are, what we do, and the nearness of our Faithful Guide, or it can pull us down into a lonely abyss of negative emotions where hopeless, despairing thoughts wreak havoc in our soul.
American author, David Foster Wallace, said, “A huge percentage of the stuff that I tend to be automatically certain of is, it turns out, totally wrong and deluded.”
Life’s issues, changes, and challenges have a way of standing before us as a threatening giant hurling fearful words and inspiring dreadful imaginations. Most of these thoughts, however, are often the wild imaginations of a negative possibility that, more than not, never transpires. Or if it does, the giant then says we will be stuck there forever.
Taking down these domineering thoughts and turning them to positive energy isn’t always easy, but terribly necessary for the life we were created to live.
To have a right mental attitude with empowered thinking means we have to stop and address the negative thoughts and anxieties that can flourish in the midst of life’s challenges. Negativity, anxiety, and despair are destiny killers, hope blockers, and will wrap the mind in tormenting fear if allowed. This includes unbridled anger.
What to do? We must dare to be a modern David who stands and addresses these gargantuan words with divine truth and Presence. To win in life, we must face our giant and take him down, and then cut off his head with his own sword…figuratively speaking, of course.
5 Keys to empowered thinking that takes down giants:
- Refuse to lean on your own limited understanding — don’t let your finite thinking rule you like a tyrant. Seek wisdom and counsel.
- Train your mind to see beyond what’s in front of you — you are wired in God’s image to be a problem solver, not a victim.
- Go talk with Abba Father about the situation – His solutions include limitless possibilities in the way heaven works with earth. Lean on His understanding.
- Declare what you hear from God over the situation — don’t further the problem and your pain through verbalizing dark emotions and despair into the current challenge.
- Choose an empowered approach to your situation, remembering the words of Thomas Jefferson who said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
Today is a perfect day for taking down destiny-blocking negativity that is screaming at you, draining your energy, inviting despair, and debilitating you from a life of joy and forward movement.
Blow your clouds away as you let the light of God’s love, care, and possibilities energize your thoughts and emotions. Doing so will release creativity and confidence for today’s success and life’s solutions. This is the life you were made for.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”