Get Your Mind Right

Get your mind right is a phrase often used by coaches when an athlete is about to face a difficult challenge. I heard this phrase used over and over again while watching the NFL Combine. I find this thought to be helpful when facing the challenges of life as well. It is amazing how powerful the mind and our thoughts are.

One day I can be riding my bike up a steep hill and when my mind is right I rise to the challenge pressing to the top. On other days, when my mind is not right, all I see is the steep hill and the difficult challenge. This only serves to make the hill more difficult to climb. I see this same thing when I am lifting weights. If I know a particular exercise is difficult and my mind is not right I find myself dreading it. When my mind is right I tackle the exercise attacking the repetitions. It is a battle of the mind. When I dwell on feeling weak and tired my body seems to correspond accordingly.

This is true of the challenges of life. We all have our own challenges. When we allow our minds to drift away from scripture and the promises of God, our faith becomes weak and we easily lose hope. When we live this way day in and day out we live with a sense of dread and despair that defeats us. Life is not easy. There are seasons when we sail through life on smooth seas. There are others seasons when the seas of life become tumultuous tossing us about. What do you during those seasons?

This morning I read about Abraham and his hope against hope that God would keep His promise making Abraham the father of many nations when he and and Sarah had no children. Abraham waited for over two decades to see this promise come true. He was one hundred years old. Sarah was way past prime child bearing years. In fact, the scripture tells us Sarah's womb was dead. Talk about a situation looking hopeless. Go ahead and travel down to the local Senior Adult Rehab facilities and Care Centers and I assure you will not find any of the residents pregnant in their seventies, eighties, and nineties.

Abraham kept his mind right. He saw the reality that with each passing year he and Sarah were getting older. He did not allow that reality make him weak in his faith. Don't we often do just the opposite. The greater the challenge we face and the longer God delays don't we  grow weaker in our faith rather than stronger? "He did not waver in unbelief at God's promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God." [Rom 4:20] Our eyes can deceive us. How do we approach life? Do we look through our physical eyes taking note of every problem, trial and challenge? Do we look through the lenses of faith and God's promises? We must get our minds right to view life through the eyes of faith.

Abraham did not waver between faith and doubt. I know I cannot say that. I have often wavered because I filled my mind with lies from the enemy rather than the truth of God and His word. What does God have to say about your situation? Fill your mind with that. Dwell on that. Build and strengthen your faith on that.

Abraham was fully convinced that what God had promised him, God would perform. [Rom 4:21] Think about this. Abraham kept believing this not for a month or a year but for two and a half decades! He kept his mind on the promise of God and built his faith on that, not what he could see with his physical eyes. You know it was not easy. Everyday he awoke with hope but went to bed without the promise being fulfilled. We face the same thing. Some reading this are tired, frustrated and maybe angry. What do you see right now? I see challenges and mountains I have been up against for months and some others for years. You see real needs, real crisis and real challenges you need God's help to overcome. If our minds are right we wait and live in faith.

When I get my mind right, like this morning by reading scripture, hope floats and my faith is strengthened. My challenges are not really challenges at all. God is able to accomplish, no He is more than able to accomplish, all that concerns me. I am not saying keeping your mind dwelling on the promises of God is easy. On any given day or at any given moment your mind can be lead astray. Keeping our minds right is a chore. There are no short cuts. Keeping your mind right requires the daily discipline of focusing on God's word.

This is why regular devotions are vital for your life and mine. Each day we dig into the scriptures we are reorienting our thoughts, attitudes, convictions, and hope. If we choose to neglect regular devotions, our mind not only begins to stray from God but also away from hope. Our adversary is all too quick to fill negative, defeated and despairing thoughts in our minds.

We must get our minds right. We must do this by continually inputting God's Word. We must feast on His truth trusting God to strengthen our faith to face the challenges before us. We may not be able to move our mountains in our own strength but with God all things are possible. Yes, even having a child as senior adults, facing life alone, getting back up from failure, waiting on God without wavering in unbelief and trusting that God keeps His promises no matter how long the delay. Get your mind right today and attack your challenges in faith.