The Key to Victorious Living 365 Days a Year
CHAPTER 1
Biblical Thinking is Positive
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. -- Proverbs 23:7
A person literally is what he thinks and believes. His personality is the sum total of his thoughts. You are today what your thoughts, beliefs, and convictions have made you. Many times you are defeated, not by your circumstances, but by your attitude toward your circumstances and problems. What you think about them is of vital importance in overcoming them, and often a positive attitude spells the difference between victory and defeat.
We must treat the subject of positive thinking before dealing with the question of making a positive confession because there is an inseparable relationship between what we think and what we say. What we think and believe is generally what we talk about and confess. Our confession is, in the final analysis, merely the vocal expression of what we think and believe. Therefore, if our thinking is wrong, then our confession will be wrong. If our thoughts are negative, then we will not make a positive confession. If our mind is filled with thoughts of trouble, fear, failure, and anxiety, then this will be reflected in what we say, "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34).
Sickness, failure, trouble, and adversity are often the result of wrong thinking. We generally experience what we think and believe, just as the Scriptures tell us: "as [a man] thinketh is his heart, so is he." Therefore, we must correct our thinking habits, for our thoughts are the seeds we plant in the garden of our mind that will produce the harvest which we will reap.
Satan works through the mind. Thus, much sickness, trouble, and failure begin in the mind and result from listening to lying, deceiving spirits from the Enemy. When you became seriously ill last winter, perhaps it was because you said, "I think I must be coming down with the flu, as I don't feel too well. There are so many who are ill and off work because of colds or the flu. If I stay at home today and lie down, maybe I will feel better; but if I don't improve, I'll just drop by the doctors office for an examination."
You fail in certain things you attempt to do because you think that you will fail; or you have convinced yourself that you lack the ability, so you do not believe you can succeed even if you try. Your marriage is not as harmonious as you would like it to be because you allow Satan to implant negative thoughts into your mind over every trivial thing that arises. As a consequence, you see the worst in everything -- and, of course, you usually get what you expect.
You cannot seem to get healed of some disease or affliction, or you fail to receive deliverance from some problem, because you do not think that you can. You think that it is too serious, or you think that the problem is too complicated, or you think you do not have enough faith, and so on. You get up some morning and say, "I sure hate to think of going to work today. The auditors are coming, and I know what an ordeal that will be! I always wind up with a splitting headache when they come." Is it any wonder that your day ends no differently than you expected?
You receive the negative things you confess because you expect to receive them. How often, when something does not go as planned, or just as you wish, do you say, "Well, it happened just as I expected. Nothing ever seems to go right for me"?
A person who confesses fear, anxiety, sickness, and defeat does so because he believes in fear, anxiety, sickness, and defeat! He believes in these things because his mind is always dwelling on them. You will ultimately come to believe what you think, if you think the thought long enough. If a person entertains thoughts of fear, and does not resist those thoughts, then he will begin to confess fear, which in turn will only add to his fears, setting up a cycle that increases the very thing he wants to be rid of.
Countless numbers of Christians are being defeated today by negative thinking. They think they are either too young or too old for God to use them (forgetting that Samuel was a child, David a youth, Abraham and Moses advanced in age when they were called). They think they lack the education or the ability to serve the Lord effectively (overlooking the fact that many of the apostles were uneducated fishermen, that Jesus Himself had no formal education, and that David, the King of Israel, was but a shepherd). They think that they lack sufficient resources to undertake some work of the Lord, or do not have as much time as they would like to devote to spiritual interests because of financial burdens (apparently ignorant of the fact that Christ has promised to supply all their needs if they will "seek...first the kingdom of God," Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19). Thus, many Christians are not living victoriously because of wrong thinking.
The list goes on, ad infinitum. Of course, they generally receive what they expect.
The power of thought over our physical and mental well-being, as well as over
our circumstances, is phenomenal. Medical science agrees with this. If your mind
is continually dwelling upon some physical ailment, you can hardly expect your
body to mend. If your thoughts are constantly occupied with some problem or
imperfection, there is little hope for improvement.
"You prayed for my wife's healing some time ago," a man said to me one evening, after a service where I had spoken. "Nevertheless, she gets up every morning thinking that she is still sick because she still has certain symptoms, and she doesn't believe that she will ever get well."
This situation was remarkable because, during the same meeting in which I had prayed for this woman -- in fact, immediately before I prayed for her -- I had also prayed for a man who had exactly the same condition. He was healed, although it was manifested gradually; and on the same night the concerned husband spoke to me about his wife, this man also came to me praising the Lord for his healing.
Why then was one healed and the other not? They both had an identical ailment, and I had prayed the same prayer for them both. It was simply because the man had accepted his healing when I prayed, and changed his way of thinking concerning his aliment, which had opened the channel of faith, so that healing could begin to flow to him. But the woman did not think that she was healed, because she had experienced no immediate improvement; and she now continued to be bound to her illness because of her negative thinking.
Occasionally, a doctor will refuse to give a patient any further treatment or medicine because he knows the condition is psychosomatic and he cannot persuade the individual to change his thinking about it. There are many people who think they must be sick, or who think that they cannot get well, or who think that they must stay on medication, or who think that they must have surgery. In one instance with which I am familiar, a young woman became hysterical when her doctor insisted that, if she wanted to get well, she could no longer lie in the hospital, but must allow him to remove the cast and send her home.
In another case, a Spirit-filled physician confided to me that many of his patients, some of whom are baptized in the Spirit, actually want to believe that they are sick. "For example," he said, "I will take their blood pressure, and they will immediately ask me, "Well, doctor, which is it -- high or low?" They do not really expect it to be normal. They want to think that they are sick or that they have an ailment. Sometimes when I tell them there is nothing wrong with them, they will go to another doctor until they can find someone who seems to agree with what they think about their condition."
Scripture tells us that we become what our thoughts, beliefs, and convictions have made us ("for as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he"). Therefore, it is imperative that we change our thinking habits and thought patterns from the negative to the positive, and bring our thoughts into harmony with the Word of God. We must stop thinking and expecting sickness, poverty, inability, and failure. We are admonished in Romans 12:2 "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."
How may we do this? Here are four basic principles to apply in order to develop the habit of positive thinking, which will in turn result in a positive confession.
Any problem confronting you, no matter how difficult it may appear to be, is not as important as your attitude toward it. Usually it is not your circumstances that defeat you, but your attitude toward them and what you think about them. Remember this: circumstances give you neither defeat nor victory; they merely provide the opportunity to reveal what your thoughts and convictions really are, and what you intend to do about the situation. Often an individual allows his circumstances to overwhelm him mentally and, as a consequence, he is defeated before he even attempts to deal with the problem. Thus, in the final analysis, attitudes are really more important than circumstances.
In view of this, here is what you should do when you are tempted to be depressed and discouraged by some serious problem, or overcome by circumstances.
a. First, find a quite place where you can be alone with the Lord and commune with Him about your problem. In many cases Christians have allowed some problem or trial to overcome them merely because they failed to spend sufficient time before the Lord seeking a satisfactory solution, hoping instead that things would just "work out somehow." We must learn to be still before the Lord and wait patiently upon Him of we would have Him speak to us (Psalms 27:14 and 46:10).
b. Determine from the outset that you are going to maintain a positive attitude concerning the situation, regardless of how dark the picture may look at present. Keep in mind that no problem, no matter how difficult it may appear, is as important as your attitude toward it, for it is often your own attitude that defeats you. God cannot work in your behalf in an atmosphere of doubt, fear, or negative thinking.
c. Pray about your need with a conscience that is free from any offense before God. It is at this point that Christians too often allow a spirit of pride or insincerity to defeat them. This is the time to be honest with God and yourself if you expect His help. Admit your faults and mistakes concerning the situation. Confess your own weaknesses or sins, for as often as not, those things which seem to bother us so much in others are actually in us and need to be purged from our own hearts (Matthew 7:1-5). Many times the solution to our problem, which God will show us if we allow Him, involves a change in our own attitudes or conduct.
We are assured in John 3:21-22 that if our hearts do not condemn us when we pray, God will answer our petition and grant us a solution to our problem. Maintaining a stubborn attitude of self-righteousness about the situation, or attempting to pray with an unforgiving spirit (Mark 11:25-26), constitutes a basic hindrance to prayer which must be removed before we can expect heaven to undertake on our behalf.
d. next, calmly assess the whole matter in the light of the Scriptures, making a mental note of all those things which are definitely in your favor in the situation. Of course, you may be tempted to think that your problem is beyond solution. It may seem impossible to maintain a positive attitude about it. It may appear a waste of time even to assess your situation, when it seems there could not possibly be any points in your favor, nor anything to encourage you to believe that things could ever get any better. But such an attitude will invariably result in defeat, "for as [a man] thinketh in his heart so is he."
Remember, too, that no problem is impossible for God to solve ("with God all things are possible," Matthew 19:26). No situation is so bad that some favorable aspects cannot be found which are in your favor. If you will calmly and sincerely assess the situation, these favorable aspects will often point toward a solution, or at least present you with some other alternative besides defeat in the matter.
Years ago, after suffering several serious trials of my own faith within a relatively short period of time, I was tempted to be discouraged.
I certainly was tempted to be discouraged by so many adverse circumstances, but I determined instead to maintain a positive attitude. I began to count my blessings, rather than sit around and complain about my problems. And I found, upon assessing my situation, that I could rejoice in a number of things:
Because I had decided to keep a positive attitude about these trials, I could praise God in them (Matthew 5:10-12; James 1:2-4), and could clearly see the many favorable aspects in my situation.
And just as in the case of Job, God ultimately turned all these trials into blessings.
The glory belongs to Jesus for changing these circumstances so dramatically. But the point is, my attitudes were more important than my adverse circumstances. It is not your problems, nor your circumstances, which defeat you, but your attitude toward those problems and circumstances. It is what you think about them, "for as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he."
The Christian life does not mean freedom from trials, but it involves developing right attitudes toward them, so that we may learn to endure and overcome them, thus maturing in the faith and glorifying God. If you calmly assess your situation in the light of God's promises to you in His Word, it is certain that you will find some aspects in your favor, which will ultimately lead to a solution.
e. Finally, expect God to help you find a satisfactory solution. It is your attitude of faith at this time which will often spell the difference between victory and defeat. If you will believe that a solution can be found, and if you will spend sufficient time before the Lord, expecting Him to give you the necessary help and guidance, then no problem will defeat you, regardless of how it may appear at present.
Here is the vitally important principle that me must see: when we actually expect God to help us solve the problem, without doubting (James 1:5-7), then by virtue of this faith, we bring all things into the realm of possibility. As Jesus promises, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23).
"But you just don't know my problems," laments some forlorn soul. "They appear beyond solution. I am at my wit's end. I'm already at the bottom of the heap!"
Is this your feeling, too? Then I would suggest that you begin praising the Lord, because if you are already at the bottom of the heap, the only way you can possibly go is -- up! Start expecting things to improve. By your own admission they cannot get any worse. Your positive attitude of faith will bring all things into the realm of possibility (Mark 9:23).
Remember, your thoughts are the seeds you plant in the garden of your mind which will produce the harvest that you will reap. Your mind can only give back what you put into it day by day. Picture your mind as a garden which will reproduce either wheat or tares, depending entirely upon the kind of seed you sow in it. Just as there are two aspects to successful gardening, so it is with developing the habit of positive thinking.
a. First, you must sow good seed-thoughts. Form the habit of saturating your mind with the positive promises of God as you start each day, even before you get out of bed! I have found that Satan defeats many Christians somewhere between the bedroom and the breakfast table. He is able to do this by implanting negative thoughts of fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, and defeat in their minds as they awaken. The first thoughts that impress themselves upon your consciousness as you wake up each day are of vital importance, because these "seeds" of thought will affect your thinking the entire day.
Therefore, if you are tempted to be depressed when you awaken, then before arising let your mind dwell for a while on such positive promises as "the joy of the Lord is my strength" (Nehemiah 8:10), or "this is the day which the Lord hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).
If it is a time of trial and your enemies are opposing you, then allow the Holy Spirit to fill your mind and heart with the peace of God through such comforting promises as, "the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:6). Reassure yourself with God's promise to His children which says, "H shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him" (Psalm 91:15).
When a seemingly impossible situation is confronting you, remind yourself that God has said that "we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" Romans 8:37). Confess in faith, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).
If your trials seem particularly severe, and at times beyond your comprehension, let your thoughts rest on God's wonderful assurances in Romans 8:28: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."
Remember, too, He has promised, "Fear thou not; for I an with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.... When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" (Isaiah 41:10 and 43:2).
These first impressions that you willingly entertain in your mind upon awakening will precondition and affect your thinking for the entire day. So begin each day by rejoicing in the positive promises of God's Word, especially those that minister directly to the particular needs you may have at the time.
b. Next, you must cultivate the garden of your mind. You must cultivate your mind every day by deliberately choosing positive thoughts and weeding out all the "tares," such as idle, critical, impure, and doubtful thoughts, as well as all those of a negative nature. Every thought is a seed sown, and will eventually produce some kind of fruit. If it is a good thought, then this seed must be nurtured by prayer and faith, while tares must be uprooted immediately, and good seeds sown in their place.
Such uprooting is often painful, and you may find the flesh resisting such pruning and cleansing of the mind. It is for this reason that some individuals would rather keep their doubts and fears, as well as their wrong ideas and mixed-up thoughts. The cost involved in changing their thinking habits and replacing negative or critical thoughts with wholesome thoughts of faith, hope, love, and joy is greater that they are willing to pay.
The Bible refers to this process of the cultivation of the mind as being "transformed by the renewing of your mind." Satan seems to have filled the minds of most Christians with thoughts of doubt, fear, inability, insecurity, worry, and defeat. This negativism must be flushed out, and the mind saturated with the positive Word of the Lord, before the Enemy can be forced to release his hold on the mind and thoughts.
Like everyone else, you have spent years conditioning your mind to accept wrong thoughts -- idle thoughts, negative thoughts, unwholesome thoughts, thoughts of sickness, doubt, fear, and failure, to say nothing about a good deal of religious error. The mind cannot be renewed from such thinking habits and errors in a moment, not without determination on your part to allow the Holy Spirit to have full control of all your thoughts and beliefs. This is the significance of God's admonition in Romans 12:2: "Be ye transformed by the renewing [a process] of your mind."
As you begin to develop the ability to choose the thoughts that you allow into your mind, you will discover that you are actually engaged in spiritual warfare with the thought habits you have developed in your mind. At times your human reason or intellect may want to rebel, and Satan will accuse you of being a "hypocrite," or tell you that is all just "psychology" and "mental suggestion."
But positive thinking is not mere mental suggestion; on the contrary, it means, just as medical science has also discovered, that "as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he." Christians who are walking in victory are those who are controlling their thoughts by emptying the mind of everything negative which Satan attempts to implant in it, and saturating their thinking with God's positive promises. The Word of God is clear on this point, admonishing us in Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; it there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
To heed this admonition we must deliberately empty our minds of everything negative concerning the person, problem, or situation confronting us, instead of allowing Satan to take control of out thoughts. Victory or defeat lies in our own hands according to Proverbs 23:7.
What you think about a situation has a definite effect upon the actual situation. If you allow your mind to accept weariness or sickness, your body mechanism will automatically respond to such suggestions accordingly, because your mind has direct control over your nervous system, glands, muscles, heart, blood pressure, and so on. Thus, how you think you feel has a definite effect upon how you actually feel.
Medical science has demonstrated that generally it is not long hours or hard work that drain our energy so much as our wrong attitudes concerning our work. Mental attitude plays an important part in a person' s physical condition, his life span, his success or failure in his chosen profession, and his productivity and total well-being. If we learn to govern our thinking, and refuse to confess weariness, anxiety, doubt, fear, defeat, or the dislike of some situation, then we will find that it really does not matter too much how seemingly difficult the task, or how long we work at it.
If you grow weary during your work, instead of complaining or confessing weariness or boredom, take mental and physical "break" for a few moments and rejoice in the refreshing promise that "the joy of the Lord is my strength," and "I con do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Often I would work in my study all day, then leave at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon, and drive as far as 200 miles to a meeting. There I would speak for about two hours, minister to the needs of those present for another hour, perhaps counsel with others after this, and then drive back home the same evening.
People sometimes ask me, "Aren't you tired after such a day? Don't you feel exhausted?"
"On the contrary, "I reply. "I do not get tired generally. In fact, sometimes I sit up and read for a while, or do some other work, after such a day."
It is not long hours and hard work that drain one's energy so much -- it is wrong attitudes. I simply do not get tied as a result of my busy schedule. For many years I have put in 15-16 ours a day, seven days a week. The secret? Developing right attitudes toward my work and my circumstances, as well as toward God, myself, and others. This prevents that energy loss which causes most people to be weary and ineffective, or bored and disinterested, all because of their negative attitudes.
By conscious effort, choose the thoughts that you will allow to occupy your mind. Empty your mind of all negative thoughts or suggestions the moment Satan seeks to implant them into your consciousness. Then allow the Holy Spirit to minister positive thoughts concerning the problem, person, or situation. As a result, you will find yourself experiencing the full joy of your salvation and walking in victory more and more, regardless of the circumstances.
What is the relationship between faith and positive thinking? It is simply this: the extent of your faith and trust in the promises of God has a definite effect upon your attitudes and thinking. Tension, anxiety, emotional stress, and also many instances of physical and spiritual disintegration, result from a lack of inner harmony and peace of mind. In order to help yourself develop positive attitudes, there are three areas of your life in which you must learn to walk in total faith and dependence upon God.
a. Positive attitudes result when you extend your faith to include all that God has provided for you and promised to you. God expects us to exercise total faith, without reservation, that He will do for us all that He has pledged Himself to do. We are to have complete trust in the Lord to provide all our needs, as well as to heal, protect, and deliver us, just as He has promised to do, again and again, in His Word.
This will have a powerful effect upon our attitudes: knowing by faith that God will do for us all that He pledges Himself to do, if we will only ask (Matthew 21:22). Why? Because total trust in the Lord for all things eliminates emotional stress, anxiety, worry, and fear. The insurance companies have grown rich on people's fears and anxieties resulting from a lack of trust in such promises of God as are found, for example, in Psalms 37, 91, and 121; Matthew 6:19-34 and 21:22; Philippians 4:19; James 5:14-16; and III John 2. These are only a few out of literally thousands of promises which God has given to the believer.
Medical science insists that most illness is psychosomatic and is the result of emotional stress. Over half the beds in the hospitals are occupied by people who are physically and mentally sick due to emotional stress, worry, fear, and anxiety, "for as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he."
People tend to become what they think; they precondition their lives by their attitudes; they receive largely what they expect. Physicians tell us that it is not so much what you eat that gives you ulcers; but it is what is eating you!
Total trust in the Lord for all things will inspire in you a positive attitude toward all circumstances of life, and will greatly help to eliminate emotional stress, fear, worry, and anxiety.
b. Positive attitudes result from the assurance that you know God's will and are fulfilling it. Uncertainty about this causes multitudes of Christians to suffer confusion, doubt, insecurity, fear, and frustration. They exhaust themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually, running around in circles, as it were, bewildered and confused, seeking to know if they are in God's will. They find themselves wondering which course of action to take, and often worry whether or not they have made the right decision about some matter.
Many pastors today find that they must function much of the time as religious psychiatrists, because their churches are filled with Christians who are going through life depressed, bewildered, and confused, without clear understanding of what God's will is for them.
It is a great blessing to have peace of mind because you know that you are moving in God's will and are fulfilling His purpose for your life. It is reassuring to know how to receive His help and guidance when you face an important decision or problem for which you are seeking a solution. God has a plan for the life of every Christian; and it is His desire to reveal His will to you, help you solve your problems, and give you guidance in making important decisions.
Many Christians seem to know nothing of the concept of a God-planned life. From their confusion and bewilderment, one would surmise that God has saved them only to forsake them, leaving them to struggle along in the world as best they can. I find Christians everywhere who have lost their direction, who are in wrong occupations, who have made wrong choices and decisions, who are insecure, depressed, frustrated, discouraged by circumstances, and uncertain as to God's will for their lives.
It is not God's will for any Christian to suffer such confusion and defeat. Why not? Because He assures us in his Word that "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23). This means that we can find out what God's will is in the decisions which confront us. We can avoid costly mistakes and blunders. We can know His will for our lives, and know His guidance His guidance day by day, and thus put an end to our doubts, worries, and frustrations, which result from our inability to discern His will.
I have set forth a comprehensive study of this subject in my book, How to Know God's Will. The believer may be assured that there is no need to stumble through life bewildered and confused, for the Scriptures declare again and again, not only that God is willing to make His will known to us, but that He has also provided the means for us to find out what His will is. Positive attitudes and thinking result from the assurance that we know God's will for us and are fulfilling it.
c. Positive attitudes and thinking result when you accept, without qualification, the divine assurance of Romans 8:28. The assurance that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose," will do much to eliminate worry, concern and anxiety about our circumstances and their effects upon our lives. When tempted to feel depressed or defeated because of adverse circumstances; when everything seems to "go wrong"; when there seems to be no immediate solution to a problem we are facing; when it is difficult to understand why we must at times suffer such trials and tribulations as we do; then the heavenly assurance given to us in Romans 8:28-39, if accepted in faith, will minister an inner peace and harmony which surpasses all human understanding.
Those who rest by faith in the promise have the blessed assurance that not one thing can touch them which God does not either send or allow; that nothing happens in their lives by accident or chance; that their trials, problems, and experiences are related to God's divine purpose for their lives; and that every experience, pleasant or otherwise, is being directed by God for their ultimate good and for his glory.
Such assurances enables us to develop and maintain a positive attitude, whereby we cease despising our trial, we refuse to complain over things that try to irritate or upset us, and we can rejoice over adverse circumstances. We can rest in the knowledge that this is God's pruning work in us, in preparation for great blessing, both to ourselves and to others, when He has completed this work in us (Genesis 50:15-20; James 1:2-4).
Because many Christians do not realize the divine purpose in their trials and unpleasant experiences, they tend to resist them. They complain, "Why does this have to happen to me?" and, as a result, the real value of their trials is lost upon them. God purposely does not always give us neat, precise reasons for our trials and tests. He leaves many of the mysteries and perplexities of our lives unanswered, so the we may develop a strong, enduring faith in Him and in His promise "that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."
It is imperative that we keep before us the fact that such things as emotional stress, worry, anxiety, fear, and depression result from wrong and negative thinking. They are directly related to one's lack of faith and trust in the Word of God, which promises us healing, health, protection, deliverance, joy, peace of mind, and provision for our every need. Since the Scriptures declare that "in quietness and in confidence [faith] shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15), then you should learn to cultivate right attitudes and form the habit of positive thinking. Positive thinking results from the exercise of total faith in God in every circumstance, inasmuch as the extent of our faith and trust in the promises of God has a definite effect upon our attitudes and thinking.