I still find myself amazed at how wonderfully and fearfully God created us. When I consider my thoughts affecting everything from my health to my outlook, I’m all the more aware of God’s originality. Teaching our minds to give the advantage rather than focusing on the shortcoming may be the novel idea that changes everything! The result of positive thinking can be seen in our daily living and in the execution of tomorrow’s dreams.
I’m so glad Joyce Meyer mentions the account of the Israelites as she walks us through how our thoughts release the power of potential. The most interesting thing about how the Israelites reacted wasn’t just their initial thoughts of inadequacy, but how in the next few verses (Numbers 13:27-33) their negative thoughts grew even bigger. As I read this I’m reminded of how I should stay focused on how big God is in every area of life. It’s so easy to make our difficulty larger in our own thoughts than the God who delivers us. I find that whatever I fill my mind with most will become the chief factor in my outlook. The key to retraining our minds is renewing them in His word and staying aware of how our thoughts impact results. Remember that positive thinking encourages positive responses. After studying this chapter I’m a lot more aware of how a negative attitude can produce negative results in my life.
The chapter details how positive thinking also keeps things in perspective. This notion always brings me back to the Israelites (Numbers 13:31-33). When Caleb and Joshua returned with a positive report about Canaan, the other men “spread scary rumors among the people of Israel” saying “it’s a land that swallows people whole”. They even went as far to claim they were grasshoppers in comparison to the giants in Canaan. I can relate to them because I’ve counted myself out based on how things look more than a few times. God has taught me to handle my molehills in His strength and not my own. When I look at it from His angle, nothing seems large enough to overtake me. I’ve grown to see things from God’s perspective rather than my limited knowledge.
When this chapter asked us to evaluate what ways we needed to start believing God’s Law more than Murphy’s Law, I immediately thought about my work life. With the high stress environment, fiscal goals and challenging deadlines; I can sometimes start to let a negative snowball get the best of me. When I step back and focus on how able God is to meet all my (work) needs, it lessens the anxiety and negative notions. I lean on what God tells us in Isaiah 43:2 Mess “When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end - because I am God, your personal God”.
In conclusion, I wanted to offer part of a devotional called “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. She writes from God’s perspective to give insight to His thoughts. The following was a perfect complement to our study. “I’m renewing your mind. When your thoughts flow freely, they tend to move toward problems. Your focus gets snagged on a given problem, circling round and round it in attempting to gain mastery. Your energy is drained away from other matters through this negative focus. Worst of all, you lose sight of Me. A renewed mind is Presence-focused. Train your mind to seek Me in every moment, every situation. Sometimes you can find Me in your surroundings, at other times you must draw inward to find Me. I am always present in your spirit. Seek My face, speak to Me, and I will light up your mind".
Points of Discussion:
1.In what specific situation do you need to believe that God is greater than your difficulties?
2.Can you remember an occasion when your negative attitude provoked a negative response?
3.Have you made a mountain out of a molehill lately? What are you blowing out of proportion?
4.In what specific circumstance do you need to start believing God’s law instead of Murphy’s Law?
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