“A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.”  James Allen

When was the last time that you were a victim of your own thoughts?  What was the outcome?

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.  (Prov. 23:7a; KJV)

Earlier in the week we examined the dangers of a victim mentality.  We stated then that to see ourselves as a victim or to accept some level of responsibility was always a choice that we could make.

Along those lines, one of the choices that we always have before us is what we think. Proverbs 23:7a (KJV) says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” A less familiar verse is 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV) which reads, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”  In this verse, Paul is telling us that we are responsible for every thought that we have. (If we weren’t responsible, how could we possibly bring every thought into captivity?) If a thought is not good and uplifting, we are responsible to discard it and replace it with one that is.

James Allen wrote a timeless classic in the early 1900’s in which he said, “A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.” Allen goes on to write, “That circumstances grow out of thought every man knows who has for any length of time practiced self-control and self-purification, for he will have noticed that the alteration in his circumstances has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition.”

In other words, circumstances do not make the man, but instead they actually reveal him to himself. Thoughts of fear, rejection, confusion, and indecision will crystallize into weak habits such as procrastination, the feeling of “I can’t” so I won’t, rationalizing why “it’s” not working, lack of discipline (e.g., “what’s the use”), knowing what works and not doing it, etc. Clearly these are thoughts that will produce failure and indigence. Zig Ziglar calls it “stinkin’ thinking.” Ever wonder what God calls it?…maybe doubt and unbelief?

The Bible calls us to renew [or reprogram] our minds. We all understand that this comes through reading and accepting what God tells us is true in the Bible. We have a choice to do that or to not. Another choice is to make ourselves accountable to someone else who can ask us the “tough” questions that will reveal victim or responsibly thinking patterns. As I stated earlier in the week, this is one of the things that a professional coach is trained to do.

Finally, as a bit of a Christmas gift to our faithful readers, the link today is to a copy of As A Man Thinketh that you can download and read at your leisure.  It’s truly a classic book that everyone should read again and again.  We pray that you have a wonderful Christmas holiday!

Prayer Power
Lord, please forgive us when we allow our minds to carry us in directions that You would not have us go.  Give us the grace to recognize those thoughts that are not of You and make the choice to cast them out.  Help us to see ourselves as You see us.

Link of the Day
As A Man Thinketh

Blessings as you assimilate the incredible message of James Allen’s little book.