"Inviolable beliefs" to overrule "Intrusive thoughts"...
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13
There comes a time when the weakening of the flesh requires a strengthening of the will. The pounding blows of life down through the years can change a man until you are a figment of what you once were.
But as humans, we don't have to let life have its way with us. We can rise up and speak up and live up to a different level than seems unreasonable. We don't have to be products of our environment. We don't have to be the sum of our circumstances. We can function from belief and creed. This is the power of the Christian Life, in my opinion.
Paul spoke out things all the time in the midst of difficulty to help orient himself and encourage himself out of feelings and into beliefs. There is a power in our words. There is a power in the conclusions we come to. There is a power in our belief system. If it is flawed, we will be flailing. If it is anchored to truth, we will be grounded.
The guts and grit come from being grounded. And occasionally I need grounding beliefs like the one Paul had in Phil. 4:13 to rise above the fray of the day. So I thought I'd rehearse some of those beliefs as I start the day.
"I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me."
"If there are things I don't know, I can learn them and no one can stop me."
"There may be things I can't do, but that doesn't me to can't try to."
"I have limitations, but I also am an overcomer. I will embrace both."
"Who I was doesn't have to determine who I am."
"Who I am doesn't have to determine who I could be."
"Who I could be doesn't have to determine who I will be."
"Greater is he who is in me than He who is in the world."
"Most of my depression comes from a loss of focus on what I have and what matters most."
"'What if' and 'If only' kill the simple step of action. Waiting to be unafraid and waiting to be ready."
"I have more in me than I realize and the Enemy wants me to acknowledge."
"I must resist the thought every day that only big things matter. Little things mean the most."
"In this world there will be trouble, but take heart, Jesus has overcome the world."
"I can continue to excel even after an incomparable victory. It's not over...there's more to be and do."
"God kept telling every leader to be bold, encouraged, and unafraid. He knows our defaults well."
"If there isn't any resistance I'm probably not challenging the status quo."
"I can learn new ideas, words, and skills. I am not a fixed object...I am dynamic."
"If God is for me who can be against me?"
"There is too much at stake for me to coast or to seek comfort. I must fight the 'good' fight."
"The invitation to resignation plagues us all. I can push through that wall and win."
"I was not given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline."
"I don't have to accept things as they are...I'm made to take on assumptions and test conclusions."
"Success doesn't have to scare me. If I reach my goal...I must set new and audacious ones."
"Fear of the future and of failure are meant to paralyze me...but potential and possibility must catalyze me."
"People are counting on me to overcome my inner demons. It's never just about me."
"I must fight the notion that 'there's nothing I can do about it'. I can't alway do something about it."
"Nothing can separate me from the love of God."
"I'm not living for God's approval, I'm living from God's approval. I need to get this in my thick skull."
"I must stop at nothing to reach more people for Jesus. My time is short and the mission is critical."
"I can't keep my thoughts and dreams in my head. I need to share them with people today."
"I am made in God's image with his likeness looking to explode out of me and onto the scene every day."
"So much silence and passivity eclipse me...I must rouse myself from these pitiful places."
"God will never leave me nor forsake me."
"I believe in miracles and that means anything can happen at anytime in anyone anywhere. Period."
"There is no limit to what God can do if I would but wake my spirit and move my body toward its impulses."
"I was not made for safety though I have survival instincts. I was made to live or die for a cause."
"When self-protection and self-preservation kick in, I must take on the form of Christ's self-sacrifice."
"The enemy is afraid of what I would become if I wasn't afraid. His fear is my loss of fear."
"I will live with vulnerability and authenticity even if it draws criticism. Nothing really changes when people aren't really real."
"I will live today, not survive, not exist...but live. This is what it means to be human."
Laced within the list above are passages of Scripture. The prophets, priests, kings, judges, apostles, and disciples employed the discipline of speaking out "inviolable beliefs" to overrule "intrusive thoughts". They are beliefs anchored not only in our beliefs about God, but His beliefs about us. To live well and finish well I believe this discipline to be of greatest importance.
I hope I never lose the sense of purpose it takes to stay on mission. It's challenged every day which means it must be of utmost importance. At least that's what I think.
There comes a time when the weakening of the flesh requires a strengthening of the will. The pounding blows of life down through the years can change a man until you are a figment of what you once were.
But as humans, we don't have to let life have its way with us. We can rise up and speak up and live up to a different level than seems unreasonable. We don't have to be products of our environment. We don't have to be the sum of our circumstances. We can function from belief and creed. This is the power of the Christian Life, in my opinion.
Paul spoke out things all the time in the midst of difficulty to help orient himself and encourage himself out of feelings and into beliefs. There is a power in our words. There is a power in the conclusions we come to. There is a power in our belief system. If it is flawed, we will be flailing. If it is anchored to truth, we will be grounded.
The guts and grit come from being grounded. And occasionally I need grounding beliefs like the one Paul had in Phil. 4:13 to rise above the fray of the day. So I thought I'd rehearse some of those beliefs as I start the day.
"I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me."
"If there are things I don't know, I can learn them and no one can stop me."
"There may be things I can't do, but that doesn't me to can't try to."
"I have limitations, but I also am an overcomer. I will embrace both."
"Who I was doesn't have to determine who I am."
"Who I am doesn't have to determine who I could be."
"Who I could be doesn't have to determine who I will be."
"Greater is he who is in me than He who is in the world."
"Most of my depression comes from a loss of focus on what I have and what matters most."
"'What if' and 'If only' kill the simple step of action. Waiting to be unafraid and waiting to be ready."
"I have more in me than I realize and the Enemy wants me to acknowledge."
"I must resist the thought every day that only big things matter. Little things mean the most."
"In this world there will be trouble, but take heart, Jesus has overcome the world."
"I can continue to excel even after an incomparable victory. It's not over...there's more to be and do."
"God kept telling every leader to be bold, encouraged, and unafraid. He knows our defaults well."
"If there isn't any resistance I'm probably not challenging the status quo."
"I can learn new ideas, words, and skills. I am not a fixed object...I am dynamic."
"If God is for me who can be against me?"
"There is too much at stake for me to coast or to seek comfort. I must fight the 'good' fight."
"The invitation to resignation plagues us all. I can push through that wall and win."
"I was not given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline."
"I don't have to accept things as they are...I'm made to take on assumptions and test conclusions."
"Success doesn't have to scare me. If I reach my goal...I must set new and audacious ones."
"Fear of the future and of failure are meant to paralyze me...but potential and possibility must catalyze me."
"People are counting on me to overcome my inner demons. It's never just about me."
"I must fight the notion that 'there's nothing I can do about it'. I can't alway do something about it."
"Nothing can separate me from the love of God."
"I'm not living for God's approval, I'm living from God's approval. I need to get this in my thick skull."
"I must stop at nothing to reach more people for Jesus. My time is short and the mission is critical."
"I can't keep my thoughts and dreams in my head. I need to share them with people today."
"I am made in God's image with his likeness looking to explode out of me and onto the scene every day."
"So much silence and passivity eclipse me...I must rouse myself from these pitiful places."
"God will never leave me nor forsake me."
"I believe in miracles and that means anything can happen at anytime in anyone anywhere. Period."
"There is no limit to what God can do if I would but wake my spirit and move my body toward its impulses."
"I was not made for safety though I have survival instincts. I was made to live or die for a cause."
"When self-protection and self-preservation kick in, I must take on the form of Christ's self-sacrifice."
"The enemy is afraid of what I would become if I wasn't afraid. His fear is my loss of fear."
"I will live with vulnerability and authenticity even if it draws criticism. Nothing really changes when people aren't really real."
"I will live today, not survive, not exist...but live. This is what it means to be human."
Laced within the list above are passages of Scripture. The prophets, priests, kings, judges, apostles, and disciples employed the discipline of speaking out "inviolable beliefs" to overrule "intrusive thoughts". They are beliefs anchored not only in our beliefs about God, but His beliefs about us. To live well and finish well I believe this discipline to be of greatest importance.
I hope I never lose the sense of purpose it takes to stay on mission. It's challenged every day which means it must be of utmost importance. At least that's what I think.
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