|
September
13, 2007
THOUGHTS
by Charles R. Swindoll
Philippians 4:8
Thoughts are the thermostat that regulates what we
accomplish in life. If I feed my mind upon doubt, disbelief, and discouragement, that is
precisely the kind of day my body will experience. If I adjust my thermostat forward to
thoughts filled with vision, vitality, and victory, I can count on that kind of day. Thus,
you and I become what we think about.
Neither Dale Carnegie nor Norman Vincent Peale
originated such a message. God did. “For as [a man] thinks within himself, so he is” (Prov.
23:7). “Therefore, prepare your minds for action” (1 Peter 1:13).
The mind is a “thought factory” producing
thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of thoughts each day. Production in your thought
factory is under the charge of two foremen. One we shall call Mr. Triumph, the other Mr.
Defeat.
Mr. Triumph specializes in producing reasons why
you can face life victoriously, why you can handle what comes your way, why you’re more than
able to conquer. Mr. Defeat is an expert in the opposite. He develops reasons why you cannot
succeed, why you’re inadequate, why you should give up and give in to worry, failure,
discouragement, and inferiority.
Give a positive signal, and Mr. Triumph will see
to it that one encouraging, edifying thought after another floods your mind. But Mr. Defeat
is always standing by, awaiting a negative signal (which he would rather you call “reality”
or “common sense!”), and when he gets it, he cranks out discouraging, destructive,
demoralizing thoughts that will soon have you convinced you can’t or won’t or
shouldn’t.
Thoughts, positive or negative, grow stronger when
fertilized with constant repetition. That may explain why so many who are gloomy and gray
stay in that mood . . . and why those who are cheery and enthusiastic continue to be
so.
What kind of performance would your car deliver if
every morning before you left for work you scooped up a handful of dirt and put it in your
crankcase? The engine would soon be coughing and sputtering. Ultimately it would refuse to
start. The same is true of your life. Thoughts that are narrow, self-destructive, and
abrasive produce needless wear and tear on your mental motor. They send you off the road
while others drive past.
You need only one foreman in your mental factory:
Mr. Triumph is his name. He is eager to assist you and available to all the members of God’s
family.
His real name is the Holy Spirit, the
Helper.
If Mr. Defeat is busily engaged as the foreman of
your factory, fire yours and hire ours! You will be amazed at how smoothly the plant will run
under His leadership.
Taken from Charles R. Swindoll (his website) , Day by Day with
Charles Swindoll (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2000). Copyright © 2000 by Charles R.
Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. I recommend books by him!
***give me your comments about this
page***
check out the Highest
TRUTH
|