Have you ever felt “weak”? Have you ever felt you were in a situation in which winning did not appear to be an option? Most of us are there now. Recently I was discussing this very thing with a friend who was lamenting how she constantly was being forced to put out fires brought on by the sudden pandemic. She arrested me with these words, “This new world came so fast that I couldn’t catch my footing.”
I call it ‘losing seasons’, times in which everything that could go wrong does go wrong. From relationships, to money, to career, we have all been weak. The good news is even when we are weak, we have the power to transform our thinking by a simple declaration.
The writer of the book of Joel says, “Let the weak say I am strong.” Seven powerful words that can transform your reality. Even when I am losing, I am winning!
Surrounded by negativity, we must not only say ‘I am strong’ but act it, too.
Here is how.
Take Control of Your Thoughts
First, take immediate control of your thoughts – regardless of your situation. The human brain is wired to hold on to previous actions and results; it automatically shoves the positive we have just accomplished to the back and moves everything negative – thoughts, experiences, words – to the front.
Think optimistic. What good does it do to think negative? People say, “I think realistically.” But thinking realistically does not mean pondering the unfortunate, ruminating on disaster and reflecting on why you will not be successful.
Forget Yesterday
Second, put the past behind. Do not become trapped in history. Yesterday’s mistakes are today’s building blocks. Develop a negative into a positive. Transform a blunder into a blessing. Always remind yourself that, despite what it looks like now: The best is yet to come!
Speak Affirmatively
Third, encourage yourself. Affirm your value; lift your self-talk – even if you sound CRAZY! The fact is our culture is so spatially and visually connected, so bent on driving home the latest advertisement that we cannot help but be affected by all the negative chatter. You must counter that chatter with positive self-talk. Say to yourself daily, “I am strong”. “I am powerful”. “I am beautiful”. “Act the way you want to be, writes Les Brown, and you will be the way you act.
Read and Watch Positive
Finally, not only talk positive, but read positive, too. Reading positive could be as simple as reading and or reciting a Bible verse or memorizing a positive quote and audibly actualizing it all day long. The brain operates on repetition; it becomes what it is most exposed to. Remember that we not only become we what think, but what we read, what we watch, what we listen to and what we expose ourselves to the most.
Practical Application: List on a plain sheet of paper one area that you consider yourself “weak” in, whether finances, health, or relationships. Next, brainstorm on ideas that you can put into action within 30 days that will improve that area. Be as specific as possible.
You can reach me at info@pastorwericcroomes.com
Comments