"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." Romans 12:2
The battlefield of success takes place in the mind. The mind is the organ of the Holy Spirit. The first time the Holy Spirit baptized believers was on the Day of Pentecost. That spiritual phenomenon took place in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. The name is synonymous with its geographical location as the highest point of the City.
Anatomically, the head or the mind is the highest point of the human body. The "Upper Room" of the believer is the mind. The mind is the organ of the Holy Ghost. The transformation of the person starts in his/her mind.
Victorious Spirit-led Christians are always mentally strong individuals. That's not to say they don't have challenges. Remember, I said the battlefield is in the mind. We all battle the negative, pessimistic, and fearful inner self that tries to sabotage our success. It's not that successful Spirit-led believers don't have problems; they just don't allow their problems to "have" them.
The more you renew your mind through the power of the Holy Ghost, the mentally stronger you become. This fact determines how successful you are in your relationships, job, finances, health, fulfillment… in everything!
Let me give you three things that will help you to become mentally strong:
1) Be Optimistic
Negative people live unhealthy lives. Their relationships with God and people suffer, their work suffers, their productivity suffers, and so does their happiness. We all know we shouldn't be negative, but negativity is sneaky. You won't even realize when you are being negative because negativity disguises itself in realism. Instead of saying you're negative, you'll say you're just "being real." Don't make agreements with negative thinking; it only destroys hope and success. David Lynch said, "Negativity is the enemy of creativity." I couldn't agree more. Just remember any thought that focuses on the problem and not the opportunity is negative!
The apostle Paul writes: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Philippians 4:8
2) Be Slippery
Your mind can either be sticky or slippery, meaning things will either stick easily or slide off easily. In this context, the more slippery your mind is, the less of a chance unhealthy things have to stick. Mentally weak Christians have sticky thoughts. They allow hurtful words, unhealthy actions, and negative experiences to consume their mind, thus making no room for solutions and productivity. Mentally strong believers have a "slip and slide" mind; they allow things to be forgiven and forgotten quickly. The faster you can recover from "bad stuff," the greater your chances of success. Do what you can to not hold on to negative things in your life, or they will consume you.
The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger. Job 17:9
3) Be Controlling
No, I don't mean controlling of others, but controlling of yourself. Have a disciplined mind. Mentally strong believers don't allow their environment to dictate their wellbeing; they let their wellbeing dictate their environment. Mentally strong believers don't say things like, "I am just over this day and ready for it to end." That statement is an example of someone who is allowing circumstances to control their wellbeing. I know we ALL have bad days, and that's ok, but mental strength does what it has to recover quickly. In his book "Mind is the Master" James Allen said: "Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice, he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation." You can't control your circumstances, but you can always control your response to those circumstances, and mentally strong believers strive for that.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. II Corinthians 10:5.
Renew your mind daily through prayer, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. Healthy minds produce healthy emotional and spiritual lives.
Have a blessed week,
Pastor (Rev. Elias Limones)
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