I am glad I chanced upon a channel on cable showing the sermon of Joel Osteen in Lakewood Church. The topic he was speaking about was Replacing Fear with Faith. This is perfect for me because I sometimes worry too much, and think too much of my fears.
Nowadays, it is easy to be negative. We have the news to thank, telling us to expect the worst of the economy, the worst of the year and sometimes the worst in people. We are also influenced by the people around us, even our own friends who think or react negatively. Remember that fear is faith in reverse. Joel Osteen suggested that we surround ourselves with more positive friends, we guard our minds from the power of suggestion (the negative ones) and that we must not let anyone talk us into mediocrity. This is because fear, worry and negativity are contagious.
As are faith, victory and hope, using our energy to believe, to declare God's blessings over our lives. The amount of energy taken to say,"I am never going to get well..." is the same as saying,"I am going to live a long, healthy and happy life!" Why not choose the latter and make good use of that energy? Expect the best from God, from the year. Do not watch the fear channel, the worry channel, the negative channel. If these come on, change the channel! What we meditate on will come to pass, so we must keep thoughts of victory in mind. Do not let our imaginations run wild in the wrong direction, let us activate our faith.
Matthew 9:29 TNIV
"Then he touched their eyes and said, 'According to your faith let it be done to you'."
What an encouraging post. I often pray for my mind to make a firm flip flop when fear nudges faith away. God know my heart and gives me the strength to move from weakness to the place He wants me to be.
ReplyDeletePraise God :)
Blessings
Dorothy
PS I have added your sweet award to my blog today. Many thanks again :)
This topic keeps being brought before me in one form or another. When I worry, I am basically indicating that God can't run things sufficiently. That's crazy! If there is no action for me to take in a situation, I have to let it go and trust. Worry leads to sin, always.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you brought up the effect of what we let into our minds. My pastor says our friends are like elevators, they take us up or down, they never leave us where we are. It doesn't mean we don't love those stuck in worry and negativity, but we keep them out of our core group of friends. Once we realize that we literally become what we think about all day long, we get choosy about what we let in. God is in control, He has a plan, and I want what He wants. Thanks for the reminder!