The moment one realizes he can use the creative power of his thought to free himself from bondage, that moment he starts on a new adventure. He is giving birth to a new possibility. In time he discovers that he has built his prison walls himself; that the cell in which he has been incarcerated was self-created. By identifying himself with the spiritual universe, these walls crumble and he sees himself as a free soul….Only as we give the best we have to every passing experience can we hope to enter into the joy of living.
Ernest Holmes
(from The Art of Life)
Showing posts with label Power of Thought. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Power of Thought. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Change Your Thoughts / Change Your Life
L.D. Turner
I am convinced that one of the primary lessons that God is bringing to the fore in these challenging days centers on the power of thought. Granted, this is not a new awareness on the part of humanity as teachings on divine thought power have been recorded even in ancient times. However, the widespread emphasis on understanding the role thought plays in helping create the quality of life we experience is relatively new. More and more people are becoming aware of and interested in these mental laws and how to use them.
Even the most cursory survey of recent publications will reveal America’s burgeoning fascination with the power of thought. Go into any major bookstore, search the shelves, and you will see a plethora of titles related to our thought life in general and the potential power of thought in particular. What’s more fascinating is that these books are found in diverse sections, from self-help, to psychology, to personal growth, and even Christianity. What’s going on here?
Many sources attribute this growing interest in our cognitive functioning to the runaway popularity of Rhonda Byrne’s book and DVD entitled, The Secret. Byrne’s book deals primarily with “The Law of Attraction,” which basically states that if you think about something long enough with the right frame of mind, you will see it manifest in your life. Byrne treats the subject from a secular perspective and in a somewhat sensational fashion, however, a review of her book is beyond the scope of this article. The pertinent issue here is: Is the Law of Attraction valid and, if so, does it have positive implications for spiritual development.
My personal answers to these two questions are: Yes and Yes.
First, there is nothing new or “secret” about the Law of Attraction. The notion that somehow there was a conspiracy to keep this and other mental laws suppressed is, to put it frankly, nonsense. The Law of Attraction or its equivalent under other names has been well-known for thousands of years. Buddha asserted, for example, that a man’s life is created by his thoughts. The Advaita School of Vedanta (Hindu) also contains many similar teachings. In the West, Egyptian metaphysical religion and the Greek Hermetic teachings detailed the Law of Attraction as well as other metaphysical principles that have been passed down through the centuries.
During the 19th Century, the New Thought Movement stressed the power of thinking as its major tenet and, within the many schools of that movement, continues to develop similar teachings right up through the present. Science of Mind, Divine Science, and the Unity School of Christianity are but a few contemporary examples of New Thought.
In Christian tradition, the Law of Attraction and associated principles have been seen in such well-known figures as Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller. Today, the most significant home of these principles, at least under the Christian umbrella, can be found in the Word of Faith Movement, the fastest growing segment of the church.
From a biblical perspective, Solomon tells us in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” On one level, what Solomon was getting at was the reality that a person’s consistent thoughts, especially his deepest thoughts (in his heart) tend to define who that person is. On another level, this verse, as well as much psychological research, tends to point to the fact that our thoughts have a magnetic quality, drawing to us the things we think about most. In practical terms, the Law of Attraction boils down to a simple principle: thoughts become things.
Looking briefly at Genesis 1, we can see that God created the world through his thoughts. The biblical text states that the world came into being at God’s verbal command – his words. In a sense, he spoke them into existence. And what are our words? Words are expressions of our thoughts. The Law of Attraction, from a biblical perspective, is related to the fact that we were created in the image of God. In a sense, we possess similar characteristics as those possessed by God. By thinking repeated thoughts they grow stronger, and, according to proponents of the Faith Movement, when we speak them, they grow even stronger. Through repetition, taken with faith in a positive outcome, what we are speaking will eventually come into manifestation.
Whether you believe the teachings of the Faith Movement is not the issue here. The important thing is that we not throw the baby out with the bath water. The Law of Attraction, like the law of gravity, is a natural part of God’s creation. Our capacity to use the Law was placed in us by the Creator and we should use it in accordance with his laws and his purposes.
Unfortunately, many teachers, especially those associated with the Prosperity Gospel, have appropriated the Law of Attraction to be used for the accumulation of wealth. I don’t personally think this is a biblical position, but I am not the sole source of authority on this. You have to evaluate whether or not God wants you to be rich for yourself. The problem here is the fact that many people who are opposed to the message of these prosperity teachers throw out the method because they feel it is being used for material purposes. I believe this is a mistake.
Our thoughts contain creative power and can be of great assistance to us in pursuit of godly character and spiritual development. Further, we can use the Law of Attraction to help bring about the Kingdom on earth. If we have within us a creative power that can help with manifesting God’s desires on earth, then we should use it in his service. The key principle to follow is: make sure you are using it for the betterment of yourself and all creation.
Here at Sacred Mind Ministries, we stress the importance of what we have come to call “Conscious Cognition.” In essence, it is imperative that we become mindful of our thoughts and, as Paul says, take every thought captive for Christ. We stress the importance of positive thinking and positive planning, coupled with positive prayer, to create a meaningful and purposeful life.
There are several factors to consider once you commit yourself to the process of developing sacred character. First, you must realize that transforming character is just that: a process; it is not an event. Character development takes time. Next, you must come to the vital understanding that all personal change starts in your mind. Deepen your awareness of those areas of your thinking where you are controlled by ideas of limitation. God is unlimited in what He can accomplish and, although the human part of you has obvious limitations, the divine part of you is created in the image of God and is unlimited. If you can firmly believe this, you are well on your way to realizing your divine potential.
Let go of limited thinking and come to expect God’s best because that is what He wants for you. He wants you to become the absolute best version of yourself, growing increasingly in the image of Christ. Begin to see the future with faith, hope, and vision. With diligence, let the Holy Spirit help you to create new wineskins of thought. Keep in mind that God can’t pour new, creative thoughts into your old limited wineskins. It is primarily for this reason that Paul stresses the need for tearing down “strongholds” that we have erected in our minds. Viewed from a basic perspective, a stronghold is an almost automatic mental/emotional response that has become a deeply ingrained part of us.
When life presents you with problems, many times there is nothing you can do about it. However, you can have complete control over your response to any problem life sends your way. You can have greater peace of mind if you just choose to have the right kind of thoughts. Focus your entire being on finding solutions, rather than wallowing in the problems at hand.
Work diligently to find your Inner Light, that still, quiet part of your being that serves as the Holiest of Holies where you and God connect. Once you find this sacred sanctuary, continue to take proactive measures to deepen and maintain your contact with this sacred aspect of your being. The more time you spend in “sacred silence,” the better. In addition to reducing stress and helping you to relax, you will also become more centered and focused. Important spiritual traits will begin to flow out of the sacred silence and into your everyday life; traits such as improved concentration and mindfulness, attention to detail, and emotional balance.
(c) L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
I am convinced that one of the primary lessons that God is bringing to the fore in these challenging days centers on the power of thought. Granted, this is not a new awareness on the part of humanity as teachings on divine thought power have been recorded even in ancient times. However, the widespread emphasis on understanding the role thought plays in helping create the quality of life we experience is relatively new. More and more people are becoming aware of and interested in these mental laws and how to use them.
Even the most cursory survey of recent publications will reveal America’s burgeoning fascination with the power of thought. Go into any major bookstore, search the shelves, and you will see a plethora of titles related to our thought life in general and the potential power of thought in particular. What’s more fascinating is that these books are found in diverse sections, from self-help, to psychology, to personal growth, and even Christianity. What’s going on here?
Many sources attribute this growing interest in our cognitive functioning to the runaway popularity of Rhonda Byrne’s book and DVD entitled, The Secret. Byrne’s book deals primarily with “The Law of Attraction,” which basically states that if you think about something long enough with the right frame of mind, you will see it manifest in your life. Byrne treats the subject from a secular perspective and in a somewhat sensational fashion, however, a review of her book is beyond the scope of this article. The pertinent issue here is: Is the Law of Attraction valid and, if so, does it have positive implications for spiritual development.
My personal answers to these two questions are: Yes and Yes.
First, there is nothing new or “secret” about the Law of Attraction. The notion that somehow there was a conspiracy to keep this and other mental laws suppressed is, to put it frankly, nonsense. The Law of Attraction or its equivalent under other names has been well-known for thousands of years. Buddha asserted, for example, that a man’s life is created by his thoughts. The Advaita School of Vedanta (Hindu) also contains many similar teachings. In the West, Egyptian metaphysical religion and the Greek Hermetic teachings detailed the Law of Attraction as well as other metaphysical principles that have been passed down through the centuries.
During the 19th Century, the New Thought Movement stressed the power of thinking as its major tenet and, within the many schools of that movement, continues to develop similar teachings right up through the present. Science of Mind, Divine Science, and the Unity School of Christianity are but a few contemporary examples of New Thought.
In Christian tradition, the Law of Attraction and associated principles have been seen in such well-known figures as Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller. Today, the most significant home of these principles, at least under the Christian umbrella, can be found in the Word of Faith Movement, the fastest growing segment of the church.
From a biblical perspective, Solomon tells us in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” On one level, what Solomon was getting at was the reality that a person’s consistent thoughts, especially his deepest thoughts (in his heart) tend to define who that person is. On another level, this verse, as well as much psychological research, tends to point to the fact that our thoughts have a magnetic quality, drawing to us the things we think about most. In practical terms, the Law of Attraction boils down to a simple principle: thoughts become things.
Looking briefly at Genesis 1, we can see that God created the world through his thoughts. The biblical text states that the world came into being at God’s verbal command – his words. In a sense, he spoke them into existence. And what are our words? Words are expressions of our thoughts. The Law of Attraction, from a biblical perspective, is related to the fact that we were created in the image of God. In a sense, we possess similar characteristics as those possessed by God. By thinking repeated thoughts they grow stronger, and, according to proponents of the Faith Movement, when we speak them, they grow even stronger. Through repetition, taken with faith in a positive outcome, what we are speaking will eventually come into manifestation.
Whether you believe the teachings of the Faith Movement is not the issue here. The important thing is that we not throw the baby out with the bath water. The Law of Attraction, like the law of gravity, is a natural part of God’s creation. Our capacity to use the Law was placed in us by the Creator and we should use it in accordance with his laws and his purposes.
Unfortunately, many teachers, especially those associated with the Prosperity Gospel, have appropriated the Law of Attraction to be used for the accumulation of wealth. I don’t personally think this is a biblical position, but I am not the sole source of authority on this. You have to evaluate whether or not God wants you to be rich for yourself. The problem here is the fact that many people who are opposed to the message of these prosperity teachers throw out the method because they feel it is being used for material purposes. I believe this is a mistake.
Our thoughts contain creative power and can be of great assistance to us in pursuit of godly character and spiritual development. Further, we can use the Law of Attraction to help bring about the Kingdom on earth. If we have within us a creative power that can help with manifesting God’s desires on earth, then we should use it in his service. The key principle to follow is: make sure you are using it for the betterment of yourself and all creation.
Here at Sacred Mind Ministries, we stress the importance of what we have come to call “Conscious Cognition.” In essence, it is imperative that we become mindful of our thoughts and, as Paul says, take every thought captive for Christ. We stress the importance of positive thinking and positive planning, coupled with positive prayer, to create a meaningful and purposeful life.
There are several factors to consider once you commit yourself to the process of developing sacred character. First, you must realize that transforming character is just that: a process; it is not an event. Character development takes time. Next, you must come to the vital understanding that all personal change starts in your mind. Deepen your awareness of those areas of your thinking where you are controlled by ideas of limitation. God is unlimited in what He can accomplish and, although the human part of you has obvious limitations, the divine part of you is created in the image of God and is unlimited. If you can firmly believe this, you are well on your way to realizing your divine potential.
Let go of limited thinking and come to expect God’s best because that is what He wants for you. He wants you to become the absolute best version of yourself, growing increasingly in the image of Christ. Begin to see the future with faith, hope, and vision. With diligence, let the Holy Spirit help you to create new wineskins of thought. Keep in mind that God can’t pour new, creative thoughts into your old limited wineskins. It is primarily for this reason that Paul stresses the need for tearing down “strongholds” that we have erected in our minds. Viewed from a basic perspective, a stronghold is an almost automatic mental/emotional response that has become a deeply ingrained part of us.
When life presents you with problems, many times there is nothing you can do about it. However, you can have complete control over your response to any problem life sends your way. You can have greater peace of mind if you just choose to have the right kind of thoughts. Focus your entire being on finding solutions, rather than wallowing in the problems at hand.
Work diligently to find your Inner Light, that still, quiet part of your being that serves as the Holiest of Holies where you and God connect. Once you find this sacred sanctuary, continue to take proactive measures to deepen and maintain your contact with this sacred aspect of your being. The more time you spend in “sacred silence,” the better. In addition to reducing stress and helping you to relax, you will also become more centered and focused. Important spiritual traits will begin to flow out of the sacred silence and into your everyday life; traits such as improved concentration and mindfulness, attention to detail, and emotional balance.
(c) L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Today's Encouraging Word
As the fruit to the tree and the water to the spring, so is action to thought. It does not come into manifestation suddenly and without a cause. It is the result of a long and silent growth; the end of a hidden process which has long been gathering force. The fruit of the tree and the water gushing from the rock are both the effect of a combination of natural processes in air and earth which have long worked together in secret to produce the phenomenon; and the beautiful acts of enlightenment and the dark deeds of sin are both the ripened effects of trains of thought which have long been harbored in the mind…..Guard well your thoughts, reader, for what you really are in your secret thoughts today, be it good or evil, you will, sooner or later, become in actual deed.
James Allen
(from Byways of Blessedness)
James Allen
(from Byways of Blessedness)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wise Words for Today
Your business is with your conscious mind and not your subconscious mind. Just make sure the thoughts you habitually think are based on things that are lovely, true, just, and harmonious. Begin now to take care of your conscious mind, knowing in your heart and soul that your subconscious mind is always expressing, reproducing, and manifesting according to your habitual thinking.
Remember, just as water takes the shape of the pipe it flows through, the life principle in you flows through you according to the nature of your thoughts. Claim that the healing presence in your subconscious is flowing through you as harmony, health, peace, joy and abundance. Think of it as a living intelligence, a lovely companion on the way. Firmly believe it is continually flowing through you vivifying, inspiring, and prospering you. It will respond exactly this way. It is done unto you as you believe.
Joseph Murphy
Remember, just as water takes the shape of the pipe it flows through, the life principle in you flows through you according to the nature of your thoughts. Claim that the healing presence in your subconscious is flowing through you as harmony, health, peace, joy and abundance. Think of it as a living intelligence, a lovely companion on the way. Firmly believe it is continually flowing through you vivifying, inspiring, and prospering you. It will respond exactly this way. It is done unto you as you believe.
Joseph Murphy
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wisdom Worth Remembering
Since we are thinking beings and cannot stop thinking, and since Creative Mind receives our thought and cannot stop creating, It must always be creating something for us. What It will make depends wholly upon what we are thinking, and what we shall attract will depend upon that which our thought dwells.....Every person is surrounded by a thought atmosphere. This mental atmosphere is direct rsult of his concsous and unconscioius thought, which, in turn its turn, becomes the direct reason for, and cause of, that which comes into his life.....As God's thought makes worlds, and peoples them with livng things, so our thought maeks our world and peoples it with our experiences. By the activity of our thought, things come into our life and we are limited only because we have not know the Truth....
Ernest Holmes
(from The Science of Mind)
Ernest Holmes
(from The Science of Mind)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Thought: The Ancestor of Action
L. Dwight Turner
What we do begins in our thoughts and eventually is translated into our actions. In light of this fact, if we truly wish to develop our capacities and live more effective and productive lives the place we must begin is with our thinking. The formula is really quite simple. Positive thoughts translate themselves into positive actions. Negative thoughts translate into negative actions. Positive actions, in turn, promote growth and development. Negative actions result in wasted effort, stagnation, and lack of fulfillment.
The good news is that we are fully capable of changing our patterns of thinking. It may take personal effort and persistence, but we can rest assured that progress can be made and change can be realized. We can base this optimistic outlook on both the successful experience of others and on the promises of God contained in scripture.
Thought is the ancestor of action. In our journey to become the optimal version of ourselves, we must keep this principle before us at all times. You will learn to live the way you want to live when you learn to think in ways that are constructive and in alignment with biblical principles. It all starts in the mind. This is why Paul repeatedly reminds us that becoming masters of our minds is essential. The Apostle stresses that our minds must be renewed and that part of this process involves taking every thought “captive for Christ.” Further, we are instructed to think on positive, beneficial themes that flow from the reality that we are “new creations” in Christ.
Granted, there are many things in the world that you cannot change through your thinking. But the one thing you can certainly change is yourself! So start with yourself. If you want to improve yourself remember:
Create your own positive thought and you become what you desire to become because the truth of the matter is that your thought creates your experience.
Let me repeat, it is your thoughts that determine your attitudes and it is your attitudes that determine your actions. The great American President Thomas Jefferson said it far better than I can:
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.
Attitude is everything. The fact is that we often defeat ourselves before we begin a project or pursue a goal. The cause of this self-defeat is negative thinking. In order to grow and develop we have to embrace a more positive outlook on life. We must incorporate into our being the firm belief that I can if I think I can. It really is as simple as that. Base your life on this belief and you will have at your command the single-most effective tool for spiritual growth.
Many of you may read this and think, “This all sounds great, but it is just too simplistic. Life is a lot more complicated than that.” Well, both statements are somewhat true. Learning to think in a more optimistic, positive manner is simple in principle. There is nothing complicated about the theory involved here. However, no matter how simple it may seem does not reduce its effectiveness one iota. And, yes, life is quite complicated at times. Rarely are events and situations the result of only one factor, but instead, are combinations of causes. Learning to think in an optimal manner does not deny problems exist, nor does it view life in an overly simplistic way. What optimal cognition does is help us deal with these difficulties and respond to life’s complexities in a more skillful and productive manner.
One of the greatest lessons that I have learned in my life, and learned with great difficulty I might add, is expect the best and the best will come to you. Get out of all your old negative habits of thinking and be open to new, positive patterns of affirmation. Develop a joyous and optimistic outlook on each day. Fall in love with life and live it fully. Above all, develop the habit of positive thinking. Believe in yourself! Believe in your abilities! Be confident! Be Proactive! Take the following affirmative words, often stressed by Dr. Robert Schuller, and plant them deep within your mind:
I am!
I can!
I will!
I believe!
This may seem very simple and, in fact, it is. Yet it is this very simplicity that makes positive thinking so powerful and profound. If you don't believe, try it out for six months and see what happens. The results will surprise you.
In addition to being positive about our potential for personal change, we also need to develop an attitude of openness. By this I simply mean that in order to make progress, we have to do things differently than we have in the past. This, my friend, means we have to encounter change. Many of us avoid change, choosing to stay with the familiar, with the status quo. Unfortunately, if we want to grow we have to change. And, if we want to change, we have to be flexible in our approach to life and open to new ways of doing things.
The one sure thing that can keep a person in everlasting ignorance is a closed mind. To live a life based on spiritual principles is to always strive to be open to new ideas, new concepts, and fresh and invigorating ways of doing things. So often many of us go about our daily rounds, living life in the same routine way and responding to the events of the day in the same old ritualistic ways that we always have. The same is true for our thinking. We think the same kind of thoughts, hold the same views and opinions, and approach life in the same timeworn way that we always have. No matter that some of these behaviors and thought patterns are non-productive and destructive. We cherish them because they are familiar and comfortable. By living this way we never have to stretch our minds. God’s desire is that we realize our potential and he challenges this unskillful, habitual way of being. He encourages us to venture out into new ways of doing things and fresh ways of thinking. We are challenged to look at things from a different perspective and, when we do, we are transformed - changed in a positive way. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it so well:
Man's mind, stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimension.
These basic ideas may seem a bit new and strange to you, especially if you are a person who has habitually engaged in negative and self-defeating thinking. If you want to be successful you must learn to cast off these habits of negative thought and replace them with a more positive, optimistic, and fresh outlook on life. In short, what you need to develop is a new perspective on things.
Here at LifeBrook we often encounter sincere Christians who ardently desire positive spiritual fulfillment in their lives. It is our hope that you, too, will be motivated to develop a fresh perspective on yourself and your abilities. You will need to let go of old self-limiting ideas about your abilities and learn to see yourself in a more positive and self-affirming light. You will need to come to the realization that you are a unique individual with unique and individual talents and capacity. The truth is, God hardwired you for a specific purpose or mission and he also gave you the software (talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts) to be successful in carrying out that mission. Further, you will need to understand that your mind is an amazing and mysterious treasure that can either be your greatest ally or your worst enemy.
The choice before each of us is whether or not we truly want to change. If we do, it is imperative to walk daily in the process of cognitive renewal. With renewed minds, filled with the positive promises of God and a sincere wish to become the optimal version of ourselves for the sake of others, the possibilities are limitless.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
What we do begins in our thoughts and eventually is translated into our actions. In light of this fact, if we truly wish to develop our capacities and live more effective and productive lives the place we must begin is with our thinking. The formula is really quite simple. Positive thoughts translate themselves into positive actions. Negative thoughts translate into negative actions. Positive actions, in turn, promote growth and development. Negative actions result in wasted effort, stagnation, and lack of fulfillment.
The good news is that we are fully capable of changing our patterns of thinking. It may take personal effort and persistence, but we can rest assured that progress can be made and change can be realized. We can base this optimistic outlook on both the successful experience of others and on the promises of God contained in scripture.
Thought is the ancestor of action. In our journey to become the optimal version of ourselves, we must keep this principle before us at all times. You will learn to live the way you want to live when you learn to think in ways that are constructive and in alignment with biblical principles. It all starts in the mind. This is why Paul repeatedly reminds us that becoming masters of our minds is essential. The Apostle stresses that our minds must be renewed and that part of this process involves taking every thought “captive for Christ.” Further, we are instructed to think on positive, beneficial themes that flow from the reality that we are “new creations” in Christ.
Granted, there are many things in the world that you cannot change through your thinking. But the one thing you can certainly change is yourself! So start with yourself. If you want to improve yourself remember:
Create your own positive thought and you become what you desire to become because the truth of the matter is that your thought creates your experience.
Let me repeat, it is your thoughts that determine your attitudes and it is your attitudes that determine your actions. The great American President Thomas Jefferson said it far better than I can:
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.
Attitude is everything. The fact is that we often defeat ourselves before we begin a project or pursue a goal. The cause of this self-defeat is negative thinking. In order to grow and develop we have to embrace a more positive outlook on life. We must incorporate into our being the firm belief that I can if I think I can. It really is as simple as that. Base your life on this belief and you will have at your command the single-most effective tool for spiritual growth.
Many of you may read this and think, “This all sounds great, but it is just too simplistic. Life is a lot more complicated than that.” Well, both statements are somewhat true. Learning to think in a more optimistic, positive manner is simple in principle. There is nothing complicated about the theory involved here. However, no matter how simple it may seem does not reduce its effectiveness one iota. And, yes, life is quite complicated at times. Rarely are events and situations the result of only one factor, but instead, are combinations of causes. Learning to think in an optimal manner does not deny problems exist, nor does it view life in an overly simplistic way. What optimal cognition does is help us deal with these difficulties and respond to life’s complexities in a more skillful and productive manner.
One of the greatest lessons that I have learned in my life, and learned with great difficulty I might add, is expect the best and the best will come to you. Get out of all your old negative habits of thinking and be open to new, positive patterns of affirmation. Develop a joyous and optimistic outlook on each day. Fall in love with life and live it fully. Above all, develop the habit of positive thinking. Believe in yourself! Believe in your abilities! Be confident! Be Proactive! Take the following affirmative words, often stressed by Dr. Robert Schuller, and plant them deep within your mind:
I am!
I can!
I will!
I believe!
This may seem very simple and, in fact, it is. Yet it is this very simplicity that makes positive thinking so powerful and profound. If you don't believe, try it out for six months and see what happens. The results will surprise you.
In addition to being positive about our potential for personal change, we also need to develop an attitude of openness. By this I simply mean that in order to make progress, we have to do things differently than we have in the past. This, my friend, means we have to encounter change. Many of us avoid change, choosing to stay with the familiar, with the status quo. Unfortunately, if we want to grow we have to change. And, if we want to change, we have to be flexible in our approach to life and open to new ways of doing things.
The one sure thing that can keep a person in everlasting ignorance is a closed mind. To live a life based on spiritual principles is to always strive to be open to new ideas, new concepts, and fresh and invigorating ways of doing things. So often many of us go about our daily rounds, living life in the same routine way and responding to the events of the day in the same old ritualistic ways that we always have. The same is true for our thinking. We think the same kind of thoughts, hold the same views and opinions, and approach life in the same timeworn way that we always have. No matter that some of these behaviors and thought patterns are non-productive and destructive. We cherish them because they are familiar and comfortable. By living this way we never have to stretch our minds. God’s desire is that we realize our potential and he challenges this unskillful, habitual way of being. He encourages us to venture out into new ways of doing things and fresh ways of thinking. We are challenged to look at things from a different perspective and, when we do, we are transformed - changed in a positive way. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it so well:
Man's mind, stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimension.
These basic ideas may seem a bit new and strange to you, especially if you are a person who has habitually engaged in negative and self-defeating thinking. If you want to be successful you must learn to cast off these habits of negative thought and replace them with a more positive, optimistic, and fresh outlook on life. In short, what you need to develop is a new perspective on things.
Here at LifeBrook we often encounter sincere Christians who ardently desire positive spiritual fulfillment in their lives. It is our hope that you, too, will be motivated to develop a fresh perspective on yourself and your abilities. You will need to let go of old self-limiting ideas about your abilities and learn to see yourself in a more positive and self-affirming light. You will need to come to the realization that you are a unique individual with unique and individual talents and capacity. The truth is, God hardwired you for a specific purpose or mission and he also gave you the software (talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts) to be successful in carrying out that mission. Further, you will need to understand that your mind is an amazing and mysterious treasure that can either be your greatest ally or your worst enemy.
The choice before each of us is whether or not we truly want to change. If we do, it is imperative to walk daily in the process of cognitive renewal. With renewed minds, filled with the positive promises of God and a sincere wish to become the optimal version of ourselves for the sake of others, the possibilities are limitless.
© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved
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