You have desires, dreams and goals that may be hidden deep inside of you. You dare not hope in or share them with others because, well, …um…you’re not sure why. They may make fun of you? You don’t really believe in yourself? You think they’re too ‘out there’? So many reasons…or rather, they may be excuses? But you know there’s more to you than the life you’re now living. You know that deep inside your soul, there’s color and adventure and creativity and joy and fun and peace! Shall I go on? Yes! That’s what most of us desire but we limit ourselves by thinking it can’t be! That’s the problem. It starts in your mind! Actually in your soul. Let me explain. Track with me. I know this tiny bit of information will help to clarify a few things you’re struggling with.
Your soul is made up of the mind, will and emotions. Do each of these function separately? Do they work together? Let’s break it down. Once a thought is sown into your mind, you have a choice to ponder on it. You explore it. You expound on it. You allow it to soak in, creating an opportunity to turn it into an idea or a dream and then into a reality! If the thought begins to bring you negativity, fear, anxiety, you have the choice and the power to think it away immediately. You have the choice of allowing where the initial thought will go. Let’s talk about that thought. If that thought sits there for a time, you can be sure that it will begin to control your emotions. Whatever that thought is, it brings with it an emotion. Once the emotion is activated, it then gives permission to your will to either surrender to it or not to and then to act on it.
Let’s look at a few examples:
You share a thought/idea that you may be excited about. with someone. You get feedback. Someone says to you, “You can’t possibly accomplish that! That’s too big! That’s too impossible! You can never do that!”
Your mind immediately processes that negative information and if not dealt with in a positive way, you begin to believe what was said. “They’re right. What was I thinking? I can’t possibly accomplish that! I don’t have what it takes. Dumb of me for even thinking I could!” Then as you allow that thought to soak in, you might start to feel depressed. Your emotions start to unite with that thought and you, all of a sudden, feel foolish or defeated or disappointed. Then your will joins the party with your thoughts and emotions, and you literally go and lay on the couch and choose to do nothing at all with anything you were once motivated that you thought you could do. You think and feel “What’s the purpose? I’m not gonna waste my time doing anything! Why bother?” And so you don’t do anything at all! You choose not to do anything that could even remotely possibly counteract the thoughts or emotions of negativity. You choose to agree with the negative thoughts and emotions and therefore you have no will or desire to take any action to challenge that! So your mind, emotions and will come into agreement and everything dies inside of you and nothing happens!
Same scenario, different mindset...
You share your thoughts/ideas you may be excited about with someone. You get feedback. Someone says to you, “That’s great! That’s a huge project, but if anyone could do it, it’s you! If you believe in it, then I know you could make it happen!” Your mind immediately processes that information and tells you, “Wow! They’re right. I could do it! It’s been on my heart to do that for years and I’m finally gonna do it! And they support me! I can’t wait to get started!” Then as you allow that thought to soak in, you start to feel excited, empowered and motivated. Your emotions start to unite with that thought and you all of a sudden feel like you just got a breath of fresh air! You think and feel “How awesome is this? I get to do this!” And you want to start on it right away! You have the will to begin to strategize and work out a plan of action to begin activating and following your initial thought. So your mind, emotions and will come into agreement and something begins to birth!
How important is seeding into, feeding, harvesting and reaping the goodness of God’s thoughts and purposes for your life, into your soul (mind, emotions and will)? Do you see how powerful this is? Do you see how important it is to make sure that your mind, emotions and will are filled with God-thoughts and His purposes for you? This is the perfect example of choosing ‘life’ or ‘death’ (Deuteronomy 28- 30). I also challenge you to ask yourself what are you surrendering to? What do you really want for your life? What are God’s thoughts for you? (Psalm 139). I believe it’s time you begin to counteract all the lies, failures and excuses in your life with truth, purpose and action!
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans not to harm you, but to prosper you; to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Are you ready to live a life of purpose and fulfillment no matter what it takes?
Think about it. What thoughts and what actions will you take to get there?