You Can't Drive North Looking South
The Mind-Life Connection
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Hello everyone, Pastor Ras here.
I want to talk about something that seems simple, but I have found it changes everything. It is this. You cannot live a positive life with a negative mind.
It is a straightforward principle, isn't it? But if we are honest, we often try to bypass it. We hope that if we just get a better job, or if that person changes, or if our circumstances improve, then we will finally be able to think happy, positive thoughts. We believe our life needs to change first, and then our mind will follow.
But friends, I believe we have it backwards.
Text graphic from All Nations Community Church reading: You cannot live a positive life with a negative mind. Pastor Ras teaches that where the mind goes, the man follows, reminding believers that life follows the path of their strongest thoughts. From Week 1 of the Victory Mindset series.
The truth is, your mind leads, and your life follows. It is like a car and its GPS. Your life is the car, and your mind is the navigation system. If your GPS is set for 'Worry,' or 'Bitterness,' or 'I'm Not Good Enough,' that is exactly where your life will end up, no matter how much you wish you were somewhere else. Your life will follow the path of your strongest, most persistent thoughts.
This is not just modern psychology. This is a timeless biblical truth. Proverbs tells us, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Your inner world of thoughts ultimately shapes your outer world of reality.
If your mind constantly dwells on fear, your life will become smaller, filled with avoidance and anxiety. If your mind is filled with thoughts of resentment, your life will become isolated and hard. You cannot harbour negative thoughts and expect to reap a positive life. It is a spiritual law. You reap what you sow, even in the soil of your own mind.
But here is the wonderful hope. This principle works both ways. If your mind is filled with God's truth, your life cannot help but follow that path. When you set your mind on things above, on His promises, on your identity as a loved and redeemed child of God, your life begins to move in that direction. It moves toward peace, toward purpose, and toward a courage you did not know you had.
So today, I want to encourage you to check your coordinates. What destination is your mind set on? Is it set on your problems, or on God's faithfulness? Is it set on your failures, or on His grace?
Renewing your mind is not about ignoring reality. It is about choosing which reality you will give the most power to. Will it be the reality of your circumstances, or the greater reality of God's truth?
Your life is following. Let's make sure our thoughts are leading us to the good places God has for us.
Prayer of the Day:
Heavenly Father, I surrender my thought life to you today. Forgive me for the times I have let my mind lead me into fear and negativity. Help me to set my mind on you. Transform my thinking by your Word and your Spirit. Guide my thoughts so that my life follows you into all truth, peace, and victory. In Jesus' name, Amen.