THE MIND

GATEWAY
Restored...Renewed…Transformed

LUCY MAMBU
This Mind Gateway is a publishing project of BREAKERS PUBLISHING.
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THE MIND GATEWAY

Published by Breakers Publishing
A subsidiary of Breaking Limitations.
Breaking Limitations founded by Lucy Mambu

All rights reserved. Printed in the United Kingdom. No part of this book may be
used or reproduced in any manner or form by any means – electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise - without prior written
permission of the publisher except provided by the United Kingdom copyright
law.

All scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version of
the bible and scriptures marked AMP are from the Amplified Bible. Old and
New Testament copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation.

Book Cover Design by Breakers Publishing

Formatting Services by Breakers Publishing
Editorial Services by Breakers Publishing
Website: www.breakerspublishing.com

THE MIND GATEWAY

Copyright © 2020 by Lucy Mambu.
ISBN: 978–164921359-4
Printed in the United Kingdom
 Acknowledgement

To Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre

(KICC) for your impartation into my life in the matters of ministry, prayer,
business, finance, and life in general.

To Pastor Yemisi Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre

(KICC) for all the encouragement and the impartation of wisdom to live life as a
woman of grace, power, and significance.

To Prophet Dr Evans Oppong of City of Faith Ministry International (CFM) for

your impartation into my life in the matters of the prophetic, prayer and living a
life of purpose.

To all the distant mentors especially Bishop TD Jakes of the Potters House
Dallas (TPH) and Prophet Dr Kofi Danso of Miracle Arena of All Nations
(MAFAN) who have made a great impact in my life in the matters of ministry,
the prophetic, business, finance and life in general. Your labor will not be in
vain.

The best gift anyone can give you is the gift of love and encouragement
regardless of the magnitude. Special thank you to Pastor Ade D’Almeida of
Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) for the warm love and constant
encouragement.
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgement...................................................................................................v

Content……….……………………..………………………………………………………v

Introduction The Importance of Mastering the Mind............................................v

PART ONE - THE MIND AND HOW IT OPERATES

Chapter One How the Min Works……………………..……………………………….1

Chapter Two The Mind Gateway…………………………..……………………..……1

Chapter Three The Trapped Mind...........................................................................1

Chapter Four The Fearful Mind...............................................................................2

Chapter Five You Can Achieve Anything...............................................................3

PART TWO - THE MIND AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR LIFE

Chapter Six Negativity Steals Your Joy………………………..……………….…….4

Chapter Seven Silencing the Negative Mind…………..…………………………….5

Chapter Eight The Renewed Mind……………………………………………………...6

Chapter Nine Cultivating the Mind of Christ………..……………………………..…..7

Chapter Ten Think Good Thoughts on Purpose……..………………….…………...8

Chapter Eleven Master Your Mind - Master Your Life……………..……..………...9

PART THREE - CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE CHANGES YOUR

EXPERIENCE

Chapter Twelve Create a New Future For Yourself…………..………..…………..10

Chapter Thirteen Life from the God Perspective……………………………………11

Chapter Fourteen The Mind and Forgiveness……….……….……………………..12

Chapter Fifteen Winning the Battles in the Mind…….…………………………….13

Chapter Sixteen Peace Matters…………………………………………………….….14

Chapter Seventeen Our Being is Wired for Love………………………...…………15

PART FOUR - LIVING LIFE WITH A HEALTHY MIND

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LUCY MAMBU

Chapter Eighteen Rewiring the Mind for Success……………………………….…16

Chapter Nineteen The Restored Mind………………………………………………..17

Chapter Twenty Prayer Reshapes the Brain…………………………………………18

Chapter Twenty One Deliverance of the Mind……………..……………………….20

Chapter Twenty Two Maintaining Your Deliverance………………..…………….21

Chapter Twenty Three Becoming Success Conscious……………………………..22

CONCLUSION - The Importance of Mastering the Mind…………………………..23

NOTES……………………………………………………………………………………..24

INDEX…………………………………………………………………………………..….25

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Introduction
The Importance of Mastering the Mind

Most of us spend a vast amount of time, energy and money taking care of our
bodies to ensure that we are looking and feeling good at all times. However, we
neglect the state of our mind. The reason why we mostly neglect taking care of
our minds is that we think it is outside of our control but that is quite the
contrary. The outcome of our lives depends on the functionality of our minds.
What you create in your mind is what is reflected in your life. You can’t live it if
you don’t create it and it all starts with the mind. Again, the mind is the
instrument that controls the outcome of your life. Your greatest asset is your
mind. Once you lose your mind, you lose your world. Once you master your
mind, you conquer your world. Your happiness or misery, your success or failure
is dependent on the state of your mind. If your mind is unhealthy, your life will
be unhealthy vice versa. As a result, it is of utmost importance that you learn
how to train and master your mind in a way that is beneficial to you. Why?
Because as you think, so you become and what the mind conceives, that is what
it can achieve.

The mind comprises of your thoughts, emotions, feelings, and desires. These
can become distorted and neglected when we encounter certain challenges in
life that knocks us down. When challenges occur, it is proven that the mind can
become corrupted. When the mind is corrupted, it becomes the master of the
man instead of its serving instrument. A corrupt mind empowers the host to
neglect all the good things that make one’s life pleasant and enjoyable. To
master the mind is to master your life. Mastering the mind is to learn how to
gain control of your thoughts, thinking good thoughts on purpose and learning
how to filter your thoughts to put them under submission, ultimately leading to
victory in every endeavor of your life. You cannot move forward and progress in
life with a corrupt mind. It is impossible. However, the good news is, you can do
something about it. To fully be successful in mastering your mind, you must first
study the mind, its functions, and operations. You must study its habits and 1
tricks and find a way of bringing it under subjection. I wrote this book out of my
personal experiences battling with fear, anxiety, negative thinking, and more

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after fighting some unexplainable battles in my life. The primary assignment of

this book is to allow you to take control of your mind, to change your life one
step at a time. From explaining the mind, the functions of the mind, how the
brain changes when we encounter challenges, and also what you can do to shift
your mindset to embrace change and make personal development a priority.
Being convicted of the state of your mind, acknowledging the truth, and making
the conscious decision to make a change in your life is the first step to
transformation. It takes then going through the process of rewiring, retraining,
and renewing the mind to the state where it drives you to live life to its fullest

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 Part One
The Mind and How it Operates

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LUCY MAMBU

CHAPTER ONE
The Mind and How it Works
A healthy Mind Leads to a Healthy Life

efore we look at the mind and its functions, we need to first acknowledge that the
mind and the brain are not the same thing , as many of us seem to believe. You
can look at it in two different ways: The brain is physical in nature whereas the
mind is spiritual in nature. The mind also comprises of three divisions: the
conscious, the subconscious, and the super-conscious mind each having a
unique and equally important duty and purpose to the whole functionality of the
mind. These three divisions work altogether to create and shape our lives.

Now let’s take a look at these three in-depth.

The Conscious Mind

The conscious mind is the objective and thinking mind. It operates like a binary
computer. It is the totality of our experiences; It accepts and rejects information
required for action and decision making. The conscious mind defines all thoughts
and actions within our awareness. This part of the mind works hand in hand with
the five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. This is also the part of the
mind that deals with our logic and reasoning. For example: you have a problem
that needs to be solved, it is the conscious mind that will do the logical thinking
and strategising that aids in finding a solution to the problem. Everything that we
do is controlled by the conscious mind. For example: if you want to talk, move
your hands in a certain way, walk in a certain way, sit down in a particular
position is all controlled by your conscious mind. Through the channel of our
conscious mind, we are empowered to learn the lessons we need to learn from
the challenges we face and the battles we fight daily. This is what gives us the
wisdom to keep moving on the right path towards living our lives the way God
intended it to be, as pre-destined before the foundation of the earth. We have to
remember that we are not ordinary human beings, but we are spiritual beings. As
a result, our actions and reactions to our problems indicate

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whether or not the conscious mind is in full functionality just as it is supposed to

be. How you react to a coming problem determines the steps you will take
4
towards resolving the problem.

Through the channel of our conscious mind, we are empowered to
learn lessons from the challenges we face daily.

The Subconscious Mind

The subconscious mind defines all reactions and automatic actions we can
become aware of if we think about them. For example: our ability to drive a car;
once we get skilled at it, we stop thinking which gears to use, which pedals to
press or mirror to look at, yet we can always become aware of what was done
once we think about it. This is the part of the mind that is responsible for keeping
all of the things that are not on the conscious mind. In other words, it is the part
of the mind that stores your beliefs, memories, skills, talents, and past
experiences etc. Simply put, this is the part of the mind that controls your
habitual thinking. It is said that you control your subconscious mind by
repetition. All of us are seeking things that will satisfy our needs and make us
happy; things such as power, wealth, happiness, joy, peace etc. The question is,
how can we acquire all these things in our lives and sustain them permanently?
We need to learn how to access and release the miracle power of the
subconscious mind. This is where your automatic reactions stem from. Imagine
someone with a serious back pain; every day is a struggle for them because of
sleepless nights due to the unbearable pain. Your subconscious mind controls
your habitual thinking and therefore your automatic reaction should be “by His
stripes I am healed in Jesus name”. The thing to remember is this…. What you
tell your subconscious mind is what will manifest in your life. You already
possess the power of your subconscious mind to confess your healing. By
learning how to use it, you are empowered to find the cause of the effect and the
solution to every problem. Why? Because when life knocks you down, you can
draw out this power that’s already been given to you, to reposition your mind to
think abundance, happiness, joy, and peace. That is the power of the
subconscious mind.

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Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repletion
and emotion will one day become a reality

You have the power to decide how you want your life to be and choose who you
want to become. Do you believe that you do, or do you believe that you don’t? I
will take the opportunity to answer that for you, with a resounding “yes”. It
involves learning how to access and harness the power of your subconscious
mind, understand it, release it for use and apply it in every aspect of your life and
you will realise that you have the key to your destiny. Your dreams and goals can
be accomplished through the power of the subconscious mind. Think of it as the
source of unlimited power granted to you free of charge to do whatever you want
with it and to use it as it is needed.

Harnessing the Power of the Subconscious Mind 5

The subconscious mind is a powerful secondary system that runs everything in
our lives. Learning how to stimulate the communication between the conscious
and the subconscious mind is a powerful tool on the way to success, happiness,
and joy. The subconscious mind is incredibly robust and holds the key to shifting
your reality as you clear out hidden mental and emotional blockages. According
to research, the subconscious mind is the databank for everything that is not in
the conscious mind. There is still much scientist don’t know about the
subconscious mind. The first step in harnessing the subconscious mind is to
eliminate negative thoughts and emotions. Negativity is fear manifested and
your fears tend to come true, especially when you are very emotional about
them. I’ve learned that your subconscious mind can be unlocked by a burning
desire. It will act on thoughts that are conveyed with desire. Powered by desire,
your subconscious mind will do anything to obtain the object of the desire. It
would open all available channels to the conscious mind for information on how
to do that. Let’s say you have a goal! When your goal becomes the consuming
obsession of your life and you have the burning desire to see it come to fruition,
then you will be successful. When you have set your subconscious mind on the
task, backed up by that strong obsession, then it would allow you to see the
opportunities in life that will lead you to your goal. For this to happen, you need
to…

 Let Go of Your Need to Find a Solution to a Problem: You

may be thinking… how is that possible? How can I find a solution to my
problems if I let go of the need to find solutions to my problems?
Have you ever heard of the phrase that says…” the more you think about

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the problem, the worse the problem gets”? Exactly! How do you not
think about the problem? By keeping yourself preoccupied with things
that take your mind off the problem. After spending some time analysing
the situation, taking counsel from those around you and any other
typical decision-making activities, take some time out and do something
that will keep you busy enough to stop you from obsessing about the
problem.

 Relax Your Mind: Another way of tapping into the subconscious

mind for the solution that you so require to your problem without
necessarily obsessing over the issue is to relax the mind in a meditative
state. This works great for me. Why? Because I strive for immediate
solutions to my problem. As I began the rigorous process of training, it
became evident that we as human beings tend to become obsessed with
finding instant solutions to our problems. Most often, the solutions and
the answers we desperately seek are delayed because our minds are not
responding to our cry for solutions. Your mind has to respond to your
cry for a solution but can only do so when it is in a peaceful meditative
state.

 Use Your Mind to Empower You: Now, let’s flip the switch. If the
statement declares… “whatever you conceive in your mind is what you
perceive as your truth or reality” is true, then you can use it to empower
you. To empower is to authorise another person, or group, to have the
freedom to act, think, respond, initiate, and make decisions affecting 6
their area of given responsibility. For example: Managers empower their
staff. Senior Leaders empower their leaders. Parents empower their
children. Teachers empower their students. Pastors empower their
congregations and much more. Those that empower others do so
through educating, resourcing, evaluating, and guiding.

Dr. Stephen Covey describes empowerment this way - Give a man a fish and you
feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed Him for a lifetime .

In the same way, you empower others to move forward in life, you must be the
source of your empowerment. Tap into the winning mindset that tells you “I am
empowered to succeed in every aspect of my life”. You will then see that the
more you repeat this in your mind consciously; it is then stored in your mind
subconsciously. It therefore becomes your reality. Your confession becomes your
manifestation.

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Your confession becomes your manifestation and your possession

For example… if you fail an exam or you fail a practical driving test, because you
are aware that you have failed, it is easy for you to dwell on the thought that you
have failed. This belief then in turn is planted into your subconscious mind. You
must refrain from yielding to the thought of failure when it slithers through your
mind. When it does creep in your mind, break out of it by automatically
confessing what you perceive and believe as the truth which should be… “I am
empowered to succeed”. Your confession enables the mind to stay in a positive
state. With that said, we all know that, to pass an exam or a test, there must be a
great deal of preparation beforehand. So, having prepared as much as you can,
backed up by your confession of empowerment, you will find that the next time
you attempt the same exam, you are fully equipped to succeed.

Being empowered comprises of three essential elements and they are… 1)

Character 2) Trustworthiness 3) Competence. For maximum empowerment, an
individual must take responsibility for their self-development in these three
areas. No one else can make you a person of character, trustworthiness, and
competence. It is something that must be developed consciously, internally, and
intentionally by you. It is all part of the process of your personal growth and it all
starts with cultivating the right mindset. It takes maturity through your journey in
life, intentional self-criticism, and self-evaluation to say yes, I lack in this area of
my life, let me do something about developing myself. Empowered individuals
take responsibility for their empowerment as well as their growth and
development in certain areas of their lives. These individuals are the ones that
are willing to evaluate themselves and take the initiative to ask themselves hard
questions about their current position in life. They are also the ones that are
prepared to change, evolve, and grow. As children of God, we must go through
the process of self-empowerment. Not only is self-empowerment necessary,
God-empowerment is also required for growth and development. What is the
difference between the two?

The difference is that…. 7

Self-Empowerment is empowering yourself to take a leap of faith and
go through the process of change today for a transformed life tomorrow. It is
taking control of your own life, setting goals and objectives for your life, and
making positive changes. But before we embark on the journey of self-
empowerment, we have to ask ourselves a few questions. Questions such as…

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1. Where am I in my life?
2. Where do I want to go?
3. Where do I see myself in five years?
4. Is this where I envisioned myself at this stage of life?

The more questions you have, the more you will discover about yourself and the
more you will be motivated to go through the process of change. Have you ever
heard people ask these questions…“Where has the time gone or what have I
done with my life”? These questions are asked mainly by people who were not
empowered to go through to leave their past behind and go through the process
of change. We all have things that we want to achieve and goals to accomplish
but without self-discipline and self-control, self-empowerment cannot take
place. This is truly the time to empower yourself to be and do better and start
working on it now. Whether you want to generate abundance, find a better
relationship, start a new business, get a better job, or simply take charge of your
life and change it for the better, it starts now, and it is all up to you. The power to
change starts in your mind. Ask yourself, how can I take steps to flow in
abundance? Having abundance doesn’t always mean having monetary
abundance. You can have peace in abundance, you can have happiness in
abundance but most important of all as it pertains to this book, you can have a
sound mind in abundance.

Willing acceptance of the past is the prerequisite for change

Self-Empowerment involves recognising the vision and the mission of your life;
that which you want to work towards. Believing that by your self-
discipline and self-motivation, you will take the necessary actions required to
experience a transformation in your life. When you decide to take action towards
your transformation, over time it becomes a habit. With transformation guided
by a mindset of change, growth and development, failure is not an option. You
have to understand that you are empowered to turn your life around and succeed
in any sphere of life regardless of your circumstances. I am telling you this,
because this is my confession whenever I get up in the morning. Your confession
becomes your possession. Confessing what the Word of God says about you is
the ultimate way to change the thought patterns that drive you to success in any
area of your life. So, if a man desires self-empowerment, he has to make a
conscious effort to take hold of the Word of God and meditate on it day and night
according to Joshua 1:8. Let the word be embedded in your spirit and eventually,
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the eyes of your understanding will be open, and you begin to see yourself as
God sees you as declared in…

2 Corinthians 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a

mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image
from (one degree of) glory to (even more) glory, which comes from the Lord,
(who is) the Spirit. (AMP)

God’s word is like a mirror and the more you confess God’s word over your life
daily, you become a reflection of God’s Word. His Word radiate you and your life.
Remember what I said earlier… your confession becomes your possession.
Therefore, it is necessary to be intentional about what you confess over your life.
The words you speak are ingrained in your subconscious mind. Eventually, that
which is ingrained in your subconscious mind becomes your reality.

God Empowerment

God empowers us to succeed and be fruitful in all that we do. He is ever so

interested in our prosperity. He says in Jeremiah 29:11 – I know the plans that I
have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future. Let’s take a look at the God kind of empowerment from the book of
Matthew. According to…

Matthew 28:18-20 – Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely,
I am with you always, to the very end of the age.(NKJV)

Here we see Jesus empowering His disciples to go and do the work of the
Kingdom. When Jesus empowered his disciples, he provided helpful principles
for empowerment. First, Jesus let them know that he possessed the power to
succeed that is transferable to them. Second, He commissioned them to use the
power for specific purposes, which He clearly defined. Third, He assured them
that He would be there to back them up. Also, He prepared them before
delegating the authority to them and lastly, He held them accountable for how
they used His power. The disciples held on to the assurance that their leader –
Jesus – stood behind them all the way, supporting them, and providing what
they needed for the task ahead. This is what the God kind of empowerment looks
like. It is God’s ultimate desire to see His children live the abundant life, already
made available for us through the finished works of Christ. We must remember
that whatever we set out to do, that is sure to bring about some sort of

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improvement in different areas of our lives, we are supernaturally equipped with

the ability and wisdom to accomplish such with total confidence that God is
behind us every step of the way. Let’s take a look at another example…When
God called Gideon according to Judges 6 it was during a severe perplexing time.
The Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and were oppressed by the
Midianites, causing them to hide in dens, caves, and strongholds. The Midianites
and the Amalekites stole their livestock and produce, leaving the Israelites’ land
devastated and impoverished. Due to the circumstances the Israelites
experienced, Gideon hid and privately beat wheat in the winepress to save it
from the Midianites.

But that’s when it happened, in the middle of a disconcerting time where

everyone around Gideon suffered because of disobedience and sin, God
empowered Gideon with a specific call on his life. God declared Gideon
empowered amid environmental unrest and personal uncertainty. God
empowered Gideon to save Israel from the very ones who oppressed him and
the Israelites. God chose someone who actively but privately sought progress in
the middle of depressing conditions. Gideon didn’t realize who he was due to his
environment, but the Angel declared him a brave man who the LORD was with!
Trust that God has empowered you with supernatural ability to do whatever it is
that He wants you to do on earth and we see this in…

Genesis 1:26 - Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our
image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and
moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that
creeps and crawls on the earth.” (NKJV)

All things pertaining to life and Godliness is in Christ. Not only has He granted us
the abundant life through the finished works of Christ, but He has also given us,
the ultimate source of empowerment which is the word of God and He
specifically commanded us to meditate on the word day and night, to therefore
program our mind to think positively for good success.

There are also three other levels of empowerment we need to look

at and they are:

1. Physical empowerment
2. Spiritual empowerment
3. Mental empowerment

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Physical Empowerment

When we say physical empowerment, the first thing that comes to mind is to
establish an exercise routine, but physical empowerment is much more than the
exercise routine we follow. Physical empowerment looks at all aspects of your
physical body and is based on your personal goals and ambitions. It
encompasses three critical parts: awareness, movement, and self-care. We
cannot fulfill our divine purpose on earth if we are not in good health and God
desires that we are in good health according to…

3 John 2 – Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health,
just as your soul prospers.(NKJV)

We cannot rewire our minds to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives if we are not in 10
good health. This also involves making the right nutritional choices. What does
this involve? It involves eating the right food that will help the mind remain in full
functionality. Eating for brain health might sound like a strange concept, but
science has shown that your diet can play a major role not just in health, but in
brain function and prevention of common cognition disorders. Eating power foods
for the brain can help you improve what science calls cognitive function, including
memory, decision-making ability, mental response time, and mood. Brainpower
foods contain antioxidants and other nutrients that protect the brain. They also
provide essential fatty acids that stimulate and strengthen brain cells. Try
including some of these healthy brain foods in your diet and you will see an
improvement in your mental focus while you protect your brain’s health.

Spiritual Empowerment

Spiritual empowerment is the utilisation of the spiritual ability that we all

possess within. It is using the ability to empower ourselves as well as others
around us through our spirituality. It requires our conscious mind to be willing to
accept and exercise our spiritual senses and abilities. Our spiritual empowerment
comes by being in the presence of and being in constant fellowship with God
through the reading of the Word of God, prayer, fasting and worship. As one is in
constant fellowship with God, the mind goes through a transformational process,
It experiences a paradigm shift; a shifting from one state of thinking to another
state of thinking. As mentioned earlier, the conscious mind is your objective or
thinking mind. It is where our thoughts are processed, the side of our mind that
aids in our reasoning and our intellectual capability. It can only hold one thought
at a time: either positive or negative. As for me, as much as I delve into the Word
of God and I know what it says about me and my life, I still need to know how

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that plays out practically in my life. I want to know how He is leading my life and
He does so in various ways. He does so through…

Vision - You may have sensed a call to serve God, for example, but feeling
dispirited along the way, you may have lost your desire to continue as described
in Proverbs 29:18. For you, empowerment may look like a bigger picture of where
God is taking you - a vision. Such a vision answers the question "Why?" Without
it, you may lose hope and become depressed and frustrated.

Guidance - Having set your feet on the path, you may feel confused about
direction. You may wonder if perhaps you've wandered off the path along the
way. God promises us over and over again that He will guide us if we seek Him.
Perhaps you have a complicated decision to make. You need guidance. You're
asking questions and not coming up with answers. Questions like: "Am I wasting
my time in this role that I have agreed to fulfill?" "How much longer do I keep
doing this?" "Am I working with the right people?" For you, empowerment may
be a sense of peace about a decision you need to make.

Spiritual Gifts - We often think about divine empowerment in terms of spiritual

gifts. 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and Romans 12 describe the many different
gifts that God gives to His children. He knew that we'd need equipping if we were
to be able to take on the "spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”
according to Ephesians 6:12. But even these lists are incomplete. For example, 11
we are all called to pray, but some people have the gift of intercession. God gives
them something that makes it easy and natural to want to pray and to pray
effectively.

Weakness – For some of us, empowerment will work not in an area of strength,
but in a place where we feel weak. For example, a young person struggling with
discipline may find that the Spirit of Truth makes it easier to do the hard things
he wanted to set aside. Whereas in the past he may have felt a sense of
complacency or an inability to commit, God may quicken his spirit so that he
feels a greater urgency about getting a particular task done. He may find it easier
to commit and may feel empowered to throw himself at it in ways that surprise
himself and others.

Authority - Empowerment finds its manifestation in subtle ways. Jesus didn't

give his disciples spiritual gifts, but he did assign them impossible tasks and give
them the authority they needed to complete them. You as a follower of Jesus
have that same authority. You may discover that you are empowered to do
miraculous things as you step out in faith and use it.

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Identity - Ultimately our first and greatest source of empowerment is knowing

who we are. When Jesus was being put through the spiritual gauntlet by the
devil, he found himself tested about who He was and what God had promised.
You are made in the image and likeness of God. What a marvelous thing it is to
know who God made you to be, to know that He loves you no matter what. That
is spiritual empowerment of the highest order.

Mental Empowerment

Mental empowerment is programming your mind to have the capacity to face

challenges of any kind. Being strong means having the mental and physical
capacity to stand firm, to confront and overcome the difficulties of life. When
an individual is strong-minded, they have the energy and stamina to face a
challenge without being robbed of inner strength. When we encounter certain
challenges in our lives, it is easy to become fearful but according to….

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of
love and of a sound mind”. (NKJV)

Life has a way of knocking us down in the playing field, so much so, you feel as
though you’re going to lose your mind. Have you ever asked yourself the
question… “What is wrong with my life? You may say something such as… I feel
like I am losing my mind. If you have ever felt like this or are currently feeling like
this right now, I want to let you know that this is a stage in life that all of us go
through. It is part and parcel of the journey of life. However, God’s Word declares
that you have been given “a sound mind” – A sound mind that stands strong and
functions even in the most tragic times of life. The second part of the scripture
says, “sound mind”. Sound mind comes from the Greek word phroneo which
carries the idea of a person’s intelligence or total frame of thinking including his
rationale, logic, and emotions. The word phroneo refers to every part of the
human mind, including all the processes that are engaged in making the mind
function and come to conclusions. When the words sodzo and phroneo are
compounded into one word, they form the word sophroneo, which pictures a 12
mind that has been delivered, rescued, revived, salvaged, and protected and is
now safe and secure. Thus, even if your mind is tempted to succumb to fear, as
was the case with Timothy, you can allow God’s Word and the power of the Holy
Spirit to work in you to deliver, rescue, revive and salvage your mind. This means
your rationale, logic and emotions can be shielded from the illogically absurd,
unfounded, and crazy thoughts that have tried to keep your mind captive in the
past. All you have to do is take hold of God’s Word, meditate on it and apply it
accordingly.

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Mental toughness gives us the courage to grow from the stress we
Experience in life. It is a mindset comprised of several 
attitude and qualities.

The word sophroneo in 2 Timothy 1:7 could be translated:

“God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love — He has given
you a mind that has been delivered, rescued, revived, salvaged, protected, and
brought into a place of safety and security so that it is no longer affected by
illogical, unfounded, and absurd thoughts.”

You see, when your mind is filled with the Word of God, you think differently.
You tend to look at life through the lens of God’s infinite Word and
it transforms your state thinking and reasoning, it safeguards your emotions; it
defends your mind from demonic assaults, and it shields you from arrows the
enemy may try to shoot in your direction to arouse a spirit of fear inside of
you. Why is it important for you to understand this? Because when you live a life
of faith — when you reach out to do the impossible in life regardless of the
painful experiences of the past — the enemy wilts to assault you mentally and
emotionally in an attempt to stop your progress. The first place the enemy strikes
is your mind. For instance, he may speak to your mind, saying, things such
as, “you are not capable of writing that book” or “you are not capable of making
that video”. So what do you when the devil attempts to convince you that you
don’t have what it takes? What do you do if you’re confused due to
circumstances beyond your control and are gripped by the spirit of fear?
Fellowship alone with the Lord and give Him your concerns. You are admonished
according to…

1 Peter 5: 7 - to pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them
there, for he always tenderly cares for you. (NIV)

As you release all those burdens to the Lord, your countenance changes and you
establish an atmosphere for peace and a sound mind. It is vital to remember that
2 Timothy 1:7 promises you sound mind; it is your inheritance. Therefore you
have the right to let the devil know that he has no access in your life and then to
declare by faith that your mind is sound, safe, and secure! We are facing some
fierce, tempestuous, and turbulent times but if you and I are to overcome the 13
obstacles on our way, we are going to need a sound and strong mind.

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LUCY MAMBU

CHAPTER TWO
The Mind Gateway
The Gateway Where You Either Win It or Lose It

T
he mind is like a hard drive. So, then if the mind were a hard drive, what would
its storage capacity be and what would you store in it? A hard drive is a non-
volatile memory hardware device that permanently stores and retrieves
information. If you store anything corrupt in the hard drive, it will crash. As the
hard drive is a memory hardware device, so is our mind. What you store in your

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mind becomes the memory you keep. We are to be intentional about the
information we store in our minds. Corrupt information hoarded in the mind
leads to a corrupt mind.

Corrupt information stored in the mind leads to a corrupt mind

We were shaped in iniquity. We have human tendencies and these tendencies

are nestled in the soul. That soul is the seed of memory and intense desire. It
houses what we were. It holds all the scars from all the unpleasant experiences
of our past. Life is filled with good and bad memories, so much so that we are
unaware of what is stored in the hard drive of our mind. The effects of these
memories tend to show up at different times of our lives and are mainly triggered
by a similar experience of the past. I’ve learned recently is that our memories act
as a false safety net keeping us guarded from experiencing the good things God
and life has to offer because our mind sends a signal of fear of having to go
through similar experiences of the past. Fear then becomes a spiritual barrier.
The enemy uses the memories of our past as a weapon of attack against our
mind to influence, control, and manipulate our thought process which then
shapes the direction of our lives. After encountering several painful experiences
throughout my life, I concluded that, when people hurt me, it is not a reflection of
who I am, it is a reflection of who they are. Why? Because hurt people, hurt
people. Bleeding people also want others to bleed. With that said, I refuse to let
the hurt of the past cripple my future. When I started looking at it from this
perspective, it closed every door that the enemy can enter in, to

use my past against me. It took me a while to get to this point, nevertheless, I got
there, and it is a process that continues according to…

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old

things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (NKJV)

Meaning, when you become born again, the blood of Jesus replaces your old life
and you are now given a new life. You are a new creature and your mind is in a
state of renewal with the Word of God. The enemy knows that your mind is your
greatest asset and once you lose the functionality of your mind, you lose your
15
world but once you master your mind, you take control of your world. With this
knowledge, the sole purpose of the enemy is to make you a prisoner of your past;

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your past failures, your past disappointments, your pas failed relationships are
also used against you that triggers the feeling of inadequacy and worthlessness.

Your greatest asset and once you lose your mind you lose your world
 but once you master your mind you master your world.

For many years, I struggled with how I perceived myself. Since I was incredibly
young from about 3 years old, I started experiencing rejection by my parents,
loneliness, molestation, abuse and for many years the enemy used these
experiences as a weapon of attack against my mind; constantly whispering lies in
my ears. Eventually, I started dwelling on those lies which ultimately led me to
attempt suicide at the age of 16. What did I do to attempt to take my own life? I
had two options at that time. I was contemplating taking an overdose of pills or
drinking a bottle of nail polish remover. I resorted to the nail polish remover. At
the back of a nail polish remover bottle, it says… “if swallowed, it will cause
harmful effects leading to death”. That is as far as I can remember. So I decided
that an overdose of pills just wouldn’t do it. I decided on that particular night, to
wait until my mother and my stepfather had gone to sleep. I then woke up at
around 1 am and drank the “whole” bottle of nail polish remover. Yes!! I drank a
“whole” bottle of nail polish remover and I am still here working on this book
that is in your hand right now. After I drank the bottle of nail polish remover, I
started coughing but this wasn’t ordinary. I was coughing blood. For a few
minutes I was coughing blood until my stepfather woke up and came to see what
was happening. He was devastated and more so disappointed at what I had
done. Since my mother never woke up from the noise of me coughing, my
stepfather suggested that it would be best for me to just drink lots of water and
sleep to get ready for college the next day. My stepfather was with me through it
all. Till now, as I sit here working on this book, my mother has no idea that I
attempted to take my own life. Well!! Until she eventually gets her hands on this.
The next day, as I got up and got prepared for college, I sat down on my bed and
thought to myself, “how comes I didn’t die”? “Die” is a very strong word but at
that very moment I wanted to die so badly, that I kept asking myself, “how comes
I didn’t die”? and for a moment, I thought, perhaps the nail polish remover didn’t
work, so I started planning what else I can do that is worse than drinking a bottle
of nail polish remover and as I started putting my shoes on, I started planning the
next worse thing that I can do but something happened at that very moment, it’s
as if my spirit left me and I went back to an incident that happened in 1999. In
1999, I was at my motherland Sierra Leone where I was raised for about 9 years
of my life. In 1999, the Sierra Leonean civil war had just begun.

16

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Our house was the biggest on our street and as our house was held by pillars on
every corner, it was empty at the bottom and because of this many of our friends
that lived on that same street decided to come and camp at the bottom of our
house. As the war was going on, one faithful day, the rebels decided our house
was the target for the afternoon. My grandmother had just entered the bath and
my cousins, and I were down at the bottom with the others. We saw two rebels’
step into our house and asked who was in charge of the house. My cousin replied
that it was my grandmother. They asked to see my grandmother. At this
moment, as my cousin was walking up the stairs, my grandmother had already
sensed what was happening. She had a very sharp hearing. She rushed out of
the bath to see what was happening. My grandmother, cousins and I stood face
to face with the rebels and one of them started asking us questions. He asked us
what is it that we wanted? Did we want a long sleeve or short sleeve? If we
wanted long sleeves, that meant that they would cut out our hands by our
shoulders but if we had said, we wanted short sleeves, then they will cut our
hands by the elbow. Shocking isn’t it? Now, as, they were asking us these
questions, another rebel was coming from the other side of the street to meet
them. As he stepped towards us, he looked at every single one of us but for some
strange reason, his eyes got stuck on me. At this point, I was crying buckets. He
asked me what my name was and what school I went to. In complete
nervousness, I answered his questions, thinking in my mind, if you are here to kill
us, just do it already but to my surprise, he turned around and said… “Because of
this little girl, you are all safe” and said to the rebels… “Let’s leave them”. As
they were leaving, this same rebel, turned around and gave me five thousand
Leones. That is equivalent to one pound. As they left, I was still trying to figure
out what had happened. They came to kill us but because of one little girl, they
decided to let us go but then, one of the rebels turned around and gave this “little
girl” money and they wanted to visit later in the night for dinner. One of my
cousins kept asking me… “Lucy, what did you do”? All I could say is, “I don’t
know”. I didn’t understand what was happening. How is it that you and your
other rebels came to my house, armed with weapons to kill us, turn around and
say because of me, all of my family that was standing there at that time are
saved. What made me even more confused at the time is the fact that, as they
turned around to leave, one of the rebels turned around and gave me money.
Say what? I was only nine years old. From that day onwards, I experienced
attacks upon attacks that could have killed me. So after I came back to myself on
that particular day of me attempting suicide which backfired, I was filled with so
much joy and I could not explain it. Why was I filled with so much joy after
coughing out blood in an attempt to take my own life? The only explanation I had
when I hit the age of twenty-five, when I had a dream and, in the dream, I was
thrown off a cliff, I fell and I didn’t get up, I was asleep and in that dream on that
same spot till about 9:25pm. When I woke up, I remembered the dream and

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asked myself, “Did I die in my sleep and woke up”? I had many questions that
day, until 11:00 pm, I opened my bible and I came across Jeremiah 29:11. It was
this scripture that kept me going. I realised that regardless of all I’ve been
through, God must have a “specific” plan for my life. Not long after this, I
entered into a relationship that ended in the worse possible way you can think of.
On the day, the relationship ended, this man, in anger beat me till I was numb
and was about a second away from stabbing me with a knife on my chest, when
the police smashed my door down and arrested him. He had come to drop off
the laptop that I wanted to exchange for his laptop.

I will go into more details of this incident later on in this book. With all these
experiences and more under my belt from a young age, at a certain time in my
life, it was difficult for me to see myself as a beautiful young woman full of
potential. Why? My mind had become corrupted and cluttered with negative
experiences from my past. With this, I opened the door for the enemy to whisper
lies in my ears. It was the adverse effects of these experiences that led me to a
place of extreme isolation. I was in the stage where I just did not want to know
anyone, and I did not want to talk to people. I thank God for deliverance. We are
talking about almost 8-10 years ago. My heart had become cold to the world and
the people around me. There was no love in my heart. I didn’t know how to love
because at a young age I never experienced true unconditional love from my
parents. The walls had become so thick, almost every day of my life, I felt
suffocated. I felt trapped and I didn’t know how to navigate myself out of that
trap but God in His infinite love, occasionally would send an angel my way who
would play a mother or a father role, who would show me what true love feels
like and it was from those moments, that I learned how to love people. One of the
biggest lessons I have learned in my life is that “love” is about accepting people
for who they are flaws and all. Those were challenging times for me because I
had to reprogram my mind by unlearning, learning, and relearning. Every so
often, with all the traumatic experiences, in those times of isolation, occasionally,
I would lay down and I would relive the encounter that I had with the rebels at
the Sierra Leonean civil war of 1999 and every single time, my confession would
be… “God must have a “specific” plan for my life”. I experienced moments of
mental breakdowns and as I sit here telling you what I would consider only about
10% of my life story, I am in a place of peace and sound mind, walking the
journey to where God is taking me and the assignment, He has chosen me for. I
have learned that the mind is truly the gateway to destiny. It is where you either
lose the battle of life or you win the battle of life. Life is a ding dong battle, full of
ups and downs but the strong in mind will always endure and last until the end.
As it is written according to Genesis 50:20 – Joseph said to his brothers – “But as
for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about
as it is this day, to save many people alive”. The devil doesn’t come except to

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steal, to kill and to destroy but God came that we may have life and have it to the
full. The enemy knows who you are to become long before you even discover
your God predestined purpose and through the channel of your mind, he
attempts to steal your life by giving you a false sense of perception about
yourself.

Your mind is like a hard drive. What you store in it becomes the
 memory you keep.

The Mind and Evolution Consciousness

There has been tremendous progress over the past few decades in 18
understanding the nature and functioning of human consciousness. Human
consciousness has been defined as awareness, sentience, a person’s ability to
experience and feel, but despite the important role it plays in our lives and
making us who we are, we know very little about how consciousness works.
Scientists currently believe that consciousness is composed of two components:
arousal and awareness. The first is regulated by the brainstem, but the physical
origins of the latter were always a mystery. Now, a team of researchers at
Harvard University think they may have covered the regions of the brain that
work with the brainstem to maintain consciousness.

Consciousness is the state of being aware of and responsive to one surroundings

or a person’s awareness or perception of something or someone. According to
Wikipedia….Conscious evolution refers to the theoretical ability of human beings
to be conscious participants in the evolution of their culture or even the entirety
of human society, based on a relatively recent combination of factors including
increasing awareness of cultural and social patterns, reaction against perceived
problems with existing patterns, injustice, inequities, and other factors.
Something within the mind is introspectively conscious just in case one
introspects it (or is poised to do so). Consciousness, however, is having
perception, thoughts, and feelings, awareness. The term is impossible to define
except in terms that are unintelligible without a grasp of what consciousness
means.

The brain is a physical organ – that much is clear to everyone. But how do we
understand the mind and consciousness? What is it? And how did it evolve? Let
me ask you this question…Do you think of yourself as having a brain or being a

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brain? You’re most probably thinking…what kind of a question is this? Can you
conceive of your mind, your personality or yourself entirely and only one product
of your physical brain? The mind is non-physical, invisible, ethereal, and spiritual.
The intuitive sense that the mind and brain are separate entities is a difficult
concept for many to understand. But science has proven that the mind comes
from the brain and nothing but the brain. The mind is what the brain does. Is it
true that the mind is what the brain does? The mind is more than just the brain.
Sometimes, you may find yourself thinking…hmm, I wonder what is going on in
another person’s mind? Or you may even commend someone for having a
brilliant mind. But what is the mind? The mind is the seat of consciousness, the
essence of your being. Without a mind you cannot be considered meaningfully
alive. So what exactly and where precisely is it?

Traditionally, scientists have tried to define the mind as the product of brain
activity. The brain is the physical substance and the mind is the conscious
product of those firing neurons, according to the classic arguments. But growing
evidence shows that the mind goes far beyond the physical workings of the
brain. The most immediately shocking element of this definition is that our mind
extends beyond our physical selves. In other words, our mind is not simply
our perception of experiences, but those experiences themselves. Siegel argues
that it’s impossible to completely disentangle our subjective view of the world 19
from our interactions.

“I realized if someone asked me to define the shoreline but insisted, is it the

water or the sand, I would have to say the shore is both sand and sea,” says
Siegel. “You can’t limit our understanding of the coastline to insist it’s one or the
other. I started thinking, maybe the mind is like the coastline—some inner and
inter-process. Mental life for an anthropologist or sociologist is profoundly social.
Your thoughts, feelings, memories, attention, what you experience in this
subjective world is part of the mind.”

How Has the Human Brain Evolved?

Humans are known for sporting big brains. On average, the size of primate brains
is nearly double what is expected for mammals of the same body size. Across
nearly seven million years, the human brain has tripled in size, with most of the
growth occurring in the past two million years. Determining brain changes over
time can be tricky. Charles Darwin considered an understanding of the evolution
of the human mind and brain to be of major importance to the evolutionary
sciences. Human motivational, affective, behavioral, and cognitive systems have
evolved to process social and ecological information that covaried with survival
or reproductive options during human evolution.

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 THE MIND GATEWAY

Some evolutionary psychologists have made widely popularised chains about

how the human mind evolved but other scholars argue that the grand claims lack
solid evidence. Charles Darwin wasted no time applying his theory of evolution
to the human psychology, following on the origin of species (1859) with the
descent of man (1871) and the expression of emotions (1872). Ever since, the
issue hasn’t been whether evolutionary theory can illuminate the study of
psychology but how it will do so. Still, a concerned effect to explain how
evolution has affected human behavior began only in the 1970s with the
emergencies of socio-biology. The core idea of socio-biology was simple:
behavior has evolved under natural and sexual selection (In response to
competition for survival and reproduction respectively), just as organic form has.
Socio-biology thereby extended the study of adaptation to include human
behavior.

The Mind as the Battlefield

Every battle we face in life starts with the mind. I don’t understand how people
can say certain occurrences in life are “normal”. Every battle we fight and every
challenge we face has a “root” and starts from somewhere. The reason I have
found that many people lose certain battles in life is because they fail to take the
time to find the root of the problem. The mind is the arena of fear and faith.
There is war and there are spiritual forces assigned to “attempt” to destroy you
and your glorious destiny. Have you ever heard the statement that says…
“Whenever God wants to bless you, He sends someone and when the devil
wants to destroy you, he sends someone”? They come in almost at the same
time. Hence, why we must not be ignorant of the devil’s devises, being vigilant
and sensitive to the spirit. The simple truth is this… the devil comes for one
purpose only – to destroy. I have been in situations where, if I weren’t sensitive to
the Spirit, I would have fallen into the trap of the enemy and there have been 20
times of a “near” trap of the enemy which backfired. Let me tell you a story… I
said to myself that, I would be as transparent as I can in this book. Before, I
decided to become celibate until, after marriage, I fell pregnant around the age of
twenty-six. It was going fine for about a month or two.

Suddenly, I started feeling weak and light-headed. I booked an appointment with

the hospital to go and check to see what was happening with the baby. On the
day of the appointment, as I was being checked, the lady said…”There is nothing
there”. As in there is no baby there. I was confused because, if it were a
miscarriage, I would have been bleeding but I didn’t even see one drop of blood
come out of me whatsoever. The lady did another check and still there was
nothing there. All she could say was… “this is strange”. I didn’t know what to
make of it, so I just took as if I had a miscarriage until a certain period in my life

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when I lost absolutely everything that I had ever worked for, and I started
sleeping in a church. I had an encounter with God and on the same night, my
assignment was revealed to me. It was at that moment, I heard God clearly say to
me…. “I took the baby out of you”. Now, how I interpreted that was, nothing
should have come out of me until my assignment came out. Strange isn’t it?
Some would say…I don’t believe that. The one thing I can tell you is that 99% of
the things that have happened to me, one would consider it “strange” but now
most of it makes sense and it is what myself and some would call “prophetic”
and God’s divine protection over my life. This is just one example of a near traps
of the enemy I have encountered in an attempt to destroy my destiny, but God in
His infinite protection blocked it from happening. Isn’t that amazing? To know
that He who watches over us neither sleeps nor slumber. Again, we are to be
vigilant and sensitive to the Spirit always. If you don’t listen to the spirit, you will
learn the hard way through your circumstances, as the enemy’s sole purpose
according to…

John 10:10 – The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I
have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.
(NKJV)

The purpose of the devil is to steal your life, your destiny, your blessings, your
marriage, and everything that concerns you. The circumstances we face
throughout our lives are not “normal”. We have believers in the body of Christ
who do not believe that the devil exists and when one does not believe that the
devil exists and the fact that spiritual forces are fighting to destroy people, one is
prone to attribute daily unexplainable situations as “normal” situations. You will
hear the common phrase that states… “well, it is what it is. Life happens”. Life
doesn’t just happen. God wants to bless you, but the devil wants to destroy you
at the same time. So there is always a war going on between the Kingdom of
God and the Kingdom of the devil. God is fighting for your life and your body and
the devil is fighting for your life and your body. Anytime, there is a resistance and
a hindrance assigned to stop you from fulfilling the will of God for your life and
live the abundant life that has already been made available for you through the
finished works of Christ, the devil is behind it and the enemy strikes first in your
mind to weaken your faith. According to…

Matthew 16:21 - From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He
must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests
and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside
and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not
happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You

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are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things
of men.”(NKJV)

This was the time that Jesus was to fulfil His assignment on the cross for the
sake of humanity. Peter turned around and said… “but Jesus surely this cannot
be right”. This cannot happen to you. Jesus understood the timing of His 23
assignment by revelation knowledge so what was said by Peter was contrary to
what He already knew was to take place and served as a resistance to Him
fulfilling His assignment hence the reason why Jesus responded and said…“Get
thee behind me Satan. The devil was trying to influence His mind to do the
wrong thing, but Jesus recognised it by revelation that the enemy was speaking
through Peter. The devil can influence your mind, but can you recognise it? The
one place that our Spiritual warfare takes place is in the mind. The devil can
influence your mind to go in certain directions and take certain actions that are
contrary to God’s will for your life and your actions have spiritual consequences.
By your actions, you either empower God to bless you and deliver you or you
allow the devil to destroy you and keep you bound. We wrestle and struggle in
our minds against God’s way of doing things and the Devil’s way of doing things.
But we wrestle not against flesh and blood according to…

Ephesians 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”(NKJV)

Paul announced it as a fact that: we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
we do wrestle against principalities and so forth. You are in a spiritual battle. If
you are ignorant or ignore this fundamental fact, you probably aren’t winning the
battle. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood: The fact that our real battle
is not against flesh and blood is forgotten by many Christians, who put all their
best efforts in the direction of fighting against a particular person that they have
targeted because they assume that this person is the reason for their misfortune.
How absurd is that? The battle is real and there is an unseen force behind it.
Paul’s idea here is much the same as in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4: For though we walk
in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds . Against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places: Paul used a variety
of terms to refer to our spiritual enemies. The enemy is not the sister or the
brother that you see with your naked eye. We should regard them as being on
many different levels and of many different ranks, yet they all have one goal: to
knock the Christian down from their place of standing and the highest place of
standing in life is at the place of faith.

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The mind is the gateway where the battle is either won or lost.

The best way to win the battle in your mind is by feeding your mind and your
spirit with the word of God. That is how important the Word of God is. It is the
fuel that keeps you running. As you feed on the Word of God, you start 24
developing counteractive strategies that enable you to counteract all those toxic
and negative thoughts that slither in your mind. The battle for our mind
intensifies moment by moment, day by day and if not dealt with appropriately
with the correct weapon can influence our actions and emotions which adversely
diverts us from God’s perfect will for our lives. It is stated in…

Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God. (NKJV)

When you become born again, you officially belong to God. Your mind has to be
transformed into a new way of thinking and this leads you to a new perception of
life, love, people, God, and most importantly yourself. Romans 12:2 admonishes
us not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our
mind. To conform is to comply with rules, standards, and or laws. The Greek
word for conform is Suschematizo which means to conform (comply with rules,
standards and or laws) one’s self (one’s mind and character) to another’s pattern
(fashion one’s self accordingly). If God be all we profess to believe, He is worthy
of all we are. But we are reminded that the world is ever seeking to mold us to its
will, and we need the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit, that we may withstand
its baleful influence. We need to be transformed – that is transfigured by the
renewing of your mind. The formula is simple… Please God and you will be
please with God. The fear that comes from having these traumatic experiences in
life corrupts our perception of life, love, people God, and ourselves. Your
perception has to align with God’s will for your life. The only way that this can
happen is if you make a conscious decision to continually renew your mind by
reading the Word of God daily to tap into His mind concerning your life. To
renew is to give fresh life or strength to something or someone. It is to revive,
rekindle, regenerate, restore, resurrect, and to make new, to change from the old
to the new.

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Renewing your mind with the Word of God not only transforms your mind but it
gives you the ability to have clarity concerning your vision according to God’s
divine plan for your life. God asked Abraham to lift his eyes from where he was
and all that he could see, God promised to give to him and his descendants
forever. What was God saying to Abraham? God was saying: Have a vision for
your life and whatever you perceive it to be that is what will become your reality,
if it is in alignment with His will. Allow the Word of God to renew and transform
your mind, therefore, enabling you to tap into His agenda for your life. Once your
mentality changes, your life changes drastically. The enemy doesn’t want such a
thing to happen. The enemy wants to keep on controlling your mind, in hopes of
gaining control over your life. The devil tried to do this with Jesus during His
earthly life. Satan offered Jesus total control of the world if Jesus would only
bow to him as declared in Matthew 4. He is still trying to do this with believers
today. Satan wants to offer things that you want in order to lure you in, take
away your innocence, and leave you with permanent scars and that is the sole
purpose of the enemy. What makes it such a battle is that due to the traumatic
experiences of our past and in some cases our present, the mind becomes 25
cluttered with memories either good or bad that replays itself at random times in
our lives. The flesh likes these things. It enjoys the flashbacks and the familiar
feelings it creates hence the reason why it is necessary that reading the Word of
God becomes a lifestyle.

Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is greatly beneficial for our mental health primarily because it
eliminates any form of paranoia and negative thoughts that can cause
depression, anxiety, and stress. Positive thoughts ease the mind, it prevents
stress hormones from being released, thus, damaging mental health. A
particularly important question I have to ask is this… “What makes you happy
and fulfilled in life? Isn’t that a question? How do you see yourself and
how do you see your life? Positive thinking simply is to see the good in
everything. To have a good outlook on all the bad things that have happened or
is currently happening in your life. Some challenges are divinely orchestrated to
break you, mold you, shape you and refine you to be fit for purpose. So you can
say, these experiences are a blessing in disguise. It is approaching all of life’s
challenges with a God perspective as according to….

Philippians 4:8: Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are

noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are
of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy –
meditate on these things. (NKJV)

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The God perspective is not only seeing yourself and your life through the lens of
the Word of God, it is seeing yourself the way God sees you and your life; it is
also seeing the God reason behind every situation. I will be going in-depth with
life from the God perspective later on in the book. Thinking positively is not
about convincing yourself that things are good when you know they are not. It is
about thinking good thoughts on purpose; it is about counteracting your negative
thoughts and replacing them with good thoughts. Do you know you have the
ability and capability of thinking good things on purpose? When you master how
to switch your mind, the enemy gets upset. What better way to get the enemy
upset? It’s about empowering and motivating yourself to let go of those things
that you can’t control and remain joyful amid trials, tribulations, turbulence,
turmoil and making a difference in your own life daily. It doesn’t mean you are
trying to keep away from or trying to stop oneself from thinking about the bad
things, it just means that you cultivate the habit of counteracting the negative
thoughts that sneak up and with this you are empowered to not allow your
circumstances to weigh you down. Lord knows that in our lives there are
mountains that we may have to climb, many challenges that we may have to face
to be who we were pre-destined to be to fulfill our purpose on earth and it starts
with the right perspective as declared in…

Proverbs 23:7 - As a man thinks in his heart, so is He, Eat and drink! He says to
you, but his heart is not with you.  (NKJV) 26

We must learn how to rule over and take control of our thoughts; whatever
dominates your thoughts will dominate your life. Your inner life consists of your
mind, will, and emotions. It is safe to say that whatever your thoughts are, having
a positive outlook on your life regardless of your circumstance can also be seen
as you building, and renewing your strength. Often, when we are falling in a
particular area of our life, we find ourselves gradually quenching the strength we
ones had. We are showing that we are weak from so many different angles.
Some challenges are divinely orchestrated to break us, mold us and make us
stronger but it’s all in your perspective and how you handle the crisis of life.
According to…

Proverbs 24:10 - If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

(NKJV)

As children of God, we tend to confess with our mouth, “trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding” as the scripture quotes but
in our hearts, we don’t believe what our mouth is confessing. Trusting God in the
good times is the easy part but proves difficult when we are going through

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hardship. As individuals, we never know who we are and the measure of our
strength until we face certain situations and it seems as though we are on the
verge of losing our minds. Our daily confession should always be “In all things I
am more than a conqueror”. Our minds always have to be fed with positive
words of affirmation. Being a conqueror doesn’t mean you conquer the problem
when it’s there, it is simply you seeing the problem from far away and dealing
with it before it even comes your way. There are times when you may indulge in
thinking the worst of yourself that you don’t even realise that you are blocking
God’s blessings for your life. If only we can just take some time, sit down, and
realise that sometimes we are just one thought away from the greatest
experience we can ever have in our lives. For quite a few years of my life from
childhood through to adulthood, I was going through some problems at home
that I could not handle. As a result I became deeply discouraged within  and
started journeying through life with a skewed mindset. I found myself asking so
many different questions; who am I? What am I born to do? Where is my life
going? What is the point of living? This was the state I was in.

A positive attitude brings strength, energy, and initiation

27
I came to a point in my life where I decided that enough was enough. Everyone
has a breaking point, right? However, even amidst my despair, I just couldn’t
throw in the towel. Why? Because even though I was going through one of the
darkest times of my life and almost on the verge of a mental breakdown, I still
tried my hardest to see the good and the God in every situation and I kept telling
myself that, I am here for a purpose. I used to say… “I’m here for something”. To
be honest, I didn’t even know the significance of what I was confessing out of
mouth at the time, all I know is that in those moments of confession, I cultivated
a joyful attitude that sustained me. I learned how to stay joyful regardless of what
was happening to me and around me. We are made aware in….

Nehemiah 8:10 – The joy of the Lord is your strength. (NKJV)

Joy can be defined in so many different ways. Happiness is what you experience
based on what happens around you externally. Happiness depends on the
“happenings” of life. Joy on the other is a constant state of mind, a fruit of the
Holy Spirit, and a function of who you are in Christ. It is freely given according to
Galatians 5:22. It is a state of mind and we are to remain joyful whether things

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are good or bad. Many times, people are confused about what happiness is and
what joy is. Joy is a deeper form of happiness. Being in a state of happiness is
when something good happens to you and you are ecstatic about it. I know we
all have been in that stage when something good we were not expecting to
happen, happens suddenly. We are so happy; we want to share the good news
with everyone. From experience, I can say, that stage is only temporary until
something terrible happens to us; we are then infused with deep
discouragement, sadness, sorrow etc. Joy however is a moral state of mind. You
can have joy bursting inside of you even when bad things are happening to you
and around you. The lasting happiness you feel even when situations may not
look pleasant in your life.

CHAPTER THREE
The Trapped Mind
Whatever Traps You Traps Your Mind

B
eing trapped simply means to be imprisoned, to be pinned down or to be held
captive. A trapped mind is therefore a mind that is imprisoned and held captive
by incorrect, negative, and toxic thoughts. A mind that has lost its awareness of
the world and its surroundings, a mind that has lost its power of reasoning and
understanding, a mind that has lost its ability to think or feel, as it should. One of
the biggest challenges we face in life is keeping ourselves in touch with the
reality outside of ourselves. We are living in such a fast-paced microwave world
and maintaining a healthy mindset can prove to be incredibly difficult. This
leaves you feeling trapped in your mind without any idea of how to navigate
yourself out of it. It’ll be honest: it can be scary at times.

Whatever gets you, gets your mind and holds you captive. The roots of the
trapped mind are anxiety, anger, depression, loneliness, fear, and pain. Anxiety is
a horrendous feeling. A feeling that steals your focus. Depression, the ultimate
despair means to be “pressed down”, that is not up to your usual bounce. Saul

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was depressed because he felt rejected. He had been chosen to be King and
pledge to obey. God’s Word but he made his own rules, did not follow the Lord
and when caught, he blamed the people he was assigned to lead. Depression is a
feeling that comes from within the mind and pushes its way out, bowling over
everything in its path. It becomes the mode of how a person views everything
and makes decisions whether small or large. These are strongholds, formed due
to our past experiences. Paul says we are living in physical bodies in a material
world. At the same time we are in a war, but the war is not being fought out in
the physical or material realm. It is in a different realm.

Whatever gets in the space of your mind holds you captive

At the age of twelve on the 21 st March 2001, I experienced an incident in my own

family home with my mother who at that specific day at that specific moment,
accused my stepfather and me of having an affair and engaging in sexual
relations. The accusation was mainly towards me her daughter. Since that day of
21st March 2001, the torture I went through in my own family home was intense. 29
This resulted in my mother verbally abusing me constantly. My mind had lost its
awareness of what it feels like to be loved by a parent. I became very closed up.
My heart had turned from a heart of flesh to a heart of stone. Because I never
experienced that unconditional love that should come from a parent, I didn’t
know, how to express love to the friends I had in school.

Not only did I not know how to express my love to them, I didn’t know how to
receive love from them. From that point on, I started suffering in silence. I was
suffering in silence because even though I had explained to my mother that
nothing of such happened and never would have because my stepfather was
someone that would never attempt such a horrific crime, she didn’t believe me.
So I then thought, if my mother didn’t believe me, then who will? As a result, I
carried that burden in my mind for many years. It was extremely painful because
even though I was walking around as if everything was ok, my mind was slowly
deteriorating. My stepfather, God bless his soul was always there for me,
encouraging me to keep pressing on, to keep pushing to finish my education and
become a woman of significance. Somehow that wasn’t enough for me at that
moment in time. My soul and my spirit had been crushed by the false accusation.
I felt empty and my mind became corrupted. Amidst all the chaos that was
happening in my life, I still carried on with everyday life as if everything were
good on the outside, but my mind was slowly closing in on itself. I lost the

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understanding of what true love was. I lost the will, the zeal to live, and to give
out love to others. You cannot give out what you don’t have. This incident that
happened to me at the age of twelve, played in my mind for many years, it
caused a barrier that caged me from life, the social world and it affected my
ability to love myself and others, it prevented me from seeing myself as a woman
who has the potential of becoming a woman of success and significance. As I
carried on with life, struggling to build up my confidence, I had many flashbacks
of this very day and each time I had these flashbacks, I started building walls
around me. This is how the enemy forms strongholds in our minds. However, we
are made aware in….

2 Corinthians 10: 4-5 – “ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 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”. (NKJV)                     

The enemy builds strongholds by reminding us of our past failures and sins. This
causes one to become a prisoner of the past. We have a choice to either entertain
and listen to the lies of the enemy or choose to listen to what God says about us 30
in His Word; which tells us that all our sins are washed away as declared in 1
John 1:7. If we take the bait and choose to meditate on the lies of the enemy, we
position ourselves to held captive. This is what causes many to utter with their
mouth… “I am a failure”. Just as what you conceive in the vortex of your
imagination becomes your reality; do you understand that what you declare and
confess becomes what you possess? According to…

Job 22:28 – You will also decree a thing and it will be established for you; so
light will shine on your way. (NKJV)

To decree is to proclaim, to pronounce, to announce or to command. The Greek

word for “decree” is Gazar meaning to decide a thing. The Greek word for
established is Quwm meaning to rise, arise, stand up, or to be proven valid,
fulfilled, and to be confirmed. In other words, when you decide a thing, and you
make a proclamation or an announcement in the atmosphere, it shall be
confirmed and fulfilled. What you declare with your mouth is what will manifest
in your life. There is power in the words that we speak. Words build worlds and
your words have the potency to change the whole trajectory of your life. We
must understand that failure is a stepping stone to success. Winning is the
ultimate aim. When we fail, we must learn to see it as feedback and not a signal
to quit. This is one of the biggest lessons I have learned in life. We must not
become a prisoner of the past. The past was just a lesson not a life sentence. This
is one of those popular cliché statements that we hear all the time but has so

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much truth in it. Identifying strongholds is the key to casting down every captive
thought and imagination. There is power in imagination and perception.
Strongholds form patterns that give license to false perception of life, love,
people, and God. The enemy and strongholds are best friends working together
to destroy people’s lives. The enemy leads us to build strongholds in our minds
and uses those strongholds to cause destruction

Words build worlds and your words have the potency to change
the whole trajectory of your life.

What are Strongholds?

When we talk about strongholds, we automatically regard it to be somewhat of a

complex subject. Strongholds are incorrect thought patterns devised by the
enemy to have control over our minds. A stronghold is an area of darkness
within our mind or personality that causes ongoing spiritual, emotional, and or
behavioral problems. We can be genuinely born-again and sincere in our faith,
but have an ongoing struggle with thoughts, emotions, and habits that wage war
against our minds and our relationship with Christ. A stronghold is the fruit of an
inward lie. It is a lie we have allowed to distort or confuse our thinking; a lie can
gain a foothold within our mind or emotions and then our behavior. If we allow
the lie to reside within, then that lie, like a seed will produce its fruit which will
distort the way we see or think. The fruit of an inward lie will ultimately affect our
faith and interfere with our ability to possess the truth that will set us free.
Scripture tells us that the devil is the Father of all lies, so we know that every lie
in some way is rooted in spiritual darkness, the fruit of every lie will eventually
reflect the nature of darkness. These lies then seek a place of control within our
31
personality; they want control over our emotions, ambitions, motivations,
priorities, and desires.

Three major strongholds that keep the mind trapped and they are: The incorrect

perception of life, the incorrect perception of yourself, and the incorrect
perception of God. Now let’s break these down…

1. The Incorrect Perception of Life – it is our inheritance through Christ to

live the abundant life. Jesus said, “it is finished”, so everything that we

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require to live the new created life has already been taken care of. Living
life in abundance means to live life in the overflow in every area of your
life where nothing is missing, nothing is lacking, and nothing is broken.
To manifest all of your greatness and to live a purpose-driven life; to
walk in your purpose and possess all that was already made available for
us through the finished works of Christ. Even though this is the life that
we ought to live, many don’t live this life because they have been led to
impose limitations and restrictions on their lives based on the
experiences and the traumas of the past. A limited man is a restricted
man that lives a life of fear, procrastination, and stagnation. You may
perceive that if life dealt you a bad card, it must mean that life as a whole
is not worth living, and if life is not worth living, there will be no desire
for change. When change is required, to not change is destructive.
According to…

Jeremiah 1:4-5 – Then the Word of the LORD came to me saying: Before, I found
you in the womb I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained
you a prophet to the nations. (NKJV)

Scripture tells us that Jeremiah was already a young man, but God wanted him
to know that his call went back to even further than his youth. Jeremiah existed
32
in the mind and plan of God before he ever existed in his mother’s womb. God
imagined him before his seed was even planted in His mother’s womb. God
already knew who and what Jeremiah is created for. God told Jeremiah so that
he could walk in God’s pre-ordained plan by his own will. This information
wasn’t given just to interest Jeremiah or to entertain him. It was given so that he
would know God’s will for his life, be encouraged by it and therefore align his
will with God’s revealed will. Just like Jeremiah, God had already pre-ordained
our destinies before the foundation of the earth. He knew who you were to
become, the way your life should go, and the pattern your life should take before
you even existed. The enemy knows this, and the mission of the enemy and his
allies is solely to snatch your destiny away from you so you can live a mere
mediocre life. The worst thing ever to happen is for one to live to exist. You don’t
live to exist. You exist to live. Your very existence is to live a life worth living as
ordained by God.

The worst thing ever to happen is for one to live to exist.
You don’t live to exist. You exist to live.

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Life experiences and traumas whether good or bad can trigger either a negative
or positive outlook on life. The way you perceive your life is the way you live
your life.

2. The Incorrect Perception of Oneself – Because of all you’ve been

through, your perception of life becomes distorted. This leads to a
distorted perception of oneself. As a result of this, you then suffer from
worthlessness and low self-esteem.

 Low Self-Esteem: Self-esteem is how an individual values himself or herself.

Poor self-esteem (inferior, condemning feelings about oneself) are weights
that keep believers under condemnation and cause them to be less than
what God pre-ordained and intended for them to be less than what God pre-
ordained and intended for them to be. Believers are to combat such feelings
of inferiority. Hebrews 12:1 -Therefore we also a could witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us. Healthy self-esteem is
recognising that you are made in the image and likeness of God.
Recognising as a man or woman that you are fearfully and wonderfully made
and despite all the battles you’ve fought and challenges you’ve encountered
in life, already made available for you through the finished works of Christ.
Your thoughts directly affect how you see yourself and if you see yourself as
a failure, that will eventually become your reality. We are made aware in….

3 John 2 – “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good
health, just as your soul prospers”. (NKJV)

The apostle John used this common phrase in his sending of best wishes and
blessings to Gaius. It is God’s absolute desire that you succeed, be in good
health, prosper and have a good success in mind, body, soul, and spirit. God
desires that you prosper in all your everyday affairs and walk in the way He has
chosen for you. Make no mistake to think that God will allow the enemy to
deter you from His will and purpose for your life. You should always remember
that the all-wise God wants His ultimate best for your life, He only
wants what is good for you and the only way you can see the total manifestation
of God’s plan for your life is to seek God’s best, follow God’s principles and walk
in faith. Make the conscious effort to confess daily – “I will not be defeated by
the enemy; I am a success and I will be a success because God has a great plan
33
for my life”

The way you perceive your life is the way you will live your life

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 Feeling Worthless and Condemned – This is a stronghold that leads to

fear of rejection and a sense of hopelessness and insignificance. The
result of this is self-disapproval. Self-disapproval leads to self-rejection.
What does this mean? This means one finds it back-breaking to accept
their authentic self and who they have the potential to become.

 Incorrect Perception of God – This is when an individual has a flawed

view of who God is. Why does this happen? This happens when pain
and hurt are not handled correctly. Pain and hurt should lead us closer to
God not away from Him. We must understand that there are certain
situations we experience that starts from the hand of the enemy and
there are certain situations we encounter in life that are divinely
orchestrated by God to test our faith and loyalty to Him, as was the case
of Job. If you position your mind to perceive God as a flawed, cruel, and
unloving Father instead of a loving, faithful, merciful, and compassionate
Father that He truly is, you cannot take hold of the promises of God for
your life. You can only possess your possession when you make a
conscious decision to confront and conquer the challenges you
encountered in your life. Below are several indications that determine
whether or not you have an impaired view of God…

Lacking the Desire for an Intimate Relationship with God – As mentioned earlier,
pain and hurt should lead us closer to God who is our source not away from Him.
If you already have a fallacious view of who your source is, It doesn’t take a
genius to know that you will have no desire whatsoever to build an intimate
relationship with Him. It is in that place of intimacy and complete surrender that
healing, and deliverance takes place. Intimacy leads to freedom from bondage.

You No Longer Feel the Love You Once Had for God - This happens when a heart
of flesh turns into a heart of stone. At this point, spending quality time with God
is no longer a priority to you as it was once upon a time. In life you only spend
quality time with the people who you genuinely love. Whatever you find that
there is no desire to spend time in the presence of God, it simply means, your
view of who God is, is now corrupted by the experiences of life. 34

Feeling Abandoned and Rejected by God

There are times in a person’s life that they feel as if God has forgotten about
them and God doesn’t love them. Many admit to feelings of being abandoned

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and rejected by God. This is what hinders a person from experiencing the totality
of God’s goodness in their life. If you ever wonder if God still loves you or if God
has forgotten about you, it’s a sign that you need to your perception of God and
draw closer to Him. Your perception becomes your reality. All that God does for
His children is out of love. He is the God of unconditional love who doesn’t love
you any less because of your past mistakes. He loves you regardless of what you
did or didn’t do. Having a distorted perception of God can cause one to become
distant from God. Distance from God is the result of a lack of trust. Where there is
no trust, there is no relationship. You may question is you will ever see the
manifestation of the promises of God in your life. You can only experience the
manifestation of the promises of God in your life, when you are confident that He
specialises in turning the impossibilities to possibilities because He is the God of
all possibilities; He is the God that can do exceedingly, abundantly above and
beyond all that we could ever think or imagine according to the power that works
in us. His ability is His credibility.

Strongholds by Appetite

It is a fact that we all have a weakness. That something that we crave. That
something that we just cannot let go of that has a grip on us. For some, they
crave companionship because of loneliness. They detest the idea of being alone,
so they would entertain anyone that shows the slightest bit of attention. Sounds
extreme right? but it is what happens in our world today. Now! This is where, if
you don’t have self-control and are not sensitive to the devices of the enemy, He
can use your weakness against you. Because he knows that you crave
companionship to a certain extent, he sends counterfeits to satisfy a feeling that
only Jesus is supposed to satisfy. To fill a void that only Jesus is supposed to fill.
Let me give you a scenario…. This is something that I have observed recently…
You can have a young woman who seems to be sought after by what you may
deem as “high-value men”. She gets into one relationship and realise that; this
man has unaddressed issues. Issues that have not been dealt with and are now
passed down in this relationship. They fight back and forth, and the relationship
ends miserably. She is then sought after by another “high value” man. From the
outside, it may look great but looking in, you realise that this man is just like the
ex with similar issues but with a different face. This is a truth that may be hard to
swallow but… dysfunction attracts dysfunction. Some of you might have been in
relationships where you “thought” you were compatible with your significant
35
other, but you were only compatible by dysfunction. Have you ever been in that
kind of situation as a woman where it seems like all the men that you’ve been
with seem to be similar in some way, shape, or form? Yeah! Sometimes, if you’re
not careful, you can position yourself as a woman to be sought after by the same

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types of people but with different faces and also a man, if there are unaddressed
issues, you find that you always find the same type of women attractive. This is
how the enemy can trap certain women and even men to build strongholds of
fear, anxiety, insecurity through the pain that they go through in these
relationships which they trigger anger, bitterness, and resentment in the long
term which all starts in the mind. The worse thing about this is that, this can form
a cycle of going around with multiple partners of the same kind. Not only have
you positioned yourself to form a cycle that needs to be broken but you also
become a candidate for divorce.

Breaking Strongholds

In life, as I mentioned earlier, the devil is fighting for your mind whilst God is also
fighting for your mind. Our hearts and our minds are the focus and target of lies.
Patterns that form in our minds and are programmed to cause us to think
contrary to the truth of what God says about us. For example: being rejected can
cause one to feel unloved and unwanted. Isn’t that the truth? Strongholds are
built upon deception and lies that we’ve accepted as the truth. So how do you
counteract deception? We counteract deception with the truth of God’s Word
according to John 17:17 which declares…sanctify them by your truth, your word
is the truth. The word is our weapon for battle. According to…

Ephesians 6:17, " And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God." (NKJV)

According to the dictionary… A SWORD is a weapon with a long metal blade and
a hilt, with a handguard, used for thrusting or striking and now typically worn as
part of a ceremonial dress. In layman’s terms, it is a weapon used for fighting. So
the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, is to be used to fight the lies of
the enemy.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the
flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high
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thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."(KJV)

This is a great verse that gives us a good idea of how we are to go about tearing
down strongholds in our minds. First, since the sword of the spirit is the
defensive piece of our weaponry, it is a great tool for breaking the power and the

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effects of strongholds in our minds. We are admonished to go on the defense to

tear down strongholds, and the Word of God is the weapon you cannot afford
not to use. So when the devil tries to tell you, “You messed up, didn’t you”? You
need to counteract it with God’s Word according to 1 John 3: 5 which declares
that the reason Jesus went to the cross was to take away my sin! And therefore
my sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus and there is nothing that I
do, that will make God love me any less because God’s love and forgiveness is
my inheritance. The enemy dislikes when the weapon of the Word is used
against him. We see a similar occurrence in the wilderness when he attempted to
tempt Jesus and Jesus replied with… “as it is written”. Satan subtly said to
Jesus… “if you are the son of man command these stones to turn to bread
(Matthew 4:3). But Jesus replied with, “it is written, man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. (Matthew 4:4).
What did Satan do? After Jesus replied with… “it is written” several times, he
had no choice but to hit the road because there was nothing else, he could do. At
that moment he was defeated. Jesus knew how to counteract his
attempts with the relevant scriptures to use as His weapon and took away
Satan's ability to influence Him! So you too, be sure to take away the enemy’s
attempt to influence you with your defensive weaponry.

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CHAPTER FOUR
The Fearful Mind
Curiosity Conquers Fear

F
ear is induced by a perceived threat which causes a person to pull away from it
and hide. The fearful mind is a mind driven by fear of the unknown. A mind that
is afraid of the reality of life and cannot handle being in a state of uncertainty.
Does that resonate with you? Being fearful affects our perception of life as a
whole. However, it is not the fearful thoughts that we dwell that is the problem, it
is the feeling that it creates which causes us to suffer some form of fear in our
minds. Your feelings are linked to your thoughts because a feeling is a form of
reaction, which is generated by whether, your thoughts are in opposition to your
life or your thoughts are in alignment with your life. Fear is a hardwire response
that eventually takes control and rule our lives. At the core, the worry and panic
that make up general anxiety stem from an overactive fear response in the brain
and according to research, that primordial reaction us one of the most examined
topics in neuroscience – investigated in rodents, humans, other apes, and even
invertebrates. But how much do these automatic feelings relate to the emotions
that humans associate with fear and subsequently, their experience in the world?
If you worry about whether your life is as it should be, focus instead on the
meaningful experiences; both good and bad said, Barry Kaufman.

Fear is one of the most primitive human emotions. It alerts us to the presence of
perceived danger. It creates a strong signal of response when we are in
emergencies – for instance, when the kitchen catches fire unexpectedly because
someone forgot to switch off the cooker. It can also take effect when you’re faced
with non-dangerous events, like exams, public speaking, a new job, a date, or

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even a party. It’s a natural response to a perceived threat or the thought of

something going wrong in the future. That uncertainty triggers some form of fear
on the inside of us. I know I have been there. Does that resonate with you? Fear
and anxiety can be temporary but can also last much longer if not dealt with
promptly and accordingly. This then brings one to a place of stagnancy. The
feeling that fear and anxiety create, affects our ability to eat, sleep, concentrate,
travel, enjoy life, or even leave the house or go to work or school.

This affects our mental health in ways that we cannot imagine. Fear can impair
the formation of long-term memories and cause damage to certain parts of the
brain such as the hippocampus. This can make it even more difficult to regulate
fear and can leave a person anxious most of the time. To someone in chronic
fear, the world looks scary and their memories confirm that.

Some people become so overwhelmed by fear and want to avoid the situations
that might make them frightened and anxious. It can be hard to break the cycle
but there are many ways to do so. There are several things you can do to help
yourself feel less fearful so that it doesn’t stop you from living your life to the
fullest of your potential. If you always avoid situations that scare you, you might
stop doing the things you want or need to do. You won’t be able to test out
whether the situation is always as bad as you expect, so you miss the chances to
work out how to manage your fears and reduce your anxiety. Anxiety problems
tend to increase if you get into this pattern. Exposing yourself to your fears can
be an effective way of overcoming this anxiety.

We often suffer more from our fears than we do from the dangers of our
situations. Why? Because fear believes the lie of our imagination than the truth of
our reality. Therefore, the things that we are fearful of are never as scary as they
appear in our minds. The things that we fear don’t exist but will eventually
become our reality, the longer we dwell on it. Common fears we suffer from are,
fear of lack, death, loneliness, people, authority, commitment, heights, failure,
rejection etc. When your thoughts are in opposition to your life, it creates a
barrier that restricts you from ever wanting to step out and accomplish your
goals and dreams. However, when your thoughts are in alignment with your life,
you become a force to be reckoned with. At this point, you become unstoppable.

Fearful thoughts create an overwhelming prison in your mind and as a result,

you then become stuck in this never-ending cycle without any idea of how to
navigate yourself out of it. Many people never accomplish their goals and
dreams simply because every time they try to go forward, the enemy uses fear to
stop them on their tracks. Is he using fear to stop you? Are you battling fear and

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anxiety? The enemy uses fear to keep people from living the abundant life that
was already made available for them through the finished works of Christ. Fear
brings torment. You can work yourself into a fearful paralyzing state of mind that
may last for days, weeks, or even months. All of a sudden you feel frustrated,
totally isolated, alone, and completely out of control. This is an indication that
fear is tormenting you.

What Makes People Afraid?

Being afraid of things like fire can keep you safe. Fearing failure can make you try
to do well so that you won’t fail but it can also stop you from doing the very thing
you are supposed to do if the feeling is too strong. American author H.P
Lovecraft said, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear and the
oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”. President Franklin D
Roosevelt remarked that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, while first
lady Eleanor Roosevelt gave us the more actionable advice, “You gain strength,
courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in
the face. You must do that thing which you cannot do”. At its basic level, fear is a
physical and emotional response to some external stimulus but often the trigger
for fear is subconscious and is not easily traced.

Science tells us that some aspects of fear are evolutionary, a hardwired set of
autonomic responses that have been critical to our survival. There is a debate
about the number of evolutionary fears but two are commonly referenced – the
fear of failure and the fear of the unknown. The uncertainty of life can be a
paralysis of faith. Scientists categorise fears that are not evolutionary as
conditional. Conditional fears are developed through a complex set of
interactions with the world and often through observing the behaviors of others.

Fear believes the lie of our imagination than the truth of our reality

One of the best-known psychological projects producing empirical evidence of

the conditioning of fear is the “Little Albert” experiment that was performed by
John B Watson and his graduate student, Rosaline Ranger at John Hopkins
University. These researchers presented an infant child named Albert who was
conditioned to fear the fuzzy things every time he saw them, even without the
noise. While most of the conditional fears we develop are not as explicitly

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established as were little Albert’s, you can probably think of certain

circumstances in your personal life that created conditional fears. The biological
fear response is most often triggered by circumstances that create a negative
association with the feeling of fear.

Not All Aspect of Fear is Negative

Not all aspect of fear is negative. Nelson Mandela said, “The brave man is not he
who does not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear”. Examining the
definitions of fear in the American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, we
find another aspect of fear: “To be in awe of; (or) revere.” Baltimore-born author
and poet C. JoyBell C. advises, “Don't be afraid of your fears. They're not there to
scare you. They're there to let you know that something is worth it.” The other
side of fear—the positive power to stimulate action and unlock potential—is
generally underestimated. If we resolve within ourselves to face our fears,
respect the power within those fears, and turn that power into action, we can take
control of our destiny.

What Makes People Anxious?

According to Wikipedia, Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant
state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior such as pacing
back and forth, somatic complaints and rumination. It is the subjectively
unpleasant feelings of dread over anticipated events. it is a feeling of uneasiness
and worry usually generalised and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation
that is only subjectively seen as menacing. It is often accompanied by muscular
tension, restlessness, fatigue, and problems in concentration. Normally
considered to be appropriate, when anxiety is experienced regularly, the
individual may suffer from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is closely related to fear,
which is a response to perceived danger; it involves the expectation of a future
threat. People facing anxiety may withdraw from situations that have provoked
anxiousness in the past. The word anxiety tends to be used to describe worry or
persistent fear. It is used when the fear is about something in the future rather
than what is happening right now. According to….

Proverbs 12:25 – Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good
word makes it glad. (NKJV)

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We know that anxiety at its core as mentioned above is characterised by an

unpleasant state of inner turmoil. Sometimes, a “good word” as in an uplifting
encouragement causes a shift in thinking and behavior. Good words guide an
individual towards becoming a better version of themselves, even when life is
tough. God tells us to cast all our cares and burdens onto Him and not to be
anxious for nothing. Yet how powerful and uplifting it is in the midst of the
toughest times in our lives to hear a word of encouragement. Encouragement
stirs up, uplift, provokes and incites people who are suffering from anxiety
disorder in a given direction.

Causes of Anxiety
According to mind.org.uk, no one knows exactly what causes anxiety problems,
but there is more than one factor involved. Here are possible causes of anxiety
and they are….

 Drugs and medication

 Your current life circumstances
 Past and childhood experiences
 Physical and mental problems

Can Anxiety Be Inherited Genetically?

Research shows that having a close relative with anxiety problems increases
your chances of experiencing anxiety yourself. But at the moment there is not
enough evidence to show whether this is because we share the same genes, that
make us more vulnerable to developing anxiety or is it something that is learned.
Because we as human beings have the propensity to learn particular ways of
thinking and behaving from our parents and other family members as we grow
up.

Past or Childhood Experiences

Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood are a common
trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma is likely to have a
significant impact on your life if it happens when you're noticeably young.
Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like:

 Neglect
 Losing a parent
 Physical or emotional abuse
 Being bullied or being socially excluded.

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Your Current Life Situations

Current issues and problems in your life can also trigger anxiety. For example…
 Working long hours in the office
 Experiencing financial difficulties
 Being unemployed and out of work
 Feeling lonely and isolated at all times
 Losing someone close to you
 Exhaustion and build-up of stress
 Homelessness and housing problems
 Feeling overwhelmed while studying

Physical or Mental Problems

Other health problems can sometimes cause anxiety. For example:

Physical health problems – living with a serious, ongoing, or life-threatening

physical health condition can sometimes trigger anxiety.
Other mental health problems – it's also common to develop anxiety while living
with other mental health problems, such as depression.
Drugs and medication - Anxiety can sometimes be a side effect of taking:
 Recreational drugs or alcohol
 Medication for psychiatric problems
 Medication for physical health problems

“The human mind is a fearful instrument of adaptation, and in nothing is this

more clearly shown than in its mysterious powers of resilience, self-protection,
and self-healing. Unless an event completely shatters the order of one's life, the
mind, if it has youth and health and time enough, accepts the inevitable and gets
itself ready for the next happening like a grimly dutiful American tourist who, on
arriving at a new town, looks around him, takes his bearings, and says, "Well,
where do I go from here?” – Thomas Wolfe

 Fear is something that can only reside with the conscious mind. As
mentioned earlier in the book, the conscious mind is the part of the mind
that is constantly aware of its surroundings. When we study the levels of
consciousness, we see that the conscious mind, is the realm of
perception. Perception is defined as the ability to see, hear, or become
aware of something through the senses or it can be defined as the way
something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. This should then tell
us that fear is just a perception. It doesn’t exist. It is the way you regard,
understand, or interpret something or an event through the lens of your
imagination. For example: a gentleman who just started employment at

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a well-known establishment may fear that at some point he may lose his
job. This is just his imagination and perception. That is not the reality.
The danger of this is that your perception can become your reality. How
can this be? It will manifest itself if you act on the lie from the lens of
your imagination that you regard to be true. Fear believes the lie of your
imagination than the truth of your reality. According to…

Job 3:25 – For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me and what I dreaded
has come upon me. (NKJV)

Here Job reminds us that, before this disaster came to his life, he did not live a
happy, carefree life. He was concerned that trouble might come to him, to his life,
and his family, so he took precautions before God to prevent it. Even though he
had everything going for him, even though it looked like he was favored by God,
blessed beyond measure and there couldn’t possibly be anything that Job had to
worry about, he was still concerned that trouble might come knocking at his
door.

“While I was in prosperity, I thought adversity might come and I had a dread of
it. I feared the loss of my family and my property and both have occurred. I was
not lifted up: I knew that what I possessed I had from divine providence and that
He who gave might take away. I am not stripped of my all as a punishment for
my self-confidence” – Clarke

So, just by that statement above by Clarke, it is possible to be so blessed but yet
so concerned that the worst might come to pass in our lives. Most believers
know the story of Job but what they fail to understand is that Job allowed fear to
open the door for some of the most terrible things that happened in his life. We
have no reason to fear the unknown because of the experiences of the past. Just
as faith opens the door for the things of God to happen in our lives, fear, and
disbelief, opens the door for the enemy to operate in our lives. The more afraid
you become of something happening, the more susceptible you are to it. The
problem of the fearful mind is that it creates a barrier to change. It hinders your
desire to make the necessary steps needed for change. When change is required,
to not take action to change is destructive.

The Mind in Response to Change

“Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the
fearful, it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the
hopeful, it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is
inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.” ~ King Whitney Jr.

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As we journey through life, we grow, we evolve, and we change. Just as a child

transitions from childhood to adulthood, we are to transition from one level of
maturity to another, from one state of thinking to another. At the precipices of
success in every area of our lives, change is required. Change in our behavior, in
our actions, in our decisions, and most importantly in our thinking. When change
is required, to not change is destructive and detrimental to one’s life and as we
embark on making those changes, we are made aware in….

Isaiah 43:18-19 -“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of
old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know
it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (NKJV)

Here as Isaiah writes prophetically to Israel, they were mired in the desperate
circumstances of captivity and exile. God wants to put their focus on the new and
great work He will do, so it begins with a reminder to not remember the former
things. If they are stuck in the failures and discouragements of the past, they will
never go forward to the new things God has for them. This also tells us that there
should be a sense in which we must forsake and forget the past with all its
discouragements and defeats and move on to what God has for us in the future.
The mindset to change is the catalyst for a new beginning. Why accept who you
are when you could become better? Most people who accept who they are
without the willingness to take even the smallest step towards a life of
transformation, seal their fate without realising it. They become complacent
with no desire to ever want to change. To the person with a fearful mind, change
is something that seems complex and daunting because they are always living in
the negative and are afraid that things may only get worse if they attempt to
change and improve the quality of their lives.

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     The mindset to change your life is the catalyst for a new beginning

Freedom from Fearful Thoughts

Four Ways to Help You Free Your Mind from Fearful Thoughts…

 You must understand that you are not your thoughts – Many are stuck
in their thoughts because they believe what they think. When you talk to
yourself inside your mind, to whom are you talking to? It is your
awareness and that is who you are, that is your being. Not your
thoughts.

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 Understand it is not your fault that your mind is causing you so much
suffering and pain, is it a product of your past experiences – Your mind
signals a false sense of security anytime something in the present
triggers a memory or a painful feeling from the past. The mind thinks it
is helping you by keeping you safe and trapped inside a trance and
causing you to be unaware of your surroundings. It is not its fault, and
you have to face your fearful thoughts with compassion and love and be
able to forgive yourself.

 Draw nearer to God and cultivate an intimate relationship with Him – By

drawing near to God and getting into prayer, He will draw near to you.
As God draws near to you, you will find rest and peace of mind. A
peaceful mind is a mind free from weary and fear, enabling you to have
a clearer picture of your true identity in Christ. As you discover your true
identity in Christ, you begin to walk in the totality of God’s will for your
life.

The bible admonishes us to…”Come to the Lord” if we are weary according

to……

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and
My burden is light.” (NKJV)

 Each time you notice yourself in a state of negativity, use it as an

opportunity to practice to be truly mindful of your thoughts. Endeavor
to mindfully observe your thoughts with acceptance and compassion -
This will allow them to flow through and out of you rather than be kept
inside to be constantly recycled. Do not beat yourself up if you find it
difficult to let go of your thoughts. Be patient and compassionate with
yourself. It took you more than a few days to learn to read and write. It
will take some time to change your mind from its current ways of
thinking to a new way of thinking. As I mentioned earlier, the things we
are fearful of are never as they appear to be in our minds. I am learning
every day that the key to success in any area of life is to focus our
conscious mind on the things we desire, not the things we fear. This
enables us to pursue our goals and dreams to the fullest. This is what
brings dreams to life.

The enemy is not after your money or the things you have which are visible. He
wants your mind, your attitude, your heart, your faith, and your peace. These are
the things that create a fearless and peaceful mind. Understand this: You’re not

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being attacked over the tangible things in your life, the enemy is fighting you
over the future ahead of you that even you cannot see but I declare today that the
enemy fighting you has already been defeated.

CHAPTER FIVE
Achieve Anything Your Desire
Don’t Murder Your Future with the Bullets from the Past

P
ast experiences shape the people we are today. Even the seemingly insignificant
experiences dictate the direction of our lives. If the past is not dealt with
accordingly, it can affect the present and ultimately sabotage the future. Life is
filled with sorrow and excruciating pain but in the midst of it all, we must

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understand that there is purpose in the pain, and we must decide to consciously
confront the problem to discover the purpose behind the problem. If you can’t
handle pain correctly, you won’t be able to handle the purpose behind it correctly.

Purpose is sometimes tide to the challenges we encounter. For example… a young

woman who has experienced excruciating heartbreak from multiple relationships
has to dig deep to find out why she is experiencing these multiple breakups
because it is 99% likely that her purpose is tied to all things concerning
relationships. Now If this resonates with you, I’m not telling you to become another
relationship coach, what I’m driving you to, is to confront the problem and seek
God in the direction He wants to take you because ultimately, it is His will for your
life that will stand.

There is a purpose behind the pain we experience, and we must confront

The problem to discover the purpose behind the problem

The Impact of Your Past on Your Present

Early childhood memories and the experiences in our lives as time passes are
the source from which an individual start to form their beliefs and values
about life, people, and the world. For example: a little boy could see that one
of his siblings or let’s say his sister is favored more than him, he automatically
starts believing that his parents are giving more attention to his younger
sister. Because of this, he may develop the belief that his parents love him a
lot less than they love his younger sister and as a result, he starts to feel
unloved and unwanted. What would be the effect of this past event on that
little boy as he journeys through life as an adult? He may develop the idea or
belief that someone else will always be preferred and chosen over him
wherever he goes, and this is the breeding ground for the spirit of rejection.
This is what happened to me as a little girl. Though my parents were
separated when I was around two years old, I was the only child between my
parents. I was sent back to Sierra Leone at the age of three and came back to
London when I was about eleven years old. Can you imagine the changes that
I had to go through when I came back to London, from learning the culture,
changing my language and the accent etc.? As I was going through this
transition period in my tender age, I had a cousin who my mother adored the
most because she was very bubbly, witty, smart, and savvy whereas I was the
quiet, reserved one still trying to find my way. At one point, this cousin of
mine came to live with us for a while as her mother; my aunt, went on a long
term trip to our motherland, Sierra Leone.

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I could see the level of favouritism that my mother had for my cousin because
my mother always wanted my cousin closer to her than me, my mother was
treating her as if she was the daughter she never had. My mother would give
her more pocket money for school, as petty as this may sound as an adult, it
was extremely painful at the time. My mother thought I was worthless. “Good
for nothing and you will never succeed in life she used to say. I was in a
season of transition trying to learn everything afresh, so it was extremely
painful to hear my mother who was supposed to be the one to affirm me, say
those things to me. While my mother sang praises for my cousin, I was
constantly being insulted and verbally abused. This can harm someone’s mind
in the way they perceive themselves. As a result, this built the spirit of neglect
and rejection within and I formed the belief that wherever I go and whatever I
do, someone else will always be preferred more than me. This spirit that had a
grip on me and this belief that resided in my mind for years affected many of
my relationships with people because I became very paranoid that if I had a
friend who had a mutual friend in connection with me, they will end up liking
and favoring the mutual friend. It sounds silly doesn’t it? The enemy used this
belief against me for many years because I lost many relationships with
people who could have been a blessing. I have learned that once the enemy
knows where your biggest fear lies, he then orchestrates devices to multiply
those beliefs to keep you in a state of discouragement, with a mission to stop
you from moving forward in life. Rejection is a powerful spirit that keeps you
in a state of isolation with the fear that if you attempt to connect with people,
you may end up being rejected over and again.

Just when I thought I had dealt with it from the roots, then something
happened that made me realise there was more work to be done. I started
going through another battle with the spirit of rejection for another four years
of my life. I was rejected by a certain man who perceives that I wasn’t
beautiful enough to be seen with him and I didn’t have the status, rank and
anointing to be seen with him. To add insult to injury, the same person who
rejected me is the same person who also “tried” to destroy me. How about
that? Without going into too many details, this was a situation that could
easily make someone lose their mind.

Now back to that little boy, when that little boy transitions from childhood to
adulthood and he gets married, he might form the belief that his wife is
cheating on him whenever she smiles or is friendly with other men. This is just
an example. In this case, the old belief that was developed in the past
impacted the way this man sees himself and his perception could ultimately
affect his relationships. Rejection is not a bad thing. Now this is coming from
someone who used to detest the idea of being rejected but we thank God that

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the chain of rejection is now broken. Let me form a scenario….let’s a woman

with a “specific” assignment on her life; she knows what God has called and
chosen her to do and to be on this earth; she has some kind of a preview of
what the future holds for her and she has already started taking steps to walk
in that direction towards her destiny. This woman cannot give access to just
anyone in her life and most importantly she has to be extra careful not to have
the wrong spouse in her life. For this woman, she will experience multiple
rejections. It’s not the people rejecting her, it is God blocking these people
from her life because of the path that she’s taking in her life. We always pray
for the favor of God to rest on our lives. What if I told you that God’s favor also
involves protecting you from the wrong people? That’s not what we want to
hear because our perception of favor involves money or the tangible blessings
that we want others to see. I have come to understand, know and experience
this kind of favor in my life where God will block the wrong people from
gaining access into my life as to make room for the right people to come in His
timing without me having to force it or try to bust open doors in my own
strength. Now that is what you will call “sweatless victory” but It all comes
down to trust and patience.

Rejection is a sign of God’s redirection to the right places and people He had
intended for you from before the foundation of the earth. As cliché as it
sounds and we hear it all the time, it is true. God says that we all will go
through trials and tribulations. We will be persecuted at different times in our
lives for many different reasons, but He tells us to rejoice in it and bless our
persecutors. For every trial that comes, there is a triumph in the end. How you
handle and endure the season of rejection determines the level of your
redirection and elevation. However with this said, we must remember that
elevation is of grace and comes by grace; this is the unmerited favor of God
upon one’s life. If it’s a function of how well we perform, no one might be
where they are today. If how they perform is what determines their elevation
they will never be elevated. It is solely by God’s grace. God stripped me away
from my fear of rejection. The chain is officially broken. I am so glad that I
found true love and acceptance in Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us in….

Ephesians 1:6 – To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us
accepted in the beloved. (NKJV)

Many of u base our self-confidence on what other people think of us and so

we work hard to be accepted. We buy things, we wear things, we join things
for the benefit of trying to be accepted by our friends, family, co-workers, and
peers. But the bible says that God has already accepted us in Jesus Christ.
Does God say you have to earn that acceptance? That you could ever deserve

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it? No! The bible just says, God has accepted you. If you’re a believer, then
you’ve accepted Jesus into your life. But do you understand that God accepts
you? He loves you unconditionally and accepts you just for who you are. What
about some of the people that are disowned and rejected by their parents, out
of all the rejection that one might experience in life, being disowned, and
rejected by your parents for whatever reason is one of the most painful
experiences. However, according to….

Psalm 27:10 -  When my mother and my father forsake me, Then the Lord will
take care of me. (NKJV) 

Some of you grew up with unpleasant parents. They were perfectionists.  You
tried extremely hard to gain their acceptance and approval, but regardless of
your efforts, it just wasn’t enough to get their approval. Is that the case with
you?  If you got B's, they wanted A's. If you got A's, they wanted A+'s.  No matter
what you did it was never, ever good enough.  Even today you're still trying to
earn their love and approval. If that's the case with your parents or with anyone
else in your life you've been seeking to please, there are two things you need to
know:

1. In all likelihood, you're never going to get that approval or acceptance

you so desire. Not because of who you are but because of who they are.

2. You don't need their approval because God already accepts you.  You
don't need their approval to be happy. We must understand that the
unconditional love that God has for us surpasses any other kind of love
that we will experience on this earth from our parents, friends, or family.
According to….

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so
that your days may be prolonged in the land the LORD your God gives
you”. (AMP)

The term “honor” means to treat with respect and significance. Many times we
equate “honor” with “obey” but in actuality, the two are synonyms. We are to
always treat our parents with the utmost respect and significance. With that said,
what a relief it is to understand that you only need the love and approval of one
person, and you already have it: God says you are accepted in the beloved!  This
was just a simple example demonstrating how a single past event can affect a
person's present life enormously.

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Now can you identify the experiences in your life that have contributed to your
current limiting beliefs and values? Our mistrust of the future makes it hard to let
go of the past, to live the abundant life that God has promised us in the present
and to soar into the future and be all we can be. You cannot change your future
by holding onto the past. Release the past and embrace the future. Forget all that
is behind you and focus all your energy on the present whilst preparing for the
future ahead of you. The past can only be conquered when you make the
conscious decision to live in the present whilst looking ahead in anticipation and
expectation to the future. Your past was just a lesson not a life sentence. God will
not allow a challenge in your life that is beyond your control, which will hinder
His purpose for your life. Understand that, you are not your past. Your past is just
a stepping stone towards your destiny. Scripture declares in….

Philippians 3:13 – 14 – Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but

one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

This verse tells us that we should not attempt to look back to your past. As
human beings we tend to allow the past; those things, which are behind us to
distract us from the journey towards our destiny. Looking back is a hindrance to
the future. Past failures are to be lessons for the future. Winning is the ultimate
aim but if you fail, learn to take it as feedback, not a signal to quit. As cliché as it
sounds, and we all know this, but difficult roads always lead to beautiful
destinies. I have never seen a successful man or woman who has not failed at
anything before. There must be a series of failures before success happens. If
you have not failed at anything, that means you have not tried anything. God
desires that we press on in the present toward the mark of the high calling
because the present is where eternity touches us now. Paul knew that a race is
won only in the present moment, not in the past or the future. When Paul said…
“I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”,
he meant that he had to make a conscious decision not to look back. He realised
that keeping his focus on God and the assignment on his life is far more
beneficial to him being able to run the race with just God on His mind.
Sometimes, whilst we are journeying towards our destined place, the past may
come calling and this is where self-control and discipline come in. Turning back
is not an option because the past is just a memory in the hard drive of your mind.
Sometimes, looking back is a sign that we enjoyed the lifestyle of the past and
the changes we are currently going through causes us discomfort but there are
consequences to looking back when God wants us to focus on what is ahead of
us. With this said, let’s take a look at….

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Genesis 19:26 – But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of
salt. (NKJV)

This chapter looks at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and
Gomorrah was a fertile land with endless opportunities, but it was also a land full
of deprivation and sexual perversion and God was grieved at what was
happening in Sodom and Gomorrah and therefore, ordered for the angels to
destroy the land. God commanded the angels to make a way of escape and spare
Lot and his family’s life before they destroy the land. On the verge of their
escape, Lot’s wife decided to turn back and turned into a pillar of salt; she was
immediately destroyed. Why did Lot’s wife decide to turn back? She turned back
because she enjoyed the lifestyle of Sodom and Gomorrah, so she didn’t want to
leave. In addition to this, she didn’t perceive that God was making a way of
escape for them to a new and different life. This is the problem with many of us,
sometimes when God makes a way of escape for us from our past, we do tend to
hold on to what was. Someone once said to me that looking back was easier for
him than looking to the future because of the fear of the unknown. We become
anxious and weary, pondering on what lies ahead of us but we must understand
that God has already gone ahead of us to make the crooked places straight and
set up everything and everyone that we will need to help us accomplish all that
He has set out for us to accomplish as pre-destined before the foundation of the
earth. Don’t murder your future with the bullets from your past.

Your past is just a stepping-stone towards your destiny.

1 Corinthians 2:9 – “But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard neither
have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those
who love Him. (NKJV)

The enemy’s mission is to divert your focus away from your purpose by using
your past against you. The one thing I am coming to learn in this season of my
life is that the enemy is the transportation to the next phase of life. Your enemies
are elevators. Let’s face it, if at, any point in your life, you don’t have enemies,
that means you’re doing something wrong.

Preventing the Past from Hindering the Present and the Future

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Throughout my life, I have held onto two things that have helped me conquer the
enemies of my past that formed toxic thoughts in my mind in a bid to keep me
stagnant and they are:

 Prayer…Prayer is your best weapon to conquer the past. Prayer is the

main cure for lost souls, confused minds, and broken hearts. Prayer is
opening your heart and life to God, allowing Him through the
power of the Holy Spirit to work in you to bring about transformation.
Prayer is your best medicine. Remember this…Doctors treat but God
heals. Lay your life in the hands of God through prayer. As you pray day
and night the transformation starts to manifest itself. God will give you
beauty for ashes. Scripture declares in…

Isaiah 61: 3 – To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for
ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of
the LORD, that He may be glorified. (NKJV)

 Understanding that God has the final say in your life – Despite the battles
you have fought, the challenges you have faced, the rejection, the
neglect, the pain, the disappointments, the negativity from yourself, the
negative words spoken about you and over your life, always remember
this one fundamental truth….God is the one that has the final say in your
life. He is the God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and
beyond all that we could ever ask or think according to the power that
works on the inside of us and whatever He has started in your life, He is
faithful to complete it. He has the power to transform your life. He can
turn your pain to purpose, your pain to potential, your fear to faith, your
rejection to redirection to your destiny. He can turn your sorrow to joy,
your mourning to dancing and your ashes to beauty. Scripture tells us
in….

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV)

 Be Success Conscious – The result of your prayers to break and paralyze

the enemies of the past is that you become success conscious. Meaning,
you become determined and motivated to succeed in life, in your calling,
your career, your education, your business, your marriage etc. The more
success conscious you become; the more success is attracted to you.

Being Success Conscious

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Being success conscious is a state of mind, which expects success and

regards it as a fact. It focuses on positive results and does not accept the
thought of failure. In the success consciousness state of mind, you focus only
on success and you see no other option but success. With this attitude, your
mind is more geared towards the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose
and all your energy is focused on taking the necessary steps required. When
the certainty of success is saturated into your consciousness, you are
equipped with the power tool that moves you forward. When fear comes
calling, be intentional about focusing your consciousness on that which you
seek to accomplish with full confidence that the steps already taken will lead
you to all that is needed for the task ahead. The more I study the mind and
creative intelligence, I find that creativity and success favors the invariably
relaxed mind free of fear and doubt. You cannot open a business, execute a
vision, write a book with the thought of finishing what you have started and
attaining the success that you so desire if the mind is filled with fear of the
unknown. Your thoughts become your reality and the thing you fear the most
will eventually become a reality if not dealt with promptly and accordingly.

What is it that you desire to accomplish? What is it that you desire to see
manifest in your life? By tapping into the subconscious mind, imagine
through subtle meditation that you already have it, you already own it, it
already in your hands and that it’s already happened. Relive the happiness
and excitement you experienced when you first caught the revelation of what
you wanted to accomplish in your life. If you can relive the experience, you
can transfer this feeling of achievement into the present. Your mind will fight
you, telling you that it’s impossible, telling you that your dreams are too big.
This is a hurdle that I have had to overcome especially in the last two years
of my life. It requires consistency, endurance, faith, and persistence.

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Part Two

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The Mind and How it Affects Your Life

CHAPTER SIX
Negative Thinking Steals Your Joy
Joyfulness is a Choice
J

oy is defined in the dictionary as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. In

essence, joy is a moral state of mind. It is a combination between your feelings
and emotions. You see, happiness depends on the happenings of life, but the
abundance of joy we experience in our lives is in direct proportion to the state of
our mind. True joy is evident regardless of circumstances. We are admonished to
rejoice even amid circumstances. There is a certain kind of joy that overtime is
embedded on the inside of you that is different from the temporal pleasures that
are bound to circumstances. Joy is a power we all have access to, and this joy
cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. Joy contains elements of
contentment, confidence, and hope. In this chapter, I will be discussing the
difference between Joy and Happiness, and how we can experience both in life.

But first let me touch on this:

The Enemy’s Sole Purpose is to Steal Your Joy

The sole purpose of the enemy is to steal every good thing that makes life
pleasurable and worth living; your faith, your happiness your peace and most
importantly your joy. Why? Because he knows that these are things that make
one truly successful in life not the material possessions. The material

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possessions are the manifestations of the blessing on your life regardless of

when you see the manifestation of those things. According to…

John 10: 10 – The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
(NKJV)

Jesus said… “I came that they may have life and that they may have it more
abundantly. This is the real and eternal life, more and better than they ever
dreamed of”. It is the Lord’s greatest desire that we live the purpose-driven,
abundant life that was pre-destined for us before the foundation of the earth,

before we were in our mother’s womb and made available for us through the
finished works of Christ.

What is the Abundant Life?

“The Greek word for ‘abundance,’ is perissos. It has a mathematical meaning and
generally denotes a surplus…The abundant life is above the contented life,
meaning an overflow or in excess in which our contentment is based upon the
fact that God can supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in Jesus
Christ.”
- The abundant life is a life of satisfaction
- The abundant life is a life of contentment
- The abundant life is living life with nothing missing and nothing
broken

Joyfulness amid your circumstances produces perseverance

It is possible to live life with joy in abundance. Having joy in abundance means
that regardless of the circumstances surrounding your life, you remain joyful
because you are confident that joyfulness during hardship produced
perseverance. Being joyful gives you the unexplainable strength to endure
adversity without loss of hope. I for one can tell you that this is not an easy state
to be in. Life has a way of knocking us down almost to the point of despair and it
can prove strenuous to get back up. But we are admonished to remain joyful in
hope as declared in….

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Romans 12:12 – Constantly rejoicing in hope (because of our confidence in

Christ), steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer (continually seeking
wisdom, guidance, and strength) – rejoicing in hope. (AMP)

The call to hope usually has in mind our ultimate reward with Jesus. Paul says
we serve God rejoicing in hope, not rejoicing in results or whatever outcome we
are expecting. This shows how we are commanded to do all these things with an
eye towards heaven. Keeping your eyes on the prize and pressing towards the
mark of the high calling. This is how we fulfill the command for hope, patience
and steadfast character described here. Patient in tribulation meaning that there
are hard times to come but you accept your hardship and you suffer without
becoming anxious for nothing, being patient believing that all things work
together for the good of those who love the Lord and have been called according
to His purpose. Difficult times do not excuse us when we abandon hope or
patience or continuing steadfastly in prayer. Trials do not excuse a lack of love in
the body of Christ or lack of willingness to do His work. Faithful in prayer in this
context simply means constantly seeking the face of God to reveal His will for
your life daily.

The Peace of God

God wants you to be at peace. He desires that you live in peace and harmony
even in chaos. When your emotional account is full of peace and joy, it is easier
to accomplish your goals and dreams, glorifying God by embarking on what He
created you to be and what He’s called you to do. It is the sole purpose of the
enemy to steal your joy so that all your focus turns inwards to all the things that
are wrong in your life. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding your life, we
are to be anxious for nothing but through prayer and supplication make our
request known onto God. When you feel the darkness of anxiety flooding your
soul, remember it’s not the situation that is causing your discomfort, it’s the
enemy. The enemy has the profound proclivity of devising strategies that cause
people to throw in the towel. We must understand this. Don’t let the devil win!
Don’t fall for the bait and let the devil take you off the playing field. When you
feel your spirit starting to sink and you are replaying those negative voices in
your mind, ask God to help you by flooding your soul with His peace. The peace
that surpasses all understanding. Position yourself to refocus your thoughts,
realign your mind to tap into the mind of God concerning your life. Consciously
breathe and soften your body and spirit to ease yourself from the tension of
anger, resentment, or frustration. These feelings are not of God or from God.
Make up your mind to consciously stay in peace. By speaking positive affirming
words to yourself, give the enemy no room to use your own words against you; it
gives him no opportunity to enter your mind, body, or spirit through the words
you speak over yourself. It is of utmost importance that you meditate on the

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peace of God that is given to you freely through the finished works of Christ. It is
your inheritance. According to…

Philippians 4: 6-7 –  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

Prayer is communication with God that gives direct access to the fullness of God
for your life but how can you gain access to God’s fullness for your life? This kind
of access can only be granted through a desired, consistent, intentional
communication with God. For example: You meet a new friend today but to get
the full benefits of that friendship, you will have to nurture it with intentional,
consistent communication. That is the same thing with God. You cannot access
and enjoy the full benefits of the abundant life that has already been made
available for you through the finished works of Christ if you don’t key into it with
constant communication. Scripture tells us in….

Matthew 7: 7-8 – Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock,
and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks
finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (NKJV)

Here we see that Jesus is especially inviting us to keep on asking, keep on

seeking and keep on knocking with intensity, passion, and persistence. Prayer is
simply making your request known to God not only with intensity, passion, and
persistence but with faith that your request is already granted from the moment
you began to pray and whoever asks will receive. Receiving is the reward for
asking. Let’s look at the threefold description of this verse….

 To Keep Asking - means to make your request know to God. Talk to Him;
ask him for what you need. We all have a million things on our list that
we want and need from God, but these things can only be granted to us
when we open our mouths and life up our voice in prayer to ask for
them according to His will. Everything you need is locked up in your
mouth. And everyone who asks receives. Ask with a pure heart and the
right motive and your request shall be granted – Keep Asking!

 To Keep Seeking - means you are to keep looking out for something.

And in this context to keep searching means to keep looking out for God
and His will for your life. People who constantly make it a priority to
reflect on their lives are the people who are constantly re-inventing

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themselves and as a result, they are always on the winning side. Keep
Searching!

 To Keep Knocking - means to strike a surface to attract attention,

especially when waiting to be let in through a door. With that said, we
are to continuously knock on the door until it is opened. The more you
knock on the door, the heavens sense that you are seeking entrance to a
very important door that could be the beginning of a life of
transformation.

Ask with confidence and humility. Seek with care and application.
Knock with earnestness and perseverance.

The law of prayer requires us as believers to pray, so God can answer our
prayers. In other words, we are supposed to ask, and then He answers. Now, I
know that God is all-knowing. Jesus said, the Father already knows what we
need before we ask (Matt. 6:32). He also knows our desires. But He still requires
that we ask Him for those things.

The Difference Between Joy and Happiness

Many people have a misunderstanding of what these terms mean so they end up
using both interchangeably. They cannot be any more different. Happiness is
temporal but joy is permanent. Let’s break these down even further… Firstly,
Happiness is our true nature. You don’t need an excuse to feel good. We don’t
have to wait until life is perfect. So many people believe that happiness is outside
of our control, that it is dependent on some outside and outward circumstances.
The truth is happiness is a decision. Here is the flipside of it…Even though
happiness is a decision, it is something that is wavering dependent on what is
happening or not happening in your life. For example…When you get a new car,
you feel happy, but this feeling comes and goes sometimes as often as waves
hitting the shore. Happiness isn’t something you can cling to when you’ve lost a
job, or your finances are not looking in shape. Joy, on the other hand is
permanent. It can stay with you for the long haul, simply for the fact that real joy
is from God as mentioned earlier. For the believer, it is like a bottomless well of
water—always in abundant supply. Even in the darkest days, when life hits you

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and you can’t see a way out, when sadness, grief, and loss may threaten to
overwhelm you, God’s joy is there – God’s Joy is everlasting.

Staying Joyful in the Midst of Trials

First and foremost, the misconception of many believers is that once they have
made the decision to wholeheartedly follow Christ, that means the journey is
straight and smooth sailing, so when they encounter challenges, staying joyful in
hard times can seem somewhat laborious. Scripture tells us in….

James 1:2-4 – My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience
have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
(NKJV)

Here we see that James is telling us that trials and tribulations of life come at any
given time. You cannot predict it. It can be unexpected. Life in itself can be
inevitable. None of us are exempt from the hard times of life. If you don’t go
through hardship, you don’t experience life in its full totality. But as we are
surrounded by the challenges, the knockdowns, we are admonished to count it
all joy. Be joyful in your situation. Why should you remain joyful when you
encounter various trials? Because….

 It strengthens your faith in God – it gives you the unexplainable feeling

of complete trust in God. That come what may, your life is in the hands
of God.

 It produces patience in you – Patience and having total confidence in

God’s timing believing that when the time is right, He will show up and
show out for you.

Whenever I face trials of any kind and it seems like my mind is spiraling out of
control and the devil is trying to frustrate me, there is one thing I focus on the
most and it is this… I

 Focus on God’s sovereignty and purpose in trials – with every challenge,

every trial you go through, there is a purpose behind it, and you cannot
conquer what you refuse to confront. According to….

1 Peter 1:6 – In this you greatly rejoice (Remain Joyful), though now for a little
while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials (emphasis mine) we
do not encounter trials by accident. (AMP)

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We are admonished as believers to especially rejoice in God’s keeping power

when we are grieved in various trials, knowing that He will keep us as our faith is
being tested by fire. To grieve is to show intense sorrow or to express feelings of
great sadness especially when someone dies. Here we are admonished to remain
joyful even when we are greatly distressed and dismayed by the various
challenges we face. Sometimes, it is thought that as a Christian you will never
face challenges. How wrong is that! The idea is that Christians should be like
superman; though bullets are shot at superman, they all bounce off of his chest.
Yet Peter here tells us that there is a “need be” not only for the various trials but
more especially that there is a “need be” for the heavy grief we feel amidst the
trial.

Spurgeon said: Indeed, it is the honor of faith to be tried. Shall any man say, “I
have faith, but I have never had to believe under difficulties? Who knows whether
thou hast any faith? Shall a man say, I have great faith in God, but I have never
had to use it in anything more than the ordinary affairs of life, where I could
probably have done without it as well as with it? Is this to the honor and praise of
thy faith? Dost, thou think that such a faith as this will bring any great glory to
God or bring to thee any great reward? If so, thou art mightily mistaken.

There are believers all over the world who are fighting battles that I cannot even
begin to imagine or be able to relate to. I can’t even comprehend what it would
feel like to lose a child or to be tortured relentlessly on account of my faith in
Christ. There is always a purpose for the things that we go through. Peter is
saying here that God is the one that is in absolute control of our trials and they
do not happen by accident. As a Father, He only allows us to go through
challenges that are necessary for us to strengthen our faith and our trust in Him.
He doesn’t waste anything. Understanding this reality is one of the major reasons
we can rejoice in the thick of the trials. We must understand that as life is a ding
dong battle, it is certain that our grief will be painful and that is okay. It is not a
sin to be grieved by trials.

We can’t leave it there though and the question now is, what can we possibly
rejoice in when we feel like we are drowning in our difficulties? We rejoice in
God’s great mercy, we rejoice in that He has caused us to be born again, we
rejoice in the living hope that we have in that Jesus was resurrected from the
dead that we may live life with joy in abundance already made available for us
through the finished works of Christ. We rejoice in our inheritance that is being
kept in heaven for us, we rejoice that God Himself is guarding and sustaining our
faith till the end, we rejoice in salvation. The sorrow of a believer never outweigh
his joy in the King of Kings. Remain joyful and confess daily… “There is a

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purpose behind the trials I am facing. Lord, open my mind to learn what it is that
you are trying to teach me and help me to remain Joyful always.

CHAPTER SEVEN
Silencing the Negative Mind
You Can’t Live a Positive Life with a Negative Mind

A
ccording to yourdictionary.com, Negative thinking process is where people tend
to look for the worst in every situation or reduce their expectations by
considering the worst possible scenarios. How you think about the events and
people in your life can either help you reframe things in more positive ways that
help you cope or take you down a rabbit hole of negative thinking and feeling
bad about yourself, other people, and your prospects. Unhealthy ways of
thinking and reacting to people and things can cause depression and anxiety,
ultimately prolonging stressors, and create chronically stressed states of mind
that can affect your heart health and immunity. You can’t always control what
you think, but you can learn to identify when you’re sinking into a negative
pattern. With that said…negativity doesn’t have to be all bad. Some
psychologists believe that though pessimism has its advantages. Sometimes, not
all the time, those who expect the worst often are more resourceful because they
are better prepared when things go wrong. Feeling down can encourage us to be
alone for a while, allowing insight and giving us the chance to gather our
strength. Depression has the propensity to make people more cautious and slow
to act. It may become clear later that the feeling was a signal that the time wasn’t
right. Decisions and actions can be taken later on when we are feeling more
confident.

With that said…the opposite approach to negative thinking would be to delve

ourselves into purposeful positive thinking; this is being intentional about the
way we think, choosing our thoughts on purpose, approaching situations or

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circumstances with a positive attitude. Scientists say there’s a neurological

reason for the cycle of negative thinking we all sometimes fall into. When the
amygdala — the part of the brain believed to play a key role in emotions —
becomes aroused, it remains in that state for a long time. At the same time, a
memory of the situation becomes imprinted in the brain. The more emotional the
situation, the stronger the memory will be. Over time, specific memories become
attached to certain emotions. For example, feeling nervous may bring back the
memory of being fired from a job years ago, and the feeling is perpetuated. This
can continue too long, known as “flooding,” and every negative event you’ve
experienced comes to mind suddenly and overwhelmingly. The process probably
evolved to help us survive and prepare us for the worst, as negative emotions
ring alarm bells demanding attention and alerting us that something is wrong.
Meanwhile, the body produces “fight or flight” hormones and we feel tense.

The amygdala is the part of the brain that reacts negatively to anything that it
encounters. Its ultimate role is to preserve and protect us from anything and
anyone that could potentially be harmful to our lives. It stands to be very
calculative; it calculates potential risks and pitfalls to keep us from harm. It is also
the part of the brain that gives us a distorted view of ourselves and your lives.
The negative mind always counteracts anything that is deemed positive. While it
is the second part of the three-part mind; positive, negative, and neutral it holds a
very important relationship with the subtle body and the soul body. It has a very
important role in keeping all three in balance. Chronic negative thinking
depression, anxiety and similar disorders are on the rise all over the world.
According to the mind foundation UK, approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will
experience a mental health problem each year. In England, 1 in 6 people report
experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression)
in any given week. Are mental health problems increasing? The overall number
of people with mental health problems has not changed significantly in recent
years, but worries about things like money, jobs and benefits can make it harder
for people to cope. It appears that how people cope with mental health problems
is getting worse as the number of people who self-harm or have suicidal
thoughts is increasing. How common are specific problems? Every seven years a
survey is done in England to measure the number of people who have different
types of mental health problems. It was last published in 2016 and reported these
figures:

 Phobias – 2.4 in 100 people

 Depression – 3.3 in 100 people
 Panic disorder – 0.6 in 100 people
 Generalised anxiety disorder – 5.9 in 100 people

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 Mixed anxiety and depression – 7.8 in 100 people

 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – 1.3 in 100 people
 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – 4.4 in 100 people

And according to the anxiety and depression association of America, 40 million

adults in the U.S are affected by negative thinking, which is nearly 20 percent of
the population. Of that number, many are professing Christians. When the
negative mind is out of balance, it makes an individual full of anxiety, fear, and
self-doubt. Fear is the biggest enemy of our lives and the killer of destinies. Fear
creates a barrier around your mind that prevents you from moving forward and
growing into your fullest potential. Why? Because you question whether you are
worthy enough for success or whether you have what it takes to achieve that
which you once upon a time perceived in your mind. Where there is doubt, there
are questions. You question your worth, your abilities and capabilities, you
question the people around you, and you question yourself. The effect of fear is
the skewed perception that nothing is possible. This leads one to walk through
life constantly filled with unbelief. According to…

Mark 9:21-24 - So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to
him?” And he said, “From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the
fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have
compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all
things are possible to him who believes.”  Immediately the father of the child
cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (NKJV)

From the father’s perspective, the spirit possessing his son is trying to kill him
and he was led to a state of panic and worry because of the severity of the
attacks. Jesus asked… “How long had this been happening”? . He asked this
question in an attempt to get to the bottom of this man’s heart and reveal this
man’s faith. Again Jesus divinely orchestrated a situation whereby this man’s
faith is put on display and at this point, we see a desperation that utterly depends
on Christ for everything; from the faith to the healing. The boy’s father cries out…
Lord, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief. Where there is unbelief, there
is doubt and unbelief is poison.

Unbelief is failing to acknowledge the possibilities of life. It is failing to

acknowledge that something pleasantly unexpected can happen for you. Unbelief
is what stops the move of God in our lives. This father knew that this mute spirit
that had possessed his son from childhood was causing him many difficulties in
his life. The father knew who the Messiah was and what He can do, otherwise, he
wouldn’t have gone to Jesus if he didn’t know who He was. He wanted his son

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healed but yet still he had some form of doubt that Jesus can do what He so
desired for his son by asking, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us
and help us”. The word “if” is a question and a sign of unbelief. “If you can do
anything” is simply saying to Jesus, I know you can, I’ve heard that you can do
anything, but can you do anything?. Prove it to me.

A negative mind is a barrier that prevents one from 
moving forward in life.

If you have a harsh inner critic or get caught up in worry, stress, anxiety,
depression, or wrestle with low self-worth, then you know some of the
symptoms first hand. Negative (unhelpful) thinking patterns can have a strong
and sometimes devastating impact on our relationships, our health, our work…
our lives. A negative mind that is too strong can override the positive and neutral
mind and interrupt the flow between the soul body and the subtle body leaving
you always disconnected from the realities of life. A negative mind that is too
strong can leave you exposed to danger and prone to making inappropriate
decisions, which can be detrimental to your life. When your thought process is
primarily negative, you become anxious and doubtful about almost everything
and it is a sign of lack of faith. Scripture tells us in…

Hebrews 11: 6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who

comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him. (NKJV)

This is the basic level of faith that is required from every believer who professes
to believe in Christ. Faith is a force. We must have the non-sense kind of faith that
still chooses to believe even when things don’t make any sense to you. When this
kind of faith is in operation, you don’t believe what you see, you believe what
God has spoken. For we walk by faith and not by sight. It is the kind of faith that
causes the supernatural to manifest in the natural.

Faith = conviction or persuasion + corresponding action

How Does the Negative Mind Affect Your Life?

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Your thoughts and emotions can affect your health. Emotions that are freely
experienced and expressed without judgment or attachment tend to flow fluidly
without impacting our health. On the other hand, repressed emotions (especially
fearful or negative ones) can zap mental energy, negatively affect the body, and
lead to health problems. It is important to recognise our thoughts and emotions
and be aware of the effect they have not only on each other, but also our bodies,
behaviours, and relationships. Poorly managed negative emotions are not good
for your health. Negative attitudes and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
can create chronic stress, which upsets the body’s hormone balance, depletes the
brain chemicals required for happiness and damages the immune system.
Chronic stress can decrease our life span.

Negative thinking impacts our lives more than we would want to believe. When
we get caught up in some of the hardest times of our lives, there is a tendency to
let negative thinking overpower your mind. Difficult and painful situations tend to
create the mental mixture needed to turn even a positive person into a source of
negativity. When we wallow in self-pity for example or have a bad point of view
on life and the problem simply gets compounded the more, we over exaggerate
how bad it is. Let’s face it! We all have a profound proclivity to exaggerate how
bad a situation is. Mainly because sometimes we get comfortable in our
negativity and pain, but this is not how it is meant to be.

We often hear that; we are what we eat but we are also what we think. If you
think negatively all the time, that is all you will attract into your life. You can even
be a happy joyful person but when you give in to negativity, you slowly slide
down into a bursting sprout of negativity energy for the people around you; your
children, your spouse, your friends, and family. Negativity has been shown to
have a more real impact than we realise. Having a negative viewpoint on the
world, your life, and the people around you constantly can affect your body.
Negative thinking usually correlates with elevated stress. Science shows that
elevated stress is tied to insomnia, elevated heart rate, high blood pressure,
eating disorders, drug use, alcohol abuse, memory issues, outburst of anger,
anxiety, or any number of other potentially serious issues. In a way, you can
think yourself sick. Negative attitudes also affect the chemicals in the brain and
disrupt the hormones balance in our bodies.

Negative thinking has a destructive impact on one’s life. Why? Because it keeps
you in a state of dysfunction. Negativity forces you to look at life from a distorted
point of view. What exactly is a distorted view? According to dictionary.com, the
definition of distorted varies like this…not truly or completely representing the
facts or reality; misrepresented; false. For example: She has a distorted view of
life or twisted; deformed; misshapen or mentally or morally twisted, as with an
aberration or bias. For example: He has a distorted sense of values.

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Therefore, a distorted view is a twisted view based on false impressions or

misleading information of someone or something. As you look at life from the
lens of a distorted view, your life eventually becomes stagnant and the moment
you are filled with negative thoughts your control goes off balance and it starts….

 Hindering you from achieving the things you want to achieve in life
 Making you have a false impression of yourself, your life, and the people
around you.

Negative thinking deprives you of the abundant life that you are entitled to. As
stated in…

John 10:10 - The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I came that they
may have life and have life more abundantly. (NKJV)

The enemy here is your mind. The negative mind believe it or not can rob you off
of your entire life if the issue of negative thinking is not dealt with accordingly. It
cripples you; keeps you stagnant, and it oppresses and suppresses you. One of
the main reasons why it is important to let go, release, and counteract all of your
negative thoughts is that they prevent you from enjoying life to its entirety just as
God had predestined for you before the foundation of the earth. Once this is clear
to your brain, it is more motivated and energised to help you take steps to
overcome the negative thoughts that hold you captive. This is in some ways is
the first step to dealing with the issue of negative thinking. Finding ways to deal
with negative thinking enables you to take charge of your life. Which is what you
want right? That is also the main purpose of this book…to help you take control
of your life. We have to get to that place where we tell ourselves, enough is
enough, I can’t live like this, why am I always thinking like this, how can I get rid
of this negativity.

Negative thinking deprives you of the abundant life God had predestined 
for you before the foundation of the earth.

What to Do to Overcome Negative Thinking

Have you ever found that, there are certain times, it doesn’t matter what you do,
you just can’t seem to shake off all the negativity? The negative thoughts that
slither in our minds most often throws us off balance. Why is that? Let me tell
you why that is. It is because replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts

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is not as plain sailing as one might think. Negative thoughts are seeds. Every
time you cast your focus on the battles and the challenges in your life, those
same negative, self-limiting thoughts start moving stealthily through the vortex
of your mind. The sole pursuit of the enemy is to plant seeds of negativity in your
mind, to cause a distraction and distraction is entering into a covenant with the
devil for your destruction. You become distracted from looking at life from the
God-perspective; seeing that regardless of the circumstances surrounding your
life, you are still worthy to live a life of abundance filled with joy, peace, freedom,
and laughter and before long, you are on the road to walking and living in fear.
The one thing I’ve learned is that, it always starts with “one” single thought and
your mind begins to wander. You then lose altitude as your mind begins to
wander.

As the fearful thoughts start moving furtively through your mind, you may even
find that you become restless. This breeds anger and bitterness. All of a sudden
you start getting angry, bitter, and resentful towards yourself, your life, and the
people around you. This is when the blame game starts. You start blaming your
parents, your friends, that ex-boyfriend or even that ex-girlfriend who caused you
pain. Am I right or am I wrong? Blame is the chain that keeps us bound to the
past. When we experience the unexpected in our lives, it is easy to want to blame
people. We assign blame by envisioning different scenarios in our minds.
Cognitive science studies that people do this unconsciously when they are trying
to determine who and what is responsible for the challenges that they faced in
the past and the challenges that they are currently facing. This is called
counterfactual simulation. Counterfactual simulation is applied imagination:
consciously asking a “what if” question, and letting your mind imagine the rest.
Based on the stored patterns, associations, and interpretations, your brain will
produce what it believes is the most likely scenario. Counterfactuals are very
useful because of their flexibility: you can simulate anything you want. When you
use counterfactual simulation, you assume the event or state you’re simulating is
already true. The mind then fills the gaps between A (where you are) and B
(where you want to be).

For example: if a woman breaks up with her partner, it is easy for her to blame
another woman and say she must be the reason. Whatever we experience in life
doesn’t just happen. We also had a part to play in it. Instead of blaming other
people, it would be best to take a step back and see what part you had to play in
it. That is the only way to be free from the chain of blame. Make a conscious
decision to take a step back, self-reflect, self-evaluate, and see what part you had
to play. Once you’ve got your answer, you can then proceed by forgiving
yourself. Forgiving them and forgiving yourself leads you to freedom from the

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chain of blame. Then only then can you move forward in life to the future ahead
of you.

Many times if these thoughts go unchecked, you will find yourself later in a pit of
negativity that can quickly drain your life and energy ultimately making you lose
hope. As I mentioned earlier, fear believes the lie of our imagination than the
truth of our reality Fear is a force as well as faith is a force. What you conceive in
the mind, that is what you will achieve. As cliché as it sounds, it is the absolute
truth. They say that the things we fear the most are the things that don’t exist. It
is just a figure of our imagination. It’s like paying interest on a loan that you
never took out.

Words have life… Think it… Speak it… Affirm it… Be it

Nevertheless you keep going until you hit a tree and that alerts you to
stop. Negative thinking can have a snowball effect of failure leading to poor
choices and regrets in our lives. Have you ever wondered why some people are
more negative than others? Just think about it. Two people may go through very
similar circumstances, yet one person may be much more negative than the
other. You may have observed a snowball falling from a high mountain, as it rolls
down, the more snow attaches to it and the bigger it becomes. A snowball effect
is a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon
itself, becoming larger (graver, more serious). It might be interesting to learn that
the same snowball effect applies to our thinking process. According to this effect,
whatever we think we reinforce it by thinking of it again and again (overthinking).
This applies to both sides - positivity and negativity. The more positive you think,
the more positive vibes you’ll share with the universe and the more worthy
things with be magnetised towards you and vice versa for negative thinking. It’s
difficult, but not impossible to overcome negative thinking and negative self-talk.
Through prayer, studying the word of God, time, effort, and a strong desire to be
free — you will be delivered, and you will overcome the hold that negative
thinking has on you and your life, through the power of Christ by following the
tips below…

Renew Your Mind – Romans 12:12 declares “Do not be conformed to the patterns
of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may
prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect
(NASB). The Greek word for conformed is Suschematizo translated to comply
with one’s self (i.e. one’s mind and character) to another’s pattern (fashion one’s

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self according to). In other words, as believers, we are not to comply with the
rules, standards or laws of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our
minds. The Greek word for transformed is Metamorphoo translated as to change
into another form, to transform, to transfigure, to change in appearance. For
example: Christ’s appearance was changed and was resplendent with divine
brightness on the mount of transfiguration. According to Matthew 17:2 which
declares…”And he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light. The non-conformity to the world does not
primarily mean the external avoidance of worldly behaviours because you can
avoid all worldly behaviours and still not be transformed internally. Scripture
tells us that…”His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as
light!”. Something like that happens to us spiritually and morally. Mentally, first
on the inside and then, later at the resurrection on the outside. So Jesus says of
us, at the resurrection: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom
of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). Transformation is not switching from the to-do
list of the flesh to the to-do list of the law. When Paul replaces the list – the works
– of the flesh, he doesn’t replace it with the works of the law but the fruit of the
Spirit (Galatians 5:19-22). The alternative for immoral behaviours is not a new list
of moral behaviours. It is the triumphant power and transformation of the Holy
Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ our savior, our Lord, our treasure. “(God) has
made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but the
spirit. For the letter kills but the Spirit gives life”(2 Corinthians 3:6). So
transformation is a profound, blood – brought, Spirit-wrought change from the
inside out.

Some of us have had so many negative words spoken about us by family,

friends, and our loved ones, so much so that, over some time, we end up
entertaining those negative words till they eventually form and shape our
identity; we conform to what others have said about us. This should not be the
case. To conform in the oxford dictionary means to comply with rules, standards,
and laws. When you find yourself in a challenging situation, when you face trials
of many kinds, the negative words that were ingrained in your mind becomes
manifested in your life. The only words you hear are the whispers of negativity.
The good news is that, God’s word affirms us and affirms our worth in Christ
Jesus. He created you with a purpose and for a purpose and He knows that He
has for you according to Jeremiah 29:11. As you delve into the Word of God, you
set about to renew your thought patterns to reflect the glory of God as you are
transformed from glory to glory as declared in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Learn the Language of Christ – John 6:68 declares… “Lord, to whom we shall
go? You have the words of eternal life”. Learning a new language means
learning a different way of speaking. Engaging with the word of God so much so

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that it becomes your language can only do this. Positivity is a language. There is
a key to overcoming negative thinking. It is to make a conscious decision to
close the door to all negativity in your life and learn the language of positivity.
Make it a priority to replace all negativity with words of hope and life that comes
from God’s word. Pray and search for selected passages of Scriptures daily that
encourage your thoughts towards positivity, righteousness, and truth. Jeremiah
1:5 reveals that God knew you before you were in your mother’s womb and had
an intended pre-destined purpose for your life. 1 Peter 2:9 affirms that you are
chosen by God and 2 Corinthians 5:17 reveals how you are a new creature in
Christ Jesus and if you are a new creature in Christ Jesus, everything that you
have ever been through in your life that has affected you or is currently affecting
you is wiped away because you are a new person with a new life. Speak those
scriptures out loud to yourself until it becomes your habit to speak the word of
God over your life and counteract the lies of the enemy.

Change Your Focus – Colossians 3:2 declares… “Set your mind on things above,
not on earthly things. The Greek word for “set” is Phronoe translated as to direct
one’s mind to a thing, to seek, to strive for; to seek one’s interest or advantage, to
be of one’s party side with him (in public affairs). In other words, the Lord
admonishes us to set our focus on heaven. The best Christian living comes from
minds that are fixed on heaven. They realise that their lives are now hidden with
Christ in God and since Jesus is enthroned in heaven that thoughts and hearts
are connected to heaven also. The believer is to “seek the things….above”. The
words “seek” marks aspirations, desire, and passion. To seek things the mind
must be set on them. Love heavenly things; study them; let your hearts be
entirely engrossed by them. Now that you are converted to God, act about
heavenly things as you did formerly about those of earth. “Earthly things” are
not all evil but some of them are. Even things harmless in themselves become
harmful if permitted to take the place that should be reserved for things above.
The temptation to compare ourselves with other people can lead down the road
towards negative self-talk. It’s important to shift your focus from looking at what
God does for other people to what God is doing and showing you about your life.
God wants to change you and your life, but God can only do that when you stop
looking at the lives of other people and what they have. You are to set your mind
on God and God alone. Set your mind on the gift of eternal life. By focusing on
what is eternal (rather than what is earthly and temporary) your mind will be
drawn towards prosperity, hope, joy, and peace in Jesus Christ rather than your
situation.

Learn How to Counteract Negativity with Positivity – 2 Corinthians 10:5 declare

that we cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to

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Christ. Carnal and worldly ways of thinking and doing are arguments against the
mind and methods of God. They want to debate God saying they have a better
way. They exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. They think of
themselves as smarter, more sophisticated, more effective, more powerful than
God’s way. Carnal, worldly minds think they know more than God does. For
nothing is more opposed to the spiritual wisdom of God than the wisdom of the
flesh and nothing more opposed to His grace than man’s natural ability. To battle
against this carnal way of thinking and doing, our thoughts must be brought
captive and made obedient to Jesus. When we start to think in this carnal way,
we must stop our thoughts, take dominion over them in Jesus and not be
conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind as
declared in Romans 12:2. To replace your negative thoughts with positive
thoughts is your responsibility. You have the responsibility to purposely take
every thought captive and making them obedient to Christ. You are challenged
not to believe everything you think. You are not your thoughts. You are only the
hearer of them. As believers, we have been given the tools and the power
through the Holy Spirit to overcome negative thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 is an
especially effective verse to memorise and to confess when negative thoughts
creep in your mind. This scripture will build up your confidence so that the
stronghold of negativity weakens.

Stay on Guard – 1 Peter 5:8 declares… “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.
Passivity is the enemy of your mind. Just as a soldier mustn’t fall asleep or allow
himself to daydream while on guard duty - so it is with your mind.  The enemy
cannot read your mind; however, he can influence your mind with negative
thinking and condemning words towards yourself. We are not to be ignorant of
the devil’s devises. He is a master strategist but like I always say….” the Devil is
smart but stupid at the same time”. As much as the Devil is a master strategist,
he is no match for the believer who operates with the spirit of discernment. We
are at war every day. The Devil searches every day for the weak among us. Satan
the Devil hates us and wants to destroy many people. We must be sober to
discern his weapons and tactics because our spiritual life depends on it. The
apostle Paul was well aware of the dangers Satan poses for Christians. We must
follow Paul’s example and not be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).
This means we must understand the Devil’s tricks, tactics and traps and examine
how he uses his key weapons in individually targeted ways to attack the many.
You must always remember that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in
the world” (1 John 4:4). The enemy can’t handle an individual who can discern
his devices from afar as well the individual who speaks the Word of God in
boldness, faith, and positivity. So what are some of Satan’s weapons? One of
Satan’s strongest weapons is pride. Pride is always a danger, especially when

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things are going well, such as in times of peace and prosperity (Deuteronomy
8:11-17). Perhaps the best example would be Lucifer himself, the one who
became Satan. From the time of his creation, he had always lived under God’s
perfect rule. Yet eventually his heart was lifted with pride, and he rebelled (Isaiah
14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:14-17; 1 Timothy 3:6). He uses that same device on us now.
Pride is the opposite of the godly love the apostle Paul described in  1 Corinthians
13:4-8 Pride does “parade itself” and is “puffed up.” When we think more highly
of ourselves than others, it is easy to become impatient, unkind, rude, and self-
seeking. We can even fall into the trap of being proud of doing good things, as
demonstrated by the Pharisee in Jesus Christ’s parable of the Pharisee and the
publican. He gave the parable as a warning to those “who trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others” (Luke 18:9). The self-righteous
Pharisee prayed “thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other
men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a
week; I give tithes of all I possess’” (verses 11-12). Jesus emphasized that
“everyone who exalts himself will be humbled” and extolled the humble,
repentant tax collector (verses 13-14). Paul warns that in these perilous “last days
… men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (2 Timothy 3:1-2).

Another powerful device of Satan is envy—specifically, the kind of envy that is a

distorted, selfish sense of fairness. This goes back to Cain’s envy of Abel when
Abel was blessed for his offering. Cain thought it wasn’t fair. God knew the
attitude of both Cain and Abel, so in His eyes it was fair. We know that, because
of Satan’s influence, people don’t like to be told what to do. The “forbidden
pleasures” grab people’s attention and focus. Satan makes them seem somehow
more enticing and pleasurable than the true pleasures God wants us to have. So
what does envy produce? “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and
every evil thing are there” (James 3:16).

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Another tool that Satan uses is the lust for forbidden pleasures. We know that,
because of Satan’s influence, people don’t like to be told what to do. The
“forbidden pleasures” grab people’s attention and focus. Satan makes
them seem  somehow more enticing and pleasurable than the true pleasures God
wants us to have. See more about this in the articles “Temptation” and “Desire.”
As well as these, there are many other devices Satan uses to devour people and
has been effective in using what we call the four Ds…
THE FOUR Ds

 DOUBT – Discouragement left unchecked leads to doubt.

 DISAPPOINTMENT – Any time we look to people as our standard, we can
and are sure to be disappointed. But if we trust and have faith in God, we
won’t be put to shame.
 DISCOURAGEMENT – When we dwell too long on disappointments, it
can often lead to discouragement. But God has given us the Word to
encourage us.
 DIVISION - Doubts and worries can lead to the division of our loyalties.
These can also lead to divisions between people and distancing from
God.

We must be aware of these and the other weapons in Satan’s arsenal. Then we
must combat them. We encourage you to study the article “Put on the Armor of
God,” which focuses on the defense our great and loving God gives us. Don’t try
to face Satan without God’s armor! Jesus faced Satan wearing the full armor of
God and this is the reason he had to depart from Jesus because when he
“attempted” to tempt Him in the wilderness in the book of Matthews 4:1-11.
Jesus replied with “It is written…” Jesus demonstrates the power that the Word
of God carries. Do not be afraid to speak aloud to counteract negative thoughts
with what the Word of God says.

Stretch Your Faith – James 1:3 declares… “Because you know that the testing of
your faith produces perseverance. Many of us who have spent a lifetime living in
a spiral of negativity can’t imagine doing things beyond our capabilities. Yet that
is exactly what God wants you to do. It’s when we believe and trust God beyond
our abilities that we come to understand our identity and who we are in Christ.
His ability is His credibility. We are overcomers by our spiritual divine nature and
have been given the power to trample over serpents and scorpions. Your faith
will be strengthened as you embrace God’s word as truth and live your life
honouring Him through obedience. Faith stretching is a necessary part of
becoming new in your thought life. Stretching your faith to its fullest capacity is
to stand firm in your faith regardless of the current circumstances that surround

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your life, choosing to believe foolishly in God, the Word of God, and the things of
God. It is called the “non-sense” kind of faith.

What Should You Be Thinking About? – Philippians 4:8 – “Finally brothers and
sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy – think about such things”. Paul is saying these are the fruit and
food of the mind that is guarded by the peace of God. These are the very things
that keep the mind functioning to its full capacity. When these things are fixed
and reside on our minds, they produce fruits. Practice training your thoughts
towards what is listed above. Positivity is key and directing your focus on the
positive is what makes you confident and strong.

Much of the Christian life comes down to the mind. Romans 12:2 speaks of the

essential place of being transformed by the renewing of your mind and 2
Corinthians 10:5 speaks of the importance of 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 . What we choose to meditate
on matters. Paul is giving us the perfect practical way to bring every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ. Taking your thoughts captive means bringing
your thoughts to subjection to obey you instead of you obeying your thoughts.
Take the necessary steps to deal with negative thinking and your life will change
for the better.

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CHAPTER EIGHT
The Renewed Mind
The Renewed Mind is the Canvas On Which the Spirit of God Can Paint

T
he Apostle Paul speak of the renewing of the mind. As the body represents our
being, so the mind represents our inward being. To be renewed is to be saturated
with God. This is sanctification. To be renewed is to be sanctified and to be
sanctified is to be transformed. With this said….our minds need to be sanctified,
restored, renewed, and transformed. What is the renewed mind? The renewed
mind is changing the thought patterns of the mind from the old way of thinking
to a new way of thinking that is in alignment with the Word of God and as your
mind is being renewed, you are more equipped to stiffer the thoughts that slither
in your mind that does not agree with what God’s Word says about you.
Scripture tells us in…

Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by

the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

There is the “world system” and there is the “kingdom system”. The world
system is in direct opposition to be ways of God. The world system conforms the
believer to its ungodly patterns and ways of thinking. “But be ye transformed by
the renewing of the mind”… This tells us that we are to make an intentional
effort to change our way of thinking and our perception of God, people, and
things. This then challenges us to declutter our mind from all the negativity of the
past and make a conscious effort through the reading of God’s Word to change
our thought pattern. “Prove what is that Good and acceptable and perfect will of
God”… as we are transformed on the inside through the reading of God’s Word,
the proof is evident on the outside, as others can see what the good and
acceptable and perfect will of God is through our life. Paul here explains how to
live out the will of God. He says that: You should keep in mind the rich mercy of
God to you – past, present, and future ( by the mercies of God). As an act of
intelligent worship, decide to yield your entire self to Him ( present your bodies a
living sacrifice). Resist conformity to the thoughts and actions of this world (do
not be conformed). By focusing on God’s word and fellowship with Him (be
transformed by the renewing of your mind). Then, your

life will be in the will of God. Your life will prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. You may know what the good and acceptable

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and perfect will of God is, but you can’t prove it in your life apart from the
transforming works of the Holy Spirit. The battleground for transformation is in
the mind of the believer. The desire and promises of God for our lives is that we
prosper in all things as our soul prospers. It is the desire of God that we are
healthy in the mind. Scripture declares in….

3 John 2 – Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health,
just as your soul prospers. (NKJV)

The word for prosper means “to have a good journey”. It metaphorically means
to succeed or prosper. It is like saying, “I hope things go well for you”. John used
this common phrase in his sending of best wishes to Gaius. Some have wrongly
taken this as a guarantee of perpetual wealth and perfect health for the believer.
Of course we should always remember that God wants what is best for us and
plans only what is good for us. Present material prosperity, physical health and I
dare say mental health is promised as the ultimate destiny of all believers. John
here made an analogy between the condition of our health and the condition of
our soul. Many Christians would be desperately ill if their physical health was
instantly in the same state as their spiritual and mental health.

God in His infinite power and wisdom desires that we succeed in all our
endeavours. He desires to perfect all things concerning your life. He is intricately
involved in every detail of your life. He has given us the authority to take
dominion over all He created, and we are to seek the revelation of the keys that
allow us access to possess all that God has in store for us. You can only gain full
access to these promises by renewing the mind. Everything starts with having a
healthy mindset. Hence why, the renewing of your mind is of utmost importance.
A renewed mind leads to a transformed life. Transformation is a lifetime journey
and now an event. There are no shortcuts. There is no magical formula for
renewing our minds. What is required is that we must fill our minds with God’s
Word day in and day out for the rest of our lives. As Jesus prayed to the Father
as declared in John 17:17…”Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is the truth”.
By the truth of God’s Word we are set free and delivered in mind, body, and
spirit. According to…

Ephesians 4:22-24 – That you put off concerning the former conduct (behavior)
the old man (the old self), which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And
be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man (the
new self), which was created according to God, in true righteousness and
holiness. (AMP)

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In this context…a "renewed mind," then, is one that has done two things: It has
"put off" any corrupt thinking, any sin, any hurt, doubt, fear, rebellion, self-
centeredness, lust, anger, bitterness or any barrier that would quench God's
Spirit and has "put on" the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Christians fail to
change when try to change solely by breaking bad habits Lasting change takes
place by replacing bad habits with Godly habits. The bible teaches us this
“principle of replacement” in many places, including Ephesians 4:22-24. God’s
plan for change is to “put off” the old sinful way of life “renew” the mind with
biblical truths and to “put on” the new Godly way of life. Telling God and others
that we are sorry for our sin is not enough to achieve real-life change. A habitual
thief can tell God that he is sorry every time he steals, but he still a thief. The thief
becomes a new creation when he becomes a habitual worshipper, laborer and
giver as declared Ephesians 4:25. Putting off the old man and putting on the new
man is the process that God uses to make “new creatures” in Christ according to
2 Corinthians 5:17. God intends for the believer to actively biblical alternatives to
the things that need to be put off. Concentrating or meditating on biblical truth is
necessary to know what needs to be put on, to overcome and replace sinful
tendencies. These sinful habits are behavioral patterns that have been learned
over time; therefore they must be unlearned and replaced with God’s honoring
patterns of living. Positive change takes place gradually as one puts biblical
principles into everyday practice. In time, old sinful ways will begin to disappear.
Renewing our minds is not simply "changing" our thoughts. In other words, we
can't just say to God, "Lord, give me Your Thoughts," and somehow expect Him
to "automatically" give us His Mind.  We must first put off our self-centered
thinking by confessing, repenting, and then giving it to God.  At this point, we
can then put on the Mind of Christ.

A renewed mind is the pre-requisite for a transformed life.

Renewing Your Mind

Renewing the mind involves a process shedding the old outer covering and
putting on the new. It takes place in the “Spirit of your mind”. As we come to
know Him, our minds are renewed in accordance with that knowledge of Him. In
Romans 12:2 Paul speaks of “proving” what is that good, acceptable, and perfect
will of God. It also means to replace fallible worldly knowledge and logic with
the infallible knowledge of God's truth found in His Word. The renewing process
involves having the Word of ingrained in your Spirit man. Six times in the Gospel

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of Matthew Jesus asked, “Have you not read?”. Jesus read scriptures and recited
them at the moment of being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The Word of
God is a Defense. A weapon of mass destruction. His example is the best one to
follow.

Renewing the Mind Involves….

 Reading the Word of God – Reading the word is the most important
element in the process of renewing the mind. It is truth and it is life and
it is the key to living a successful life. But if you’re new to the Christian
life or new to the Spirit-filled Christian life, you may be asking “What
exactly does it mean? Let’s look at the idea of renewing your mind. What
it is and how to do it. Why renew your mind with God’s Word? Few
principles will help you better understand the concept of renewing your
mind. First, understand that it is God’s perfect will for all men to be
saved and to come into the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
Peter tells us that God is not willing that any should perish. Not only is it
His will for you to be saved, but it is also His will for you to be free so
you can know “what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God
for you. As you study and put God’s Word into practice, you will come to
understand God’s will for your life. Jesus and God’s Word are one. John
1: 1, 14 says, “in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God
and the Word was God”… So the Word became human and made his
home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we
have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only son. The bible
is God’s testimony of what He has already prepared for His children. It is
the Father teaching His children how to know His thoughts and live out
His ways, so that they can enjoy all that has already been made for them
through the finished works of Christ. The bible is more than a history
book; it is God speaking to you now. God’s Word is alive. It is the living
voice from heaven. You can fearlessly act on the written Word of God by
renewing your mind. Just as you would if Jesus called your name and
spoke with you! The more you spend time engrossed in the word of God
and in His presence the more you are filled with the Word as your
weapon of defense which gives you the power and the authority to
counteract every negative thought that slithers in your mind with what
the word of God says about you. God's Word has the inherent power to
change our thoughts, feelings, bring comfort to us, and quiet our
distraught emotions. According to….

Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and

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marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. This means
that the word of God is like a doctor, a doctor checks the condition of his patient
to see how healthy his patient is to find the right medicine and prescriptions to
give to his patient to help them get back in good health. The word of God is your
doctor, there are many prescriptions in scripture that will help you
renew your mind. It will help you heal your broken heart; it will help comfort your
soul, and it will help you have a new perception of God, life, and people.

 Taking Your Thoughts Captive – Take every one of your thoughts

(beliefs, imaginations, dreams, and ideas) captive to the obedience of
Christ. What you put in your mind affects what you think. Have you ever
had someone accuse you of something that was not true? Have you ever
accused yourself of something that wasn’t true? Either way, whether
from you or another person, any false arguments launched against
yourself can turn into a stronghold in your mind that is spiritually
debilitating. You are susceptible to false arguments that can control your
mind. These recurring thought patterns, when left unchecked will
become the dominating arguments of your mind even to the point where
they become your new truth – your new way of thinking. We as believers
are in rigorous spiritual warfare without minds. We are constantly under
attack. We live in a spiritual world where there are real demonic forces,
who are out to destroy the knowledge of Christ in us. With this said, we
must understand that the evil spiritual world cannot utterly destroy any
believer because Satan is not God’s equal but there are demonic forces
that would enjoy nothing more than to derail a child of God from their
destiny, their relationship with Christ and their primary purpose on this
earth which is to make Christ’s name know in the earth. The sole
purpose of the devil is to keep all people from believing in Christ, to keep
the believer from maturing in Christ and to keep all people from walking
in their purpose. Paul called what I am describing, spiritual warfare in 2
Corinthians 10: 3-6. He viewed his Christian life as a life of constant
spiritual warfare. He knew where the primary battle came from and the
knowledge served himself in his fight for his sanctification and his mind.
We are made aware in…

2 Corinthians 10:3 – For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to
the flesh. (NKJV)

Do you know that you are in a spiritual warfare against your mind? Do you know
that there is a constant spiritual battle happening in this world and you are part
of it? You are not a sideline reporter but an active participant. Spiritual warfare
has been going on since Adam and Eve took a bite of disobedience. The Devil

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tried to knock them off and he succeeded to a degree and he and his minions
seek to circumvent the work of God in your life too. But with that said… Do you
know, you have weapons to fight the spiritual battle against your mind?
Weapons that are divinely empowered? Do you know God designed these
weapons with the power to destroy the strongholds in your mind? We are
admonished in…

2 Corinthians 10:5 – Cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ. (NKJV)

Since all of our emotions, words and actions originate in your mind and heart,
we can be rest assured that we have the power to control how we think or feel,
what we say and how we act. No one is a victim. At this point, we should
embrace the thought of using God’s power within us to positively control our
thoughts.

Demolishing Strongholds

A stronghold in our mind is an area of thinking that the enemy has somehow
managed to dominate, causing us to believe lies that are contrary to the truth of
what God’s Word says about us and although they are lies, if not dealt with, they
become our reality. That is why we must be filled with God’s Word. God desires
that we live a life of peace in Him, through Him, with ourselves and with our
loved ones. This ultimately enables us to become everything He created us to be.
With that said, the world is unprincipled. It is a dog eat dog world some would
say. The world doesn’t play fair or fight fair, but we don’t fight our battles in that
manner – never have and never will. The weapons of our battles aren’t for
playing around. It is for demolishing the entire culture and it is for smashing
warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God’s
Word, fitting every loose thoughts and emotions and impulse into the structure
of the life shaped by Christ. Our weapons are ready at hand for clearing the
ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
Scripture declares in…

Romans 8:18 - For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of
the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be
revealed to us and in us! (AMP)

I know the glory that’s to be revealed after my suffering will be coming soon as
promised by God says, Paul. God is always faithful to His Word. I have faced
some major challenges in my life, and I have suffered tremendously. But in the
midst of it all, I have seen the hand of God pull me out of every trial and

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tribulation. I am secured in God’s love and faithfulness. As a result I can rest in

God’s promises and I am willing to wait on His timing for the manifestation of His
promises. Guard your heart – You are what you think. Also, whatever thoughts
you sow into your mind, you will reap the harvest of your thoughts. You become
what you think! Everything about you is a result of what you allow to rent space
in your mind. According to….

Proverbs 23:7: For as a man thinks in his heart so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says 
to you, but his heart is not with you. (NKJV)

As mentioned earlier, whatever you conceive in your mind, that is what you will
achieve. As cliché as it sounds, it has been proven to be true. Daydreaming is
thinking, planning is thinking, imagining is thinking, reacting to circumstances is
thinking and even sitting down wishing things could have been different for you
is thinking. Your beliefs are your thoughts formed over many years of life
experiences, from childhood to who you currently are. Sometimes “bad” things
happen to you but it’s your response to what happens to you that determines the
state of your mind. The mind can be your angel and it can be your demon at the
same time. As mentioned earlier, whatever you conceive in your mind, that is
what you will achieve. Sometimes “bad” things happen to you and the question
is, what do you think about when bad things happen to you? The thoughts, belief
systems, and values as a result of the circumstances surrounding your life, this
forms the type of mindset that shapes your life and determines your emotions,
the words you speak and the actions you take. One of the greatest truths in life is
that… “it is not what happens to you (your past, present or future circumstances)
or what people do or say to you that causes you to react in a certain manner.
Your emotions come from what you think about after you encounter
overwhelming circumstances in your life. The truth we must grasp is that we are
in control of our emotions and the residual effects of our emotions by what we
think about. Emotions are simply data giving you information on your thought
patterns. Every day of my life, I am aware that… “as I think, so am I”. So I am
intentional about what I think about. I remember the first time I sat down to
reflect on the moment I was raped. It was one of the hardest times of my life. I
thought, the time of the rape was one of the hardest times of my life but sitting
down to reflect on it was back-breaking to say the least. At that time, I had set
myself a 30 days forgiveness challenge. So every day, for 30 days, I would take
out one hour out my day to sit down and write down at least one person I needed
to forgive. After writing down the name of the person that I needed to forgive, I
would write down what they had done to me and I will list the pros and cons of
forgiving the person; I really shouldn’t have written down the advantages and
disadvantages of forgiving the person because forgiving someone has no
disadvantages. I would then conclude by writing down whether or not this is

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someone I should reconcile with, after releasing them out of my heart. Our
emotions dictate our actions and reactions. Your thoughts are written on your
heart. Guard your heart, for out of it springs the issues of life. We must make it a
priority to put ourselves in a state of “listening” to our thoughts and allowing our
thoughts to show us a picture of our hearts. The moment I started studying about
the mind and embarked on the journey of training my mind, I made a statement
that declared… “I am not discouraged by what I see surrounding my life in the
present because I know that if my thoughts do not align with who and what God
says I am in His Word, I can override my thoughts and transform my life by the
renewing of my mind. So as I bore the pain within and listened to the thoughts of
judgment and blame of the ones who caused me pain in whatever capacity, I
intentionally drove myself into a state of transforming my thoughts into
gratefulness for the pain and the additional character building. The reason why
many form their whole lives around their pain is because they have not come to
the understanding that there is always a purpose behind every pain we
encounter in life. It is the battles, the circumstances, the challenges, the traumas,
and the tragedies of life that break, mold and shape us into the men and women
that God predestined for us to become before the foundation of the earth.
Throughout my life, I have gone through, heartbreak, molestation, rape, on the
verge of being killed over 15 times, my legs on the verge of being amputated
because of hot water burn, betrayal, hopelessness, rejection, being beaten and at
the brink of being stabbed by a former partner, an attempt to commit suicide at
the age of 16 which backfired and many other things. The stories are endless.
Every time, I felt suffocated and almost lost mind but if it had not been for the
Lord who was on my side protecting me, covering me, comforting, and healing
me in my mind, body, and spirit, I often as myself “where would I be today?”

With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, your spirit man is quickened with the Word
of God at any given moment, enabling you to listen to what is happening in your
mind to counteract your thoughts and bring it back in alignment with the Word of
God. To align your thoughts with the Word of God, let your mind think on only
what is noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report. To counteract your thoughts,
let your mind think on only what is noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report.
Just imagine being able to control your thoughts. As you master the art of
controlling your thoughts, you are then able to control the residual effects your
thoughts could potentially have on your life. Just think of it – you being in charge
and having control over your mind. Is this not great power over your life? The
reality is that no one controls how you think and thus, no one has the power to
control how you feel, speak or act. You are never the victim of your
circumstances, neither are you the product of your thoughts.

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Choose Your Thoughts Purposefully – There is power in your thoughts. And there
is greater power in thinking the right thoughts at the right time. Powerful positive
thinking means you can actively control your negative thoughts and fears and
proactively replace them with positive thoughts to live a life of peace, love, joy,
prosperity, and freedom. Scripture admonishes us in…

Philippians 4:8 – Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are
of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
meditate on these things. (NKJV)

Your mind and your thoughts affect your perception and interpretation of reality.
The majority of the time, your thoughts directly control how you are feeling at
any given moment – regardless of whether you are consciously aware of it or
not. To control our lives, we have to learn the art of “letting go”. Letting go does
not mean giving up control. It is about gaining control. By letting go, your
thoughts do not overpower and control you; you control your thoughts. By
controlling your thoughts, you are in control of your mind. Isn’t that amazing?
Did you catch that?

By letting go, you can control your mind instead of having

your mind control you.

This is termed “The paradox of letting go”. We tend to think that the more we
grasp onto something, the more we can control it. It is like holding onto a cliff for
the fear of falling. We ruminate over what we should have done, or what we
should do. Our obsession with the past and the past, our success and our life as a
whole seemingly come from believing the more we think about these things, the
more we can control them – we won’t fall into our misery. What we must
understand is that, there is no cliff. There is only our mind playing tricks on us,
trying to make us believe there is an impending disaster. In reality, the only
misery happening is in ourselves Holding onto emotions does not give us
control. We’re literally “out of our minds” – in other words, we’re out of control.
Therefore….

The more we let go, the more we gain control. It seems so paradoxical. It doesn’t
make sense. How can it be?

Well, it because we are getting in our way. It’s that simple. By ruminating,
obsessing, and contemplating, we’re creating fertile grounds for weeds to sprout

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up, blocking a clear path in our minds for us to follow. Instead of clearing our
path, we are blocking our path. How many times have you just decided to put the
computer down suddenly and go for a walk and then the answer came to your
mind? That’s called letting go. One of the hardest lessons in life is “letting go”.
Whether its guilt, anger, loss, betrayal or that toxic relationship. Change is never
easy. We fight to hold on to who, what and where we should not be holding
onto, which ultimately does more damage to the soul than good.

By letting go, you can control your mind, instead of your mind controlling you. If
you don’t, you have given your mind free rein to go off around on the tangents at
will. We all can be hard on ourselves sometimes. Left to its own devices, our
mind can find a million reasons why we should not be happy in the present
moment. For example: one can say…”Yes, I have a job, but I’m anxious about
whether I’ll get a promotion. Our mind tricks us into thinking, “I will be happy
when….” Yet once we get that something, we start yearning for more.
Nevertheless, before you start beating yourself up over it, know that we all do it.
It's part and parcel of our evolution as a species. Evolution has set the mind on
an endless treadmill.

As a Man Thinks

When we experience the unexpected in our lives, it is easy for us to allow the
circumstance to lead us into a state of frustration. It is the reality of life. You
could be sitting down somewhere and a random thought slithers into your mind.
What was that thought? Was it good or bad? Was it related to your past or your
present? Are you thinking about your future? What was that thought? Was it
thoughts of failure or success? How you filter your thoughts and bring them
under subjection to the obedience of Christ is crucial. Choosing your thoughts on
purpose means you are positioned to intentionally choose what you think about.
When you find yourself thinking about how frustrated you are, you instantly
counteract that thought and replace it with a confession that says…Though I may
feel frustrated I am not alone because God is with me and everything will work
together for my good. Everything is coming together as it is supposed to.
Scripture tells us in…

Proverbs 23: 7 – For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says
to you, but his heart is not with you. (NKJV)

Where the mind goes, the man follows. As it is written, a tree is known by the
fruit it produces. Thoughts bear fruits. Think good thoughts and the fruits in your
life will be good. The foundation of who we are and the decisions that we make

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that lead tour everyday actions comes from the mind. So the renewing of the
mind is imperative to a successful life.

Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by

the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

As I mentioned earlier, your mind is like a hard drive. What you store in the
archive of your mind becomes your memory; what you see and hear is stored
into your memory drive. The more experiences you encounter in life determines
the values and belief systems you hold in life which forms the type of mindset
you function with throughout your life until steps are taken for transformation
and a renewal of the mind. For example: I was on periscope some time ago,
when a pastor was sharing a word from the Lord and someone made a comment
that they have been delivered from pornography, but they can still visualise the
images and hear the sounds from time to time. This is an issue that takes years
to overcome. The reason for this is that they have stored the images and sounds
in the hard drive of their mind, so much so that if they have not taken any
corrective action to overcome the problem by prayer, counselling, or therapy, it
can be triggered over and again. One can only be from such bondage with
prayer, fasting, counselling and the reading, understanding, and applying of the
truth of God’s Word in their life. Even seeing an attractive person whether man or
woman can trigger those feelings, emotions, and urges. Let’s also look at it from
a different perspective, when an individual has lived their whole life being
insulted, mistreated, mishandled, neglected; many of these experiences trigger
feelings of rejection, inadequacy, and the feeling of always living in the shadow
of other people. From many of the conversations I have had concerning this
book, I concluded that, it is at this point in people’s lives when self-confidence
and self-esteem deteriorate at an alarming rate.

For example: In my case, when I was younger, I was always second best to my
cousin in my mother eyes for so many reasons. I was made to feel like I wasn’t
smart enough and I could never do anything right but my cousin on the other
hand was the more intelligent one. I was made to feel like I wasn’t beautiful
enough because of my petite stature and the fact that I look far younger than my
age (which now at this particular stage in my life is a huge compliment to me),
back then, it wasn’t. I was made to feel like I would never amount to anything in
life because my mother questioned all the subjects that I chose to study from
GCSE to university and as a result of this, for many years I questioned myself;
whether I will ever be a woman of substance or significance, that has what it
takes to make a difference in society. Not only that, I went through a series of
accusations, neglect, not been accepted, unloved, you name it, I went through it

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and they were painful experiences. As a result of this, I lived my life with labels of
the experiences I went through as a young girl. Ignorant as to why I was living
my life the way I did, until about five years ago, I always felt second best to most
of the people that I’ve cross paths with throughout my years on this earth. My
self-esteem was deteriorated, I never felt good about myself. For many years, I
had a very good way of covering it up, but deep down inside I felt empty and
dead inside.

But here is the truth!! God gives life to the dead. Being resurrected from the dead
is the beginning of a whole new life for me. The resurrection process started in
my third year of university, my aunt had bought me a bible at that time, which I
read occasionally. Now and then I would open it up and take a peek into it but
somehow at this particular time of my life, I suddenly became extremely
interested in just reading the word of God and watching a particular pastor by the
name of Pastor Creflo Dollar and there was a very popular song
I would listen to daily which many of you may know by the legendary Donnie
McClurkin titled “Create In Me A Clean Heart”. Every day I would intentionally
take at least 2 hours out of the day to watch a sermon by Creflo Dollar, read a
verse or two a day and listen to that one particular song. Till the day God opened
the door for me to get back into the church. The same lady who invited me to
church when I was seventeen years old; When I gave my life to Christ; who is still
my friend till this day is the same lady that invited me again for an event that was
happening at the church in November 2010. Somehow, without hesitation, I said
yes to the invitation and on that day, I rededicated my life to Christ. It was then
on that evening after the event that I realised that; having God in your life gives
you the kind of joy and peace you will never experience from somewhere else or
from someone else. Not only that, I understood, that the purpose of life is to have
a life of purpose. As long as your mind is still living in the past, you can never
live to the fullest of your potential. Why? Because the past is still in your memory
bank and it needs to be decluttered. It was then as I rededicated my life to Christ
that the decluttering and the renewal of the mind process began. As hard and
painful as it was to reminisce over past experiences, it was necessary for the new
life that about to be birthed from the inside out. There are many reasons why
“mind renewal” is imperative in the life of any individual. God wants us to have
His Mind (His thoughts, His perspective) in every situation.  He wants us to have
the supernatural ability to discern everything that happens to us from His
perspective, and not get bogged down and buried by our negative thoughts and
emotions or by what we can "see" in the natural going on in our lives.   If we can
see from His perspective, then we'll be able to "soar" above our circumstances,
our problems, and our trials and not get buried under them.

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The Perfect Example

Joseph in the Old Testament, I believe, is a wonderful example of someone who

was able to see all that happened to him from God's perspective. With the story
of Joseph you will grasp the idea that “Purpose takes you to the pit before it
takes you to the palace”. Joseph was the most beloved of all the sons of Jacob.
He had a dream. Instead of keeping this dream to himself, he made the mistake
of telling his brothers the dream.  His brothers were already jealous of him
because he was their father's favourite.  But after hearing Joseph’s dream, they
became even more jealous and envious and were determined to get rid of him
any way they could.  The brothers put Joseph in a pit and finally sold him to the
Midianites.  The Midianites, in turn, sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer in
Pharaoh's guard.  After an incident with Potiphar's wife, however, in which she
tricked Joseph by making it look like he had seduced her, Joseph was sent to
prison. While in prison, Joseph met the King's baker and butler and did them a
favor by interpreting their dreams.  He begged them to remember him when they
were released from prison.  However, when it came time that the chief butler was
released, he soon forgot Joseph and the things Joseph did for him. Two more
years went by when Pharaoh had a dream and the chief butler finally
remembered Joseph in prison and the interpretation of his dreams.  Pharaoh’s
men contacted Joseph, released him, and eventually, Joseph became Pharaoh's,
right-hand man. Joseph was only seventeen years old when his brothers threw
him into the pit to be sold, and he was well over thirty years old when Pharaoh
finally released him.  He had been "in bondage" for over thirteen years!

Purpose takes you to the pit before it takes you to the palace

Can you imagine how Joseph must have felt? He must have struggled with
“justified” hurts, resentment, and bitterness. He was not a “super saint”, but
human just like us. Scripture tells us, however, that all who saw Joseph “knew
God was with him” as declared according to Genesis 39:3. Somehow, despite all
the horrendous circumstances and all the justified natural emotions, Joseph
must have felt, his countenance and his life actions still showed forth his love for
God and God’s presence with him. The only way Joseph could have made this
impression was by constantly “putting off” natural bitterness and resentments
and putting on God’s wisdom and understanding, thereby being able to see all
that happened to him not from his perspective; as if God was trying to punish
him but from God’s perspective. This is confirmed in Genesis 50:20 when Joseph
finally saw his brothers after many years and said to them, “…ye thought evil

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against me; but God meant it for good to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save
much people alive”. This is an incredible response. It’s not a natural reaction.
How many of you will respond to your enemies in this manner? I’m sure Joseph
would have loved to have had his revenge, but that’s not how he acted. He saw
all things that had happened to him as being used for God’s purpose in his own
life to the glory of God. When you encounter unexplainable challenges in your
life, what is your response and what is your perspective? Do you see that
everything happening to you, is happening for you and that God has allowed you
to encounter some challenges as a way of transporting you from the pit to the
palace? There were no psychologists or psychiatrists in Joseph’s day. Yet
somehow, Joseph was freed from the traumas of his past, his dysfunctional
family and his life was transformed.

CHAPTER NINE
Cultivating the Mind of Christ
The Renewed Mind is the Canvas On Which the Spirit of God Can Paint

H
aving the mind of Christ means we look at life from God’s point of view, having
His values and desires in mind. It means to think God’s thoughts and not think as
the world thinks. It is a shared perspective of humility, compassion, and
dependence on God. The phrase “mind of Christ” or “mind of the Lord” comes
from Isaiah 40:13…”Who has understood the mind of the Lord or instructed him

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as his counsellor?” In 1 Corinthians, Paul is contrasting the unbeliever (the

natural man) with the believer. When we have the mind of Christ, it is in contrast
to the wisdom of man. It involves wisdom from God, which was once hidden,
and it cannot be understood by those without the spirit. When we have the mind
of Christ, we have discernment in spiritual matters.

When believers have the mind of Christ, we understand God’s plan for our lives,
God plan for the world and understand that He wants to bring about His purpose.
The mind of Christ for the believer is to think about how Christ thinks. Your
thoughts should be in alignment with God’s thoughts towards you. When an
individual decides to start cultivating the mind of Christ, they start to walk in
divine wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. I believe the mind of Christ is a
divine seven-fold process of thinking that is bestowed upon each of us the
moment we believe and accept into our lives as our Lord and savior, and the
ultimate savior of the world according to 2 Corinthians 2:12-16. According to…

Isaiah 11:1-2 - And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a
branch shall grow out of his roots and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the
Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (NKJV)

Jesus was the Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of wisdom was upon Him. Jesus is
perfectly wise in all things. He showed it among us during His earthly ministry
and He shows it now in His ministry towards us in heaven. He understands us

perfectly. He is perfectly suited to be our sympathetic High priest in heaven. The

spirit of counsel is upon Him. He has perfect counsel to give us at all times. He

has both the wisdom and the understanding to be our perfect counsellor. The
spirit of might is upon Him. He has the power to do what He desires to do. Man
in the natural may attempt to be our aid and our guide in times of need, if they
could but are powerless. Jesus has both the love and the might to guide through
our daily affairs. The spirit of knowledge is upon Him. He knows everything. He
knows the intents of our hearts; He knows what goes on in our minds. He is the
all-knowing God. The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord was upon Him.
He willingly kept Himself in a place of submission, respect, and honour to God
the father. When the Spirit of the Lord rest upon you, you have the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit operating within and with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you
become wise in all things. As cliché as it sounds, we all know that wisdom is the
principal thing and to live a purpose-driven, God disciplined life; you must apply
the wisdom of God to your life according to 1 Corinthians 1:30 which declares

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that Jesus became for us wisdom from God. It isn’t just that Jesus has wisdom;
He is the epitome of wisdom! So in this sense, not only do you acquire wisdom
through the Spirit of the Lord, you are wisdom. You exude wisdom; the way you
speak, the way you act, the way you conduct yourself, the way you plan out your
life, the people you associate yourself with all comes with the divine wisdom that
God has bestowed upon you. One can only acquire this wisdom when it is
desired from the Lord. You cannot gain Godly wisdom by studying or getting an
education. It is revelatory. Many are filled with the wisdom of this world and
adhere to the systems of this world. Therefore all decisions that are made based
on logic in compliance with the systems of this world according to the flesh
profits nothing because those decisions are prone to consequences. Anything
contrary to the will of God bears consequences. Scripture declares in…

Proverb 24:3 - Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is

established. (NKJV) 

God’s Word (His wisdom) must be our sustenance, our nourishment, our food,
our daily bread. Godly wisdom is the foundation on which we should base our
lives and the basis on which our spiritual lives should be built. God is ever willing
to give wisdom to the one who desires it according to James 1:5. Why? Because
God is not pleased when we live a life that is contrary to His will for our lives as
predestined before the foundation of the earth. We can’t just live our lives as we
want to and sprinkle some Jesus on it and think we are fine. Your life has to go
according to God’s will, and it requires divine wisdom to align your life in the
direction that God is taking you to. Let me give you a scenario…You are sitting
behind the stirring wheel of a car and you are supposed to turn right but you turn
to the left towards the end of the road and meet a dead end. Wisdom will tell you
not to continue because there is a no entry sign in front of you telling you that
this is a no go area”.

One can only get wisdom when it is desired from the Lord

The Spirit of Understanding

Revelation is what we receive from God and understanding is comprehending

the revelation we have received from God. Spiritual understanding tells us the
meaning of all the movements within our spirit; it enables us to know God’s will.
Our fellowship with God relies on our spirit receiving God’s revelation on the
intuition of the spirit sensing this revelation and the spiritual understanding to

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interpret the meaning of this revelation. No matter how good a man’s

understanding is, it is not enough for him to know God’s will and having
fellowship with God requires spiritual understanding. Only spiritual
understanding leads one to the realm of the spirit and enables one to know God’s
will. Fleshly understanding enables one to know some truths, but these truths
will only remain in one’s mind. Because spiritual understanding comes from the
spirit, it can transform what it has understood into life. According to….

Isaiah 11:2 – the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the
fear of the Lord. (NKJV)

This tells us that the next function of the Spirit of God, giving us the mind of
Christ, is the spirit of understanding. Just because we have God’s wisdom
written and inscribed in our hearts does not necessarily mean that we’ll
understand how to apply that wisdom to our lives. This is another process on its
own. The Spirit of understanding is God’s supernatural revelation; His secret
insight to His Word. Understanding simply means to perceive the intended
meaning of something (words, a language, or a speaker) or to interpret or view
(something) in a particular way. "as the term is usually understood. It is a
“putting together” or a comprehend or a grasping of His Word. The Spirit of God
illuminates our hearts and gives us an understanding of His Word. In other
words, He “turns on the light for us”. How many times have you sat down and
read God’s Word, gotten up and not remembered a thing you read? Well, God’s
Spirit of understanding was not in operation. When the Spirit of the Lord rests
upon you, things that don’t make sense to others will make sense to you. Those
who have the Spirit of Understanding don’t operate in logic. Why? Because logic
makes sense in the natural realm and the only way to understand life and the
mysteries of God is to operate away from logic into the supernatural realm.

Now God is concerned about the hidden man of the heart, which is our inner life.
Our inner life is what we think about. And like the scripture above says, the way
we think determines how we live and who we are. That’s why we need to think
about what we’re thinking about. It’s so important for us to understand this
because if we don’t learn to take every though captive to the obedience of Christ
as declared in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, we won’t live the life Jesus died to give us – a
life of peace with God, peace with ourselves, great relationships, real joy and the
ability to become all God has created us to be. It comes down to choosing to
believe what God says about us in His Word, more than we believe our feelings,
what other people say and or our circumstances. The Bible specifically talks

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about three things we must do to develop a mind that agrees with God. I want to
share the benefits of each of them. They are…

1. Set Your Mind Above - Set your minds and keep them set on what
is above (the higher things…) – Colossians 3:2 (NKJV)

This is the key to resisting temptation. See, when we make up our mind ahead of
time what we will and won’t do, then when temptation comes, we have laid a
foundation to make the right choices and are more likely to successfully
overcome the temptation. For example, before you get into social situations,
decide “I am not going to gossip. I’m not going to ruin someone’s reputation and
offend the Holy Spirit.” Other temptations may require you to decide things like
“I’m not going to eat four candy bars today.” Or “I am not going to look at
pornography on the Internet.” Or “I am not going to hang out with people who
are bad influences.” My point here is, we don’t want to wait until the temptation
comes and then react based on how we feel about it”.

2. Be Transformed - Do not be conformed to this world…but be

transformed by the renewing of your mind – Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

Renewing the mind is an ongoing process. Every day we need to take time to
study the Word so we can purposely think according to what it says. And we
can’t keep one or two “junky” areas in our thought life because it just keeps us
from the best God has for us. I’m not saying we have to be perfect with this, but
we need to make progress each day so we can keep our minds renewed and
grow in our relationship with God.

3. Discipline Your Mind - Gird up the loins of your mind – 1 Peter 1:13
(NKJV)

You are probably thinking, What does that mean? It is saying, we are to discipline
our minds by binding up loosely flowing thoughts and speculations that might
distract us, so that we can live life with a sober mind which enables us to keep
running our race in Christ Jesus and have the victory God wants us to have. Then
we are ready for action to follow God’s plan for our lives. One practical way we
can accomplish these three directions from God is to have a think session every
day. Just sit down and say, “I’m going to think about some things on purpose.”
Then spend some time thinking about scriptures that renew your mind with the
truth about what God says – about His love for you, His plan for you, how He
wants you to live and behave... Use a concordance to find verses that cover areas
you are struggling with or need to know more about. I want to encourage you to

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write some of them down and put them places where you will see them every
day, like the bathroom mirror or refrigerator.

If you will commit to setting your mind on God’s Word, renewing your mind with
the truth and consciously counteract negative thoughts by intentionally
disciplining your mind, then you will experience the fullness of the new life that
we can all have in Christ. All it takes is a little more progress one day at a time.

Learning to Think How God Thinks

Man was made in God’s image and in His likeness. So we all can think like God.
But modern society has in place things that prevent us from doing what we were
designed to do. We have accepted the wisdom of politicians who wish to be
popular and of large companies who wish to make money and of media
organisations that wish to be heard and because of this, we have rejected the
wisdom of God that teaches us how to live a morally sustainable life. Ironically,
most Christians are convinced, that they think like God thinks without any
revelation of who God is and how He operates. The reason we study scripture is
to gain revelation, to learn to think like God thinks to live our lives according to
His standards. We are to know who God is through His Word and know Him by
experience. You can only know God is by experience when you have had an
encounter with Him. Long before Christianity existed, God said through one of
the prophets in….

Isaiah 55:6-9 – Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is
near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and
let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are
your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your
thoughts. (NKJV)

What is this verse trying to tell us?

Seek the Lord While He May Be Found – The prophet impresses a sense
of urgency on God’s people. “This is the time. God can be found now. Seek
Him now.” It isn’t that God is hidden and can only be found now. It is that He can
only be found when our hearts are inclined to look for Him, and that inclination
itself is a gift from God! We must receive the gift and make the most of it while
we have it. Not seeking and failing to call upon Him while He is near,
will deny you access to the promises of God over your life.

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Let the Wicked forsake His Ways – This is saying that it is time for the
wicked to repent of their sins. Repentance means a change of mind, a change
from the old way of living to a new way of living and making a conscious
decision to walk in God’s way. Returning to the Lord, wholeheartedly desiring to
walk in the ways of God. The prophet made a clarion call for repentance and
admonished the people of God to render their hearts and not their garments
according to Joel 2:13 which declares… “So render your heart and not your
garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to
anger and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm”. In breaks the
heart of God more than the rules of God. God seeks your repentance and the
restoration of your relationship with Him. The restoration of your relationship
with Him comes from within; the working from the heart not from the works of
the flesh. Scripture tells us in….

Ephesians 1:18 – The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you

may know what the hope of His calling is, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints. (NKJV)

When we say seek the Lord while He may be found, in Christ, the Lord is not one
that we try to seek as if He is lost just as mentioned above. The new creation
believer at best has to pray that the eyes of his understanding are enlightened to
what God has done for us through the finished works of Christ. It is imperative to
understand that Christ endured His life just so you can be free from your past and
have the new life that has already been made available for you through the
finished works of Christ, a new mind free from the experiences of the past that
had cluttered your mind. The newness of life that you seek is already done for
you in Christ on the cross.

That is the resurrected life. Prophet Isaiah makes a very imperative point when he
declared… “let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his
thoughts”. The one thing that we know is that the wickedness of man is based on
actions whereas the unrighteousness of man is based on the thoughts of the
mind and the intents of the heart. The battleground for a righteous walk with God
in Christ is in our mind. Our thoughts; the way we think and what we think about
is embedded in it. Paul understood this very well when he wrote of bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ according to 2 Corinthians
10:5 and how we must not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind according to Romans 12:2. When we become born again,
we become new creatures, old things are passed away and all things become
new. According to…

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2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old

things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)

This means that all your old ways are gone. You are a brand-new Spirit and Soul.
All the old habits that use to keep you in bondage should be gone. The old ways
of living should be gone and most importantly the old ways of thinking are
passed away, because you are now a new creature in Christ. The moment you
become born again is truly when the transition begins from the old to the new.
Therefore, as a new creature in Christ, how you live your life is a direct reflection
of how you think. Before we can learn how to think like God, we have to renew
our mind with His word, which is the ultimate foundation of our lives. We are to
read and ponder on it every moment of our lives as declared in….

Joshua 1: 8 – This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you
shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all
that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you
will have good success. (NKJV)

This is telling us that Joshua did not only need to read God’s word. It had to be
on his lips (shall not depart from your mouth), in his mind (mediate in it day and
night), and he had to make a conscious decision to apply the Word to his life
(observe to do according to all that is written). For then he will make his way
prosperous and then he will have good success. God’s Word assures us victory
in every area of our lives. It is the ingredient needed to give the believer a
sweatless victory. Not that it promises a life without problems, but it does ensure
to give us the weapon needed to overcome all the challenges of life. The
Christian success is not measured by the same standards as the world’s success.
Even if the world accounts us as sheep for the slaughter, we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us according to Romans 8:36-37.

    How you live your life is a direct reflection of how you think

God’s Thinking Vs Man’s Thinking

Your mind is a fertile ground and your thoughts are the seeds in the garden of
your mind. Every thought has the propensity of creating an action and a
corresponding reaction; as we are constantly on think mode and we get a million
and one thought in our mind per minute, we unconsciously come to a point of
questioning our thoughts. Ask yourself these questions…what am I thinking

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about today? We are to be intentional about our thoughts. Are we thinking like
man or are we thinking like God according to His Word? There is a big difference.
Scripture tells us in…

Isaiah 55:8-9 – For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My

ways,” says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My
ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (NKJV)

Man cannot fathom the way God thinks. He moves in ways that we may never be
able to comprehend. He performs miracles that makes no logical sense to the
natural mind. Why? Because His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not
our thoughts. Man operates from a logical standpoint, but God operates from a
supernatural standpoint. This is a fundamental truth that we must be willing to
accept and take hold of. The mind is a universe and make a heaven of hell and a
hell of heaven. We get disappointed when what we desire in our mind, doesn’t
work out the way we want it to. Why? Because what you may be thinking about
doesn’t line up with God’s will for your life according to His Word. It is imperative
to understand that man operates with emotions, God operates with facts, laws,
and principles. We tend to get stuck in difficult times because we want God to
think the way we do. As God’s thoughts are based on facts and principles, He
then deals with our lives based on the laws and principles set in His Word. It is as
it is. For example: if one is sick, when you receive the doctors report, your
thoughts will run along the lines of… “But the doctor’s report says, there is no
cure for this illness”. God says in His Word… “By His stripes we are healed”. The
mind of God for you is healing in your mind, body, and spirit according to Isaiah
53:5. When a believer’s thinking is not in alignment with the Word of God, it
leads to carnal thinking. There is a difference between the carnal mindset and the
spiritual mindset.

The Carnal Mindset and the Spiritual Mindset

We can either have a carnal mindset or a spiritual mindset.  So what is the carnal
mindset and what is the spiritual mindset and what are the results we can expect
from each mindset?  Here’s a scripture giving us a clear description of each and
the results of each. According to….

Romans 8:6-8 - For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is

life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. (NKJV)

When our minds are set on the things of the flesh (carnally minded) we bring
death into our lives. But walking in the spirit brings life and peace.

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The Carnal Mindset

The carnal mind is the mind of the flesh. The carnal mind makes us walk
according to logic reasoning and dictates what your five senses (see, hear, touch,
smell and feel) are telling you. The carnal mindset always contradicts what the
Word of God says about you and your life. The Greek word for carnal is “sarx”
translated as the flesh which denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of
man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God.
Romans 8:6-7 gives more insight into the carnal mind. The carnal mind is death.
It is enmity (hostility, hatred) against God; it is not subject to the laws of God nor
can it be. Scripture, according to 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 gives an additional
understanding of the meaning of carnal. If you are carnally minded, you are not
spiritually mature. You are a babe in Christ. Carnally people are not able to
receive and function on solid food, but only on milk. You will only be able to
think like God when you delve deep into the scriptures and eat the solid food of
God’s Word. Let the word of God be rooted and grounded in your spirit.

Why the Carnal Mind is Deadly

 Spiritual death is the opposite of life in God.
 The scripture states in verse six, to be carnally minded is death.
 The Greek word ‘death’, thanatŏs, does not refer to physical death but
spiritual death.

The Spiritual Mindset

The spiritual mind is having the mind of Christ. It is HIS mind; it is having the
mindset on spiritual things, filled Godly desires and purposes. When we became
a new creature in Christ, we were given this mind according to 1 Corinthians
2:16. The mind of Christ is also known as the mind of the Spirit according to
Romans 8:6. It is life and peace. This mind reveals to us the great things God has
in store for us. "But as it is written, eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that
love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit
searches all things, yea, the deep things of God - 1 Corinthians 2:9, 10". The mind
of Christ or the mind of the Spirit reveals to us what has been freely given to us
by God, already made available for us through the finished works of Christ. "Now
we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we
might know the things that are freely given to us of God - Corinthians 2:12." It
enables us to spiritually discern the things of the Spirit of God. “Which things
also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy

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Spirit teaches. But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God;
for the things of the spirit are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned - 1 Corinthians 2:13, 14."With experience
I’ve learned that there are certain things that you can do to think like God that
helped me push forward to live a life of fruitfulness and peace.

Spiritual Mindedness Has Benefits

 These things begin with God’s Word.
 For the new creature to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
 The Word should always be the primary area of focus for a spiritually
minded believer.
 Being ‘spiritually minded’ means the entire focus of your being, spirit
soul and body, is on ‘the things which emanate from the Spirit’.

On a Consciousness Level

A spiritual mindset supports the intention to lead a conscious life. Now that you
are awakening in consciousness, you would like to view life with a spiritually
aligned lens. Usually people understand mindset as a set of beliefs or attitudes.
The beliefs let you frame the situation that you are in. They determine your
perception, of how you see things. Whether you interpret things to be positive or
negative, your mindset has a huge part to play in it. A spiritual mindset is not just
about having a set of uplifting beliefs. It also refers to a set of spiritual beliefs that
influence your reactions and behaviour. Your mindset is a frame of mind that
helps you move towards a set of outcomes. Your beliefs are framed by your
awareness of your spiritual nature. They guide you in terms of making conscious
choices that support your growth. Beliefs are made up of thoughts. When
thoughts become conditioned and habitual, you define yourself by them and who
you can become. They influence you at the identity level. Many people struggle
because they fail to examine the beliefs that they had unconsciously created or
made in the past. Problems arise when they identify with mistaken ideas. If you
are hoping to discover your true nature or find out who you are (the “I” or “I
am”), you will need to shed off the layers of untruths. These untruths are likely to
prevent you from reaching your highest potential.

Cultivating the Mind of Christ

 Set Your Mind on Things Above and Keep it Set

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The bible declares according to Colossians 3:2 – “Set your mind on

things above, not on things on the earth”. What this means is that we
should keep our eyes fixed on God and the things of God. When you fix
your mind on the things of God and everything to do with God, it helps
you make the right decisions in any given situation and this is one of the
fundamentals of resisting temptations and taking every thought in the
mind captive. Let me give you a scenario, let’s say for example you are
at work and you make a mistake on a given task and your boss finds out
that you made a mistake, your boss will humiliate you and slander you
publicly in front of everyone. To add insult to injury, your boss will most
probably say things that may pierce you. How do you deal with that? By
setting your mind on things above, regardless of what negativity slithers
fugitively from your boss through to you, you are equipped and able to
counteract it with your belief of what God says about you and who you
believe you are in Christ. A mindset on things above will give you the
wisdom to know how to handle certain situations when they arise.

 Renewing the Mind

The bible declares according to Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to
this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Renewing
the mind is not a one-time thing that happens overnight. It is a daily
ongoing process. Every day, it is imperative that we take time to arm
ourselves with the Sword of the Spirit for our thoughts to be in
alignment with His Word. It all begins and ends with the mind. What you
give power to has power over you if you allow it. Your mind is a
powerful instrument, it can invent, create, and destroy things with just
one thought. No one is perfect but we are to be intentional about the
renewal of our mind and growing in the knowledge of Christ to live a life
of peace and freedom from the negative mind.

 Gird Up the Loins of Your Mind

The bible declares according to 1 Peter 1:13 – therefore gird up the loins
of your mind, be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You’re most probably
thinking, what does that mean? It gives us the idea that living life
according to God’s design for our lives requires obedience and
discipline. Declutter the mind from loose thinking and bring it under
subjection; which denotes the idea of controlling what you think about
because as mentioned earlier, your thoughts shape your life, therefore
we are to consciously decide what we set our mind on.

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Reshaping Your Thinking

"I can't do anything." "I'm not good enough." "There's something wrong with
me." Cognitive distortions can claw at our self-esteem, leaving us feeling anxious
and inadequate. Learn how to halt harmful thinking in its tracks—so that you can
get back to being the best you that you can be. Have you ever overcooked the
chicken, only to think you can’t do anything right? This is a cognitive distortion: a
sneaky way our minds convince us of things that aren’t true. We all engage in
cognitive distortions sometimes, but in excess they can be harmful to our health.

What is Cognitive Distortion?

Cognitive distortions are inaccurate, negatively biased thought patterns that

affect our feelings and behaviours. Imagine that a woman decides to take up
tennis, but she struggles to learn the different strokes. She jumps to the
conclusion that “I fail at everything I try,” which generates such strong feelings
of anxiety that she withdraws from trying anything new. This triggers a new
cognitive distortion—“There is something inherently wrong with me”—and a
seemingly endless cycle of irrational thoughts. Cognitive distortions have been
linked to anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and
difficulty making decisions. There are ways to mitigate irrational thinking, but
first it is helpful to identify some common cognitive distortions and they are….

All Or Nothing Thinking - These thoughts don’t allow room for shades of
grey; for example, “If I eat one piece of cake, my healthy eating plan will be a
complete failure.”

Personalising - These thoughts occur when we erroneously take things

personally or blame ourselves for things we aren’t responsible for. For example,
if a colleague fails to smile at us, we assume we have done something to offend
her.

Blaming - Blaming occurs when we fault others while ignoring the

contributions of our own attitudes and behaviours. For instance, we attribute an
argument with our spouse to his or her stubbornness without taking ownership
of our own unwillingness to compromise.

Overgeneralising - With overgeneralizations, we view a single negative event

as the beginning of an infinite cycle of defeat. For example, a falling-out with one
friend causes us to decide that all our friendships are in jeopardy.

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Filtering - When we filter, we ruminate on the negative and filter out the
positive. For example, we receive mostly positive feedback about a presentation
at work but focus only on the one suggestion that we could have spoken more
clearly.

Labelling - Labelling occurs when we attach negative labels to ourselves and

others. Instead of saying, “I messed up on my workout plan,” we might say, “I’m
lazy.” Similarly, instead of thinking that someone has hurt us, we may say
something along the lines of…”I’m broken”

Catastrophising - Catastrophizing involves expecting the worst outcome and

assuming that outcome will be catastrophic and beyond our ability to cope. For
example, we anticipate we will miss our connecting flight, which, in turn, will ruin
our entire holiday.

Become a Healthy Thinker

It’s natural to have irrational thoughts sometimes, but when we find ourselves in
the spin cycle of cognitive distortions, there are ways to shift toward healthier
thinking patterns.

Recognise Irrational Thoughts - The important, often difficult, first step is

simply noticing when we experience irrational thoughts. According to Leah
Wilson, a registered clinical counsellor, “It is the act of becoming aware of
thought patterns that can signal for us to implement a coping strategy.” For one
week, practice observing when your mind jumps to an irrational thought to
discover which distortions you’re particularly prone to and when they’re most
likely to pop up.

Challenge the Accuracy of Your Thoughts - Having a thought doesn’t

make it true, and we can challenge the accuracy of our cognitive distortions by
using techniques like this one:
 Create four columns on a piece of paper.
 In the first column, write the irrational thought. (“I’m useless.”)
 In the second column, jot down the factual evidence that supports this
thought. (“I missed an important deadline at work.”)
 In the third column, list the evidence that disputes this thought. (“I meet
deadlines 90 percent of the time.”)
 In the fourth column, create an alternative, more balanced thought based
on the listed evidence. (“Although I feel embarrassed that I missed a

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deadline, I have a lot on my plate right now. I meet deadlines most of the
time and am a valuable employee.”)
Chances are, once you’ve weighed all the facts, your first thought will seem a lot
less realistic than you originally believed.

Cultivate Self-Compassion - When we make a mistake, instead of calling

ourselves stupid, blaming others, or assuming we’re destined for failure, we can
try responding to ourselves with kindness. “Sometimes it’s easier to imagine
being compassionate to others, so a helpful first step can be to ask, ‘What would
I say to my good friend if she or he were in this situation?’ Then, apply the
answer to this question to yourself,” says Wilson.

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CHAPTER TEN
Think Good Thoughts On Purpose
Your Thoughts Are A Direct Reflection Of How You Live Your Life

T he ongoing process of renewing, rewiring and reprogramming my mind has

not been easy. If I tell you that it has been an easy journey, I would be lying
to you. However, one thing that has helped tremendously in understanding the
fact that I have control over my thoughts, and I can choose my thoughts on
purpose. I can choose what to think about and what not to think about. It is not as
easy as it seems because the sole purpose of the enemy is to make you think
about things that you are not, but it takes constant and intentional practice. To
win the battle in the mind, you have to be able to choose your thoughts and
choose them carefully and on purpose. We are admonished in…

Proverbs 4:23 – Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues
of life. (NKJV)

The ERV version of this scripture declares, “Be careful what you think, because
your thoughts control your life”. Have you sat down to take inventory of the
frequency of your mind and the pattern of your thoughts? What this scripture is
telling us is that whatever you think about, you act upon. The most dangerous is
the “acting upon”. An action first begins with a thought. If your mind tells you
that you are strong, your actions will be that of a strong person. You walk around
with your head held high. You find that you start confessing with your mouth
what your mind is thinking about. On the contrary, if your mind tells you that you
are weak, your behaviour is that of a weak person. Whatever you think, you act
upon until you learn how to counteract your thoughts because it is not

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everything that slithers in your mind is from God. Some thoughts are from the
enemy and mastering how to counteract your thoughts with the Sword of the
Spirit will prevent one from going into a state of confusion.

To win the battle in the mind, you have to be able to choose your thoughts
 on purpose.

The Power of Choosing Your Thoughts On Purpose

A body is completely dead without a head. That is why the enemy attacks the
mind first. Where the mind goes, the man follows. As it is written,
a tree is known by its fruits. Thoughts bear fruits. Think Good thoughts and the
fruits in your life will be good. Positive thinking is an attitude that forces an
individual to always look on the bright side of life and live in expectation of what
is to come. Have you ever witnessed the perspective of a positive person whose
life is going well? Their lives may not be perfect. They may be far from where
they want to be, but they choose to stay positive because they understand that,
life can only progress with a positive mindset. A positive person is one who
always anticipates happiness, health, and success and believes that he or she can
overcome any challenge that may come their way. This is the state I am in right
now at this particular season in my life. I am learning every day that it is obeying
the smallest instructions, taking the smallest steps daily that will edge me that
much closer to my destiny. I am not afraid of taking the smallest steps because
nothing great every starts from sky one hundred, but everything great that we
see in our world today started from ground zero. There are so many people
around the world who think that training your mind to think positively just
doesn’t work and would not have any impact on their lives. But I beg to differ.
Why? Because it’s worked for me and many people truly believe in the power of
thinking good thoughts on purpose, who genuinely practice positive thinking and
believe it makes a real life-changing impact on their life.

We all want to live the abundantly fulfilled life already made available for us
through the finished works of Christ. We all want to enjoy a life of peace, love,

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joy, laughter, and prosperity, but this cannot happen if you’re always walking
around with debris in your mind. You must take the time to declutter your mind
and heal your heart from the memories of the past. This is a decision I had to
make years ago, when it seemed as if everywhere, I turned, all I could see was
the traumas of my past. It is a constant decision I make every day to intentionally
evaluate my thoughts, as I am fully aware that not every thought that comes in
my mind is from God.

I ask myself daily, what am I thinking about? Does what I am thinking about line
up with what and who God says I am. If I find that I am answering no to these
questions or I find that whatever I am thinking about will have a negative impact
on the day at that particular moment in time or my life as a whole, I do
something about it to get rid of those thoughts. What do I do?

1) Firstly, I did dig deep into the root of what I was thinking about.
What was I thinking about? Why was I thinking about that or
rather where did that thought come from? What are the
implications of me thinking about what I was thinking about?
Good or bad? If it’s bad I counteract it straight away with a
positive affirming declaration of the scriptures. This requires
practice and It is a process.

2) Secondly, I check if what I was thinking about lines up with the

word of God and what the word of God says about me as a
woman. The word of God is true so whatever the word of God
says about you must be true.

       Thoughts bear fruits. Think good thoughts and the fruits in your life 
will be good

How Positive Thinking Works

Let me give you a scenario that shows us the contrast between a negative thinker
and a positive thinker… 

Allan applied for a new job, but he didn’t believe that he will get it, because his
self-esteem was low, and he considered himself as a failure and unworthy of
success. He had a negative attitude toward himself and his life and as a result
believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than him.

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Allan’s mind was occupied with negative thoughts and fears concerning the job
for the whole week preceding the job interview. With this mentality, He
unconsciously anticipated failure. On the day of the interview, he got up late, and
to his horror he discovered that the shirt he planned to wear was dirty and the
other one needed ironing. As it was already too late, he went out wearing a
wrinkled shirt and without breakfast. During the interview he was tense, negative,
hungry, and worried about his shirt. All this distracted him and made it difficult
for him to focus on the interview. His overall behaviour made a bad impression
and consequently, he materialised his fear and did not get the job.

Jim applied for the same job too, but the difference here is the way Jim
approached the matter. He was sure that he was going to get the job. During the
week preceding the interview, he often visualised himself making a good
impression and getting a good job. In the evening before the interview, he
prepared the clothes he was going to wear and went to sleep a little earlier. On
the day of the interview, he woke up earlier than usual and had ample time to eat
breakfast, and then to arrive to the interview before the scheduled time. Jim
made a good impression and got the job.

So what is the lesson here? The lesson is that the foundation of negative thinking
is fear and the foundation of positive thinking is faith. Whichever one your mind
entertains is what you will see manifest in your life. Positive thinking should be a
daily work in progress and a lifestyle. With a positive mindset, you will live a
joyful and fulfilled life. When one is happy, their life becomes whole and there is
peace and contentment. Negative thoughts, words, and attitudes, create broken,
negative, and unhappy people with modified moods and behaviour. When the
mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which causes more
unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration, and
disappointment.

The Difference Between A Negative Person and A Positive Person

A Positive Person is one who always anticipates the good life. A positive person
is one who sees the good in every situation in life regardless of how bad or ugly
that situation may be. They decide that no matter what comes their way, it will
not consume them because they have made a conscious decision to remain on
the positive side at all times. We encounter challenges in life and one person’s
battle is not the same as another person’s battle. You can either let those
challenges make you or break you.

Some Essential Habits of Highly Positive People

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 Positive People Have No Problem Letting Go

Instead of holding on to people, or ideas that are unhealthy for them and will
cause some sort of distraction, they trust their intuition and let go of all the
negativity in their lives. If a positive person can see that a certain relationship or
friendship is getting in the way of their peace and happiness, they automatically
let go.

 Positive People Know How to Turn Any Situation Around

Hoping and wishing is not in the DNA of a positive person. They anticipate the
good in every single day and moment. Positive people use strong
words of affirmation and speak those words to themselves regularly. Positive
people are very conscious of the direction of their lives, so they are very active in
the way they structure their lives. They work very hard to make the changes that
they want to see in their lives more so to feel better in challenging times rather
than to wish their feelings away. With positive people, their days are always filled
with good thoughts and they consciously think good thoughts on purpose even
when they don’t feel like it.

 Positive People Know How to Let Go of the Past

We all have a past whether good or bad. A positive person ensures that the
unpleasant memories of the past remain in the past. They never spend time
dwelling in the past or reminiscing on the good ole days. Positive people
understand the power of now. They spend their time building and making new
memories in the present. They have learned to use the lessons learned from the
past as stepping stones towards a better future.

 Positive People Are Grateful People

The most positive people are the most grateful people. They know the value of
being content and showing gratitude for what they have. They know that God wo
rks together for the good to those who believe. They focus on the gold that
awaits them every single waking day. They see life as a treasure chest full of
wonders to be explored. All they think about is the golden treasures of life.

 Positive People Break Limitations

Positive people don’t ever focus on what they can’t do. They focus on what they
can do. They always look for the possibilities and the solutions to everything
because they understand that all things are possible. They think about what can
be achieved, how it can be achieved and what they need to do to achieve that
idea. They are not afraid to attempt to do the new. They relish the idea of taking
risk to make things work.

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 Positive People Learn to Overcome Their Fears

When an individual makes it a priority to always dwell on the negativity of the

past and allows the negativity to pull them down, they never allow themselves to
live their lives to the fullest. The positive person does not let fear stop them from
trying new things. A positive person has the understanding that failures are
necessary steps for a successful life. They always think positively toward life.
They rise stronger when they get knocked down. When a positive person gets
knocked down, they are equipped with the weapons necessary to rise again from
the fall and make a conscious effort to use the weapons they are equipped with.

Positive people see life as a treasure chest full of wonders to be explored.

As you may have noticed, in that list, I end each one with the fact that positive
people are almost always conscious and intentional about their thoughts.
Choosing and thinking good thoughts on purpose is vital to living a fruitful and
productive life. The only way to come out of self-negative talks is to be
intentional about what you think. Training the lies of the enemy is not easy. It is a
process and it comes with a lot of practice.

Some Essential Habits of Highly Negative People

Negativity is a tendency to be downbeat, disagreeable, and skeptical. It is a

pessimistic attitude that always expects the worst. Therefore, a negative person
is someone who is always expecting the worst to happen. Their thoughts and
actions are always fear-driven. They whine more than most people and are often
convinced that the world is working against them. They can always find
something to complain about.

 Negative People Cannot Handle Failure

Negative people are emotionally disabled by failure because they allow it to
define who they are. They fail to understand that failure is also part and parcel of
the learning and growing process of life and it is a stepping stone to success.
Failures edge you that much closer to your destiny. Research suggests that
responding to failure emotionally, rather than cognitively, may make you more
effective at improving your results next time you tackle a new project, a new
venture, or a new goal.

 Negative People Avoid Obstacles

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Negative people love to take the easy road. Because they are aware that
obstacles increase the likelihood of failure, they try to avoid them like plague. To
negative people, difficult times don’t make you, they break you. Believe it or not,
some people actually hang onto their negativity like a security blanket. It’s all
they’ve known for so long that it’s difficult to let go of. It is the norm for them.
They get a kick from being negative. Not realising that what is on the other side
of all that negativity is so worth it.

 Negative People Have Limited Thinking

The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed
without changing our thinking. Negative people are small-minded people. A
negative person not only thinks small, but they also try to convince others that
their dreams and aspirations are too big.

 Negative People Are Their Own Worst Enemy

Negative people struggle to see the bright side of anything even if they are
successful. They are also masterful at focusing on all the negative aspects of life.
They are masters at diminishing their own confidence and after extensive
research and watching how some people operate in their lives, I have come to
realise that negative people are masters at diminishing their own confidence
because it is a weapon of gaining the attention and sympathy that they so desire.

The Power of Words

Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can
choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement or
destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power backed up
with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to
humble. Words can be used to confine people to where they are or build people
up to usher them to where they are supposed to be. Words have the power to
create or destroy. “One” word spoken incorrectly out of context or with the
intention to destroy or cause harm if not denounced and broken, can change the
trajectory of an individual’s life. The words we speak over the lives of the people
around us as well as our own lives are to be seasoned with grace, love, wisdom,
and power. The bible teaches us that our words have power and we get exactly
what we speak. Along with that, our thoughts affect our attitudes and our
attitudes, in turn, affects our altitude; meaning your attitude determines how far
you can go in life – how far you go in pursuing your dreams and goal. It is stated
in…

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Proverbs 18:21 – Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who
love it will eat its fruits. (NKJV)

The strong words “Death” and “Life” refer to the impact of our speech on our
lives and others. The Midrash notes that the evil tongue destroys three
individuals, “the slanderer”, “the slandered”, “and the listener”. The death
caused by the negative words that we speak over our lives is not physical death
but spiritual death. Your words have the power to build or destroy. Therefore you
must be conscious of the words you speak over your life. The words you speak
are a product of your thoughts. Your thoughts determine the quality of your life.
Therefore you shouldn't think, focus, or act on whatever falls into your head.
Filter your thoughts before you act or speak on what you are hearing in your
mind.

Genesis 1:3 – 4 – Then God said, “Let there be light and there was light. And God
saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from darkness. (NKJV)

God said, “Let there be light and there was light”. Whatever He spoke manifested
itself. But before God spoke those words, “Let there be light”, He thought about
it. Our words are the product of our thoughts, therefore, whatever you think, that
is what you will speak and whatever words you speak, that is what will manifest
into your life. With that said, you must think the right thoughts on purpose to
speak the words over your life and the lives of others.

Your Words Become Your Reality

Your words become your reality. You are where you are today in part because of
what you’ve been saying about yourself. Words are like seeds. When you speak
something out, you give life to what you’re saying. If you continue to say it,
eventually that can become a reality. Whether you realise or not, you are
prophesying your future. This is great when speaking positive affirmative words
over your life such as… I am blessed. I am strong. I will accomplish my dreams.
I'm coming out of debt. That's not just being positive, you are prophesying
victory, prophesying success, prophesying new levels. Your life will move in the
direction of your words. But too many people go around prophesying just the
opposite. "I never get any good breaks". "I'll never get back in shape". "Business
is slow: I'll probably get laid off". "Flu season is here. I always get it". They don't
realise they are prophesying defeat. It's just like they're calling in bad breaks,
mediocrity, and lack.  The scripture says, "We will eat the fruit of our words". You
are planting seeds when you talk. At some point, you're going to eat that fruit.
My challenge is to make sure you're planting the right kind of seeds. If you want

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apples, you have to sow apple seeds. If you want oranges, you can't plant cactus
seeds, poison ivy seeds, mushroom seeds. You're going to reap fruit from the
exact seeds that you've been sowing. In other words, you can't talk negative and
expect to live a positive life. You can't talk defeat and expect to have victory. You
can't talk lack and expect to have abundance. If you have a poor mouth, you're
going to have a poor life. If you don't like what you're seeing, start sowing
different seeds. Instead of saying, "I'll never get well, Joel, this sickness has been
in my family for three generations". No, let me give you the right seeds. "God is
restoring health back unto me. This sickness didn't come to stay, it came to pass.
I'm getting better and better every day". You keep sowing those seeds and
eventually you'll eat that fruit; Health, wholeness, victory. Instead of saying, "I'll
never get out of debt. I'll never rise any higher". No, "I will lend and not borrow.
Whatever I touch prospers and succeeds. I'm coming into the overflow, into more
than enough". Start sowing seeds of increase, seeds of abundance. No more "I'll
never accomplish my dreams". No, "I have the favor of God. Blessings are
chasing me down. The right people are searching me out. New opportunities,
new levels are in my future". If you'll keep talking like that, you'll reap a harvest
of good things. James said in the scripture, "With our tongue we can bless our
life, or we can curse our life". Many people don't realize with their words they're
cursing their future. Every time you say, "I never get any good breaks", you just
cursed your life. "I'll never be able to afford that nice house". "I'll never break this
addiction". "I'll never meet the right person". No, stop cursing your future.
Sometimes, the enemy doesn't have to defeat us, we defeat ourselves. Pay
attention to what you're saying. Are you blessing your life? Or are you cursing
it? 

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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Master Your Mind…Master Your Life
Your Mind Is Your Instrument….Learn to Its Master Not its Slave

T
he mind is a powerful force. It can enslave us or empower us. It can plunge us
into the depths of misery or take us to the heights of ecstasy and until we learn to
master our mind, we will never find the peace of mind and success we so eager
for. The mind is a great servant but a horrible master. Many of us have lived our
lives in such a way that what we think becomes who we are and because of this
lifestyle, the dilemma of many is that, they cannot control what goes in their
mind and ultimately cannot control what they think about.

You Are Not Your Mind

In chapter one, I spoke about how the mind operates. In light of that, let me ask
you this question, have you ever wondered why the mind works the way it does?
Have you ever wondered why the mind thinks the way it does? Where those
thoughts originate from and the purpose of those thoughts? We all have a past;
we have all encountered challenges in our lives one way or another and all of our
thoughts originate from past experiences but according to study, the mind being
imaginative can conjure dreamlike thoughts and scenarios that have not yet
taken place in one’s life.

Some of these scenarios we conjure up in our minds, are events that we would
like to happen in our lives, so we sit down imagining all these little events as
though we are actually in that dream-world but it’s all the work of the mind.
Sometimes you can be somewhere and all of a sudden you start thinking about
random things such as eating, sleeping, or fully engaging in a conversation with
someone and as this is happening, the mind starts to drift and wander away into
another world. At this point, your mind is in control of all that is happening in
that parallel world.

Master your mind,  to find the peace of mind and success you so long for.

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The mind can be a beautiful servant but a dangerous master. When the mind
becomes our master, it controls everything that we do. It tells us what and how
we think, what and how to feel and what to do and how to do it. As a result we
think we are our conditioned mind and that we are controlled by our thoughts.

THE BHAGAVAD GITA DESCRIBES MASTERING THE MIND LIKE THIS:

“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends but for him
who has failed to do so, the mind will remain the greatest enemy”. Your mind
can be your demon or your angel. The one thing we have to come to understand
is this: Your mind is a separate entity. What do I mean by a separate entity? I
mean, with all of the thoughts and imaginations that go through your mind, it
can make you feel as if you are two different people in a parallel world. This is
the reason why you are not your mind because even though the mind lives
within us, it can be separated in its thoughts and in its world. What do I mean by
this? You have the real world and you have the dream world. Sometimes your
mind with its imaginations wanders into the dream world, and what happens in
that dream world is separate from your present reality, so at that state, you are
not your mind. You cannot control your thoughts and emotions and what
happens in your mind in that dream world.

Your mind can either be your demon or it can be your angel

The Uncontrolled Mind

The uncontrolled mind is a mind that doesn’t have discipline. It is a mind that
goes wild and thinks about anything and everything. The uncontrolled mind is a
mind that is unrestrained, undisciplined, unchecked, untamed, runs wild, runs
rampant with no clear direction. The uncontrolled mind is to us an enemy on the
battlefield. Why? Because with the uncontrolled mind, the way your thought
patterns run, you lose sight of who you are. You spend your life blindly walking
through life with no clear direction. Your mind is just running wild, thinking
everything from anything.

Because of our inability to control our minds, due to past experiences, our minds
are filled with defilements of anger, bitterness, malice, hatred, strife, etc.
Defilement overshadows our pure minds and could potentially harm our
perception of life, our thoughts, our speech, our actions, and our understanding
of certain situations. Everything that ever happens to us, stems from our mind
and because we often cannot control our mind, we tend to want to seek revenge
against those who do us wrong because of the pain we are feeling. With that

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said, we must remember that our actions are a direct reflection of what goes on
in our minds. Scripture tells us in…

Proverbs 23:7 – For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Eat and drink! He says
to you, but his heart is not with you. (NKJV)

This means that what you think about, you become. As cliché as it sounds, and I
know we hear it all the time, but it is true. As mentioned before, your actions are
a direct reflection of your thoughts, so what you think about, you act upon. Now!
with an uncontrolled mind, this can be very dangerous. Why? Because if your
mind is thinking anything from everything, you may unconsciously put yourself
in a position to spend our whole life acting on the wrong thoughts. This can be
detrimental to one’s progress in life. It will hinder you from moving towards your
destiny. Whatever stays in your heart that leads to unforgiveness holds you back
from stepping into your purpose. For example, a close friend hurts you by
spreading rumours about you which are not true. You find out about the
rumours; you’re heartbroken and confused because you never thought they had
the heart to do what they did to you or say what they said about you. You’re hurt
and are in pain. The pain that you feel, if not dealt with quickly and accordingly,
will shape your entire life. You eventually walk through life harbouring anger,
bitterness, and resentment in your heart. From the day you found out about the
rumour and realising how hurt you were, you start seeking revenge on that
friend. Now, all your thoughts are consumed by wanting revenge because that’s
all you can think about. Now let’s say after all this time of thinking and being
consumed by seeking revenge you finally come up with the perfect way to get
back at that close friend of yours. You take action to execute the revenge and all
of a sudden it backfires and turns back on you. That’s the worst situation you can
ever find yourself in when your own planned revenge turns around on you. You
will end up being even more hurt than you were before. This is the reason why it
is good to tackle the uncontrolled mind and deal with it promptly and accordingly
because hurt people hurt people and broken people, break people.

Ways to Deal With the Uncontrolled Mind

In my life, I am learning every day not to suppress my thoughts. Why? Because

suppression is detrimental to the soul. Suppressing your thoughts can keep you
suffering in silence whereas confronting your thoughts head-on, allows you to be
transparent and talk about what is on your mind. Transparency is the key to
deliverance from mental bondage and mental imprisonment and these are some

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of the ways to deal with the uncontrolled mind when untamed and unwanted
thoughts creep up in your mind….

Accept Your Thoughts – Learn how to accept and embrace your

thoughts instead of trying to battle them. This is something that I had to
learn how to do many years ago. Whenever I used to hear a thought, I
used to just discard it. I was in denial of what I was hearing and the more
I was hearing those negative thoughts and the more I “tried” to discard
them, it got worse. One faithful day, I decided to take what I was hearing
from my mind and pen it down on paper. What was the purpose of me
doing that? I did that because, on paper, what was on my mind that I
could hear, was now visible to my eyes. Only then was I able to accept
and confront my thoughts. We all go through challenges and these
challenges are divinely orchestrated to help us discover God’s will for
our lives. One can only get to that place of discovery when we
intentionally decide to confront our thoughts to conquer the problem at
hand. We cannot rise and conquer what we refuse to confront. Because
you are the hearer of your thoughts, it may prove difficult to accept
some of the things that you think about and hear from the archive of
your mind because it may trigger an emotion that puts you in a fight or
flight mode. Now and then you might try too hard to control your
thoughts and feelings. You can practice letting your thoughts and
feelings wander freely. Your assignment is to observe what pops up and
just let it be there for a while. Do this for both positive and negative
thoughts and feelings. Once you have learned to accept your thoughts
and feelings, you will eventually notice that it is easier to let them go. It’s
important to not give negative thoughts and feelings too much room in
your thoughts, but just enough attention to address and deal with it
accordingly. Studies even suggest that by trying to accept your thoughts
rather than battling it could be beneficial for one’s mental health. One
study shows that it decreases an individual’s distress. Rumi, the 13 th-
century Sufi poet, famously compared emotions – “a joy, a depression, a
meanness” to “unexpected visitors”. His advice was to let them in
laughing, but that’s not what we do. Instead, we pretend not to notice or
even hide. We want to bury resentment and anger or trade loneliness in
for the more fashionable gratitude. In a cultural age that’s decidedly pro-
positivity, the pressure to suppress or camouflage negative feelings is
real. However, psychological studies have shown that acceptance of
those negative emotions is the more reliable route to regaining and
maintaining peace of mind. Whether practiced through the lens of
ancient Eastern philosophies, or in increasingly popular forms of
treatment like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness-

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based Cognitive Therapy, acceptance of one’s dark thoughts and

emotions is now backed by a body of evidence connecting the habit to
better emotional resilience and fewer symptoms of depression and
anxiety. But how and why it works has been little studied, says Brett
Ford, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto. Not quite a
strategy, she tells Quartz, “acceptance involves not trying to change
how we are feeling but staying in touch with your feelings and taking
them for what they are.” So, she asks, how can it be that accepting
negative emotions is paradoxically linked to long-term psychological
thriving?

 Concentrate on Your Thoughts – this seems like the complete opposite

of what most people will say. It is a part break down of the above. Most
people will say, when an unwanted thought creeps in your mind, it is
better to distract the mind and think about something else. This is only
good temporarily, but we want permanent results. So in this case, when
you take the time to concentrate on your thoughts, you begin to evaluate
what it is that you hear, why are you thinking that way, what happened
for you to think that way? The moment you identify the whys of your
thoughts, you begin to find solutions to them. It is better to do it this way
because it means you’re not just throwing it under the carpet but you’re
confronting it and dealing with it.

 Write Your Thoughts Down – The one thing I always have in my

bedroom is a journal. In this journal, I write everything that happens
daily and every thought that comes in my mind, I write them down. You
may find that by expressing yourself emotionally through writing, it
enables you to think about your thoughts and where they come from
and it can have numerous psychological benefits. It eases the tension in
the mind.

 Self-Assurance – Ones you have accepted your thoughts, written them

down and meditated on them, it’s now time to assure yourself that you
are not your mind. You are not your thoughts. This is something that has
taken me years to master because I used to deal with the uncontrolled
mind and it eventually resulted in me over thinking practically
everything. It made it worse because being in accounting for so long,
you master the art of analysing everything and you ask fifty questions in
one minute. I’m sure I’m not the only one who does this. But I can assure
you, when you master the art of self-analysis, self-assurance and self-

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affirmation, your thoughts can never consume you. This involves you
thinking about your positive traits and beliefs. This increases self and
social confidence as well as self-control. 

 
 The serpent you don’t kill in your genesis will become the dragon in
 your revelation. 
 
The Programmed Mind
We are always so used to thinking in a certain way, which is why we live our lives
in a certain way. Fear is something that hinders 90% of individuals from living
their God-Given Destiny. Fear causes the mind to think in a one-dimensional
process. You fear that which is going to happen tomorrow, and this fear mainly
stems from what happened yesterday. Because you fear what is going to happen
tomorrow, your mind then builds boundaries around your life stopping you from
experiencing and living life to the fullest.

The mind is like a computer. The computer has features that sometimes stops
functioning and has to be reprogrammed to the state that it was at the beginning.
This is the same thing with the mind. When we feel as though our mind is not
functioning as it should; in terms of thinking the way that it should, to give us the
peace, happiness, and the life we so desire, we have to do something about it.
We have to reprogram the mind.

When I was falsely accused when I was eleven years old, there was a point in my
life when I was going through the uncontrolled mind stage and I would just let
my mind run rampant and think whatever it wanted to think and I would just sit
on it and dwell upon those thoughts and suddenly, I didn’t know who I was no
more. I let those thoughts consume me and I was eventually defined by the
patterns of my thoughts. As a result of this, I became stagnant, I became stuck, I
didn’t want to get anything done to grow and improve my life. Why was it so? It
was so because, I felt like I wasn’t good enough to achieve anything because
that’s what I was always made to believe, that I would never make it, I would
never amount to anything in life, I would never succeed. I then believed what my
mind was being fed. My mind then was on a one-dimensional thought process.
My thoughts were just purely one-sided. I didn’t know how to reprogram my
mind to the state it ones was. But when I eventually mastered the art of
reprogramming my mind and understood why it was important to reprogram my
mind, my life changed dynamically.

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Ways to Program Your Mind

We must remember is that the mind operates on how and what we feed it with.
Your brain is built to reinforce and regulate your life. Your subconscious mind
has something called the homeostatic impulse which regulates functions like
your body temperature, your heartbeat and breathing. Your automatic nervous
system (your homeostatic impulse) maintains a balance among the hundreds of
chemicals in your billions of cells so that your entire physical machine functions
in complete harmony most of the time. But what many people don’t understand
is that just as your brain is built to regulate your physical self, as does it try to
regulate your mental self. Your mind is constantly filtering and brings to your
attention information and stimuli that affirms your pre-existing beliefs (this is
known in psychology as confirmation bias) as well as presenting you with
repeated thoughts and impulses that mimic and mirror that which you have done
in the past. Your subconscious mind is the gatekeeper of your comfort zone. It is
also the realm in which you can either habituate yourself to expect and routinely
seek the actions that would build and reinforce, the greatest success, happiness,
wholeness, or healing in your life.

Here are a few ways to start retraining your mind to be your ally, not your enemy

 Observe Your Thoughts…Earlier I mentioned that one of the ways to

deal with all the negativity in your mind is to embrace and confront your
thoughts. By doing so, you are better equipped to dig deep into the root
of the matter and find the solution. It is imperative that you monitor your
thoughts regularly and if you find that you are thinking something out of
the ordinary, take a step back, stop and think if those thoughts are
negative? destructive? Or addictive? What kind of reaction did it create
on the inside of you? Learn to monitor and write down your thoughts.
Once you do this, trust me, this will make it easier for you to understand
the frequency of your thoughts.

 Identify Your Thought Patterns… This involves being aware of what is

happening in the archive of your mind. It involves analysing the
frequency and the pattern of your thoughts. After analysing your
thoughts, you will find that you’re not as self-aware of what is going on
your mind as you think you are. You may find that you’re overly critical
of yourself or you may find that your mind easily wanders to your past
and as it does so, you unconsciously placed in a position to let those
past experiences creep into your present. You may also find that
because of the uncertainty of life and the fear of the unknown, your mind
is prone to wandering and by wandering, I mean you are conditioned to

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think anything and everything and you can’t control it. There was a point
in my when I was about nineteen to twenty years old; a university
student and I was living at the university campus accommodation. At
that stage in my life, I was broken, confused, traumatised by all that I had
been through and was still going through. I remember, I would sit on the
bed in my room and I would stare at the ceiling for hours on end just
thinking and thinking. Back then, I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t
know how to navigate my way out of it, so I would just let it run day after
day. This became a stumbling block. I was numb. It blocked me from
seeing life from a different perspective. Walking through life at that age
being mentally imprisoned I still don’t know how I came out of university
with some exceptional grades my subjects and overall result. All I can
say it, it was the grace of God. It was shortly after some of these
incidents happened in my room, I came across the book titled “The
power of subconscious mind”. This little pocket book changed the whole
trajectory of my life. It was from this book, I learned how to identify my
thought patterns and I can tell you from experience that, once you learn
how to identify your thoughts and you realise who you are, that is when
the true change in the mind begins.
 Find the Gap Between Your Thoughts and Your Actions… In most
spiritual practices, we are told that power is realised in the ‘Gap’ or
space between thoughts. Sometimes when your mind is busy with its
constant self-chatter or internal dialogue, you are operating from mind
consciousness. This can take you to the no-mind state or the ‘now
moment’ and in the no-mind state, you receive inspiration, insight,
revelation, and solutions to the problems you’ve been pondering, or you
may receive instructions as to how to deal with a difficult person or
situation in your life. What is left now is for you to take action on what
you have been thinking about. There is a relationship between our
feeling, our thoughts, and our actions. While there is clearly a
relationship between how we feel, how we think and how we act, it is my
opinion that our feelings never actually justify our actions. Think about it
this way…are we ever entitled to get angry and punch someone in the
face? Are we entitled to get our feelings hurt and lash out with a
personal attack? Are we ever entitled to treat others disrespectfully when
we have been treated with disrespect? When it comes to positive
emotions like love, affection, friendship; our feelings must be tempered
by our values and principles before we respond. By understanding the
right relationship between feelings, thoughts, and actions, we allow
ourselves to choose how we want to behave. Knowing that we have that
choice allows us to change. By understanding that there is not an
immutable link between our feelings and our actions, we can work to

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decouple them. We can work to capture our feelings to break them

down. We can become intentional about how we think and how we see
the world around us, we can make a conscious decision to act as per
what is most important to us.

 Be Mindful of Your Words… The words we speak over our lives can
either make us or break us. The words we speak have an enormous
impact on our lives and the lives of those around us. In the book of
proverbs, God tells us in His Word in Proverbs 18:21 that “death and life
are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the thereof”.
In other words, you will eat what you speak; the outcome of your future
is a byproduct of what you speak whether good or bad based upon
scripture, your words can do two things: curse you or bless you. Taking
this into consideration, I will like to focus on how we as Christians and
we as a people curse ourselves with our words by speaking negatively
over our lives. In addition to this… Proverbs 18:7 declares… “a fool's
mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul. The NIV
version says…”The mouth of fools is their ruin; they trap themselves
with their lips. Let’s examine this scripture in more detail…According to
dictionary.com, a fool can be defined as a weak-minded person who
lacks judgment and sense. So according to Proverbs 18:7, the words of a
fool (a weak-minded person) can bring about their ruin (wreck,
destruction, downfall, mess up, collapse and defeat). In other words,
your mouth can lead to your destruction or defeat it can lead to poverty,
lack, unhappiness, a failed marriage, ow self-esteem and more. When
speaking negatively and foolishly, whether playfully or out of anger,
what you’re doing is cursing the blessing that God has for you. Your
negative speaking not only affects your life (including the circumstances
surrounding your life) but it also impacts the lives of others as well.
Think about it this way…how you think is how you feel. What you think
about is what you will see manifest in your life. The negative words you
speak over yourself will manifest itself in your life in a negative way. The
positive words you speak over your life will bring about positive results
and will have a positive impact on your thoughts and behaviour. By
being mindful of your thoughts which reflects the words you speak, you
will live a peaceful and happier life.

Life in itself is progressive not digressive 

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The Importance of Reprogramming Your Mind

Think of your brain and mind as the most powerful supercomputer in the
universe – that takes direction from you. You have the power to reprogram your
supercomputer, and it’s important that you do – because IT (your mind) has
programming – some of which serve you, while some may NOT. It is important
to think of your mind as a computer in terms of reprogramming your mind.
This is important, because as we all know, a computer is much like a plastic
machine, it is completely moldable. In science they call it neuroplasticity, which is
the term used for the changing of the brain and the mind as it encounters new
life experiences. Just like a computer, your mind takes in information and uses it.
So this is why it is imperative to reprogram your mind and reshape it to your
benefit; it gives your total control of your mind and your life. What you think
about, you live. Life in itself is progressive not digressive, we all want the chance
to move from one level to another, from one dimension to another and feel like
our lives are moving forward to the direction it ought to go. So reprogramming
your mind gives you the room to create a brand-new life for yourself and live a
more fulfilled purpose-driven life.

As stated in chapter one, the mind is divided into two main parts or aspects as
we saw in chapter one; the conscious and the subconscious mind. The conscious
mind is made up of our surface thoughts, wishes, desires and aspirations. The
subconscious mind is the realm of our automatic and habitual thought patterns
and beliefs, the things we do when we don’t even know we’re doing it. For
example: if we are driving along the road talking to a friend in the passengers
sear, our conscious mind is the one that is engaged in the conversation. Our
subconscious mind is the one that is on autopilot, that is automatically doing
everything need to do to drive the car. While your conscious mind is reading a
book, your subconscious mind is taking care of everything else; breathing,
blinking, and taking a sip of tea without burning your lips.

Our minds are programmed in the first seven years of our lives. 95% of our lives
are coming from those seven years. At this point a child only records in their
mind what they hear or see regularly. At this point, a child only observes and
records in their mind what the parents say and do regularly. 95% of our lives are
coming from those programs in the subconscious of how to live. Our thoughts,
values and beliefs are formed within those seven years. A child cannot function
in consciousness until seven years old. Before seven years old, all he or she does
is record and upload. Whatever the parents say, they just record. If one of the
parents says something along the lines of… “You don’t deserve this” or “you
don’t deserve that”, the child will automatically believe that they are not worthy
of anything good in their life. Why? Because the child does not consciously

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understand what you mean, they are just recording. If you hear something like
that at the age of seven, when you get to the age of forty, what will be your
behaviour 95% of the time?

The answer is what comes from the programming of your mind. Unconsciously,
you would sabotage yourself to make sure that the program is correct. You’re
making the program true by making adjustments; by adjusting yourself to meet
the program. Why is it some people make it and some people never make it? If
you look at the famous book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, you learn the lesson that
“sometimes”, the people who come from a poor background can struggle their
whole life to be rich but never quite make it because of the way their minds have
been programmed. Notice I said “sometimes” because I believe as per the centre
of my vision’s message that with a clear vision for one’s life backed up with the
right strategies anyone can break generational bloodline patterns. Let's get back
to it… These people have been programmed to believe that they can’t make it,
that life is a struggle, things are hard, who do you think you are? Whereas with
the rich, you can come from a rich family, not exactly be the smartest of people
and still make it not because they were thinking outside of the box with their
brains but because it was the unconscious behaviour that was downloaded from
the rich families in their kids, so they are making the right moves unconsciously.
If they engage the conscious mind, they will just end up intelligent. It is because
of the programming from early childhood and the behavioural patterns in the
process of time, is what makes the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Now,
how do you reprogram your mind in such a way that It cancels out the effects of
the early programming of your mind?

To live life to the fullest of our potential, to get to that expected end that God had
pre-planned for us before the foundation of the earth, the mind has to be rewired
or what others would say, reprogrammed. The truth is, most of us are not living
the life we’ve dreamed of or always wanted. Are you living the life you’ve always
wanted, or have you settled for the status quo? Why does this happen? It
happens because we give up when we face the heat of the battles and the
challenges of life, we acquiesce. The overwhelming after effect leaves one feeling
exhausted without any zeal or passion to keep fighting the good fight of faith to
make a change in their lives. I have been in that state many times without
number. The truth of the matter is, there are days of disappointments and
discouragements but focus and discipline are the keys to an undistracted
reprogrammed mind. Another reason why this happens is because most of us
have a vague idea of what we think we deserve. When life then veers away from
that path, it breeds stress and frustration. Why is this happening you may
wonder? The feeling of discontentment can be destructive. Discontentment is a
double-edged sword. So many of us end up sabotaging our lives and the

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possibility of success. We tend to start thinking that we deserve better and

though we are working hard, we press it upon ourselves to work harder but
regardless of how hard we work, the one thing that is lacking is the zeal and
passion to take action towards the change we so desire. Change can only happen
when we get up and so something about it. If we are not striving for the change
we desire, we drop back to that place of complacency to what we think we should
have and who we think we should be, and it all starts in the mind and stirs your
focus in the direction of making your life a masterpiece. What does it look like; to
reprogram your mind and live the life that gives you fulfilment, joy, and passion?

Reprogramming the Mind for Success

To reprogram in a sense is to revise, rewrite, reverse or rewire a thing or a

person from the current way of thinking to a new way of thinking. There were
times in my life when I use to constantly tell myself that I wasn’t good enough or
I would never make it in life, or I would never accomplish anything significant in
life. I labelled myself as inadequate and worthless but where did it all come
from? Those are the words I use to hear all the time when I was growing up in
my mother’s house. It was ingrained in my subconscious mind from early on. For
many years till my mid to late twenties, I lived my life constantly degrading
myself with the words I use to hear from my mother. It was limiting my life. At
the time I didn’t realise what I was doing until I finally caught that the effects of
the experiences, I was going through were as a result of the actions I took based
on the verbal abuse I went through from the words spoken by my mother.

When I started university, I met the most kindest gentleman who was also a
student in my economics lecture. I had failed at a particular economics test and
as we were discussing the test itself and what the results might be, he heard me
say… “I don’t think I passed the economics test because I’m just not good at it”.
He immediately rebuked me and corrected me with a positive affirmative
statement. He said… “You sure are good at it. Why do you devalue yourself?
That is not you” and then he asked me a very thought-provoking question. He
asked… “Have you ever been through anything with a friend or a family member
and they told you that you were not good enough or something?” It was at this
moment, I built up the courage to discuss my relationship with my mother and all
the things she used to say to me that had affected my life up until then. It was
from that day he taught me how to constantly rewire my mind to think positively
about myself. Can you imagine, this was about a year before I came across the
little pocketbook on the power of the subconscious mind, that changed the whole
trajectory of my life. We live in a generation that holds back from associating
with people who have experienced some kind of trauma that causes them to

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behave the way they do, not realising that there is a root cause to every action or
behaviour. Below are the different methods that I have been using till this day to
reprogram my mind and these are taken from legends whose passion is to help
the masses live to the fullest of their potential. I made sure that I found the best
methods that will work for me and as it has been working for me, I truly do hope;
that it will work for you also.

Reprogramming Your Mind Using Four Distinct Methods

 Primming Methods – This method states that “Your emotions are
created by motion”, meaning a change in your physical state will change
how you feel about yourself and this is how it works…
- On each out-breath, pull your arms downwards making strong fits
- You Breath heavily and through your nose for three sets of 30 breath
- After three sets make a conscious effort to feel gratitude and self-love
- Sit down with your eyes closed and raise your hands above your head

 The Demertini Method – The human behaviour specialist Dr. John

DeMartini also uses neuroplasticity to reprogram the brain. He asks his
clients a series of questions to help gauge their emotional balance. The
Demertini Method is a procedure that neutralizes an individual's
emotional charges, balances his or her mental and physical reactions,
opens his or her heart and clears his or her mind. This method alters
several structures of the brain, including the hypothalamus and
amygdala which are responsible for expressions of fear, guilt, and
aggression. How does it work? When facing challenging situations
Gibson says, “question the situation itself and ask what good will come
from it”. Look for the benefits because there is always at least one.
Maybe your enormous strength, which you value so greatly comes from
a parent abandoning you as a child or a physical illness? Seeing the
good can help you drop unhelpful beliefs quickly.

 Affirmations – Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to

overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. To use affirmations, first
analyse the thoughts or behaviours that you’d like to change in your own
life and career. Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and
nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality – Earl
Nightingale. We get stuck in a rut. But there is hope. It’s possible to be
the architect of our own Scrooge-like metamorphosis using the power of
affirmations: phrases repeated often and daily. Our subconscious is the
factory that generates many of our thoughts —positive and negative and
can be reprogrammed not only with strong emotion but also through
constant repetition. Affirmations lodge new operating instructions into

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your subconscious the same way that listening to a song on repeat will
leave it stuck in your head for days.
 Visualisation - “What you imagine, you create.” ― Buddha. The concept
of visualisation works like affirmations to rewire our neurons and attract
the thoughts and feelings we want. Vividly imagining yourself doing or
having whatever you want works well for quickly getting your dream job,
house, or relationship, but it can also work for attracting healthy
emotions. If you consistently visualise yourself reacting to challenges
with calm and compassion, this is the behaviour you will manifest. Take
time every day to visualize yourself having the emotional resilience or
the positive beliefs that you want. With even five minutes of daily
practice, you will start to see powerful change. I still find a way of
meditating as often as I can. Even though I struggle with certain things, I
had little to no choice but to seek out a way to actively install new
patterns. Meditation pulls me out of the stream, but with the new tools,
I’m building a boat to better navigate the flow without getting soaked.
You can do the same but be patient —you’ve taken a lifetime to wear in
your neural grooves. Consistent and skillful practice is the way.

Be patient in your quest to reprogram your mind for success. From my

experience, I can tell you that the pursuit of reprogramming the mind from the
old belief system requires the virtue of patience. Patience tells you that your
current belief systems have been grafted and embedded in you from a very
young age and the journey to reprogramming your mind is not something that
will happen overnight. It has to go through the process, and it is not wise to skip
steps in the process because there are lessons that you may need to learn at
different stages. I had an encounter with a very sweet old lady while I was in
university just about to finish the second year… She said…” impatience cuts
your destiny short but patience breeds longevity”. This is something I have held
onto and I will continue to hold onto for the rest of my life. In our impatience, we
tend to make flawed decisions, go down the wrong direction, enter into the
wrong relationships, end up with the wrong kind of friendships and associates.
Patience puts you in a position to live life God’s way just as He predestined for it
to be before the foundation of the earth. Patience in the heat of discouragement,
patience in the face of battles and challenges, patience amid suffering is key. Be
patient with the process and be patient with the journey.

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Part Three
Changing Your Perspective….Changes Your Experience

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CHAPTER TWELVE
Create A New Life for Yourself
A Mind Renewed is a Life Transformed

A
fter walking this journey called life, fighting battles after battles, going through
one traumatic experience after the other, getting back in the game, coming out
on the other side, and creating a brand new future for yourself and a brand
strategy to propel you forward is the best part of it all. I can say that because this
is the stage I am currently at in my life. Creating a brand new life for yourself is
not as hard as it may seem. It is all about confronting and conquering the past.
You will never conquer what you refuse to confront. This is a concept that many
people are aware of but are clueless as to how to put it into practice. Just
because you had issues from your past and your past didn’t turn out how you
would have wanted it to, that doesn’t mean that your future can’t be just as you
envisioned it to be. We cannot change the past but we sure can start from where
we are and create a brand new future for ourselves according to God’s will for
our lives. Notice I said according to “God’s will”. We cannot go in the direction
that we want to go because it seems more appealing to the eye and expect God
to bless us. You have visions and dreams; you have goals that you want to
achieve but they can only be accomplished when you make the conscious
decision to leave your past behind and let it stay there. With that said, as you
leave the past behind, you must seek God’s design for your life and follow His

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path. Only then will your way be prosperous regardless of how long the journey
will take. I love the way Apostle Paul says it in…

Philippians 3:13-14 – Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but

one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

This is telling us that the success of our future is dependent on whether we can
forget the past, forget all that happened and look forward to what is ahead of us.
It is impossible to possess all that God has ahead of us if we are constantly
looking back. No one is saying that looking back is wrong. The past has nothing

to offer you? The trap of wanting to know what could have been or what should
have been is what keeps many people stuck in the present.

Why? Because you are in the middle. You want to move forward to what is ahead
of you but then, you’re looking backward to what should have been and what
could have been. The past was a lesson not a life sentence. No one is saying that
looking back is wrong. You can look back only as a point of reference but not for
you to go back and dwell there.

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Last year and the year before that and the year before that has gone and will
never return. We can no longer grab a hold of it. It is time to continue moving
forward with confidence and assurance in Christ Jesus for there is a prize to be
won only by looking forward with Jesus on our side who is the author and
finisher of our faith and not looking back. The apostle Paul declares in this text
that he had not made it on his own. In viewing the past, he knew that if it had not
been for the Lord, he would not be where he was at the time of him writing this
text. The charge is to consciously forget all those past hurts, pains, failures,
disappointments, misunderstanding of the former years. Let them go!!! You
cannot change one ounce of it! What is your past that God is calling you from so
that He can move you forward into that which He too has predestined for your
future? Can you identify it so you can release it? I have purposed in my heart and
mind that the former years will not dictate the direction of my life. God’s plan and
design for my life is what I am going to pursue and follow, and I am not looking
back. The apostle Paul reflected on his own life and because of what he had
experienced and accomplished through Christ, looking back is not an option for
him for He was no longer the same person. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares
that…”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come”. The life of a new creation in Christ Jesus
cannot be lived looking back but pressing forward to the goal of the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Forgetting the past and reaching toward the
future with Christ in view is where I am going. What about you? 

Paul was a man that had a past and so do you. Though as Saul he was the first
king of Israel, who ended up dying in a battle with his son Jonathan, he became
rebellious. He wanted to kill David out of mere jealousy, but his plan did not
work. He was so against Christ and he persecuted the people who believed and
followed Christ, he experienced more than we could ever imagine; things that
some of us can’t even handle. It even got to the point that though he was still
king, and functioning as a king, God took away his anointing and this is all
because Saul was a reckless man who persecuted Christians. However, on the
road to Damascus when he encountered Christ and went through his conversion
and got to know who Christ was, he became a changed man. He had to change
his thinking, change his thought patterns, and change his lifestyle, His perception
of Christ and the people that believed in Him which eventually led him to
becoming Paul, a man who had such a passion for God and his ultimate desire
was to make His name known. Though as Paul he went through much
persecution and rejection for his passion for spreading the gospel to the masses,
Paul embraced his past, lived in the now and welcomed the future with open
arms. The future can only look bright for you when you embrace your past;
accepting that yes you do have a past, you cannot do anything to change it, but

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making a conscious decision to live your life in the now and welcome the future
with an open heart.

Letting go of the past is not as easy as many make it to be. Why? One of the main
reasons why we find it particularly challenging to let go of the past is because
our identity is already rooted in who we were in the past. Your identity is already
formed based on the whispers and the lies of the enemy, telling you that the past
is who you are, and you can never change. Have you ever heard of the phrase
that says…”A leopard can never change his spots”. This particular phrase means
that whoever you were in the past or whoever you are now; your character, your
behaviour, your speech, your mannerisms, once it is the way it is, it can never
change. This is a very immature mentality and it needs to change in the church
and society as a whole. With this comes the contradiction to which I base my
belief and I believe that change is possible, and change is constant. People can
and do change for the better. Especially when it comes to making one’s life
better. Change is imperative for living a happy life. So to change your life, you
have to change your thinking. Cliché, right? But it is a principle that works.
Because all that I went through in my mother’s house at a young age; the torture,
the abuse, the name-calling, the false accusations, I started walking through life
with a negative mindset that adversely controlled my life for many years because
all I was surrounded by was negativity. Every thought that crept up in my mind, I
entertained, so I was no longer me, till the day I questioned why is it that other
people are prospering and looking happier than I was? I was so curious, then I
started to do research, reading books on discovering one’s purpose in life and
opening up to one or two people. To be completely transparent, I knew without a
doubt, that to see the change that I so desired in my life at that moment in time, I
had to make an intentional decision to stick with the rigorous process of
renewing my mind, to master the art of counteracting my thoughts because now
and then certain thoughts would creep in and I would sit there for hours with my
eyes fixed at the ceiling just thinking and feeling discouraged but soon after, I
would confess that “I am not my mind, I am a changed person and if there was
anything about me that needed to change at that time, I prayed with every fibre
of my being, asking God to reveal to me what it was, so that I could take the
corrective actions required for a change

Leaving the Past Behind is the Catalyst for Transformation

Sometimes we remain stuck in the past because we are too afraid to live in the
present and enjoy the fullness of living in the present. Why is this? From research
and surveys I conducted involving friends, family, and others, I came to the
conclusion that, most are afraid to live in the present because it requires going
through the process of growth and change. This is a trap to stay stagnant and the

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longer we remain in the trap of the past, we prevent ourselves from breaking
forth into the future that is ahead of us.

Another reason why we remain stuck in the past is because it is like a shield for
us, it keeps us protected and makes us feel safe; in a sense that it prevents us
from experiencing similar occurrences of the past. No one wants to experience
the same thing over and over again. I don’t know about you, but I certainly would
not. It is a false sense of security that build a spiritual wall between your past and
your future. It is beneficial for us that we make a conscious decision to allow
ourselves to live in the now and embrace the journey to the future. If we reject
the process, we will forfeit our destiny. As unpleasant as it may sound, it is the
absolute truth. Like a frightening bird in an open cage, frozen with fear. It refuses
to acknowledge it can fly wherever it chooses to. Similarly, if we allow ourselves
to remain stuck in the past, protected by the false security of the past, we will
never experience the freedom we are entitled to which is only one decision away.
It is so easy to allow unresolved issues from the past to slither figuratively
heavily into your present. The more you allow your past to creep into your
present, the more you will miss out on the blessings and opportunities that God
has in store for you. You block the move of God in your life. Do not allow your
past to sabotage your future. You might have failed but you’re not a failure.
Claim back your peace and power today. Don’t murder your future with the
bullets from your past. Leave the past behind, embrace the now and press
towards the future ahead of you. Paul tells us that we are always equipped and
strengthened in the Lord according to…

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  (NKJV)

This is a prophetic declaration, telling us that we are already strengthened in the

Lord and are equipped with all that is required to see our goals and dreams come
to fruition. You can do whatever you want, you can be whoever you want, and
you can go wherever you want to go according to God’s will. You have been
given the authority and dominion over the land wherein you dwell. You have
been given the power to do exploit. Notice how the sentence runs…”I can do ALL
things”. It says “all” things not just “some” things. It means everything you want
to do; you can do them as long as it is in alignment with God’s will for your life.
To live the past behind and experience the transformative power of God in your
life now, you must find ways that should help you move away from the past. It is
like having a canvas full of different drawings and these drawings reflect the art
of everything that you have been through, but you need to create a brand new
clean canvas for the art that reflects the brand new life that you are about to
create for yourself.

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Don’t murder your future with the bullets of your past.

Here are some ways that will help you transition from yesterday to today….

 Express the Way Your Are Feeling – I realised a long time ago that
expressing myself and the pain that I am feeling at a particular moment
in time gives me a sense of relief. Never feel reluctant to get the pain and
any other emotions you may be feeling off your chest. You can cry, you
can scream, you can talk to a friend or family member you can trust, you
can communicate with your spouse, whatever it is that gives you a sense
of relief. As long as you get it all out. It is good for your health because
to suppress your feelings keeps you in bondage. Suppressing your
feelings leads to innumerable problems such as anxiety, depression,
headache, high blood pressure, etc. As I mentioned earlier, there are
different ways you can express your emotions, through writing, through
song or having a heart to heart conversation with a friend or family
member that you can trust who will listen to you without criticism or
judgment.
 Stop the Blame Game – Blame is the chain that keeps us bound to the
past. When we experience the unexpected in our lives, it is easy to want
to blame people. We assign blame by envisioning different scenarios in
our mind. Cognitive science studies show that people do this
unconsciously when they are trying to determine who or what is
responsible for all the pain, the hurt and the trauma that they went
through. In cognitive science this is called “Counterfactual Simulation”.
For example: if a woman breaks up with her partner, it’s easy for her to
want to blame another woman and say she must be the reason.
Whatever we experience in life doesn’t just happen. We also had a part
to play in it. Instead of blaming other people, it would be best to take a
step back, self-reflect, self-evaluate, and see what part you had to play.
Once you’ve got your answer, you can then proceed by forgiving
yourself. Forgiving them and forgiving yourself leads you to freedom
from the chain of blame. Then only then can you move forward in life to
the future ahead of you. The truth that you must come to terms with is
that, whilst you are blaming someone else for your past, it gives them
power over you. It gives them the license to dictate the direction of your
life.

 Learn the Art of Forgiveness – Learning the art of forgiveness was very
difficult for me. Why? Because I wanted closure for all the pain and the
hurts people have caused me. I wanted to know why and let’s be real for
a moment, when you’ve been hurt by someone, especially if it is

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someone very dear to your heart, the last thing you will want to do is to
forgive them. But here is the thing though…When you don’t forgive
those that caused you pain, you are the one that ends up bleeding, not
them because they’ve moved on with their life and you are still stuck
with the pain. You see, the axe forgets but the tree still remembers. The
one who hurt you has forgotten and has moved on with their lives, but
you are still left with the scars. We must strive to forgive every day of
our lives. Forgiveness brings you so much peace. There is power in
forgiveness. You forgive not to free them but more so to break yourself
out of the prison of unforgiveness and the trap of wanting closure or
wondering what could have been. Most of the time, the limitations we
experience in life is because of unforgiveness. Forgiveness is the key to
freedom, joyfulness and living the abundant life. It is a gift that you give
to yourself. Forgiving others enables you to release all those toxic
thoughts, anger, bitterness, resentment, and hate. The challenge is for
you to consciously take bold steps towards forgiving someone daily.
 Pray Without Ceasing – In life, we go through stubborn situations and
prayer is the key that gives us the wisdom to navigate ourselves out of
such life circumstances. It gives us the strength to be able to leave the
past behind, ultimately helping us to soar ahead to the future. We are
not to be anxious for anything but through prayer and supplication, we
make our request known to God. Seek the Lord in your situation, that’s
where your help comes from. Whatever you may be feeling, pray to God
to comfort your soul. As you pray, always remember this, God is your
vindicator, and the battles you have been fighting all these years
because of the bad experiences you’ve encountered in life could have
been avoided if you let God do the fighting for you. Scripture tells us
in…

Romans 12:19 – Vengeance is mine; I will repay says the Lord. (NKJV)

God wants to fight your battles for you. Make the room and allow Him to do
just that.

Focus on the Present – The best way to leave the past behind and soar
into your future is to embrace the present. Instead of always dwelling on
the past and being consumed by negativity all the time, keep yourself
active and occupied. Learn a new skill, find ways to develop yourself,
travel to new places that you’ve never travelled to before, go to the gym
and exercise. Find something that you can be completely devoted to,
whether it could be building your career, building your business, writing
a book, etc. Living in the moment is what is called mindfulness – it
involves being with your thoughts just as they are, neither grasping at

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them nor pushing them away. Psychologist states that “mindful” people
are happier, exuberant, empathetic, and secure people.

 Make New Memories – Make a conscious effort to start making new,

good, and positive memories to replace the old negative memories of
the past. Do things that bring joy into your life, spend time with the
people that make you happy, find a hobby that gives you a sense of
peace, and travel to places that you would love to go to but haven’t done
so yet. Making new memories is better than being stuck in the past.

Stop allowing your past to keep terrorising your future

Your Past Cannot Collide With Your Present

In life, we are always trying to plan the next big thing and never just stepping
back and living in the present. Embracing the present is imperative to a happier
more fulfilled life. The secret of health for the mind, body and spirit is not to
mourn the past, worry about the future, or anticipate the next trouble, but to
live in the present moment wisely and earnestly. Mentioning, talking,
murmuring, and complaining about the past unnecessarily hinders us from
moving forward in life. Living in the present is being mindful of your life day by
day as it happens. Embracing the now means that you become more conscious
of how you live your life now and most importantly how you spend your time.
Most of the time, we only focus on working towards the future not realising that
the success of the future depends on what we do with our lives in the present. To
focus on the now, your eyes have to be centred on the here and now as life
happens. You should not give yourself the capacity in your mind to worry about
the future or go back and think about the past. Almost as if the past and the
future are illusions, they don’t exist.

The main reason why people just can’t seem to embrace the present to its
fullness is because they are afraid of the unknown. It is true that most of the time,
we worry about the things that are yet to come; the marriage, the business
partner, the destiny helper, the new friend, the new relationship, or the new job.
Always remember this… the past doesn’t define the present neither does it have
any relative impact on how your future will turn out to a certain degree. It can be
used as a message for your purpose but that is as far as it goes. My motto for
embracing the present is this… “The future is the future; all I need to do today is
take the necessary steps required to get me closer to my destiny and my future is
in God’s hands”.

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The future is the future, whatever happens then, happens”. This way, I am not
living in the fear of the unknown or rather the fear of the future. I can concentrate
on building the now of my life that will lead to the future, where I am heading.

Happiness is a spiritual experience of living every minute with love,

grace, and gratitude

Below are steps I took, that enabled me to embrace the now to live fully in the
present
 Forgive Past Hurts – forgiving past hurts brings freedom; freedom to
move on and live in the present free from guilt, shame, and the residue
of pain. Forgiveness is not something you do for other people; it is
something you do for yourself. When you’ve held on to grudges for such
a long time, the moment you make the intentional decision to forgive,
you will realise the only prisoner in the whole equation, was you. Instead
of holding grudges and harbouring resentment towards the people who
have wronged you or the people who you “think” have hurt you, choose
this day to forgive and move on. The more you hold on to past hurts, it
clutters the mind with memories that eventually destroys the soul. From
research, unforgiveness leads to unexpected sickness in the body. You
must realise that the hurt that was caused was not a reflection of your
flaws but a reflection of who they are. Hurt people hurt people. Broken
people break people and bleeding people cause others to bleed. It's not
that they are bad people, it’s because of the effect of their issues that
have not been dealt with.
 Don’t Dwell on Past Failures – When you encounter failures and setbacks
in life, learn to see failure as feedback, not a signal to quit. If you’re
always looking back at past failures, how do you expect to learn the
lessons required to succeed in the future? You must give yourself room
to work on today because the prerequisite for living in the now is making
a conscious effort to work on building your life today.
 Break Out of the Fear of the Unknown - The fear of the future unknown
should not be the reason you refuse to not permit yourself to live to the
fullest of your potential in the present. There is always this constant
worry about what the future holds. Life is all about taking risks. There are
some risks that you may be afraid to take in the now that will lead you to
the future you’ve always dreamed of. You must grasp the understanding

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that the future will happen, and you can’t stop it. Whatever God has
planned for your life will surely happen in His own time. So worrying
about it won’t solve anything. The best thing to do is to refocus your
energy on building your today and embrace fully living in the now.
According to to….Isaiah 60:22 – The smallest one will become a
thousand (a clan). And the least one a mighty nation. I, the Lord will
quicken it in its (appointed) time - Meaning, everything that God has
planned for you will happen just as it is supposed to, and God will make
everything concerning your life happen at its appointed time.
 Appreciate Every Moment of the Present – We live in the age of
distractions. Yet one of life’s sharpest paradoxes is that the brightest
futures hinges on your ability to pay attention. Make a conscious effort
to enjoy every moment of the present. As you’re enjoying the moments
of today, continuously keep creating more memories in your now that
you can look back on in your future.
 Understanding the Power of Now – Dream big, set goals, and plans for
the future. But embracing today and working hard today is always the
first step towards realising your dreams tomorrow. You mustn’t allow
the dreaming of tomorrow to replace the living of today.

Learn to see failure as feedback, not a signal to quit

Clearing the Canvas of Your Mind

Canvas is a surface you paint on that is often made from tightly stretched
unbleached cloth or a closely woven fabric that is often used to make boat, sail
purses and upholstery. When we are born and are first welcomed into this world,
we start life on a blank canvas but as we journey through life, as we fight
different battles, face many challenges, the canvas of our lives is then painted
with innumerable pictures and colours, each having its different meaning that
relates to the different experiences we’ve encountered throughout this journey
called life. I aim to be as transparent as I can be in this book. Today, as I was
working, I started having flashbacks of a particular day, when I was 16 years. This
was the day, I tried to commit suicide. One of the most difficult times of my life.
This was the day before I started college and I was going through hell in my
mother’s house. Every single day I wished I wasn’t born. You may say that
sounds very dramatic and slightly exaggerated but that’s how it was, and the
worst of it all, is that I kept wishing that I wasn’t born into the family I was born
into. I know that sounds terrible but that’s how I felt at that moment in time.
Because of the torture I was going through, every day for a whole month, I would

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just sit down and nurture in my mind the idea of ending my life and was looking
at the best ways I could accomplish my mission that would be pain-free and
quick. On that night, I decided to drink a bottle of nail polish remover. The bottle
said at the back…”If swallowed, it may kill you”, when I read it, I said to myself,
ok why not. When I drank the nail polish remover, I started coughing blood and
all the while I was coughing blood, I was wondering, why am I still here? I just
want to go. I don’t want to exist anymore because of all that I was going through.
Life was not worth living. Nevertheless, I didn’t die and to this day, only two
people know about me attempting to take my own life. What exactly pushed me
to make such an attempt to commit suicide? At that time, I was dealing with
mother wounds.

Even though I was living with my mother, I felt like I was living on my own. It felt
like I was solely the one caring for myself. I didn’t get the kind of love and
affection that a mother should give their child and to add insult to injury, I was
being verbally abused and falsely accused constantly by my mother. While I was
going through all of this, I only had one person to talk to and that’s my auntie.
Even though I had my aunt to talk to, I still felt like I was a burden to her. So I
suppressed much of what I was going through within. Being verbally abused,
falsely accused, rejected, and neglected by my mother amongst many other
things affected me for many years and it painted a picture in the canvas in my
mind of a standing cone with the words “ALERT VERBAL ABUSE”. With this
picture in my mind, I built an impenetrable wall around my heart; I would not
give anyone, any kind of space in my heart because I believed that if I opened
myself up to anyone and I gave them access in my life and my heart, they won’t
treat me as I deserve to be treated and they would not have anything good to say
about me. I lived with this belief for a very long time. To this day I am surprised
that, even though I didn’t receive the love and affection I wanted from my
mother, I didn’t go out chasing for it from the wrong places and the wrong
people. I was always by myself. I lived in isolation for many years until I was
twenty-six to twenty-seven years old when I met the kindest gentleman I have
ever met in my life, he became my brother, friend, and confidant. It was through
his friendship and making a conscious decision to always stay connected to God
that the walls I built around my life and my heart began to fall. Does it mean, that
my heart is now unguarded? No! It just means that I give God my heart and I
guard it with caution. We are living in a time of great hostility and strife between
people especially in the body of Christ and people do not know how to handle a
human being’s heart. So, it is wise that we always guard our hearts with wisdom
and discernment. Scripture admonishes us in…

Proverbs 4:23 – Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues
of life.(NKJV)

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Just like my experiences painted pictures in the canvas of my mind, you may
have been through or are currently going through challenges that you may not
be able to explain to anyone. As a result, this has left you disorientated with a
distorted mindset about life, people, and God. If that is the case, what picture has
the challenge you encountered or the one you are currently going through,
painted in the canvas of your mind? How does it make you feel? Once you have
the answers to these questions, it is your responsibility to make a conscious
effort to clear the canvas of your mind and reprogram your mind from the old
way of thinking to a new way of thinking to have a new way of living.

Understanding the Power of Now

The power of now demonstrates the ability and the strength required to forget
and let go of the past to harness and embrace life in the now. You may have lived
life in a state of continuous anxiety interspersed with periods of suicidal thoughts
and suicidal depression, but the thing is, the aim of understanding the power of
now is to have the ability to forget about the past and learn to embrace life in the
present. If you carry the baggage of the past into the present, not only will you
forfeit the benefits of life in the present, but you will forfeit the blessings that God
has for you in the future.

The idea of living fully and undeniably in the present is something that seems so
impossible for many people. Achieving a state of being in the now means we
must embrace the life of the unknown and stop trying to figure out what the next
move is until we have a revelation from God as to what the next move is.
Understanding presence is being present. Being in state of now is being in a state
of surrender, stillness and presentness wherever and however you are. There is
no past or future – no tomorrow or yesterday – only now. This might sound easy
in concept and you might well say, but “aren’t I living in the now?” It’s quite hard
to do at all times with your whole self. It’s almost like being in a constant state of
meditation: fully aware of one’s breath, the feeling of one’s body but without the
acknowledging extraneous thoughts or external interruptions. In today’s world,
we are constantly distracted by so many things inside and outside that it is nearly
impossible to find a moment of stillness.

So how is one meant to achieve this elusive state, one that is claimed will
eventually save the world from its self-destructing habits of stress, anxiety, and
ignorance? The answer I’ve derived from the reading and the research is practice.
Find pockets of the day when you can sit down and be present and embrace that
moment. Don’t feel bad about the other times when your mind takes over and
starts juggling a hundred balls. On my walk to do food shopping, I focus my
breath, observe the beautiful blooming park to my right, breathe in the air and

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feel the sun on my skin. It’s harder during the workday to focus my attention
internally but closing my eyes and taking deep breaths every so often can make
the busyness of any situation melt away.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Life From God’s Perspective
Successful People Look at Life Through God’s Perspective

P
erspective is how you see something. For instance…if you think that toys corrupt
children’s minds then from your perspective, a toy shop is an evil place. If you
think that alcohol is one of the main reasons for teenage pregnancies or people
going astray in life, then from your perspective, the club is an evil place.
Perspective has a Latin root meaning “look through” or “perceive”. If you
observe the world from a negative person’s perspective, you see all things and
all persons from the lens of the negative mind. In art for example, perspective
gives drawings, paintings and all things concerning arts and crafts the
appearance of depths and distance. If we say someone has perspective, we mean
they have a sensible outlook on life.

The Oxford dictionary defines perspective as the “a particular attitude towards

or way of regarding something; a point of view”, this is saying that perspective
is a particular way of looking at something.

People view life mostly from the lens of logic and reasoning based on feelings
and emotions but choosing to view life from God’s perspective is choosing to

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view life from the lens of the spirit through faith. Personally, perspective is seeing
something and understanding it from a larger frame of reference than other
people won’t. In a spiritual sense, this is seeing life from God’s perspective.
There are so many words in the bible that are synonymous to seeing life from
God’s perspective but the three most frequent are “understanding”, “wisdom”
and also “discernment”.

I would like to touch on wisdom and discernment concerning the understanding

of how life operates and how to live life from God’s point of view. First of all we
all know that wisdom is a principal thing as is always said. It is a fundamental key
to living a successful life. Wisdom is defined as the quality of being wise; making
good judgments based on deep understanding and experience of life. Scripture
tells us in…

Proverbs 4:7 - Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom and in all
your getting, get understanding. (NKJV)

Here we see that David communicated more than the facts of wisdom; he wanted
Solomon to love, value and honour wisdom. Men and women often regard
money or fame or romance as the principle thing; God’s people should give a
higher place to wisdom. The greatest goal in life is for one to pursue wisdom and
understanding. Wisdom and understanding is the key to victorious living.
Without wisdom, there is the likelihood of people making choices in their lives
that lead to pain, poverty, depression, and trouble whereas, with wisdom, there
is the likelihood that the choices that you make will lead to health, happiness,
peace, prosperity, success, and joy. Put it this way, the outcome of your life is
dependent on the level of your wisdom.

Understanding is connected to wisdom. Understanding is the power of

discernment. It is the ability to perceive or see things past what the naked eye
can see and recognise the pros and cons of a thing. It is also the ability to grasp
with comprehension a situation and assess it accordingly to take the correct
action. To know what to do in life, to know where to go in life, to know how to do
things, if you want to know how to escape danger or trouble in your life, get
wisdom. Wisdom gives you an advantage and an escape route from danger.
There is a difference between the educated man and the intelligent man – The
educated man is one that operates in the mind using school education whereas
the intelligent man is the wise man; prudent in all his ways is the one that
operates based on wisdom specifically Godly wisdom.

Understanding Life From God’s Perspective

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When you study this scripture you will realise that God knew His thoughts
towards the exile Jews in Babylon. The exile Jews were instructed not only to
seek personal prosperity but also to seek the prosperity of the city; the land in
which they dwelled if they followed the instruction. God then said that He will
improve the welfare of the city due to the presence and the prayers of the people.
Somewhere down the line, the exiles lost sight of what God had said to them, so
He had to remind them through Jeremiah’s letter that He is thinking of them, His
mind is towards them. Scripture tells us in…

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you, and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(NKJV)

We always have to realise something; God doesn’t just only think of us, His
thoughts towards all things concerning our lives are good. He desires to give us a
life of purpose and meaning. He desires to prosper us and not to harm us. We
can only tap into and have access to the life that God has for us when we open
our minds to understanding life from God’s perspective.

Seeing All Things From God’s Perspective

When you look at life through your lens, you inadvertently miss what God is
trying to do in your life at a certain stage, season, or time. Everything is a choice
and you are blinded when you choose to look at life through the lens of your
perspective and this hinders you from possessing all that God has in store for
you. Scripture admonishes us to…

Ephesians 1:18-19 – The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you
may know what the hope of His calling is, what are the riches of His glory of
inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power.

Synonyms of “enlightened” – to be informed, aware, educated, knowledgeable,

learned, wise, literate, intellectual, illuminated, open-minded, broad-minded, and
more. Let’s say, to be enlightened is to be aware. The reason why many people
fail to live to their fullest potential in Christ and possess what already been made
available for them through the finished works of Christ is because 1) they are not
aware of God’s ways and how He operates and 2) they are aware of how God
operates, they are aware of God’s principles and standards according to His
Word but refuse to follow God’s ways. Deliberate disobedience to God’s ways

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and instructions leads to destruction. Every experience you’ve ever been through
is not a surprise to God. Before you go through the problem, God already has the
solution hence why, Joseph said to his brothers, “you meant it for evil, but God
turned it around for Good according to Genesis 50:20. There are some
experiences we go through, some battles we fight and challenges we encounter
that may not start with God but it has to pass through God and if God says all
things will work together for the good of they that love the Lord and have been
called according to His purpose, then surely all things will work together for the
good and it will work the God way. He often uses our problems to push us to a
place of purpose, but your eyes have to be opened to know His ways and His
thoughts to look at life differently through the lens of God’s goodness, kindness,
and mercy. In addition to this, I would like to touch on something else that gives
us more understanding into looking at life through God’s perspective. Seeing all
things through the lens of God’s perspective means seeing something with your
supernatural eye that you will not be able to see with your natural eye. According
to….

Genesis 21:19 – Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well full of water.
She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.

Here we see that Hagar would have never seen the well of water that was by her
side if God did not supernaturally open her eyes. Previously, Hagar and Ishmael
were abandoned and rejected by Abraham and sent to the desert with a
container of water and limited resources. At some point during their time at the
desert the container of water dried up and they were left with no water and
limited resources. How was she going to take care of Ishmael? I can imagine the
tears, the fear, the crushing of her heart, the shock, and the disbelief, but Hagar
cried out to God and God heard her cry through Ishmael. She must have thought
to herself, surely God has a solution for this problem and God in His infinite
goodness and mercy, opened her eyes to see that the solution to her problem
was right beside her. Sometimes what we need is right in front of our eyes but if
God does not open our eyes for us to become aware of how He operates and
what He wants to do, we will miss it completely. Why do we miss God? We miss
God not just because we are looking at our lives from the lens of our frail
perspective but because we become accustomed to our problems. It becomes a
lifestyle, a norm and some would say…” well that’s just how life is”. I’ve heard
this several times with the people I talk to and help. When we conform to our
problems and we live life through the lens of our problems, it’s like saying that
God is not powerful, loving and kind enough to snatch us out from the pit that
life has thrown us in, and it is an insult to God credibility.

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Life from Man’s Perspective Vs Life from God’s Perspective

Life from man’s perspective is based on logic and human reasoning. It functions
more on common sense and not wisdom. Common sense is limited and cannot
take you far. Most people live their lives with constant fears and doubts, afraid of
the unknown. We must learn how to embrace the uncertainties of life because
that is what drives our curiosity. Many are fearful of loneliness, failure, conflicts,
making the wrong choices and or being rejected etc. So one major part of man’s
perspective of life is living with the fear of the unknown. When you live your life
with the fear of the unknown or rather fear of what the future holds, you become
terrified of life hence the reason why so many aspects of our lives turn against
us. For example, someone living with the fear of being lonely will be tempted to
get into a relationship that will be detrimental to their future, just for the sake of
not wanting to be alone. They end up staying in that toxic relationship because
they simply don’t enjoy being on their own. This leads to heartbreak, anger,
bitterness, and resentment in the long run.

To be completely transparent, there was a point in my life, at the age of sixteen,

when I was terrified of life. As I mentioned earlier, that was the time, that I
attempted to commit suicide. Trauma is a paralysis that causes traumatic
paralysis on the brain. I was paralysed! And people who become paralysed after
suffering a traumatic experiences lose their sense of awareness. It was as if I lost
touch with reality. My mother brought me up in an environment of fear. I was
fearful of her as a mother, I was fearful of my friends, I was fearful of some of my
family members and I became fearful of the future. Can you imagine being
fearful of the future and you have no clue, not even a glimpse of where God is
about to take you? Life didn’t seem worth living. In all transparency, I wasn’t
looking forward to what life had for me in the future. Now that I look back…What
an unpleasant state to be in? On the 10 th November 2016, I was looking through
my shoes to find something to wear for a special occasion only to find a note that
I’d written on a piece of paper when I was 16 years old, about a week after I
started college. Just finding that piece of paper made me realise that regardless
of our mess and the things we go through in life, God really and truly knows the
heart of His chosen ones. I was struggling with inadequacy believed I wasn’t
good enough for anything or anyone; that the world is a highly competitive place
that doesn’t play fair. I walked through life for many years with this mindset. As I
journey through life, I gave in to this mindset that maybe I just wasn’t going to
succeed in life. Fortunately, I had a very small bible that was gifted to me by my
aunt. My two favourites were Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 91:4. I read these two
scriptures repeatedly, though I wasn’t as strong in my faith as I am now. One
faithful day, I went and sat down in front of a computer and I typed up my
dreams and goals. I truly believe that this was by way of God’s leading. Up until

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2016 I stuck by and lived my life according to what was written down. Though I
was fearful of the unknown and how my life would turn out, I started creating an
environment of self-encouragement. Every day I would encourage myself with
one word to keep me going for the day. It wasn’t till much later in my life, that I
understood that my steps were being ordered by God. When you understand that
regardless of your past, that God still has a plan for your life and He will preserve
and protect you because He has a need for you on this earth, you will change
your perception of God and life. This is something that we read in the scriptures,
but we don’t walk by what we read. When Jesus was being tempted by Satan, in
the wilderness, He responded with “As it is written”! Jesus did not defeat the
devil by quoting scriptures and just reading them out, He defeated the devil
because He understood, and He obeyed the scriptures that he quoted and applied
those scriptures to His situation. The sole purpose of the enemy is to penetrate
your mind with thoughts that will cloud you from the beauty that life is. We must
always be equipped with our spiritual weapons to defeat the enemies of our
destinies by putting on the whole armour of God to fight against the enemy and
his allies.

Life from God’s perspective is based on order and structure. Always remember
these two words. Have you ever noticed that, you come across an individual who
sees life from a world’s point of view and you find out that this person has no
direction? They just don’t know where they are going. They exist but they are not
living life to its fullest capacity. In life, the true success of life comes when you
live a purpose-driven life and to live a purpose-driven life, you need a revelation
of God’s will for your life. We are created with a purpose and for a purpose. God
tells us in…

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans that I have towards you says the Lord;
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV)

God knew His plans and thoughts towards the exile Jews in Babylon. They did
not know or did not remember His thoughts towards them, so God in His infinite
wisdom wanted to state them in writing through Jeremiah’s letter. God is
concerned about you and He wants your life to go exactly in the direction that it
is supposed to go. He knows your end from your beginning and nothing that
happens is a surprise to God. He knows every mistake you have made; He knows
every move you are planning to make. He knows every decision you were going
to make in the past, every decision you are going to make in the present and
every decision you will make in the future. Sometimes when we go through the
unexpected in our lives, we automatically think that God has forgotten us and
God is against us but in actuality, some of the things that we go through are all
part of the process divinely orchestrated by God to mold us to become the men

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and women we were created to become. Life happens in stages and with each
stage comes new battles and with new battles comes new lessons to be learned
to move forward to the next level. In life when we encounter failure, let’s learn to
see it as feedback and not a signal to quit. What man calls failure; God calls
formation. All the battles, the challenges, the trials, and tribulations are all
forming to become who God created us to be. Understanding this pushes you to
become who you are created to become. With that said…sometimes, the process
is more about unbecoming everything that is not of God on the inside of you, so
that you can become all that God has predestined before the foundation of the
earth. When you understand life from God’s perspective, you begin to
understand that for you to level C, you have to go through level A and level B and
in between those two levels, you will go through pain, persecution,
disappointments, heartbreaks, rejection, isolation, accusations and more. Before
you get to the blessing, you have to go through the lessons, before you see the
glory, you have to go through the hardship to gain your story before you
experience joy, you have to go through great pain, before you get to know what
true love is, you have to go through some heartbreaks. So, for you to experience
life in its fullness with success, peace, happiness, and contentment, you must go
through some unpleasant situations. But God takes all your hardship, turns it
around and works it all out for your good. So, with that said, embrace the past
and know that God’s plan for your life is far bigger than you can ever imagine but
you can only tap into that life when you make a conscious effort to change your
outlook on life and see life from God’s perspective.

You can only tap into and have access to the life that God has for you when
You open your mind to understanding life from God’s perspective.

The Benefits of Godly Wisdom Vs Wordly Wisdom

We all have a desire to be wise. We like to understand how things work, to be
able to answer questions, to make decisions, and to share what we know. We
seek and search out wisdom and knowledge of the things of this world, just as
Solomon did. However, Solomon discovered that wisdom ‘under the sun’, apart
from God, left him unfulfilled and discontented. According to…

Ecclesiastes 1:17 – And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know

madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. (NKJV)

In the book of Kings chapter 3, we learn that Solomon asked God for wisdom to
rule His people. Instead of requesting material riches, comfort, or pleasure,

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Solomon desired to advance God’s kingdom through wise leadership. Because

God was so pleased with Solomon’s request, He granted it and gave him much
more. Solomon began his royal reign as the wisest man on Earth with great
wealth and honour. At some point in his life, Solomon grew to love God’s
blessings more than God Himself. His life began to revolve around his wealth,
pleasure, and adoration. He elevated his earthly wisdom above godly wisdom.
Solomon forgot that it is the wisdom of God that answers our every need and
gives us a true perspective on life’s deepest questions. According to….

James 3:17 – But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and
sincere. (NKJV)

Earthly wisdom appeals to the senses and the emotions. In contrast, the wisdom
that is from God reflects Him. While earthly wisdom says always follow your
heart, Godly wisdom tells us that the heart is deceitfully wicked above all things
as declared in Jeremiah 17:9. While earthly wisdom says seeing is believing,
Godly wisdom tells us that blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
believed as declared in John 20:29. While earthly wisdom says…love your family
and friends, Godly wisdom tells us to love our enemies and bless them as
declared in Matthew 5:43. While earthly wisdom says there are many ways to
God, Godly wisdom tells us that there is only one way to God and it is through
Jesus Christ according to Acts 4:12.

God desires to give His divine wisdom to His children. All other types of learning
are valuable but limited unless built upon the knowledge of the Lord Himself. To
gain God’s wisdom, we must pray for it, while studying and living out God’s
Word. So many distractions in this world threaten to pull us away from God. We
are constantly bombarded by viewpoints, images, and ideas that contradict those
in the Bible. It is easy to find our hearts straying from God toward ideas and
belief systems that sound impressive and appealing. Believers must remain
diligent and steadfast in seeking God and keeping His wisdom forefront in our
minds. We may have to stand against the wisdom of the world, the advice of our
well-meaning family and friends, and battle our self-seeking desires to be solely
led by God. God’s wisdom gives us focus and direction when we have to choose
between what looks good, what feels good, and what is good.

Question: Does the wisdom that you share and live by reflect more of God or
more of this world? In what areas of your life are you prone to wander and stray
from God’s wisdom?

Worldly wisdom is based on gratifying and justifying its ways which are contrary
to the word of God. Worldly wisdom is common sense based on logical

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reasoning. Common sense is obtained through the various experiences and

challenges that we encounter in life. As we encounter these challenges and go
through these experiences, we learn lessons on how we are supposed to live life
and how we are supposed to handle day to day issues. We gain wisdom that
helps us to navigate our way through life just as we are supposed to. Living your
life based on worldly wisdom can “sometimes” lead to a destructive life that
lacks guidance. Wisdom gives direction and living life without good counsel and
guidance will lead to wrong decision making and impulse life planning. In life,
without a clear plan for your future, you will be moving from pillar to post
instead of moving from valley to mountains. Godly wisdom leads us to a
disciplined and prudent life. According to…

Proverbs 1:2-3 – To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of

understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and
equity. (NKJV)

Wisdom is found repeatedly in scriptures. It is a word used to describe the skills

of craftsmen, artists, and counsellors. “Instruction” suggests that wisdom is
gained through discipline and time. We’re living in the information age, but we
certainly aren’t living in the age of wisdom. Godly wisdom helps us become men
and women of discipline, intelligence, integrity, and values. The Hebrew word for
wisdom is Hokmah which means “life-skill; which is the ability for an individual
to use life skills to conduct their lives in the best way possible. Spiritually, a wise
person is to live life according to God’s commandments and requirements;
understanding how God operates and applying biblical knowledge in dealing
with daily issues practically and successfully. The thing we must always
remember is this; wisdom is gained through time and discipline.

Without a clear plan for your life, you will be moving from pillar to
post instead of moving from valley to mountain.

Wisdom And the Mind

In life they say, it is not what happens to you but how you respond to what
happens to you that determine your thoughts and your feelings. Life is full of ups
and downs, we experience the good, the bad and the ugly daily. It is the ugly that
leaves us paralysed. It is the ugly that leaves memorable pictures and imprints in
our mind of the pain of the past. But how do we stop these unpleasant
experiences from leaving these memorable pictures and imprints in our minds? It

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can be done by how you respond to the daily problems you face in and around
your life. Your circumstances doesn’t define you as a person. It doesn’t
determine your future. It can only take root and deprive you of your destiny by
the meaning you give to it. It takes wisdom to know how to respond accordingly.
Scripture tells us in…

James 1: 2-3 – Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers, and sisters, whenever
you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through
experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].
(AMP)

Confronting your problems and responding accordingly depends on the state of

your mind. As I mentioned earlier, the mind is a canvas of many pictures, all
reflecting the things you have experienced in life; some pleasant and some
unpleasant. So when you are faced with challenges that you can’t seem to
explain or understand, what do you do and how do you respond? Here are some
of the most common ways that we tend to respond to the challenges we face…

 We rationalise them
 We flee from the problem
 We point fingers and blame other people
 We brush them under the carpet and ignore them completely
 We go to a state of denial and deny that the problem even exists

To see a change in your life, you must have the courage and the mental capacity
to confront and conquer your problems. Through counselling, therapy, prayer;
with the renewing of your mind, you must clean the canvas of your imagination
and start drawing a new picture to create a brand-new life for yourself. It takes
wisdom to know how to conduct your life in a manner of discipline and self-
control. If you don’t know where you are going in life, any road will take you
there. Seeking Godly directions for your life is imperative; it is the prerequisite to
living a successful life. As stated in…

James 1: 5 – If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all
liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him. (NKJV)

The purpose of wisdom is to teach people discipline for a fulfilled life. It helps
them do what is right, just, and fair. Wisdom seems like a huge buzz word these
days. Everybody knows they need it and yet very few possess it. Wisdom is like a
compass that dictates what direction our lives should be going. This comes not
only by experience but more so by consistent communion with God in prayer
and worship. The moment we are faced with unexpected challenges, some resort

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to solving the problem by logic and reasoning. But from experience, I can tell you
that it is in those moments of unexpected occurrences, that we are to seek
wisdom (Understanding) from God to know how to handle these happenings in a
manner that is deemed appropriate. There are some situations that you face in
life that need biblical wisdom applied to overcome them. Godly wisdom gives
you an understanding of what battles you need to fight with faith and what
battles you need to let go of and leave them in God’s hands.

There’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is just

information gathered from many different sources and experiences. Wisdom,
however, is simply applied knowledge gained to a specific situation. This is
where many people fail because they have the knowledge but don’t know how to
apply the knowledge. When the problem arises, they handle it with logic,
reasoning, and emotions. Worldly wisdom will offer you a solution to a certain
situation that could be detrimental to you in the long run. Why? Because it may
have consequences attached to it. We acquire vast amounts of knowledge but
somehow, we still make the wrong choices in life. It takes wisdom to decipher
what is constructive, timely and appropriate for the long run. For believers,
wisdom is not just the well-advised application of factual knowledge. Our
wisdom comes from the ultimate source of all wisdom, understanding and
counsel – God Himself. In God’s opinion, whoever trusts in his mind is a fool. We
see the circumstances, but God sees the destination. Our lives are the result of all
the choices we make. It takes wisdom to be sure that our choices come together
so that we end up on the narrow gate of eternal life, not the wide gate to eternal
destruction. To find the path to the narrow gate, we need to seek wisdom and
guidance from God, and it will show us the way. Godly wisdom, however, will
guide us in the right direction, it will guide us to the right solution to a problem, it
will guide us to the right strategy for a specific task in a manner that is beneficial
to us. If you lack wisdom (Understanding), God is inviting you to ask him for
wisdom and the only way to receive wisdom is to make a conscious decision to
go before God and seek His face, who gives generously with reproach. Seek
Godly wisdom for your life today and I promise you, you will know how to
handle all those issues that seemed difficult for you to tackle once upon a time.

What On Earth Am I Here For?

Seeking God’s will, is you searching for God’s divine plan for your life; trying to
discover who and what He has created you to become before the foundation of
the earth according to Jeremiah 1:5. To see life from God’s perspective, it is
imperative that you know who you are in Christ and know what your purpose is
on this earth. The reason why many people exist and don’t live is because they
haven’t found themselves; they don’t know who they are and what they are born

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to do. This is why sometimes, some people study for many years to build a
career in a certain field, they build the career but then after ten to twenty years,
you hear them say….”I’m changing my career”. It's not because they’ve lost
interest in that field, it’s because they didn’t really find out who they are and what
they were created to do from the onset, so they embarked on a quest in a certain
career path of mere emotions or rather what felt good to them at the time or
simply going off what somebody else is doing. Knowing who you are is crucial to
living a fulfilled life. The very first place to start is the realisation that God has a
specific and unique plan for your life. He certainly had this plan in mind before
you were even born. As stated in…

Psalm 139:15-16 - My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in
secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my
substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book, they all were written, the
days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

The God of all knowledge and constant presence had the care and concern to
personally form the child in his mother’s womb. It speaks of the fact that God
knew David from before his birth, as a child conceived and developing in the
womb. The fact that God knows and cares for children in the womb means that
God’s concern for life begins at conception. Before you were even born, God had
already pre-planned your destiny. Everything about your life had already been
written and mapped out, so nothing that you go through and experience is a
surprise to God. God is the one that knew you before you were in your mother’s
womb; He knew what and who you were going to be, so for that reason, He is the
one that orchestrates every single part of your life. He is the one that orders your
footsteps. The one thing we have to understand is the, in the university of life,
God is the only examiner who knows the answers to our tests but still gives us
the test to take and He is the only invigilator who knows what is happening in
and around the exams room but cannot talk to you or say anything concerning
the test. With that said, I would like to dig deeper into the meaning of the will of
God. There are two very concise but very different meanings to the term “the will
of God” …

1) God’s Will of Decree – This is God’s sovereign control over everything

that comes to pass in your life. We see this when Jesus spoke in the
Garden of Gethsemane in the bible in Matthew 26: 39 – “He went a little
farther and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is
possible let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will but as You
will”. When Jesus realised what was happening; that He was about to be
nailed on the cross, he prayed to the Father saying, “not as I will but as
you will”. Jesus knew that God had sovereign control over what

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happens to Him. If it was up to Jesus, He will not allow that to happen to

Him but because He understood that God had a divine plan behind
everything, He went according to God’s will. So the will of God in this
verse is the sovereign plan of God which He has control over that will
come to pass in your life. We can see more of this in Acts 4:27-28 which
declares that… “Truly in this city, they were gathered together against
your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius
Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, to do whatever
your hand and your plan had predestined to take place”. The will of God
at this particular moment is that Jesus be crucified and die. This was
God’s divine plan for the salvation of humanity. This was His plan and
His decree, and nothing could change it. As a result, because Jesus knew
what was happening, He humbled Himself to God saying…”Here is what
I am asking from you, but you know what is best, so you do it your way”.
This also tells us that God approves what He hates to fulfill His divine
plan for your life. So nothing that you go through is new to God. God
has no past; to Him it’s already done. Whatever happened to you, some
of these things God allowed so that it can mould you, refine you and
shape you to become the person He created you to be. Always
remember this….You have to go through the fire to come out as pure
Gold.

2) God’s Will of Command – This is His will by the instructions that He

gives us. As believers, God has given us free will so we can choose to
obey His will of command or we can disobey His will of command and
fail to do what He divinely instructs us to do. There are many instances
in the bible that God commands us to do something but it’s up to us
whether we obey His command or not. As I am an advocate for Holiness,
this scripture is very fitting. According to…

In 1 Thessalonians 4:3 – “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that

you abstain from sexual immorality.”

God’s commands in this verse to the believer are: Holiness,

sanctification, sexual purity, etc. This is God’s will of command but in the
modern-day churches, this command is the most common that is
disobeyed. Paul gave these commands to a first-century Roman culture
that was marked by sexual immorality. At this time in the Roman
Empire, chastity and sexual purity were almost unknown virtues.
Nevertheless, Christians were to take their standards of sexual morality
from God and not from the culture. Paul said this was a commandment -
1 Thessalonians 4:2. That word was a military term describing an order

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from an officer to a subordinate, and the order came from Jesus and not
from Paul. The ancient writer Demosthenes expressed the generally
amoral view of sex in the ancient Roman Empire: “We keep prostitutes
for pleasure; we keep mistresses for the day to day needs of the body;
we keep wives for the faithful guardianship of our homes.” Here we see
that Paul made it very clear what the will of God was for the Christian.
The idea behind sanctification is to be set apart, and God wants us to be
set apart from a godless culture and its sexual immorality. If our sexual
behaviour is no different than the Gentiles who do not know God, then
we are not sanctified – set apart – in the way God wants us to be.
Those who do not know God do not have the spiritual resources to walk
pure before the Lord; but Christians do. Therefore, Christians should live
differently than those who do not know God. That you should abstain
from sexual immorality: We live differently than the world when
we make a conscious decision to abstain from sexual immorality. The
ancient Greek word translated sexual immorality (porneia) is a broad
word, referring to any sexual relationship outside of the marriage
covenant. God’s will of command can also be found in…

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the

will of God in Christ Jesus for you”

The command here is to give thanks in all circumstances but for many
believers, as soon as trouble comes, we start complaining and
questioning God. When you understand that sometimes challenges arise
as a sign that you are closer to a breakthrough, you will begin to
thank God and praise Him at the same time because you know your
victory is on the way.

You must go through the fire to come out as pure gold.

Seeking God’s Will for Your Life

Now that you know what seeking the will of God for your life is, the next thing for
you to do is, to make the conscious effort to take the necessary steps to
practically seek the will of God for your life. This is not something that is going to
happen just like that. It is a process and It takes constant and consistent
communication with God for Him to reveal His will for your life.

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 Walk With God Wholeheartedly – If you want to know God’s will for your
life, you have to learn how to walk with God wholeheartedly. Walking
with God is not a walk in the park. It requires your total commitment,
devotion, and time. You have to create and develop an intimate
relationship with Him. It’s all about relationships. A friend that you have
an intimate relationship with, will tell you the truth about yourself in love
because you both are in an intimate relationship. That is the same thing
with God. According to….

Jeremiah 33: 3 – Call unto me and I will show you great and mighty
things which you do not know”. So the Lord desires to show you his
divine plan for your life but you have to call Him. Invite him into your life
and let Him take control. (NKJV)

For God to reveal certain secrets to you concerning your life, you must
cultivate a personal relationship with him and this is God inviting you to
call on Him, to come at any time in fellowship and He will talk to you
about the things you don’t know which you wish to know.

 Surrender Your Will for God’s Will – You have your plans for your life,
God has His plans for your life, which one do you think will work best for
you? Sometimes we try to impose our own plans for our lives on God;
we say to God, “Ok God, this is what I want to do, this is what I am
planning to do, now all I need you to do is put your approval stamp on it
and then I can go ahead and get started”. That is what is called the
Permissive Will of God. You have the perfect will of God and you have
the permissive will of God (Your way of living your life and the things
that you desire for your life) and you have the perfect will of God ( The
way God wants you to live your life and the things that God desires for
you). God will present both to you and say to you, this your way and this
is my way, I would like you to go my way because it will be beneficial for
you but if you wish to do it your way, I will give you my approval but
there will be consequences. Which way do you think is best? God will
only reveal His will for your life when you surrender your will to His will
and be committed to doing what He wants you to do. If He says go there,
you go. If He says sit down, you sit if He says stand up, you stand up.
God moves when you obey His instructions. Jesus said…”Not as I will
but as you will”, so Jesus Himself recognised the importance of total
surrender to God’s will because ultimately God knows what is best.
Jesus was willing to die for us, so shouldn’t we be willing to live for
Him? When we surrender to Him that is when He begins to direct our
steps.

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 Seek Godly Counsel – The most important thing to do when seeking the
will of God for your life, is to seek Godly counsel. Proverbs 11:14 –
states…” where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude
of counsellors there is safety. You can only seek counsel when you
become fully open and transparent about everything. You need to make
sure that you have Godly mentors that advise you and guide you in the
right direction. In life, you can’t do everything by yourself. This is
something that I am learning every single day of my life. You need the
advice of Godly and experienced people around you. These are the
people that will guide you into discerning God’s will for your life by your
interaction with them. With that said, you need to ensure that you
surround yourself with people who are going to help you in this area.
Find a community of people of Godly men and women who you can be
open to about your life and yourself.

 Discover Your Gift – Before you were born, God knew you and what you
were to become. God created you to fulfill a specific purpose on this
earth. You are uniquely designed and wired to fulfill exactly what God
has created you for. Many live their lives without fulfilling God’s divine
agenda on earth. Therefore in your pursuit of discovering God’s divine
plan for your life, make it a priority to discover your gift. Your gift will
lead you to your passion and your passion will lead you to your purpose.
The will of God for your life is directly related to the gifts that are on the
inside of you. This is one way of discerning the plan of God for your life.
For example, if God has called you to be a minister in song; a gospel
artist, you will have the ability to sing and usher people into the presence
of God. That’s the gift that God has placed on the inside of you. You can
use your gift to bring change and make an impact on people’s lives.

 Be Still And Listen – The problem with many people today is that they
don’t take time to be still and listen. There is power instill and this can be
achieved in many ways. As you commune with God in seeking His
divine plan for your life, you must learn how to listen and intentionally
obey what you hear. Because God speaks all the time. Prayer is
communication and when you are communicating with someone, you
know that you should not be doing all the talking, you must take some
time to also listen. God desires to communicate with you, to tell you
what He wants to do in your life, where He wants you to go, etc. So in
your prayer time, as you pray, take some time to sit still and meditate. I
always take my bible, a small notepad and a pen with me when I am
praying because I have found that, as I am praying, God will give me

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scriptures to look into or He will give me a word to hold onto such peace,
or restoration and I just have to write them down and ponder on them.
Taking this into consideration, you might have some questions that you
may want to ask God in your quiet time such as…

1. Where do I go next?
2. What do I do next?
3. What is the next step in my career?
4. What is the next step in my education?
5. What is the next step in my ministry?

Remember, God will show you or tell you these things in so many different ways
with precision and clarity through visions, dreams, a movie, a person, a prophet,
etc. So pay attention.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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The Mind And Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the Prerequisite For Freedom

L
ife is such that we are all bound to experience pain caused others towards us.
Especially from the hands of those that we love dearly; whether it is abuse,
betrayal, heartbreak, hatred without a cause, malice or someone conspiring
against you. Whatever the case may be, whenever we experience these traumatic
incidents, the individual involved that experiences such becomes wounded in
mind, soul, and spirit. These experiences, if not dealt with promptly and
accordingly, also cause one’s health to deteriorate. This is not how God intended
it to be.

The Psychology of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the prerequisite for freedom. It is the natural state when negative
emotions are stilled. Forgiveness towards others discards petty resentment and
enables fair judgment. Forgiveness towards oneself frees the mind from crippling
pain and guilt. Resentment and guilt resemble the futile yelps and squeals of the
primitive region of the brain against unacceptable situations. Forgiveness quiets
those regions. It is a process that accepts the offensive situation, making way for
the calm responses of a wiser region of the brain. While it does not imply
acceptance of evil or any form of wrongdoing, psychological forgiveness accepts
reality and strengthens the mind to move forward. The trap of unforgiveness
keeps one imprisoned in the mind. Many people don’t realise that unforgiveness
is emotional bondage. Just like pride is not easily detected, unforgiveness is also
not easily detected unless one is filled with the spirit of discernment that can see
through the heart of an individual. It consumes the mind with memories of
offenses, distorts emotions and fills the heart with anger, bitterness, resentment
and feelings of wanting to take action by a way of revenge against certain people.
When boiled down to it, the root is a deep hatred for those who have caused
them pain and even those who they “think” have caused them pain but have
done them no wrong. Holding a grudge someone doesn’t make you strong, it
makes one bitter. Forgiving doesn’t make

you weak, it sets you free. The vast majority don’t realise that by being a stiff-
necked people and holding onto past hurts keeps people in prison. You see,
forgiveness doesn’t change the past, but it frees us up for a better tomorrow.
What happens to the mind when we don’t forgive? Though forgiveness happens
from the heart, when we choose not to forgive, the functionality of the conscious

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mind diminishes and unforgiveness hinders your perception of God, people, and
life as a whole.

Forgiveness towards others discards petty resentment and enables fair judgment

The Functional Neuroanatomy of Forgiveness

In life, everyone goes through painful experiences caused by others that we may
never even want to speak about or remember; perhaps it came from a deceiving
friend, a disloyal and betraying partner or an unjustly blaming parent. Some
decide to forgive the wrongdoer, and some don’t. A study was done on how the
brain correlates to forgiveness using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(FMRI). Healthy partakers were induced to image social scenarios that described
emotionally painful and hurtful experiences followed by the suggestions to either
forgive the imaged offender or harbour a grudge toward them. Subjects related
their imaginative skills, level of anger, frustration, and relief when imaging
negative experiences of the past as well as following forgiveness. It was
concluded that taking the initiative or the willing act to forgive was associated
with a positive emotional state as compared to unforgiveness. Granting was
closely associated with activations in a brain network involved in theory of mind,
empathy, and the regulation effect through cognition. The results uncovered the
neuronal basis of reappraisal driven forgiveness and extend extant data on
emotional regulation right to the resolution of anger and resentment following
negative interpersonal events. Being offended or harmed hurts the victim.
Victims of wrongdoings who have experienced deep hurt in the hands of the
wrongdoer may encounter feelings of pain, anger, bitterness, resentment, and
the desire for revenge toward their offenders and may even go to the extent of
planning to engage in retaliatory behavior. The ability to respond adaptively to
the adverse experiences of life is crucial for the individual’s social integration.
Cognitive evaluation plays a key role in shaping the meaning that an
interpersonal offense assumes. Our perception of hurtful events affects both the
valence and intensity of our emotional experience of it. For example: while
generally we feel hatred as victims of unfathomable robbery, we may become
merciful in the end if we learn that the thief needed unaffordable medical care

for his child. Forgiveness, is not about justifying someone’s offense, forgetting
their behavior, nor reconciliation. There is more to it than meets the eye. It is said
that forgiveness, is a cognitive and emotional process that eradicates chronic

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hostility, rumination, and their adverse effects. Studies show that

psychotherapeutic interventions have capitalised on forgiveness to help people
to adaptively manage anger and negative effects following harmful experiences
or interpersonal conflicts. Other interventions have shown the utility of
forgiveness to help people susceptible to managing anger, bitterness, hatred,
and other negative effects following harmful experiences or interpersonal
conflicts. Other interventions have shown the utility of forgiveness in solving
social and political disputes.

The Difficulties of Forgiveness

A study in the Gallup poll in 1988 found that while 94% said it was important to
forgive and 85% felt they needed outside help to be able to forgive, communities
resent people who lie, steal, cheat sell out or betray their values, since they
threaten everyone. Guilt is also subconsciously triggered when a person acts
against accepted social norms. People fear that, if they still the anger, it could be
seen as a weakness. The fear of the docile acceptance of evil makes it difficult to
forgive. Both forgiving an offense and forgiving oneself for wrongdoing feels
instinctively wrong because of a false impression of the psychological process of
forgiveness. It is not the submissive acceptance of wrongdoing, it is rather an
internal stilling process, not condonation of evil. It is about stopping
subconscious accusations and complaints. Stilling mental turmoil creates the
ability to look calmly at the offense. Such calming measures are difficult for some
people. Forgiveness is needed because resentment and guilt are the sterile
response of your mind to harmful events. Such responses are triggered by the
most primitive parts of your “triune” brain. Within the brain, three evolutionary
intelligence compete for control. At the lowest level, a reptilian brain produces
territorial responses like anger or raw fear. At the next level, a mammalian brain
controls the system through social emotions like guilt and shame. These are the
more primitive responses which are helpless ways of taking charge of your mind.
It is within your power to free the mind by stilling such negative emotions. When
the mind becomes still, a highly developed human-level brain in the prefrontal
regions switch in to make a rational interpretation of your world. With your
primitive response stilled, your compassionate common sense takes control.
Forgiveness is the prerequisite for freedom, and it is the natural state when
negative emotions are stilled. There are simple routines, which can still the mind
and create conditions where forgiveness takes charge.

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Forgiveness is the natural state when negative emotions are stilled.

Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world but be ye transformed by

the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

We are challenged, not to be molded by the sinful nature of this world. Let me
put this in the context of this book… we are not to be molded and transformed
into dysfunctional beings by the painful experiences we have endured in the
past, from the hands of those who chose to cause us harm. If this is the case, we
are to experience a transformation in the mind; a new way of thinking made
possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Before the process of
transformation takes, place we go through what is called “regeneration”.
Regeneration is a radical change. Just as our physical birth resulted in a new
individual entering the earthly realm, our spiritual birth results in a new person
entering the heavenly realm. After regeneration, we begin to see and hear and
seek after divine things; we begin to live a life of faith and holiness. Now Christ is
formed in the hearts; now we are partakers of the divine nature, having been
made new creatures. God, not man, is the source of this transformation. God’s
great love and free gift, His rich grace and abundant mercy, are the cause of the
rebirth. The mighty power of God—the power that raised Christ from the dead—
is displayed in the regeneration and conversion of sinners.

Regeneration is necessary. Sinful human flesh cannot stand in God’s presence. In

His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said twice that a man must be born
again to see the kingdom of God. Regeneration is not optional, for “flesh gives
birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit”. Physical birth fits us for the
earth; spiritual rebirth fits us for heaven. Regeneration is part of what God does
for us at the moment of salvation, along with sealing, adoption, reconciliation,
etc. Regeneration is God’s making a person spiritually alive, as a result of faith in
Jesus Christ. Before salvation we were not God’s children; rather, we were
children of wrath. Before salvation, we were degenerate; after salvation we are
regenerated. The result of regeneration is peace with God, new life, and eternal
sonship. Regeneration begins the process of sanctification wherein we become
the people God intends us to be. As mentioned earlier, the mind is like a hard
drive. This is not an analogy in the sense of “capacity” but in the sense of
“storage” and whatever you store in the archive of your mind becomes your
memory. This is where the experiences of life that lead to dysfunction are stored
and every so often when triggered by similar experiences, we see these

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dysfunctions manifest in countless ways. Using the principle of garbage in

garbage out, we established that what you store in the hard drive of your mind is
what comes out. Taking this into consideration, if you store bitterness, negativity,
hatred, malice, grudge, etc, these are the things that will manifest in your life one
way or another. There is power in forgiveness. Unforgiveness not only hinders
progress, it paralyses one from taking possession of the promises of God for
their lives and I’m just talking about taking possession of finances but more so,
taking possession of the healing, peace, happiness, and joy that has already been
made available for you through the finished works of Christ. One of the main
reasons why many are bound to the experiences of the past is because they don’t
understand the importance of forgiveness and therefore have not mastered
extending mercy to those that have caused them pain. Someone said to me a few
years ago that forgiveness is the seed for fruitfulness. It is the intentional
willingness by which a victim experiences a change feeling and attitude towards
an individual regarding an offense that occurred that may have caused them
pain. It is extending mercy to the wrongdoer even if you believe they don’t
deserve it. Ultimately, the forgiveness you extend is not for them, but it is for
you. It releases you out of the prison of bitterness, resentment, and hatred. Pain
is a soul destroyer; it kills the soul and if not dealt with accordingly can cause the
victim to be closed off to ever experiencing love; the true unconditional love of
God that flows from others. I recently experienced betrayal from two people I
never considered will cause me so much pain. I was heartbroken! To add insult
to injury, one of them is still in the business of playing the victim and is doing
whatever they can to “try” to destroy my life. Notice…I said “try” but in the
midst of it all, I chose to forgive. To be honest, it took a while, but I made room
and allowed God to work on my heart. As time passes, the more I can forgive and
extend mercy towards all those that have caused me pain throughout my life.
What must be understood is this…When we learn to extend mercy towards
others for their wrongdoings, God extends His mercy towards us. According to….

Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. (NKJV)

Why is it so important to extend mercy towards others? In the context of the

mind and forgiveness, we must extend mercy towards others because 1)
Sometimes, you realise that the wrong that was done to you was not intentional,
it was due to a weakness or deep internal struggle that has not been dealt with
accordingly 2) It keeps you in right standing with God and 3) it stops you from
building walls that block out the love that you truly deserve from God and
people. To love and to be loved by the right people is truly a blessing and
unforgiveness should not hinder you from experiencing that dimension of love in
any capacity. Forgiveness is necessary to live a life of peace and a sound mind. It
should be extended willingly without being asked to release you from the

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bondage of bitterness. Many of the limitations; the lack of peace, joy, sound
mind, fulfilment. However, if an individual who has caused you pain, comes with
sincerity of heart seeking your forgiveness, it is profitable that you grant them
forgiveness and extend mercy. Forgive, that you may also be forgiven. To be
quite transparent, a few years ago, I found this particularly back-breaking. For
this book, I have had the opportunity to speak to many people who experienced
pain in the past, that almost destroyed them. In all cases, I concluded with a
suggestion to all of them that, extending mercy is part of the healing process; it is
to willingly extend forgiveness to the offender regardless of the deed that was
done, without hesitation… 95% of the people spoken to stated… “Why should I
forgive them? That is too hard for me to do. They don’t understand the pain that
they caused me”. Understandably, forgiveness is one of the most strenuous
things to implement in life, but the benefits of forgiveness far outweighs the
consequences of harbouring animosity, grudge, or hatred for the rest of your life.
Is that something you want? Can I submit for your consideration, even if the
person has caused you pain repeatedly, regardless of the pain that was caused
and how severe the after effect maybe, your release of the offense and your
wholehearted willingness to forgive is the prerequisite for not only receiving
God’s forgiveness but it will usher you into a place of taking possession of the
promises of God for your life. The change and the peace of mind that we so
desire, is made possible when we choose to willingly and wholehearted forgive
others. The sincerity of your forgiveness stirs up the peace of God that surpasses
all understanding. God does indeed forgive our trespasses and understanding
that He also expects us to forgive others of their trespasses is crucial to
becoming whole as a person. Scripture tells us in….

Matthew 18:21 22 – Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him
“I do not say to you, up to seven times but up to seventy times seven. (NKJV)

Looking at the parable of the unforgiving servant shows how many times God
expects us to forgive our brothers and sisters for their repeated sins against us.
The rabbinical tradition taught that a repeated sin should be forgiven three times
but on the forth, there should be no forgiveness. To be quite frank, Peter most
probably thought he was being generous to forgive “seven times”. Jesus’
answer suggested forgiving an unlimited number of times. He amplified that
answer in a parable. We all know that Jesus often spoke in a parable to His
disciples to illustrate a point. The picture here is clear: God has forgiven believers
an immense debt; they dare not refuse to forgive others for the offense they
cause. The lack of forgiveness is another subtle form of playing god and places
believers in direct opposition to God. Those who are forgiven must forgive if they
are to receive forgiveness. The moral of this is that to live the abundant life that

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has already been made available for us through the finished works of Christ, we
must master the art of forgetting what is behind, looking forward to what is
ahead and learning to forgive others of theirs sins against us. To whom much is
given, much is given is required.

The Battle to Forgiveness

Science tells us that forgiveness bolsters emotional health and provides a way of

healing for those treated unjustly. 95% of Christians in the body of Christ would
claim that this is their biggest struggle. How easy is it to forgive? That’s one of
the questions, I did not want to be asked a few years ago when I was wallowing
in self-pity and walking in bitterness and animosity towards people that have
caused me pain in any capacity. Let’s be real! we all struggle with it, even you
reading this book. However, the Word of God is our guide and it gives us insight
into how to approach matters of the heart and the mind. Let’s take for
example….a well-known character of the bible – Joseph. Joseph was a man
wounded by his brothers. One of Jacob’s sons who seemed to be the favourite of
them all. Yet God, gave Joseph special abilities and that irritated his brothers.
Because of his special abilities, we see that his brothers started plotting against
him and they came up with a plan according to Genesis 37, not only to kill him
but to throw him into a pit. One of the brothers convinced them to just throw him
into the pit. So they threw him into the pit and then sat there and enjoyed
themselves. Can you imagine the wickedness? Can you imagine what that would
look like? They dared to enjoy themselves while their brother was deep down in a
hole crying out for help. This is what happens today in the body of Christ,
especially in the black community. Your peers and even “some” of the elders
who are supposed to look out for you, will throw you into the pit and watch you
suffer whilst you’re crying out for help. It is a sad reality. Joseph’s brothers
ended up selling him as a slave to Egypt and then telling their father that Joseph
is dead. After how many years of Joseph’s coat of many colours taken away from
him, thrown into the pit, sold to slavery, and going to prison for something that
he did not do, Joseph was “suddenly” given a position of power in Egypt. Notice
the word “suddenly”, amid our suffering, God will always come through
suddenly. Let that be an encouragement to you and I, that in our adversity, God
always has a suddenly coming in due time. Funnily enough, as Joseph was
“suddenly” given a position of power in Egypt, this puts him a place to inflict
harm on anyone, especially his brothers, who at some point came to look for
food during the famine at that specific moment in time. This was his chance to
get revenge. He had the power to do so. But what did he do instead? He chose to
forgive them. Honestly, if I was in his shoes, at that very moment, I don’t know
how I would have reacted. Genesis 45:2 tells us that Joseph wept so loudly in this
moment that everyone nearby heard him. This was the heart of a man who saw

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his brothers, loved his brothers, but felt the pain of what happened in the past. It
hurt him deeply but yet decided it wasn’t his place to hurt them or cause harm in
any way shape or form. God is the ultimate vindicator in any case. What is more
painful is that sometimes, the people who hurt you are the same ones that turn
around and act like the victims. Do we all agree? Yes! I think we can all agree. In
the midst of it all, we see here that Joseph forgave his brothers, but he never
forgot the events that took place. Joseph said to his brothers in…

Genesis 50:20 – But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for
good, in order to bring about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (NKJV)

Here we see that Joseph recognised God’s hand in the pain. God turns our pain
into purpose. He said that despite what they had hoped to happen or rather what
they had hoped to accomplish in seeing him suffer and sold off, God had used it
to accomplish his good purpose. His pain was used to save lives, ironically, even
their own lives. This is hard to see in the moment but what a beautiful turn
around it is when we grasp this. Imagine you being the very help to the people
who ones sought to destroy you? Yes, Joseph is the proof that it is possible, and
God can always make it so. I am learning in every stage of my life, that just like
they say an ex-partner is an ex-partner for a reason, the past is the past for a
reason. After Joseph told them to go back and get their father, he gave them
instructions. “Do not fight on the way back”. This is shocking, because if that was
me, in that situation, I would want to discuss everything that took place, I would
have wanted to know what happened? Whose idea was it to plot the kill etc? This
is what one would call the trap of closure. But we see Joseph telling them to
forget about all that has happened in the past. “Do not go back to the past”, Let’s
move forward. Can you recognise when God’s hand is in your pain and can you
see how he carefully utilises your pain to bring out His purpose for your life to
the glory of His name? Often, the pain has been so deeply ingrained in our soul
and has so corrupted our minds that we fail to see that God can turn our pain to
purpose. Even if it didn’t start from His hand, it will have to pass through His
hands and as it passes through His hands, He gives it purpose.

In the midst of our adversity, God will always come through “suddenly”

Let’s take a leaf out of Joseph’s book. For most of us, how Joseph handled the
situation, would be strenuous almost unimaginable for us to even attempt. But

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we are to recognise God’s hand in our pain, and realise that, every painful
experience we face has a purpose attached to it and forgive those that have
willfully hurt us. Most times, we are waiting for an apology, but we have to
accept that we may never get an apology or even closure. Don’t get stuck in the
trap of closure. The mantra is to forgive and move on.

The Benefits of Forgiveness

As I mentioned earlier, we have all experienced hurt in our lives. Who hasn’t
been hurt by the actions or words of another? Perhaps a parent constantly
criticised you growing up, a colleague sabotaged you at work or your partner had
an affair. Or maybe you had a traumatic experience such as being physically or
emotionally abused by someone close to you. These wounds can leave you with
lasting feelings of anger, bitterness, and resentment – even vengeance. But if you
do not practice forgiveness, you might be the one that pays most dearly. By
embracing forgiveness, you also embrace peace, hope, gratitude, and joy. There
are many benefits to forgiveness. Consider how forgiveness can lead you down
the path of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being but first let’s take a look
at what holding a grudge does to you…

Why is it So Easy to Hold A Grudge

Being hurt by someone, specifically, someone who you claim to love and trust,
can cause anger, bitterness, sadness, and confusion. If you dwell on hurtful
events or situations, grudges filled with resentment, vengeance and hostility can
take root. If you allow negative feelings to crowd out positive feelings, you might
find yourself swallowed up by bitterness and or a sense of injustice. Some
people are naturally more forgiving than others. But even if you're a grudge
holder, Learn to release! Almost anyone can learn to be more forgiving.

What Are the Effect of Holding A Grudge

If you're unforgiving, you might:

 Become depressed or anxious

 Feel that your life lacks meaning or purpose
 Feel that you're at odds with your spiritual beliefs
 Lose valuable and enriching connectedness with others
 Be so wrapped up in the past wrongs that you can't enjoy the present
 Bring anger and bitterness into every relationship and new experience

Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for improved health and
peace of mind. Forgiveness can lead to…

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- Lower blood pressure

- Improved self-esteem
- Healthier relationships
- Improved mental health
- A stronger immune system
- Less anxiety, stress, and hostility
- Fewer symptoms of depression

In all transparency, the willingness to forgive is most terrifying. But with that
said, the true act of forgiveness removes resentment, bitterness and guilt form
the subconscious mind. Numerous studies show that people who forgive are
happier and healthier than those who hold anger, bitterness, resentment, and
hatred. When troubling visceral response, which accompanies bitterness,
resentment and guilt are stilled, calm and compassionate views of the world
emerge, enabling wiser decision making. The positive benefits of forgiveness
have been seen to be similar whether it was based upon prayer or counselling.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Winning the Battle in the Mind
The Game is Won in the Mind

L
ife is a ding dong battle and as we journey through life, there a vicious battle for
your mind. Your mind is where it all happens. We hear this all the time, but do
we really take the time to think how true this is? The mind is the arena of fear and
the arena of faith. Whatever happens in the archive of your mind is what will
manifest in the reality of your life. Hence why it is imperative that as we walk
through life, we learn how to win the battle in our mind by combating the attacks
of the enemy with the correct weapons.

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In 1965, Donald grey Barnhouse wrote a book about winning the battle in the
mind called the invisible war. The battle for your mind is ferocious. It is
unrelenting. Your greatest asset is your mind, and that is why we must be
intentional about protecting our minds at all costs. I was in a state of extreme
anxiety and depression at a certain stage in my life, almost to the point of
wanting to throw in the towel and give up on my assignment. So I know what
fighting a mental battle feels like and I have also experienced what it’s like when
people are unable to hear from God. I am fully aware that what holds you
captive, also holds your mind captive. Hence why it is necessary to guard,
strengthen and renew our minds daily because as we have already
established….the battle starts in the mind.

God is fighting for your mind and the enemy is also fighting for your mind. The
most important battle you will ever face in your life is the battle for your mind,
your will, and your emotions. Why? Because it determines the direction your life
with go and it is the determining factor of how much of God and His Kingdom
you will experience while you are on earth. The thoughts we entertain, the words
we speak and the choice we make, shape the reality of our lives. The enemy is
fully aware that humanity’s most valuable asset is the mind. When the mind is in
full function free from demonic influences, one can live a meaningful life, walking
in the purpose of God for their life. For this reason, the mission of the enemy is to
draw us back to our past, highlight our present challenges, to stir up fear,
frustration, doubt, self-pity ultimately getting us mired in murmuring and
complaining. But the liberating agent is the truth of God’s Word. The truth

of God’s Word will break you free from the prison of the mind and give you the
desire, the passion and zeal to want to take the necessary actions that will lead
you to a position of living the abundant life already made available for us
through the finished works of Christ. We face unexpected challenges daily and
the enemy is on an assignment to deceive God’s people by way of accusation to
make them believe that they will never be able to overcome and be free from
their battles, but we are overcomers and more than conquerors. According to…

Revelation 12:10 – Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation

and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ have
come for the accuser of the brethren, who accused them before our God day and
night has been cast down. (NKJV)

Satan is God’s greatest enemy and therefore is also the enemy of the believer.
Among several other names, Satan is also known as the accuser of the brethren.
The enemy is relentless in his accusations. He stands before God in an attempt to
somehow lessen God’s love and diminish God’s mercy toward His Children.

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Satan the accuser, desires to remind believers of the traumas, the unexplainable
challenges, and painful experiences of the past to instill fear, doubt, and the
feeling of inferiority in their minds. When the mind is cluttered with lies from the
accuser, it becomes arduous to want to live life to the fullest of one's potential
because you are imprisoned by the thoughts that creep in your mind. As a result
of this, many live their lives struggling and battling with negative thoughts about
people, life, ourselves, and God. Are you struggling with negative thinking? Has
the experiences of life left you with a distorted view about yourself, people, and
God?

Life is a ding dong battle and as we journey through life, there is a battle for your
mind

The Lord knows your mental and emotional struggles and He desires to set you
free from discouragement, depression, and defeat. He wore a crown of thorn on
His head so that you can have a mind that is free from oppression. He bore the
chastisement of your peace so that you can enjoy divine wholeness and peace
according to Isaiah 53:5. The enemy is also a master strategist. He whispers lies
and half-truths in your mind to deceive you and make you believe what he wants
you to believe about yourself. He does it subtly and cunningly by using personal
pronouns such as “I” in sentences such as I’m ugly or I’m a loser or I’m an
addict, so that you would take the thought as your own, therefore believing you
are your thoughts. He plants lies in your mind to confuse you about your identity.
Let’s put it this way! The battle is not so much with your boss or your colleagues
or your friends. The enemy plants lies in your mind to confuse you about your
identity. Therefore, the battle is not so much with those around you. Our mind is
the battlefield and Satan’s way of initiating his evil plan for us is through our
thoughts. If we feel we have no power over our thoughts, Satan will entrap and
defeat us. Instead, we can determine to think in Godly ways.

The Mind is the Arena of Faith

The mind is the arena of faith and fear. Whatever direction your mind stirs to,
determines the reality of your life. The battle of faith is in the mind. We humans
often have a mental struggle with believing what we have not seen. The natural
un-renewed mind is the challenge. The mind of a man has been trained in the

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world system, which is pervasively negative. Faith is inherently positive so there

is a constant battle of faith versus fear in the mind. According to….

Ephesians 3:20 – Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine according to the power that is at work within us. (NKJV)

For God to do the exceedingly, abundantly, immeasurably more than we can ask,
think, or imagine, we have to believe. It is a fact that what happens in your mind
is the determining factor of your “faith capacity”. Rational study and
understanding is sometimes forgotten today in Christianity and society as a
whole. Our focus has been more on connecting our beliefs with our emotions
and less on discipline and the conscientious studying of God’s Word. An
important foundation in understanding the role of faith in the mind is knowing
the difference between the brain and the mind. The brain is a part of the body. It
is physical, material, and visible. It can be seen or touched. Although I don’t think
you would want to. The brain works through electrical and chemical means,
through interactions of chemicals and synapses. It receives information from the
physical senses and yourself – embedded in memory. The mind however is a
part of the soul. It is immaterial and invisible. It cannot be seen or touched. The
mind, contrary to the brain, works through spiritual means. It receives
information from the brain as well as from the emotions and spirit. Faith works in
and with the mind and the brain. When you walk in unbelief or doubt that
something is possible, the brain immediately slows it’s workload and reduces its
firing capacity, which short circuits faith. As a result, the mind’s ability to believe
is immediately reduced, resulting in fear paralysis. When your mind is not being
controlled by the spirit, it stops thinking supernaturally and downsizes what God
can do. Because of this, it begins to be “pressed down” and “pressed into the
mold” of thinking which shrinks your capacity to believe God. Our choice is to
believe God – to trust in Him, His promises, His ways, and His purposes for our
lives. What will you choose?

The Mind is the Arena of Fear

As we journey through life, our mind must deal with numerous details as we plan
our lives. The mind is a wandering asset. It can suddenly shift effortlessly from
the present reality to past incidents and future possibilities within a matter of
seconds. When we reflect on our lives and think about the future and what the
future holds, the mind creatively projects us into any situation it chooses. If we
are generally positive people, these projections will be positive. Likewise, if we
are generally negative people, most of our projections will be negative.

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Understanding how the mind works helps us to understand ourselves and our
present situation which brings me to the topic of fear; the mind and fear. How do
we deal with fear when it comes upon us? Fear is the result of our mind
becoming centered, on images of an undesirable situation we fear will happen in
the future. According to…

Job 3:25 – For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me and what I dread has
happened to me. (NKJV)

This passage reminds us that before this disaster came to his life – he didn’t live
a happy life. He was always concerned and worried that trouble might come to
him and his family, so he took precautions before God to prevent these things
that he so greatly feared will happen to him.

CLARKE SAID – While I was in prosperity, I thought adversity might come and I
had a dread of it. I feared the loss of my family and my property and both have
occurred. I was not lifted up. I know that what I possessed I had from divine
providence and that He who gave might take away. I am not stripped of all as a
punishment for my self-confidence.

As I mentioned earlier, the mind is a wandering asset, it wanders sporadically

and most often lands on a particular image, scenario, situation, or past event.
This triggers the spirit of fear and the effects of fear is paralysis. It can paralyse
you and cause you to forfeit your destiny, not only that, it can have harmful
effects on the brain which ultimately affects our mental health and physical
health. Like Job declared… “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me”.
What he projected in his mind as a future event is what manifested in his life.
Fear is the mind projecting within itself images of what it doesn’t want to
happen. If the fear is not dealt with early and accordingly, it can and will find root
within our consciousness. When this happens, fear becomes a daily occurrence
and if these thoughts are allowed to repeat themselves, over time they will
eventually take on imprints on the subconscious mind. When this happens, the
subconscious mind begins to attract the exact experience we are projecting.

The mind is a wandering asset that shifts suddenly from the past to the present
to future possibilities

Neuroplasticity and the Mind

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Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to adapt. The brain can organise itself
by forming neural connections throughout life in response to new situations and
changes in the environment.

DR CELESTE CAMPBELL PUTS IT LIKE THIS:

“It refers to the physiological changes in the brain that happens as a result of our
interactions with our environment. From the time the brain begins to develop in
utero until the day we die, the connections among the cells in our brains
recognise in response to our changing needs. This dynamic process allows us to
learn from and adapt to different experiences. Unlike computers that are built to
certain specifications and receive software updates periodically, our brains can
receive hardware updates as well as software updates. Different pathways form
and fall dormant are created and are discarded according to our experiences.
When you and I learn something new, we create new connections between our
neurons. We rewire our brains to adapt to new circumstances. This happens daily
and it is something that we can encourage and stimulate.

Neuroplasticity is also referred to as brain plasticity which is the process in which

your brain’s neural synapsis and pathways are altered as an effect of
environmental, behavioral and neural changes. When it comes to neuroplasticity,
the brain is a lot like film. When you photograph a picture of say a mountain,
you’re exposing the film to new information. It reacts to the light and its make up
changes to record the image of the mountain. In the same way, your brain‘s
makeup changes when it is exposed to new information, so that it may retain that
information.

History of Neuroplasticity
The term neuroplasticity was first used to polish neuroscientist Jerey Konorski in
1948 to describe observed changes in neuronal structure (neurons are the cells
that make up the brains), although it wasn’t widely used until the 1960s.
However, the idea goes back even farther (Demarin, Morovic and Bene 2014) –
the “father of neuroscience” Santiago Ramon Y Cajal, talked about “neuronal
plasticity” in the early 1900s (Fuchs and Flugge 2014). He recognised that in
contrast to current beliefs at the time, brains could indeed change after a person
had reached adulthood. In the 1960’s it was discovered that neurons could re-
organise after a traumatic event. Further research has proved that stress can
change not only the function but the structure of the brain itself.

How Does Neuroplasticity Work?

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The process of neuroplasticity isn’t a quick and simple one; rather, it takes place
throughout your lifetime and can involve many processes. Along with altering
your neural synapses and pathways, it can involve changes to your neurons,
vascular cells, and glial cells. Neuroplasticity happens continually as you learn
and memorise new data and as your brain develops; however, it can also be
spurred by a physical trauma. In such cases, neuroplasticity serves as an
adaptive mechanism that allows someone to compensate for function loss after
suffering a bodily injury. For example, if someone suffers a brain injury,
neuroplasticity allows the brain to “rewire” itself to restore or maximise brain
functioning by rebuilding neural circuits and allowing an uninjured part of the
brain to take over the damaged part.

Neuroplasticity and Mental Health

The first thing we must understand is that our lives shapes our brain. You may
ask…but how can that be? It is so, because neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to
change both form and function in response to your experiences, behaviours,
your habits, thought patterns and ways of reacting to the world that gets etched
into your brain. Studies show that what you repeatedly think about gets wired
into your brain. For example: worrying about finances, catastrophic thinking
about a mistake at work, having a drink to unwind at the end of the day,
replaying painful memories of your friend’s illness and death over and over again
in your heart. Smoking cigarettes; all these things change the neural pathway of
your brain. On the other hand, you can imprint healthy habits in your brain like
exercising, meditating, thinking optimistically or remaining calm

under stress. What you do repeatedly whether good or bad –gets wired into the
structure of your brain. Throughout life, our brains are continually remodelling
themselves based on experiences, behavior, genes and so on. It’s obvious that
our brains keep changing, otherwise how could you learn to play the drums or
master your new iPhone?

Winning the War in Your Mind

In a world gone wild, surrounded by the enemies of our soul seeking to distract
and destroy us, we desperately need the truth of the gospel applied to our minds
daily. The greatest war you will ever fight is the war of the mind. The one thing
that I am constantly striving to master is how to challenge my thoughts. I do this
by intentionally slowing down to pay attention to what is going on in my mind. I
slow down to ask myself these three important questions… 1)What am I hearing?
2)What am I thinking? 3)What am I believing? We are constantly being informed

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by words and ideas, worldviews, and philosophies. Our personal stones are filled
with disappointments, brokenness, and pain. And our hearts and heads have
been informed by lies, deceit and accusations from the world, the flesh, and the
devil. We are advised or rather commissioned to take our thoughts captive and
examine them. To take something captive simply means to take control of it and
put it in a controlled environment – It is basically like putting a ferocious animal
in a cage. Then we need to take a close look at our thoughts and consider what
we are thinking or believing and why? As we do this, we need to consider if our
thoughts line up with what is true of Jesus and our new life in Him. The
important question to ask is: Does my thoughts conform to the truths of the
gospel? Ask yourself: Am I thinking or believing the good news about God,
others, and myself? We learn through experience that the enemies of our soul tell
lies about God to tempt us, to breed distrust in relationships, to cause division
and to release accusing words that would bring about confusion and destruction.
I ask myself daily: What kind of words am I hearing in my mind? Are they words
of affirmation, encouragement, motivation, conviction or are they words of
condemnation, lies, deceit or fear? To be able to do this, you have to be fully
aware of the voices speaking in your mind and have the Word of God embedded
in your spirit to distinguish what is from God and what is from the enemy. In
addition to this, make a conscious effort to bring your thoughts under
submission. Let the Holy Spirit teach you how to bring your thoughts into
submission. As you capture your thoughts, make an intentional effort to invite
the Holy Spirit to bring them into submission to Jesus and to convict us of
anything that is not in line with His Word.

Submission means the action of accepting or yielding to a superior force or the

will or authority of another person. It implies taking the action to carefully
examine what you think about and bring it under the control of Jesus. Synonyms
for submission are yield, capitulation, agreement, acceptance, consent,
accession, or compliance. I make it a habit to regularly invite the Holy Spirit to
witness to me regarding who Jesus is, what He has done for me and who I am in
Him. That way if the thoughts or beliefs I am having are not in alignment, the
spirit makes that known to me as He brings to remembrance what is truly of God.
I have some key questions I invite the Holy Spirit to address to me… I often ask
myself:

- The thoughts in my mind, is this true or is this a lie?

- Does this sound like the devil’s accusation or the Spirit’s
conviction? This is crucial because we often hear 3 voices; the
voice of God, the voice of the devil and the voice of our
emotions. The voice of God brings light, hope and conviction,
the voice of our emotions brings confusion and doubt because

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the voice of our emotions lead us to ask many unnecessary

questions and the voice of the devil brings darkness, doubt, fear,
and condemnation. When you hear the voice of God, your soul
is at peace but when you hear the voice of the devil, your soul is
tormented. I understood many years ago that this question is
critical to everything concerning my life because thoughts
become actions and you do not want to live life influenced by
the voice of the enemy, it brings destruction whereas if you
journey through life yielding to the voice of God, everything will
come into divine alignment. We are bombarded by different
views, voices, and opinions of others every day, so I often ask
myself: who am I putting my hope in now? Am I putting my
hope in God’s word or am I yielding to the flesh? Our hope
should be on Christ the solid rock and His sovereignty. Man
cannot do for us what God can do for us. As you make an
intentional effort to ask yourself these important questions, you
must back it up with prayer. Prayer is not only bringing your
requests to God. Prayer is also submitting your thoughts and
beliefs to God’s spirit, so that your mind can be renewed by the
truths of God’s word as you submit and listen. According to…

1 Corinthians 15:2 – By which also you are saved if you hold fast that word
which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain. (NKJV)

The war for my mind has been intense over the years. I have encountered
unexplainable attacks but in the midst of it all, I learned how to fight back using
the weapons God has given me access to. The war for your mind is not a passive
activity but an active, vigorous fight, fought and won with the power of God and
the spiritual weapons made available to us through His Word. As the Spirit
makes the truths of Jesus known to us, we must hold fast to them, take cover in
them, and learn to proactively fight with them.

Paul exhorted the church at Ephesus, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may able to stand
against the schemes of the devil” – Ephesians 6:10-11. He then went onto
describe the armor made available to us through the Word of God. The battle for
your mind is a battle you cannot afford to lose. As I mentioned earlier, when you
lose your mind, you lose your life. Even though it’s a ferocious fight, we do battle
by having the truths of God’s Word around us like a belt, holding everything else
up. Our hearts are protected by the breastplate of righteousness. We have a

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readiness – a quickness with discernment to run from evil and chase after
obedience because we know we are free and unhindered by guilt, shame, and
fear. Because of Jesus, our guilt is removed, our shame is covered, and our fears
are demolished for He is victorious over all our enemies. The blood of Jesus has
washed away your guilt, shame, fear, and doubt. They will no longer be
remembered. Take up your shield of faith and believe. Believe in all God has
accomplished for you through the finished works of Christ. Cover your mind with
the helmet of salvation to protect you from the lies, accusations, and temptations
you’re bound to face and wield the sword of the spirit you have been given – the
Word of God. I make it a priority through practice to speak the truths of Jesus to
confront the attacks of the devil on my mind. Take your thoughts captive and
examine them closely. Bring them into submission. Then fight back with the
weapon of God’s Word to combat and counteract the devices, schemes, and
strategies of the enemy to war against your mind.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Peace Matters
Peace is Liberty in Tranquility

P
eace of mind is a state of mental and emotional calmness with no worries and
fears. In this state, the mind is quiet, and you experience this overwhelming but
sensational happiness and freedom. Freedom is my passion. My message is
centered around freedom. I love to see the masses free in mind, body, spirit, and
soul. From research, I have come to learn that there are many different things
that you can do to have peace of mind, but what if I told you that peace comes
from doing just one thing? that’s it! Just one thing that is the most important out
of them all. According to…

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Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you
because he trusts you. (NKJV)

Notice here, it says… “whose mind is stayed on you”. To have peace, your mind
has to be stayed on God, the all-powerful eternal God. The Lord desires that we
walk in perfect peace. What a promise! So, even during chaos, turmoil, trials and
tribulations, uncertainty, He has promised us “perfect peace”. However, even
though it is promised, it is not handed to us on a silver platter. For the promise to
manifest and take root in our minds, our minds have to be focused on God and
not on the circumstances surrounding our lives. The mind is the place of peace
and the source of it. When we keep our minds stayed (settled, established) on the
Lord Himself, then we are sure to be kept in perfect peace. This tells me that
there is peace and there is perfect peace.

To be kept in perfect peace, is a matter of the mind. This isn’t so much as a

matter of the spirit of our soul or our hearts, it is a matter of the mind. We are to
love the Lord our God with all our minds as declared in Matthew 22:37, We are to
set our minds not on earthly things but on things above according to Colossians
3:2). The Christian life is not an unthinking life of just doing and experiencing, but
it is also about thinking. Where we set our mind is essential not only for our walk
before God but for our lives in general. The one thing I learned early on in my
journey to discovering how the brain works and the mysteries of the mind is that,
I am not my thoughts. Your thoughts are a combination of your emotions and
your feelings; it is your perception of yourself and your life. Throughout my years
on this earth, I have experienced such turbulence in my life. I was tormented by
thoughts of inadequacy, thoughts of self-doubt and thoughts of abandonment. I
was only three years old when my mother abandoned me. She left me with my
father who also decided that, he couldn’t look after me, so he planned with a
family friend who was travelling to Sierra Leone to take me with her to stay with
my grandmother. From a very young age I started questioning why wasn’t I with
my mum and dad? Did they not want me? Did I do anything wrong? Why is it that
I would see my mother come for a holiday, but she would spend very little time
with me and then all of a sudden, she would leave. I questioned the state of my
very existence. Was I a mistake that she regretted? Why do I never get a sensible
and acceptable reply whenever I asked questions about my father. For many
years after my journey to Sierra Leone, I lived in a constant state of torment.
Some countries in Africa seldom have the privilege of enjoying electricity at night
and Sierra Leone is one of them. Because of this, we used lantern lamps. The
ones that can only be ignited when filled with kerosene. For many years, as the
sunsets and the roads seem to clear, I would light the lamp with a matchstick and

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make my way down to the bottom of our house; it was empty at the bottom
because the top was held by pillars. My grandfather died before he completed
the building. I would sit there for many hours, crying and asking questions after
questions. You can be surrounded by so many people but still feel alone even as
a child. Even in those tenders years of my life I was living in torment, battling
abandonment and rejection. I didn’t know what it felt like to be at peace. I was
going to school, going out to sell provisions for my grandmother just to make
sure we had money for food, I would smile when people were around, I would
laugh and play with my cousins and when I was at school but deep down, I was
tormented.
This adversely affected the state of my mind for many years. I was never at
peace. It affected my health and many other areas of my life but most
importantly, it affected my willingness to form healthy relationships with others.
In all transparency, I felt as though if I allowed anyone access in my life, at some
point, they would disappoint and abandon me. The memories of the experiences
of my childhood, had been stored in the hard drive of my mind and what
manifested itself as a result of what was stored in the hard drive of my mind is
that “No one wanted me”. I believed that if my parents did not want me, then
who else will? and using the principle of garbage in, garbage out, we are fully
aware that what goes into our mind, when it takes root, is what will manifest in
our lives. Walking around with such limiting belief, caused me to build a wall
around my heart. I became distant. I became cold. My love was cold towards
people because I became numb to love. This is what you call “emotional
numbness”. Emotional numbness is something most people will experience at
some point in their life. Quite often, the feeling is temporary. However, for some,
feeling emotionally numb becomes a way of life as protection from further
emotional or physical pain. Emotions are a critical part of how we function.
“Emotional numbing is the mental and emotional process of shutting out
feelings and may be experienced as deficits of emotional responses or
reactivity,”. Sometimes, emotional numbing results in temporary restrictions in
the capacity to feel or express emotions. "While emotional numbing blocks or
shuts down negative feelings and experiences, it also shuts down the ability to
experience pleasure, engage in positive interactions and social activities, and
interferes with openness for intimacy, social interests, and problem-solving
skills," she adds. Ultimately, it becomes a coping tool defined by avoidance,
denial, detachment, and dismissal that blocks capacity for confronting,
processing, problem-solving, and managing of emotions and experiences.

The symptoms of emotional numbing include:

 Losing access to your feelings

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 An inability to fully participate in life

 Feeling distant or detached from others
 Feeling flat, both physically and emotionally
 A loss of interest in important, once positive activities you used to enjoy
 Having difficulty with experiencing positive feelings such as happiness
 Additionally, when you’re emotionally numb, isolation can be a
preferred state of living.

My mind was clogged with clots of unpropitious memories and experiences from
the tender of age of three till, I was about twenty-three years old. At the age of
twenty-three, I met some people who to my surprise, genuinely cared about me.
Bear in mind, at this point in my life, I had strayed away from the church for
about three-four years, so it was a surprise to have found a group of people who
were filled with so much love in their hearts, who cared about me immensely and
they were not from the church environment. They cared about the state of my
well-being. To be loved in a world filled with division, hatred and strife is truly a
blessing. After many fights, questioning the motives of their hearts, they proved
themselves to be genuine. It was then that, the walls around my heart started
breaking down. I began to love again. I truly learned what it felt like to love and
what it means to be loved. Not only did the walls around my heart start breaking
down but the chain of abandonment and rejection broke off of my life. I shattered
the belief that “no one wanted me”. The worse state that anyone can live in, is
being chained to the memories of the past.

To be kept in perfect peace, it is a matter of the mind

Chained to the Memories of the Past

A chain is a series of links and rings connected or fitted into one another, usually
made of some kind of metal, as a chain of gold or of iron; but the word is not
restricted to any particular kind of material. It is used often for an ornament about
a person or a certain individual. We are admonished to forget about what is
behind us because leaving the past behind is the catalyst for the change we so
desire to see in our lives as declared in…

Isaiah 43:18-21 – Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of
old. Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?
I will make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (NKJV)

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Have you ever been around someone who just cannot let go of the past? You
meet them everywhere and every family has at least one. They drag their
shackles around everywhere they go. They are slaves and they don’t even know
it. They are unhappy and invariably become bitter and resentful. These people
can be doctors, housewives, wealthy or the poor, etc. Many of them, I can say
even sit on the pews of the church in front, beside and even beside us. They
know Jesus and yet for more reasons than one, choose to remain chained to the
misery of their past. Even though they know Jesus came to set them free. We’ve
all had moments in our lives when we were tempted to cast our eyes back to
what was behind us. For many years, I looked back to find justification for the
battles I was fighting and the challenges I was going through. I would blame my
unwillingness and numbness to love on my parent's abandonment. I would
associate my feelings of inadequacy at the time, on the words my mother used to
speak over my life as a child. I would also blame my reluctance in giving up
certain habits on the fact that I came from a different culture. It was just me
blaming everything and everyone. “Blame” is often the chain that keeps us
bound to the past. We would blame our parents, our families, and friends and all
our loved ones surrounding us. Blaming is the prerequisite for being bound.
Never attempt to live in the past, the experiences of the past are opportunities to
learn the lessons that God wants us to learn to be equipped for where He is
taking us. Fulfilling destiny requires that we learn certain lessons through
conviction, tension, trials, tribulations, and affliction, to build courage and
character for the journey ahead. God has a plan for every single one of us. There
is a purpose attached to your life and that comes with battles that you will have
to fight and conquer to build your stamina for the road to your destiny.

Blame is often the chain that keeps us bound to the past

In the verse above, as Isaiah writes prophetically to Israel, they were mired in the
desperate circumstances of captivity and exile. God wanted to put their focus on
the new things that He was about to do for them, so He subtly reminded them
“not to remember the former things”, nor consider the things of the old. If for
any reason, they are stuck in the failures, the sins and the discouragements of the
past, they will never go forward to the new thing that God has ahead for their
future. But here is something to take into consideration, in Isaiah 43: 16-17, Israel
was told to look back to the past to remember all the great things that God did for
them at the red sea but In Isaiah 43:18 – Israel is told “do not remember the

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former things, nor consider the things of old”. This tells us that there is a sense in
which we must forsake and forget the past, with all its discouragements and
defeats and move on to what God has in store for us in the future. It is easy to
look back and play the blame game as I mentioned earlier but staying stuck in the
past will put our lives in a state of stagnancy and keep us from the new things
God wants to do in our lives. Israel stayed stuck in the discouragements, defeats,
and the seductions of Babylon. They never attempted to look for the new things
that lie ahead of their future. God desires and is willing to make a way of escape
from the traumas of our past to the newness of our future but will you corporate
with God to get you to that place that He wants to take you. That was the
question He asked Israel. “Shall you not know it”? Will you stay connected to My
spirit for you to know the new thing I am leading you to? I constantly tell myself
that God has an expected end for my life, and it is up to me to work in divine
corporation with Him to get to that place I need to be.

Between the captivity in Babylon and the return to Israel, lay hundreds of miles of
the wilderness. God’s people need not be afraid because God would make a road
in the wilderness and provide rivers in the desert. That was the promise from
God to Israel. What a promise! Not only was this a spectacular promise from
God, but He also promises us that He will give us beauty for ashes. The ashes are
your past and the beauty is the colorful and glorious future that lies ahead of you.
Often, when God makes us a promise, we worry about the details and the
obstacles in front of us, but God is the one that knows how it will all end. He has
plans that we don’t even know about. We are to forsake the past, place it in His
hands and look forward to the future ahead of us. It took me a while to get to this
place of forsaking the things of the past. I will relive the pain over and over again
in my mind thinking and asking…” why did it happen”? What did I do wrong?
Letting go can be hard because it means letting go of aspects of you and aspects
of your past that had shaped your identity for so long. It also means letting go of
your expectations of how things should have been. I was stuck in the trap of
closure! Constantly looking back trying to find answers which I was fully aware
that I was not going to receive but that still did not stop me from looking back
and wallowing on the mistakes of the past. The past always seems to offer a
sense of safety, shielding us from a danger that does not exist in reality but only
perceived in the imagination of our skewed mind, even if the situation we were in
had caused us harm physically, emotionally, mentally and or spiritually. This is
because we as humans, change and the newness of change always brings with it
a sense of challenge, stretching and the unknown.

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Change always brings with it a sense of challenge,

stretching and the unknown

The Psychology of Peace of Mind

Peace of mind refers to a deliberate state of psychological or spiritual calmness

despite the potential presence of battles and challenges. Many people are
overwhelmed with the events of life seeking relief from the adversities that they
are facing; it could be divorce, death, anxiety, depression, loss, betrayal, or many
other challenges. They are seeking peace of mind; the kind of peace that will
allow them to live life without worry. As I mentioned earlier in chapter one, our
thoughts are spontaneous responses that slithers fugitively in our minds and are
tied to our conditions. This is a subconscious process that’s natural and from my
experience, it cannot be completely switched off. We all have different thought
patterns and these thought patterns are a result of our experiences; the
experiences we’ve been exposed to and have had in the past. We use these
experiences to label events and occurrences in our lives and most often, they
tend to swing between two poles: fear and desire. In life we are always striving
for more. We always want more of something and if we don’t receive what we so
desire, we are unhappy and when we do receive what we long for, we then fear
losing it. For example: you want to change your job. You may say to yourself; I
am unhappy with the current job I have, let me start looking for a new job. You’re
finally employed in the establishment of your dreams. With this exciting new
journey, you may say to yourself, I am so happy that I now have a job at the
establishment of my dreams, but I am afraid of getting fired.

To cultivating the kind of inner peace that we desire to walk in, our thoughts are
critical. With our thoughts, there is a thin line between completely breaking down
and walking in divine peace. The key is, mastering the art of counteracting our
thoughts To develop peace of mind, we must get a handle of what comes in and
out of our minds. As we journey through life, every day, we are always in
thought mode. I used to be such a worrier. Looking back, I don’t understand why
I was so afraid. I worried about anything and everything concerning my life.
Especially when it seemed as if I was constantly fighting battles one after the
other. It was in this season of my life, I learned that peace of mind is birth
through self-control. This is a virtue that we must all master. Having good self-
control isn’t easy. And it sometimes takes a lot of work. You can completely
change your life by learning how to control your willpower. For me mastering
self-control means mastering dedication, patience, big picture thinking and most
importantly commitment. Self-control is the ability to control and exercise

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restraint over oneself, in particular one’s impulses, emotions and desires,

especially in difficult situations. One’s desire is formed from their thoughts. It is
the propensity that allows you to stop yourself from doing things you want to do
but are detrimental to your life. You can have self-control over your thoughts. It’s
not every thought that slithers in your mind you have to dwell on. The reason
why many people cannot find peace is because they’ve shaped their identity
around their thoughts. You cannot move beyond your mindset. After extensive
research on how the mind operates, the thing that concerns me the most is that
many people have conformed to negativity. This should not be the case.
Negativity is a mindset. There is a difference between mindset and sets of mind.
Let me elaborate. A mindset is the established set of attitudes and ways of
thinking held by someone. Sets of mind, is the accumulation of knowledge
through various forms of academia whether through research, self-education,
academic education, or scholarship. I have been in that state of constant
negativity. I used to tell myself…”I don’t want to journey through this thing called
life” but this kind of mindset just threw down a downward spiral until one day I
woke up and said to myself, no! I have too much ahead of me to stay stuck. Even
though I had embarked on the journey of studying the mind, I was still operating
in negativity. Isn’t that something. I had to be intentional about mastering my
thoughts rather than being a slave to it. I did that by first identifying my thoughts,
the root of the thought and I asked myself, how is it making me feel? Is it making
me feel anxious? What can I do to eradicate this feeling? For example: You’re
worried about your finances. You may think to yourself, “how am I going to pay
for this house?, Where will I get the money to execute this vision”! This droplet
of a thought then grows into a trickle or flash flood compromising on an endless
stream of worry. This fear may continue for the next five minutes, it may keep
you up all night, stay with you for the rest of the day, weeks, months, years and
eventually all your life, if not dealt with accordingly. Your psychological response
to the lack of finances is the fear that you will not have enough money to
accomplish your goals and dreams. It is your mental reaction to a certain
situation or scenario that you deem impossible. In this case your mental reaction
is fear and where there is fear, you cannot have peace of mind.

With our thoughts, there is a thin line between completely

breaking down and walking in peace

Psychological Reactions to Situations

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Your psychological reactions are your mental reactions to the circumstances of

life. We must understand that psychological reactions to a crisis or a traumatic
experience vary from person to person and because we are aware that they vary
for each person, we must know how to identify these reactions. These reactions
could include changes in behavior, physical well-being, psychological health,
thinking patterns, spiritual beliefs, and social interactions. These signs and
symptoms and reactions are common psychological responses to crisis….

- Emotional numbness and Denial

- Fear, Disbelief and forgetfulness
- Questioning one’s religion and faith
- Increased use of alcohol and drugs
- Disinterest in personal development
- Isolation and withdrawal from others
- Confusion of life purpose and existence
- Disinterest in pursuing life goals and dreams

I experienced the sting of betrayal in May 2018 that left me confused, hurt, and
devastated. This was the act of two people acting on their selfish interests. Why
was I hurt, confused, and devastated? Because believe it or not, I trusted one of
the parties that were involved, and that trust was violated. You see, to be
betrayed, the person must have first placed some kind of trust in the betrayer to a
certain extent and when the betrayal does happen, it causes pain that cannot be
described in words but can only be expressed through tears. When such
happens, we then have the awareness that this person can hurt us. The worst
thing about betrayal is to know that it’s done by someone you trusted the most.
When it happened, not only was the trust violated and broken, for a few months,
psychologically, I battled with fear. I feared that if I ever opened myself up to
trust another person, I would end up hurt again. If you have ever experienced
betrayal, I truly understand what you are going through. The betrayal for me
didn’t sink in until a while after. When I finally acknowledged what had
happened, it left me in an intense emotional state of anger involving a strong
uncomfortable and hostile response to perceived provocation, hurt and threat.

As we know it, anger can have many physical and mental consequences. It is a

weakness that has two parts. One part comes as discord and the other comes as
restlessness. The short-term physical effects of uncontrolled anger include
increased anxiety, high blood pressure and headache. Over the long term, anger
issues can further complicate pre-existing health conditions. There is nothing
wrong with feeling angry because anger is an emotion, but we are to be aware of
our actions that stem from our anger because it can be detrimental to our lives
and of our loved ones. I am not one to seek revenge on anyone but at this

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particular moment in my life, my thoughts were to retaliate and find ways to hurt
this person but then I thought to myself, what would it profit me? and if I did
proceed with it, I will only cause my own life to be at ruins and that is the last
thing I want, so I decided to surrender it all to God. With that said, I decided to
work through the anger, fear and hurt with the help of the Holy Spirit and the
wise counsel of those around me.

Betrayal steals your peace of mind and can cause mental contamination as well
as other psychological effects. Not only does it cause anger, but it can also cause
low self-esteem, self-doubt and much more. It can produce life-altering changes
to your mental composition and self-worth. The only way to not allow betrayal to
steal your peace, is to put yourself in a place of acknowledgment, understanding
and evaluation. The reason why many people live broken lives is because they
conform to the pain of the past. We are built to learn lessons from our life
experiences; it is wisdom for the next phase of our journey to our destined place
and we can only learn these lessons when we put ourselves in the place of
acknowledging why we faced such a challenge? How did it make us feel? How is
it making us feel in the present? This will also lead you to a place of
understanding why it happened. Can you understand why they did what they
did? Life experiences, when understood and evaluated accordingly, teaches us
that sometimes, people do the things they do out of their own weaknesses. Our
weaknesses can cause us to make regretful mistakes as well as motivate us to
make flawed decisions that can be detrimental to our future. Nine times out of
ten, betrayal occurs out of the betrayers own internal issues. In my case, the
betrayal happened, not only out of selfish interests and weaknesses but out of a
distorted perception of image for reputational purposes. When you come to this
place of acknowledgment, understanding, and evaluation, you are in a much
better place to forgive and move forward. Peace comes the moment you decide
to extend mercy and the clogs of contamination in your mind that robbed you off
of your peace is removed.

Betrayal steals your peace of mind and causes

mental contamination

Cultivating Peace of Mind

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From experience, I know that to pursue and develop the peace that we so hunger
for, we must consciously stop fighting our thoughts. Your thoughts can eat you
alive and there is a ferocious battle going on inside of you right now. There are
two wolves inside us all battling to see who will take over. One is negative – full
of anger, envy, resentment, greed, sorrow, judgment, inferiority, criticism, and
doubt. The other wolf is good – full of joy, appreciation, love, kindness, empathy,
understanding, confidence, compassion, and clarity. Which wolf will win, that’s
the question. The one you feed the most will win. Your thoughts are those
wolves. When you feed the negative animal, your mind loses clarity. You won’t
be able to rid of the bad wolf. It exists within you for a reason. Personal growth is
about accepting your entire self instead of hiding your flaws. Taming the
negative wolf, not killing it – that’s how you neutralise your thoughts from
causing pain and suffering and walking in peace. So long as we are in conflict
with our mind and the thoughts that manifest itself, we cannot walk in tranquility.
You live a peaceful life not by wishing for it, not by thinking about it, not by
imagining it but by intentionally quieting the restless mind. We as human beings
are wired for peace, but we cannot enjoy the peace that we deserve if our mind is
focused on the negative affairs of life. You are not your mind. According to
psychologytoday.com, peace is cultivated by silencing the mind through focused
concentration and meditation, only then will you discover the peace of the spirit
that you always desire to walk in. Our mind becomes restless when we make it a
priority to think of life as it should be. We ponder on the reasons why what we
expected to happen didn’t turn out how it should have been. This results in
anxiousness and restlessness. I would be the first to admit that I become restless
when things don’t turn out how I want them to, but peace is the result of making
a conscious effort to restrain your mind to process life as it is rather than how
you think it should be. How would you define peace? Most of us will define peace
as the absence of difficulties, hardship, stress and anxiety. For me, it is where,
calmness, comfort and composure is prevalent even in the midst of trials and
tribulations. This then positions you not to allow anything or anyone to hinder
your peace. How do you compose yourself when you are cuffed with the
unexpected in life? That determines whether you will walk in peace of mind or be
restless in mind. Paul says in…

2 Corinthians 2:13 – I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find Titus my
brother, but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. (NKJV)

The bible refers to peace several times. This was where Paul the apostle, says he
found no “peace of mind” because he didn’t find Titus in Troas. The literal
translation for “rest in my spirit” is peace of mind. By observation, it is becoming
increasingly evident that many people seek solutions to their problems from the
internet. But we must understand that the internet is not a reliable source

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because it has many different voices with many different opinions. Peace of mind
which is the fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22 is as a result of your
intimate relationship with God and a relationship with God is the prerequisite for
a tranquil mind. Peace through Christ keeps your mind fixed on Him. We place
our confidence and trust in Him rather than ourselves or those around us. Have
you ever met an individual who is constantly anxious and worried about what the
future holds? You may wonder if he or she truly know who their acknowledge
that God is sovereign, and He has complete sovereignty over all of life’s
circumstances. We trust that regardless of how bleak life may look, that He is in
control and is in the business of perfecting all that concerns our lives. I normally
experience peace as a result of seeking God in prayer. In my state of worry, I lay
myself in the presence of God, cast all my burdens on His shoulders with full
confidence, that my life, my destiny, my legacy, and everything concerning me is
in the palm of His hand. By His great right hand, we have security, safety, and
victory. We are admonished to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto
God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart
and mind through Christ Jesus according to Phillipians 4:6-7. We experience
peace of mind as a result of acknowledging God’s Lordship over our lives.
Knowing that the all-wise, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-sovereign God has a hand
in our trials and tribulations and walk with the full confidence that during the
turmoil, all things will come together just as it is supposed to. Peace truly is
liberty in tranquility.

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Our Being is Wired for Love
Love is a Durable Fire in the Mind

W
hen we are born, we are wired for love. We are to love ourselves, love God and
love people. God. That is our nature and that is our identity. However, life
experiences teach us to walk in fear; fear of being hurt, fear of failure, fear of the
unknown and many more. Our brains are wired for love, but we learn to fear. To
understand life is to understand that challenges come to build us, not to break us.
We develop the heart of love for ourselves, our loved ones, God, and God’s
purpose for our lives by the countless battles we overcome by the power of the
grace of God. Loving people and loving ourselves is the command and the will of
God. We lose our identity when we choose to step out of the will of God and
allow the residue of our past experiences to make us live in fear. Traumatic
experiences awakens the spirit of fear, and this leads us to fear being around
people. It gives you a false sense of security and surrounds you with a deceptive
s that leads to what I usually call the “cave behavior”. You find yourself in a
constant state of isolation that is not healthy just to prevent you from being hurt.
While some seasons of caving is necessary because this is the season that God
works in, through and around you to equip you for your divine purpose, there are
certain times in our lives, we push ourselves in the cave unnecessarily. God tells
us that we are made in His image and in His likeness. God is love and if God is
love then so are we. Science proves we are wired for love for the positive. This is
called the “optimism bias”. It demonstrates that we are wired for healthy
thinking, making smart choices, self-control on our emotions and to live in good
health.

Optimism Bias and It’s Impact

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Optimism bias according to Wikipedia – is a cognitive bias that causes someone

to believe that they are less likely to experience a negative event. It is also known
as the unrealistic optimism or comparative optimism. Optimism bias is common
in society and it transcends gender, ethnicity, nationality, and age. This is
something that leads people to believe that they are more likely to experience
good over bad. How does this impact you and I? that is the question. If someone
for example was to ask you the measure of your expectancy that something bad
was going to happen in your life, what would you say? If you were to be asked to
estimate how likely you are to experience divorce, redundancy, illness, or a car
accident, you are likely to underestimate the probability that such an event will
ever take place in your life. It is not even at the back of your mind as you journey
through life. This is because your brain as it is, has a built-in optimism bias.
According to research, this is also known as “the illusion of vulnerability”. As
mentioned before, this illusion of vulnerability leads us to believe that we are less
likely to suffer from bad experiences and are more likely to attain success that
reality will suggest. I don’t know about you but regardless of the circumstances
that may occur and how long the journey may be to that destined place, my
ultimate aim is to live a purpose-driven life and love above average. Our faith
drives us to believe for the “above average” and the “extraordinary”. We believe
that we will live longer than average, or our children will be smarter and more
educated than average or that we will be more successful in life than average or
we will build better relationships than the average. The reality of this is that,
many fail to reach average or move above average because they allow past
experiences to dictate and mold their lives. They allow the effects of past
experiences to stop them from pursuing purpose. We can only possess all that
God has in store for us when we consciously decide to accept, obey, and walk in
the purpose of God for our lives.

I had quite an unusual experience with an ex-partner, who almost stabbed me in

the chest with a knife over something that he did. He suddenly lost control and
became extremely angry not only because I found out but because God made it
so that I found out in the most unimaginable way. This was before I knew what
being “prophetic” means. I will have dreams and visions about myself and other
people and then, either days, weeks, or months down the line I will see the
manifestation of those dreams and vision. I used to just say “I had a déjà vu
moment” not knowing that it was me operating in the realm of the prophetic. A
few days before the incident, this gentleman had bought a laptop from the store
but decided that the laptop was not as user friendly as he thought it was and he
was comfortable using my laptop, so I initiated an exchange. On that same day,
after the agreement, I asked him, if he could come to my house and drop of the
new laptop to ensure that as soon as I got home from work, the laptop is
available so that I could continue with my portfolio at home. A few hours later

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after the conversation, I finished with my client and was on my way home. As
soon as I stepped inside the house, I decided to lay down and rest. But before I
closed my eyes, I uttered a simple prayer and said…. “Lord, please show me if
this relationship is your will for my life”. As soon as I uttered those words, I laid
my head on the pillow and slept. Moments later, I woke up and was scanning
through my emails and I received an email from the recruitment agency. The
email stated…. “Dear Lucy Mambu, Thank you for applying for the following
accountancy role, your application I checked the email again and there was an
attachment. I opened the attached and it was a CV that looked exactly like mine
but the details at the top were changed to the details of my ex-partner. I
immediately concluded that this was God’s way of answering my prayer.
Knowing that he was on his way to give me the new laptop, I sent him a message
asking him why he deliberately decided to use my CV to apply for a job, as I
thought he already had a job. His reply was “I didn’t use your CV, I used mine”.
So, I waited until he arrived, and I showed him the email I received”. Why did I
do that? Because this is a CV that I started writing since I was in college and I had
used the same structure, outline, design, and language for many years, so I know
what it looked like. Suddenly he lost control and started shouting and screaming
just like a narcissist would. So, I touched his arm in an attempt to ease his anger
and I said, “if you didn’t have a job and needed help with writing your CV to
secure the role that your heart desires, all you needed to do was tell me and I
would help you without hesitation, instead of you copying my CV”. Soon after
those words came out of my mouth, the rage intensified. He raised his hand on
me and this proceeded to him kicking and punching me on my stomach. During
the fight, I started screaming for help, saying, “He’s going to kill me” repeatedly.
Amid the screaming, he went to the kitchen and took a large metal spoon and a
meat knife.

The fight went on over and again. At the last shout, with every fibre of my being,
at the top of my lungs, I shouted, “HE’S GOING TO KILL ME” and that very
moment, he placed the knife on my chest and said…. “today on this very day, I’m
going to kill you”! As soon as he uttered those words, the door burst open; the
police broke down the door and arrested him. The same night, his family came to
visit and pleaded that I forgive him and not proceed any further with the charges.
They feared that if I pressed charges, the implications will be detrimental to his
future. So I dropped the charges but the next day, I saw the same gentleman at
our place of fellowship, acting as if nothing happened the day before, while I was
in emotional and physical pain. Even though I ended the relationship the day
before, to my surprise, when I saw him, I wished him all the best for the future
and proceeded with my duties as normal. This went on for a while, until one day,
while we were at a church event, I was standing with a few of our mutual friends,
he drew closer towards me and asked….Lucy, why do you still speak to me after

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what I did to you?”. I smiled and my response was… “God is love and we are
commissioned to love one another. I don’t hate you, I just cannot be with you”.
Still gobsmacked, he left without saying anything.

Many years ago, it was easy for me to let go, forgive, and move forward with my
life despite the pain I experienced from the people that I loved. Imagine having to
forgive, show love and extend mercy to someone who tried to kill you with a
knife. The reality of it is that, because of the incident that took place, I became
fearful of the opposite sex for a season. I detest the psychological emotions of
anger and narcissism in the opposite sex. There is nothing wrong with getting
angry. Anger is a normal human emotion, but when it gets out of control, it can
be destructive. People with chronic anger tend to become extremely violent, in
relationships and marriage. Because of this, my mind was rewired from love to
fear of the opposite sex, so I would discard any man that showed any kind of
interest in me until one day, I sat down and told myself that this is not how it
should be, I had to believe again that not all men are the same. Just because I
came across one man filled with anger and narcissistic behaviours doesn’t mean
all of them are the same. I just had to tell myself to be diligent in who I allow
access to my life. The truth is, God gives us the warning signs and if we ignore
them, we risk putting our lives in danger for the sake of love. With my mind
reprogrammed and rewired again to not fear the opposite sex and show love, my
life changed dramatically. I was free from the fear that I would never find a “good
man”. I was able to love freely and willingly.

the illusion of vulnerability leads to the belief that we are less likely to suffer from
bad experiences.

According to…
2 Timothy 1:7 – For God has not given us the spirit of fear of power, of love and
of sound mind.

Therein lies the love. Where there is no love and sound mind, there is fear. Our
lives, in whatever way, shape or form can be molded by fear, if we allow it to take
root. Fears we face in the external world gives insight into what is happening in
our internal world. It can have a negative and positive impact on the way we live
our lives. If we listen to fear's messages, we can turn what appears to be
negative into a positive experience by allowing fear to help us recognize the
moments it comes into our lives and why. Fear has a purpose. Its purpose in your

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life may be different from its purpose in someone else's life, but it is always
useful if we take advantage of what it is trying to teach us. Consider these three
important roles fear plays in each of our lives and how we can work with it in
positive ways:

Fear as a Healer
Healing can take many forms and have many healers. Believe it or not, fear is one
of them. When you experience a fearful situation over and over again, the

fear is trying to get your attention. The situation is going to keep coming up until
the fear that it evokes is gone. Feelings of fear come to the surface to bring to our
attention, the places inside of us that need healing. As soon as we become aware
of this phenomenon, we can utilize fear as a motivator to move us beyond the
situation that is causing it and eliminate it once and for all. A positive and
profound way to do this is to approach every aspect of your life with a childlike
sense of wonder -- having no preconceived notions or assumptions of how your
life can work.

Fear as a Creator
We are given free will to help create our realities. Most of the time, we are
creating our realities without even realising that it is through our feelings of fear.
Fear of not having something will create its absence, while fear
of having something will create its presence. Many people live in fear of both.
Some may argue that fear of being in danger helps us to avoid dangerous
situations, but I am suggesting that putting energy into avoiding situations that
you fear does draw those very experiences to you. On the contrary, I believe it is
our intuition, that little voice inside our head, not fear, that helps us avoid
danger... when we listen to it, that is.

Fear as a Comforter
Ironically, fear can be quite comforting to some. This should not be the case. The
attachment to it becomes natural to them. This familiar energy feels good. Fear
can act as an escape, a hiding place, a retreat from the unknown. It can distort
one's perception to the point where fear can feel safer than really living life to the
fullest. Freedom can be quite scary, so retreating in fear may bring comfort. No
emotion, be it positive or negative, is ever wasted. There is always a purpose of
some kind. It is our job as human beings to figure out what that purpose is. So
next time you feel fear, really feel it, and ask yourself what role that fear is meant
to play in your life at that moment... you may just discover invaluable
information you never knew about yourself. Once you’ve discovered the purpose
behind it, confront it and rise above it. You cannot rise and conquer what you

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refuse to conquer. Einstein said… “I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest is
details”. The mind of God says…we are to “love our neighbours as ourselves”,
right? And you may say... “Yes that is true but how can I love my neighbour
when they have done me wrong? I would rather keep my distance. While this
may seem plausible, and elements of it is acceptable, you can love from a
distance but don’t hate, because at the end we know that love covers a multitude
of sins. To extend mercy and show love to the people that have done your wrong
is not the easiest thing to do. This is the case for many of you and myself
included and that is totally understandable.

At this very moment of my life, I have had to seek the face of God diligently for
the ability, the heart, the strength and the wisdom to love those who falsely
accuse me, who seek to destroy my life and my destiny, those who deliberately
choose to pursue my life, in a bid to block me from fulfilling God’s will for my
life. Who said loving your neighbour is easy? If anyone ever tells you that loving
the unlovable is easy, they are lying to you. But it is a command and it is the
requirement. A command is an authoritative order. As the ultimate authority over
our lives, God’s authoritative order take precedence over every other authority
and His order is that we love one another because he first loved us. This has
proven very difficult in the modern-day Christianity where there is constant strife,
malice, division, and competition. The combative defense mechanism is to fear
and hate one another, when in actuality we should love each other with sincerity
of heart. Scripture declares in…

1 Peter 4:8 – And above all things, have fervent love for one another for “love
will cover a multitude of sins”. (NKJV)

We must demonstrate the command to love all people. If these are the last days,
then we must love those that we are going to spend eternity with and in light of
eternity, we must have fervent love for one another. Love does cover a multitude
of sins, both the sins of the one loving and the sins of the one being loved.
Where love abounds in a fellowship of people, offenses are easily overlooked
and forgotten. But where love is lacking, even words are viewed with suspicion
and every action is liable to misunderstanding and conflict.

Fear and Hate

Fear and hate opens the door for Satan to use the very people who are supposed
to love us and who we are supposed to love against us. To cover means to put
something on top of or in front of something and someone to protect or conceal
it or them. Love is like a shield and a shelter that we are commanded to use to

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protect the dignity and the integrity of the people who open themselves up to be
used to hurt and destroy our lives. To love fervently is to show or display a
passionate sincere love without hidden agendas and hidden motives for all
people. This is what is missing from the body of Christ at large. In society, we are
made aware that, “people only love you for what they can get out of you”. For
“some”, that is the basis of their friendships, their relationships, and even their
marriage. When you have experienced life, you realise that unbelievers
understand the command and concept of love more than believers in the body of
Christ. When someone does you wrong, according to the command and concept
of love, you are not to seek revenge or vengeance, shape, or form. Many seek
revenge against those that caused them pain in the past as well as those who
have done them no wrong but that is not of God. The truth of the matter is, we
have many Christians who claim to know what love means, who preach love but
don’t demonstrate the love of God because they walk in hate as they seek to
revenge against those that they are supposed to demonstrate the love of God to.

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Rewiring the Mind for Success
Everything Begins Inside the Mind

A
re your thoughts toward your gifts, talents and abilities holding you back? Do you
think in terms of lack? No matter where you came from or how you viewed
success in the past, cultivating the right mindset is the key to accomplishing your
goals and dreams. What sets those who accomplish great things apart from
those who fail to live to the fullest of their potential? You might guess
intelligence, appetite for risk, or even creativity. Those are all sensible-sounding
suggestions, but that's not what science has found.

The best predictor of success in life is none of these usual suspects - it's your
mindset. Those who achieve great things generally believe they can improve and
grow as people. These people have a "growth mindset." Those who are frustrated
in their attempts to realise their dreams tend to believe their abilities and talents
are static. These are the people that have a "fixed mindset. If you’re struggling
with fear of failure or you doubt the possibilities of you being successful, I have
good news for you. You already possess what is needed for success and that is
your mind. You can rewire your mind for change, growth, and transformation.

Growth Mindset Vs Fixed Mindset

These are two basic mindset that shapes our lives. The most exceptional people
who make a significant in society and the lives of the people they are assigned to
would likely not be at the top without some innate abilities. However, there is an
important piece that many people don’t see. You don’t become the greatest by
riding on your talents alone. For example: Someone like Albert Einstein didn’t
simply spend a few afternoons writing a book and then kick back and relax.
Michael Jordan didn’t skip practices and lounge around in his free time. It takes

an incredible amount of talent, hard work, and dedication to become the greatest
at anything. We get where we are and journey to our destined place through a
combination of innate ability and efforts. There is a name for believing in our
ability to grow and change what some would assume to be fixed or unchanging

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characteristics: having a growth mindset. There is a difference between having a

fixed mindset and having a growth mindset.

A growth mindset is the “understanding that abilities and skills can be

developed”. Those with a growth mindset believe that they can get smarter,
more intelligent, and more talented through putting in time and effort. However,
on the flipside, a fixed mindset is one that assumes abilities and understanding
are relatively fixed. Those with a fixed mindset may not believe that intelligence
can be enhanced, or that you either “have it or you don’t when it comes to
abilities and talent.

The Difference Between the Growth Mindset Vs the Fixed Mindset

The main difference between the two is the belief in the durability and stability of
intelligence and ability or rather the permanence of the two. One views it as very
permanent with very little to no room for change in either direction, while the
other views it as more changeable, with opportunities for improvement. This
difference in mindset may lead to marked differences in behavior as well. If
someone believes intelligence and abilities are immutable traits, they are not
likely to put in much effort to change their inherent intelligence and abilities. On
the other hand, those who believe they can change these traits may be much
more willing to put in extra time and effort to achieve more ambitious goals.
With a growth mindset, individuals may achieve more than others because they
are worrying less about seeming smart or talented and putting more of their
energy into learning. We are taught very early on in life that winning in terms of
success in every aspect of life should be the ultimate aim. But how can this
happen if our mind is not trained and wired for success? Everything that happens
that leads to success stems from the subconscious mind. Your subconscious
mind is like a gatekeeper to the infinite potential of who you can become. You
can either open doors to being your happiest self or to the limitations you choose
to believe in.

The programming of your subconscious is responsible for your behavior, your

thinking, how you feel, your decisions and your actions. It is like a powerful

animal that without control, much of its power can be wasted or worse, much of
its power can even damage you. Your brain is built to reinforce and regulate your
life. Your subconscious mind has something called a “homeostatic impulse”.
Homeostasis is the preserver of balance. It refers to the tendency to maintain a

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balanced constant internal state that is optimal for functioning. For example, you
have a specific “balanced” or “normal” body temperature that is approximately
98.6 degrees. It keeps you breathing regularly and keeps your heart beating at a
certain rate. Through your autonomic nervous system, it maintains a balance
among the hundreds of chemicals in your billions of cells. Your entire physical
machine functions in complete harmony most of the time. Your subconscious
mind also practices homeostasis in your mental realm. It keeps you thinking and
acting in a manner consistent with what you have done and said in the past. With
that being said, what many don’t realise is that, just as your brain is built to
regulate your physical self, as does it try to regulate your mental self, your mind
is constantly filtering and bringing to your attention information and stimuli that
affirms your pre-existing beliefs (that is known in psychology as confirmation
bias) as well as presenting you with repeated thoughts and impulses that mimic
and mirror that which you’ve done in the past.

Your subconscious mind is the realm in which you can habituate yourself to
expect and routinely seek the actions that would build and reinforce, the greatest
success, happiness, wholeness, or healing in life. As I mentioned earlier, the
subconscious mind is a data-bank for everything which is not in your conscious
mind. It stores your beliefs, previous experiences, your memories, your skills etc.
Everything that you have seen, done or thought is also there. It is your guidance
system. The subconscious mind is responsible for automatically triggering
feelings and emotions that you suddenly experience upon facing a new or a
challenging situation. For example: If you were about to give a presentation or
something of that nature, then all the fear and anxiety feelings you might
experience before giving the presentation are infact controlled by your
subconscious mind. It is that which drives you to act and react without thinking
about it. It can be your angel, or it can be your demon. But to truly harness the
power of the subconscious mind for our greatest success, we have to know how
to rewire and retrain it to be our friend instead of our enemy.

The Early Programming of the Mind

In the first years of a child’s life, the brain rapidly develops its mapping system.
Your thoughts and beliefs are your mental operating system. Your thought
patterns are formed by a collection of memories and environmental influences. If
you grew up feeling unloved or were part of a family that constantly talked about
scarcity and lack, these types of thought patterns will follow you into adulthood.
The good news is, you can create a new thinking pattern, and these are new
patterns that will completely change your approach and outlook on life.

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The culture, the environment and sphere we find ourselves in during the years of
our childhood dictate the direction and shape of our lives. For example: if a child
was is in an environment where the parents believed that people cannot be
trusted, then they would grow up believing that people cannot be trusted. The
impact of this kind of belief can be detrimental to their future. Why? Because it
becomes a resistance to building good and healthy relationships. Life is relational
and for us to live happy successful lives, we need the “right” relationships
around us. How about this? What if a child grew up in an environment where
everyone around them believes that education is not necessary for success? Yes
it does happen! This child will grow up with undoubtedly no motivation to go to
school to obtain any kind of formal education. We all know that education and
knowledge is power, and knowledge is not only power, but knowledge is also
profit. From a biological side of things to how we’re nurtured, a lot of what goes
on in childhood influences how we turn out as adults. And while there isn’t a
recipe for ensuring achievement and happiness in adulthood, psychology
research has pointed to a handful of factors from childhood that can predict
success.

The mind is divided into two main parts: the conscious and the subconscious
mind. The conscious mind is made up of our surface thoughts, wishes, desires
and aspirations. The subconscious mind is the realm of our automatic and
habitual thought patterns and beliefs, the things we do when we don’t even know
that we are doing it. For example: if we’re driving along the road talking to a
friend in the passenger’s seat, our conscious mind is the one that is engaged in
the conversation. Our subconscious mind is the one that keeps automatically
doing everything needed to drive the car. While your conscious mind is reading a
book for example, your subconscious mind is taking care of everything else;
breathing, blinking, and taking a sip of tea with the hope that you won’t burn
your tongue. Our minds are programmed in the first seven years of our lives as
mentioned earlier. At this point a child only observes and records in their mind
what the parents say and do regularly. 95% of how our lives are shaped stems
from those early programmings. Have you ever heard the phrase that states…
“Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man”. That sentence is
a famous saying and it is attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola and also to Aristotle.
Some say it is a ‘Jesuit’ saying. Can you believe it? Dependent on the state of our
environment, our whole lives are set up according to the ingrained beliefs,
thoughts, and values we saw and heard as a child, until it is changed
intentionally as an adult.

A child cannot function in consciousness until after seven years old. Before seven
years old, all he or she does is record and upload. Whatever the parents say or
do, they just record it in their mind. If one of the parents says something along

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the lines of… “You don’t deserve anything”, the child will automatically believe
that they are not worthy of anything good in life. Why? Because the child does
not consciously understand what that statement means, they are just recording.
If you hear, something like that at seven years old, at forty years old, what would
be your belief? The answer is what comes out from the programming of your
mind. Unconsciously, you would sabotage yourself at any moment in time just to
make sure the earlier programming is correct. You are unconsciously making the
program true by adjusting whatever does not fit your belief system. Why is that
some people become successful and some people don’t? If you look at the
famous book, rich dad poor dad, you learn the lesson that sometimes, the people
who come from a poor background can struggle their whole life to be rich, but
they never quite make it, because they have always been programmed to believe
that they can’t make it, life is a struggle, things are hard. Whereas with the rich,
you can come from a rich family, not exactly be the smartest of the people and
still succeed, not because they were thinking outside of the box with their brains
but because it was an unconscious behavior that was downloaded from the rich
family to their children from very early on in their lives. As a result of this deep-
seated belief, they end up making the right moves unconsciously. The
programming from early childhood and the behavioral patterns in the process of
time, is what makes the poor stay poor and the rich stay rich until something is
changed. The question is, how do you rewire the mind in such a way that it
cancels out the effects of the early programming of your mind?

Knowledge is power. Knowledge is not only power, it is profit

The Effect On Our Lives from Childhood to Adulthood

To live life to the fullest of our potential, where nothing is missing, nothing is
broken and nothing is lacking, the mind has to be rewired. The truth of the matter
is, most of us are not living the life that we truly desire and have always wanted.
This is the case for at least 75% of the people in society today. Why? because
they chose to conform to the childhood programming of their subconscious mind
instead of making an intentional effort to seek change and transformation. Are
you living the life you’ve always wanted, or have you settled for the status quo?
Why does this happen? It happens because we give up when life takes a different
turn contrary to our expectations. We give up when we are faced with
circumstances beyond our control. The residue of the battles of life, steal our
eagerness to live a purpose-driven life. The overwhelming after effect leaves one
feeling exhausted without any zeal or passion to keep fighting to make a change

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in their lives. Another reason why this happens is because most of us have a
vague idea of what we think we deserve in life. When life veers away from the
direction we want our lives to go, we often become frustrated. Why is this
happening you may wonder? The answer is discontentment. The feeling of
discontentment can be powerful, but we must understand that discontentment is
a double-edged sword. So many of us end up sabotaging potential success and
we question why. We have the tendency to start thinking that we deserve better,
and though it may look like we are working hard, we press it on ourselves to
work even harder but regardless of how hard we may work, if the zeal and the
passion to take the specific actions required to make the lasting change that we
so desire in our lives is missing, nothing will change. I’ve learned throughout my
journey so far, that, change comes with taking specific actions. These could be
instructions, directions and impressions from God, a counsellor, a therapist, a
trusted friend, or a family member. It could be as simple as setting a goal to read
one book a month and within 12 months you would have read at least 12 books
in a year.

Change only happens when we step out in faith to do something about what we
desire to see. There are times, some changes don’t require you to move
physically but they require that there be a paradigm shift in your mind, in your
habits or behaviours, etc. The reality is that, if we are not striving for the change
we want to see, we drop back to that place of complacency, to what we think we
should have and who we think we should be. It all starts in the mind and it directs
your focus on making your life a masterpiece. For some of you, the change that
you may be seeking is to set a goal to sit down and start writing one page a day
towards the book that you’ve always wanted to write. I’m just throwing it out
there. I remember years ago when I decided that, I would read at least 2 books in
a month, that was a paradigm shift in my mind because I wasn’t satisfied with
reading just one book a month, now I find myself reading at least three to four
books in a month. The question now is… What does it look like to reprogram
your mind to take steps towards the life that you so long to live? My mantra is
this… One step a time brings me closer to the vastness of my destiny in many
ways and because this is my mantra, it gives me the courage and strength every
day to take one step, even if the step is to watch a motivational video that
teaches me something new for the day, it is a step. To progress toward living the
life that gives you fulfilment, joy, and passion, we have to take steps toward
progression not perfection. This is operating with an infinite mind. The mindset
of progression enables you to run your race at a pace that aligns with God’s will
for your life and that is the best pace to journey on.

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The mindset of progression enables you to run your race at a pace

that aligns with God’s will for your life.

Unlearn to Learn and Relearn

The chemicals in our brain are built to store the events and memories of our past
and it is triggered when we encounter similar situations in our present. As
mentioned earlier, our lives are formed and shaped by the programming of our
childhood from the first six to seven years of our lives. Sometimes it’s good,
other times it’s not so good. For example: Your mum tried to teach you good
habits when you were a child; always say please and thank you, brush your teeth
every morning and evening, get your homework done before you play or before
you go outside with your friends and so on. You learned great habits that keep
you healthy, happy, and productive. It’s all part and parcel from being your
mum’s child to becoming a fully developed adult. There are times when, what
was taught and entrenched in our minds as children causes a hindrance and a
resistance to our development and progress in our adult life. If this is the case,
what do you do when you have to unlearn old habits and learn new ones? Let’s
say, for example, every day you follow the same routine every morning, first you
brush your teeth and have a bath, you then go straight to the kitchen to make you
some coffee, you either choose to drink it in the kitchen or you choose to take it
with you to work. Let’s say you always choose to do the latter; with the coffee in
your hand, you open the door, head straight to your car and drive to work. You
get to the office and you have another strategic routine that you follow. Most of
the time, these routines are unconsciously done because it’s become a part of
you. If you wanted to change certain aspects of your daily routine, it then means,
there has to be a paradigm shift in the embedded patterns of your behavior.
Sounds easier said than done right?

This is the same thing with our minds. Every individual comes within themselves
embedded patterns of thinking, beliefs, feelings, and behaviours which were
learned and rooted in them throughout their lifetime. Much of it, is as a result of
the things we learn as children. A person is most receptive to learning and
uploading in the archive of their mind what they see and hear, their parents and
loved ones do or say and how they behave. As soon as certain patterns of
thinking, feeling, and behaving are established within a person’s mind, to live a
happy and fulfilled life as an adult, they will have to unlearn the old before being
able to learn something new and it is proven according to research and from my
own experience that unlearning the old is more difficult than learning something
new. We live in the 21st century where there is a demand for difference and
excellence with diversity in everything we do and everywhere we go. We are to

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be different in our appearance, in our abilities, skills, and talents, etc. This
requires the willingness to unlearn the old and learn the new.

Alvin Toffler once wrote…”The illiteracy of the 21 st century will not be those
who cannot read and write but those who are unwilling to learn, unlearn and
relearn.

Our mind is made up of particles of neurons that are affected by what is stored in
our minds. Whatever is stored in it, becomes the manifestation of the reality of
your life. As a young child, if one of your parents, made you believe that certain
people cannot be trusted, It would be very hard for you to build a healthy lasting
relationship as you journey from childhood to adulthood but to live a happy,
contented and purpose-driven life, this needs to change because we all need
each other.

The Illiterate are those who are unwilling to learn, unlearn and relearn

Change is the universal law of life. The first step towards change is awareness;
the second is acceptance. Many people “hate” change, resisting it and resenting
it. However, it is an irresistible force in the universe and instead of fighting it, we
should embrace it. Change is not about looking backwards and reminiscing on
the past. To do so will mean you miss the best of what is to come. Change is
difficult but to not change is destructive, because our prior learning which
includes our beliefs, biases, perceptions, acquired over the years makes it
difficult for us to change. The first step is unlearning the prior learning and then
striving for intentional relearning. If the unconscious mind has been ingrained
with patterns of thinking, sets of beliefs and values, that has over time proven
detrimental to our lives, how then do we unlearn the things we were once taught
to welcome and embrace the new in our lives. To unlearn is to make an
intentional effort to forget your usual way of doing something, so that you can
learn a new and better way of doing it. It is to discard the old, to take hold of the
new. It a process and the ability to clear out one’s default beliefs and programs,
firmly rooted in the subconscious mind and open up one’s consciousness to
what they really want. Because of the early programming of our minds, by the
time we reach our mid-twenties and beyond, our beliefs about ourselves and the
reality we experience are well set in motion. Most of our learning has been
unconsciously laced with limiting beliefs. The first step to unlearning is becoming
fully aware of what is holding you back, holding you up and holding you down –

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in layman’s terms, what you deferred and settled for in life rather than what you
preferred and dreamed possible.

I acknowledged a few years ago that one of the things that was holding me back
was the belief that no one can be trusted. This belief was forcefully rooted in my
mind from my grandmother to my mother. This affected my relationships and
associations for many years until one day I decided to open up my heart and
allowed a dear brother access into my life. At this point, I had given up faith in
the people in the church but then this gentleman, proved to me with his actions
that my old ways of thinking were completely absurd and adversely affected the
relationship aspect of my life. I can happily say that after 5 years; we are still
friends. I had to reprogram my mind to believe that genuine people still do exist
and at the right time, I will meet those who have my best interest at heart. It took
a lot of battling with my old thought patterns and belief systems because the
more I got closer to him, the more I started conditioning my mind to believe that,
this friendship is too good to be true, there must be a catch. But there were no
hidden agendas. He was and truly is a gentleman with the kindest heart. The
process of unlearning was difficult for me because I had to go through self-
evaluation and self-reflection, to forget and put many past experiences aside and
lose knowledge of them.

To unlearn is to make an intentional effort to forget your usual

way of doing things.

The technique for unlearning involves redirect learning, responsive learning,

reflective learning, and reverse learning. According to research, unlearning is
akin to reverse engineering, coupled with conscious re-imagineering. The
conscious mind can only create what you desire in your reality, if the
subconscious mind doesn’t present any stronger beliefs current for why you
can’t. Unlearning Is the new learning. Unlearning is the process of discarding
something from your memory. When you unlearn something, you forget it, put it
aside and lose knowledge. But why exactly would you want to unlearn
something? In many cases when you unlearn something you can get rid of a bad
habit, preconception, or something false.

Rewiring the Mind

When you rewire your brain, you can undo and change old thought patterns of
lack, inability, fear, unworthiness and so much more. When you don’t have these

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lingering negative thoughts in the background of your mind, you’ll be freed to

take more steps to become more creative in your life. For example, you can
create a successful online business or whatever it is that you aspire to achieve.
You will have less fear and find the ability to continue to take more steps towards
achieving your goals. Your brain can think, imagine, create, remember, and
recall. But beyond all these abilities, your brain can be rewired too. You can use
your brain to change your brain and how it operates. This is the core concept
behind rewiring your brain. The way your brain becomes wired is through your
thoughts. It is rewired exactly the same way. When you choose your thoughts,
you rewire your brain accordingly.

Your subconscious mind has immense power in controlling your life experiences,
from the types of food you eat to the actions you take daily. It is like the autopilot
feature on an airplane. This feature by its name you can tell it has been pre-
programmed to follow a specific route and you simply cannot deviate from that
route unless you change the direction programmed into it from the beginning.
I’ve mentioned it earlier in the chapter that the mind is like a hard drive, what
There are many different ways to overwrite the limiting or damaging beliefs that
are stored in the subconscious mind. Your mind is the key to success, and you
have the power to learn how to reprogram your subconscious. To discard the old
from being the resistance that prevents you from growth, development, and
progress, to live the life you truly desire, then it’s time to decide to truly commit
to making lasting changes.

It is not what we can do in life that makes a difference, it is what we will do –

Tony Robbins

Rewiring your mind can be done in many different ways. Here are some of the
ways that have proven most beneficial to myself and others….

 Change Your Environment – The environment you find yourself in can

either stunt your growth or propel your growth. It can keep your
subconscious mind in one state of perception, or it can allow you to
break out of the subconscious to see life from a different perspective.
Our perception becomes our reality and the old ways of thinking dictates
how we perceive life, people, and ourselves but when the conscious is
open to viewing life from a different perspective, the whole dynamics of
our true identity begins to unfold. If you are in an environment that
keeps you in a place of stagnancy, then it’s time to decide to move. If
you are in an environment that believes in tradition and is not prone to
change, then it’s time to decide to move. If you are in an environment
where you look around you and you see that all those that are around
have not seen any substantial progress in their lives in the last five years,

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it is time to decide to move. It is more likely that the environment you

find yourself in, is feeding your limiting beliefs, thought patterns and
detrimental behaviours.

 Change Your Associations – Have you ever heard of the phrase that
states… “You are who you hang around” or “show me your friends and
I will tell you who you are”? Yeah! It’s not a fallacy. It is the truth and it is
reality. I have seen people’s lives come to ruins because of the people
who they chose to allow access into their lives. If you are in a circle of
friendships that are not progressing in any area of their lives, they likely
reflect your pre-programmed beliefs, thinking and values. We are to
associate ourselves with people who are willing to push us to change, to
create the life we truly desire and move on to live a life of manifestation
and fulfilment.

 Practice Self-Evaluation – This is one of the most effective ways of

rewiring the mind. If you find that you have been in the same place in
the last five years of your life and you seem to be going around in
circles, it’s time to sit down and take an inventory of your life. Ask
yourself challenging questions. Whatever is working and what is not
working for you?. There is a root and taking the time to evaluate
yourself and your life will allow you the space to dig deep down to the
roots.

 Visualise Yourself As A Different Version of You – Change is the only

thing that is constant and to make lasting change, we have to visualise
ourselves as who we want to be. Becoming the best version of yourself
means that you're going to move away from where you are, so you must
be willing to shred your old self. When you're raising your own bar,
you're essentially creating a gap between you and the people around
you. Ask yourself: If I had a magic wand to make anything happen, what
would my life look like? As I said before, change is difficult but to not
change is detrimental to one’s future and you must start the process of
change by 1) Revisiting your goals and dreams and 2) Visualising
yourself as you desire to become. From experience, I have found that
visualising myself as who I want to become, gives me the determination
to do whatever it takes to become my best version by denouncing old
habits to learn new habits that will draw me closer to my destiny.
Becoming a different version of yourself takes time, energy, and
consistent personal development. It is a process not a one-time event.

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CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Restored Mind
Peace is the Catalyst for a Restored Mind

T
o be restored means to be put back to an original state or be re-established to a
newer and more improved state. It is to return something or someone to a
former condition, place or position and It is to repair or renovate a building or a
work of art, etc, so as to return it to its original condition. The only way we can
live our lives to the fullest of our potential and awaken the dreams that are
dormant within us is to restore the mind to its original state of functionality.
Many fail to reach the fullest of their potential and walk in the height of their
dreams because they conformed to the experiences of the past and how culture
and society dictate that they should live their lives. To conform to the past, to
culture and society’s ways of living is to give these things the power to control
your life in the present. I’ve learned throughout my years that whatever you give
power to will have power over you. According to….

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Romans 12:2 – Therefore, do not be conformed to this world but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

This verse here presents a call for the believer not to behave according to the
socially accepted conventions and standards of the world and not to be molded
by the pleasures the world has to offer, but the believer is to experience a
transformation. A new way of thinking made possible by the power of the Holy
Spirit. To conform is to comply with a set of rules standards and laws. It is to
comply with, it is to abide by, to hold to, to adhere to, to be accordance with, to
act in accordance with, to adjust to, to adapt to, to accept and it is to follow a set
of customary, traditional, and conventional ideas. Conformity then is a type of
social influence involving a change in belief or behavior to “fit” in with a group.
This change can be real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined
(which involves the intense pressure of social norms/expectations) group
pressure. The idea here is to go from conformity to transformity. As it is clearly
written “but be transformed”  which is to metamorphosed, to be transfigured,

to appear as new persons, and with new habits, as God has given you a new
form in the newness of the spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. The word
implies a radical, thorough, and universal change, both outward and inward, by
the renewing of your mind! This gives the idea that we should let the inward
change produce the outward. Where the spirit, the temper, and disposition of the
mind, according to Ephesians 4:23 are now renewed. An outward change is of
but a little worth, and but of short standing. To renew is to give fresh light or
strength to something or someone. This denotes therefore that we are to give
fresh light, life, and strength to our minds. We are inclined to move, live, and
breathe according to the habits entrenched in our subconscious mind. When the
mind is corrupted due to the extremely unpleasant circumstances of the past, we
are susceptible to moving according to our corrupted minds and this is how
many people start living in dysfunction.

A restored mind is a mind put back to its original state of functionality.

Mental illness affects one in four of us during our lifetime and can have a
devastating effect on every aspect of life. Each year, doctors give out 21 million

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prescriptions of tranquillisers and mental illness accounts for 40 percent of all

visits to the hospital or the doctor's surgery. Paul the apostle reminded his co-
leader, Timothy, that one of the blessings that God wants to give to us is to bring
to each person a calm and well-balanced mind. But in society today, where
mental illness has become a colossal problem, is the church still confident and
effective in bringing God’s restoration to damaged minds? And how does the
Christian community play a role in this? Statistics show that….

 One in six adults has neurotic disorders. The most common of these
disorders is missed with anxiety or depression according to the – Office
of National Stats.
 One in ten patients with mental illness commit suicide. There are more
than 4000 suicide deaths each year in England. It is now the leading
cause of death for men aged 15-21 and is three times higher in men than
women according to – GP Magazine.

A WELL-BALANCED MIND

God’s ultimate desire is to gift us with a well-balanced mind. A well-balanced

mind is emotional equilibrium. Emotional equilibrium is emotional balance and
Emotional balance is the ability of the mind and body to maintain stability and
flexibility in the face of a challenge and change. Emotional balance promotes
physical health and is a prerequisite for our personal wellbeing and growth. What
we experience as our mind is made up of our thoughts and emotions, and our
happiness depends on us remaining in a balanced mental or emotional state. We
all experience negative thoughts and emotions from time to time but if we stay in
any state for too long, we lose the ability to return to our balanced, neutral
position.

We might find ourselves “locked”  in any number of negative states, such as

anger, fear, worry, dissociation, self-sabotage or depression, agitation,
impulsivity, anxiety, panic attacks and sleep deprivation, lack of drive and
motivation, or poor concentration. These stuck emotions run just below the level
of consciousness, intangible yet often overwhelming. These uncomfortable
emotions can dominate our thinking process and give rise to inappropriate

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reactions that impair our ability to be at our best. Neurofeedback teaches the
brain how to break out of these involuntary habits, allowing a shift back into our
natural, contented state – with greater happiness and resilience in whatever
circumstances we face. A well-balanced person is described as one who seldom
has emotional issues, who is sensible, stable, mentally strong, and level-headed.
I am learning every day as I face different challenges in my life that a well-
balanced mind is one of the best antidotes against affliction. Scripture declares
in…

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of
craven and cringing and fawning fear) but (He has given us a spirit) of power,
and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
(AMP)

Here we see that Paul saw the timidity that was in Timothy. Timothy himself also
knew the kind of fear that he felt deep within and God wanted him to know that
this kind of fear is not from God. There are times in our lives when we look at the
challenges before us, we feel timid and afraid. That is the fact of life. I

don’t know about you but in all transparency, there are times in my life, that the
battles have gotten so intense, it’s left me overwhelmed and afraid, though for a
short period of time. For some, speaking in front of people triggers a certain level
of fear, others are afraid of confrontation, others are afraid of rejection and so
much more. We all experience fear from different angels at different levels. We
are to be fully aware that this kind of fear is not from God. The greatest lesson in
life is that, usually the thing that we are most afraid of is that which we ought to
step into and pursue according to God’s will and God’s timing. Most often it’s
either a weakness of the flesh or an attack from the enemy. Whatever the case
may be, one thing is for sure, it is not from God. God has not given us the spirit
of fear but of power, of love and of sound mind. Sound mind means a cool, calm,
self-controlled and well-balanced mind. As I stated earlier, A well-balanced
person is one that is sensible, stable, and level-headed. Therefore, a well-
balanced mind is the pre-requisite for a well-balanced life.

We are not to accept what God has not given us, but we do need to humbly
receive and walk in what He has given us, which is a sound mind. If you correct
your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place. Long before the beginning of
modern-day science, according to research, our ancestors knew the power of the
human mind and it’s connection to the body and our well-being. Ancient Greeks,
for instance, believed that health could be maintained by adopting a moderate
and temperate lifestyle. Their priorities were centred on creating health, beauty,
and happiness. The revered philosopher Plato advocated the importance that

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bodily exercise is in developing the mind. Through his meetings, he encouraged

his people to pursue an ideal harmonious perfection of the mind and body by
taking care of their physique. According to research, ancient martial artists and
warriors from the orient also understood that the gateway to a strong mind and
spirit is through training their body for combat. With science and modern-day
technologies, it is said that the mind-body connection was able to be established
with empirical evidence. In one study, subjects were able to increase their muscle
strength by simply focusing their mind on building their finger strength without
any excuse at all. After the trial, those subjects who continued concentrating
increased their finger strength by up to 22%.

The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul
create the symphony of life – B.K.S Iyengar.

Research shows that the reason why the mind-body connection is so strong is
because of the enormous role that the mind plays within our bodily system.
Everything starts with the mind. It’s the commander in chief governing all our
basic internal functions, especially our thought process. Your brain is a
complicated and dynamic structure, consisting of about 86 billion neurons or
nerve cells. Each neuron is linked to thousands of other neurons, forming
intricate networks of neural connections that transmit information to help us
perform important functions like breathing, moving, remembering, responding to
threats, learning from experience, controlling impulses, and forming attachment
in relationships. Cultivating optimal brain health is the foundation for a healthy
and successful living, learning, and loving. One of the ways that you can boost
brainpower is by living healthier, eating healthier, having regular napping time,
and practicing mindfulness, which has been shown to alter the physical structure
of the brain in beneficial ways.

If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.

Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness is defined as the human ability to be fully present and aware of
where we are and what we’re doing and not be overly reactive or overwhelmed
by what’s going on around us. It is the mind in the position of fully attending to
what is happening around you and to what you’re doing to the space you’re

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moving through. Sometimes our mind takes flight and we lose touch with our
body and pretty soon we’re engrossed in obsessive thoughts about something
that just happened or fretting about the future and if we can admit it to ourselves,
we then become overly anxious. Mindfulness is something that every individual
possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you will have to make an
intentional effort to learn how to access it. While mindfulness is innate, it can be
cultivated through proven techniques, particularly seated, walking, standing, and
moving meditation (it is also possible lying down but often leads to sleep); short
pauses we insert into everyday life gives a boost to our mental health.
Mindfulness meditation gives us a time in our lives when we can suspend
judgments and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind,
approaching our experience with warmth and kindness – to ourselves and others.

According to psychology today – Mindfulness is mind training. You can develop

the skill of paying attention when you want to. You can put yourself in a
meditative state to pay direct attention to your inward self to become more self-
aware. It is self-examination of one’s thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and
emotions about a particular issue, to live in a moment and to accept oneself
completely. When this goal is reached, it is said that the person has reached a
state of mindfulness. The ideology behind mindfulness is to achieve stillness and
balance of mind. The mind can only be restored when it reaches the state of
reflection backed with action, stillness, and balance.

Entering a state of mindfulness is paying direct and full attention to one specific
thing or one specific area of your life; it is being present in the current events of
the day, season, or time. For example, imagine you waking up in the morning
and going to the bathroom to brush your teeth. While you are brushing your
teeth, you need to examine yourself and ask…Where am I? and where is my
mind? Is my mind in the present activity of the morning or is my mind
somewhere else? It is a fact that when we find ourselves engaged in a certain
activity, our mind is not fully in the present; our mind is not focused on what is
happening at that particular moment in time, it is focused on the events of the
day. At that very moment of brushing your teeth, how much of your attention is
focused on brushing your teeth versus the anticipated happenings of the day
ahead; something that is completely different from what you are currently doing?

It is said that our mind is very much like an untrained puppy; uncontrollable and
unstable, never focused on one thing, never still, always running around,
changing directions sporadically, and Startling, stumbling, and getting distracted
easily. Science teaches us that the human mind continuously produces thoughts
and images; the majority of which is unrelated to the circumstances of the
present moment. These are thoughts and images designed to capture our

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attention and take our mind on a spiral of one thought to another. This mental
activity forms and shapes the stories that we make up in our head that we
constantly tell ourselves repeatedly and with these stories, we put ourselves in a
position of constant distraction. Why? Because it draws our mind away from
what it should really be focusing on and what we are currently doing in the
present. From a biblical standpoint, when we as believers think biblically,
therefore we are to view our life through the lens of God’s Word; our weapon for
right living. The word mindful which means “attentive” is not saying that there is
something fundamentally wrong, it is saying that we can be mindful by following
the principle of scripture that states that we should take every thought captive for
Christ and renew the mind with the truth of God’s Word. It is only the truth that
can set us free from the prison of the mind.

Promoted by psychology, it is said that through mindfulness we are able to enter

into a state of peace. However, we are fully aware that only Jesus gives peace.
This kind of peace keeps us in a state of joyfulness even when the storms are
raging, and the waves are coming at us from every corner. Only through the
power of the Holy Spirit who sets our mind free to think truthfully according to
God’s Word can we know and experience true and lasting peace, because He
gives us the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding.

The Mind Has to Go Through the Process of Restoration

Before I touch on the restoration of the mind, let me first tell you about my story.
When I first rededicated my life to Christ and accepted Him as my Lord and
Savior at the age of twenty-three, it was truly a shocking day for me because I
couldn’t believe that at that moment in time, I had the boldness and the courage
to step up to the altar. With that said, It was from this moment I started
experiencing the God kind of peace. It wasn’t as if I didn’t have problems. The
challenges I was going through were still very much present but at that moment,
I got to know and feel true peace and what it means. Something I had never felt
before in my life. This time, I had hope! I had peace! It was a new beginning for
me. My mind started going through a metamorphosis of its own. It was evident
that God was doing something on the inside of me that I couldn’t explain
because, at that particular season of my life, my perspective of life and people
started changing and the more I committed to attending church and bible
studies, the more I dynamically encountered God. It gave me a brand-new feeling
that I had never felt in my life. Did you feel this way when you gave your life to
Christ or the moment you decided to rededicate your life to Christ? I don’t know
about you but as for me, I would want to feel like that over and again for the rest
of my life. The more I drew closer to God, the more He started taking me through
a ferocious process of mind restoration; this directly helped with overcoming the

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residue of the challenges that I had faced in my life up until that point especially
the residue of the rape I experienced when I was 16 years old. Apart from the
incidents leading to me wanting to commit suicide, it was the rape, which
happened shortly after that left me emotionally numb. Most often, rather than
feeling strong emotions, we feel shut down, as though we’re made of wood. We
might not have the positive emotions we know we “should” when good things
happen in our lives. Part of the numbing response can come from the body and
mind’s self-protective efforts in the face of overwhelming emotions.

The experiences we encounter in life, are either orchestrated by God to mold us

and make us into who we are destined to be or are orchestrated by the enemy to
destroy us. In this case, let’s touch on the latter. The first thing we are to be
aware of is that the enemy wants your mind and if he can get your mind, he can
destroy your life. Do you know that the enemy will stop at nothing to try and
destroy you? For us to be victorious in life, we must learn to recognise who the
real enemy is. Most often we associate our enemies with physical people when in
actuality it is a spirit that is operating on the inside of them assigned to torment
the mind with its devices. Job said in….

Job 19:21 – Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O you
my friends, for the hand of God, has struck me! (NKJV)

Notice that Job said, “the hand of God has struck me” but when we look back at
chapter one, we see that Infact, it wasn’t God who struck job but Satan with
God’s permission. Satan had a strategy to destroy Job and turn him against God.
So I ask again… do you know that the enemy has a strategy to destroy you? We
are admonished in scripture not to fear the tactics of the enemy because God’s
power is stronger than Satan’s power and anything that he can strategies and
just as he was not allowed to completely destroy Job, God will not allow him to
destroy you either. The enemy can only go so far because he has limits. With that
being said, the enemy does have a strategy and he knows exactly when and how
to use it in an attempt to fulfill his mission.

The enemy wants…

 To steal your mind
 To steal your desire for God
 To steal your peace of mind.
 To steal your God-given purpose

We are made aware in…

John 10: 10 – The thief does not come except to steal, to kill and to destroy. I
came that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.
(NKJV)

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In one way or another, we have become a target for Satan’s strategy and the first
place the war starts is in your mind. For the mind to be restored to its original
state of functionality, we must recognise that we are in a war. Sometimes just
when you think you’ve made progress in living life with a well-balanced mind,
the enemy tries to pull you backward by orchestrating a situation with the
primary objective being to torment your mind. But we have already conquered
every strategic plan of the enemy. Hence why it is absolutely imperative that as
we go through the restoration process that we consciously put on the full armor
of God, especially our shield of faith and our helmet of salvation according to
Ephesians 6:17. A helmet protects the head; that is the brain and thoughts.
Assurance of salvation is a mighty defense against the torment of the mind and
the kind of thoughts bred by them. On that note, we are also made aware in….

1 Peter 1:13 – Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and rest your
hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ. (NKJV)

The image reflected in the phrase “gird up the loins of your mind” is to protect
the muscles of the mind. The loins (the lower back muscles) was regarded as the
centre of physical strength and power. Peter here challenged believers to
maximise all their intellectual and moral faculties. They are to discipline their
mind by binding up all loosely flowing thoughts and speculations that might
distract them from the gospel and eventually hamper their obedience. Peter used
the same words to encourage spiritual alertness in prayer and in resisting the
attacks of the enemy.

Biblical Restoration

What is restoration? It is the act or the process of returning something to its

original condition or similar to its original condition. When we talk about
restoration, we always refer to taking back the things that the enemy has stolen
from us and it is always directed to the material things of life; the house, the car,
the career, the husband, or the wife, etc but you seldom hear the believer focus
on taking back their peace of mind. As we all should be fully aware by now that,
peace of mind is the prerequisite of freedom. The restoration of your mind is
your responsibility. You start this process by deciding to claim back your mind
from the enemy and as you embark on the process, you must be conscious that

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this is no walk in the park. You are in a constant battle with the enemies lies and
confusion, but we know that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. You
start the process by….

 Counteracting The Lies of the Enemy – The first step is to cry out loud
that you will not allow the lies of the enemy to influence your thinking.
According to scripture, there are spiritual laws that demons have to
obey. The enemy has no permission to go where he doesn’t belong. The
key here is to practice mindfulness and be fully aware of your thoughts
at any moment in time. Seek God for the spirit of discernment to
recognise the lies of the enemy and when you recognise an unusual
thought in your mind, declare God’s Word out loud using the principle of
binding and loosing. You bind the lies of the enemy and you lose the
truth of God’s Word over your mind. When you find yourself battling
unusual thoughts that are not in alignment with the Word of God, use
the remedy above. This is how, I started the process of claiming back my
mind from the trap of the enemies lies. Now that you have filtered and
denounced the lies of the enemy out of your spirit, there is an empty
space, and you fill it by continually delving into the Word of God.

 Meditate On the Word Day And Night – The double-edged sword has
two sharp edges, so it can cut in two directions when wielded by an
accomplished swordsman. The bible likens the Word of God to such a
sword according to Hebrews 4:12. It can separate the truth from the lie
by sharply cutting through the lie. It can cause chains and shackles to
break. It can set the captives free, the oppressed are set free by the truth
of the Word. It can cause someone to sharply change direction when its
admonition is applied in one’s life. Just as a sword can save a life so can
the application of the truth. It cuts through and breaks the spirit of
confusion and brings clarity and peace to the mind and we are
admonished to ponder on it every moment of the day according to
Joshua 1:8. There is a phenomenon in psychology called the Mere-
exposure effect that states that we develop a preference for the things
we are exposed to most often. When we are exposed to God’s Word
more often, we tend to get familiar with the language and the sound. As
a result of this, it’s only the voice of God’s Word that we hear in our
spirit. Anything else becomes a token of confusion.

 Keep Your Mind Fixed on Jesus – Isaiah 26:3 declares… “He shall keep
him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him because he trusts
Him” – Perfect peace is the catalyst for a restored mind. Though the lies
of the enemy will constantly try to keep you in prison, by keeping your

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mind fixed on Jesus, He will give you peace. In chaos and confusion,
when it seems like you are about to lose your mind, because of the pain
that no one sees and no one knows about, He will give you peace. The
kind of peace that surpasses all understanding will shield your mind
from the attacks and the devices of the enemy. Understand that you are
not alone. It took me a while to grasp the fact that God is there with me
every step of the way. You have an ever-present help, close to you. He
will hide you under His wings and cover your mind with His blood.

CHAPTER TWENTY
Prayer Reshapes the Brain
Prayer is the Best Medicine

L
ife issues can leave us paralysed and unable to function. Our immediate
reactions aftermath of trauma can be overwhelming. It overwhelms an
individual’s ability to cope. It causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes their
sense of self and their ability to full range of emotions and experiences. It does
not discriminate, and it is pervasive throughout the world. Grief and depression
are also common reactions to trauma. This can include feeling down, sad, or
hopeless. You may cry more often. You may also lose interest in people and
activities that you used to enjoy. When you experience a traumatic event, your
body’s defenses take effect and create a stress response which may make you
feel a variety of physical symptoms, behave differently and experience more
intense emotions. I’ve become fully aware of the fact that it is not so much the
traumatic events that cause us to become numb to life, it is the residue of these
experiences that leave us in a state of confusion which ultimately leads to
stagnancy.

It causes our mood to fluctuate, it causes our mind to become wrenched. With
this, you can feel anxious, depressed, and unable to keep one’s head above water
with the daily affairs of life. Physical symptoms include fatigue, muscle tension
and feeling disorientated. The question now is….what happens to our brain when
we face treacherous, life-threatening challenges in our lives? In psychology,
difficult and overwhelming experiences, causes the older brain also referred to as
the Lizard brain to take over. We experience what is called the ‘flight, fight or
freeze mode’ or to put it scientifically, an ‘acute stress response’. An ‘acute stress
response’ is a psychological response to a terrifying traumatic or surprising

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experience. Situations such as the death of a loved one, betrayal or other

overwhelming challenges can lead one to experience the ‘acute stress response’.
We must understand that the acute stress response is a short-term experience
but can have long term effects as the body and the mind recovers from it. An
acute stress reaction occurs when symptoms develop due to a particularly
stressful event. The word “acute” means the symptoms develop quickly but
usually do not last long. The events are usually very severe, and an acute stress
reaction typically occurs after an unexpected life crisis. Traumatic set of
circumstances or events in which one finds oneself whether it be the death of a
loved one, or psychological disorders such as chronic fear can eventually trigger
a cascade of stress hormones that produce psychological changes in the brain.
These psychological responses helps someone to either fight the situation off or
flee to safety. The stress response begins in the brain. When someone confronts
a life-threatening situation that may result in some sort of danger, what we
perceive with our senses; our seeing and hearing, sends information to the
amygdala, an area of the brain that contributes to the processing of our
emotions. Research shows that the amygdala part of the brain interprets images
and sounds. When it realises that there is danger ahead, it immediately sends a
distress signal to the hypothalamus.

Now! How does prayer reshape the brain? Prayer is not something you do; it is a
place you occupy. When you pray, you are not just putting words together, you
are conducting business with God. The enemy is out to silence your voice
because he knows your prayer can change you as a person and the trajectory of
your life in so many ways. Prayer produces power; it produces the power to heal,
to restore, to renew, to set free, to deliver and to rewire the way your mind
works. It is a vital part of the Christian walk. Jesus spoke a parable according to…

Luke 18:1 – Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray
and not lose heart. (NKJV)

That being the case, one of the most frequently asked questions is….How’s your
prayer life? It’s a simple question, but not exactly the most pleasant question to
answer. It sounds like, “How has your talking to God been lately?” Emotionally it
might feel like, “Sum up your relationship with God at this point in your life.”
Bible reading, by comparison, is clearer and more “objective.” How many pages?
How far along are you in your plan? Which books have you been reading? What
have you learned? Prayer doesn’t fit into an excel sheet quite as easily. God
desires that we run our lives on the power of prayer. Prayer fuels the engine of
your heart and mind. It’s not a coffee or chipotle or a social media buzz; it is
prayer. You need prayer more than you need anything else. We can’t make an
impact in the world and live a meaningful life without God, and this is all made

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possible through the power of prayer. It is the most pivotal part of the Christian
life. It is the lifeline and life-mystery for the believer. We know we ought to pray
but we don’t pray enough. And we’re not always sure we’re even doing it right
when we do pray. Should I even be asking God for this? Should I still be asking
God for this? Do I even know what I need?

Prayer is objectively real — a real God, real communication, real work, real
answers. But it also comes in a million shapes and forms. Prayer happens in
seconds — short moments in the cracks of our day — and it can happen for hours
at a time, even throughout a whole night. Prayer is conscious, personal
communication with the God of the universe. A better question to ask than
“How’s your prayer life?” might be, “Have you been enjoying conscious
communication with God — over his Word, in your daily needs, throughout your
day? In worship?” Has your relationship with Him been authentic — not a box to
check, not just a hurried place for help, not a vague abstract idea hovering over
your head and life? Has your faith been tying you to Him in your heart? Have you
been leaning on him, and not yourself? So how is your prayer life? If you are
asked this question and you are not happy or content with your answer, there are
several ways to boost your prayer life which will be discussed later on in the
chapter. According to the Mind health report, prayer helps us deal with the many
trials and tribulations that we face, providing a source of comfort and a
foundation for hope, as well as improving our perspective on the circumstance at
hand and our emotional well-being.

The mind health report interviews Dr. Andrew Newburg….Dr. Newberg is the
director of research at the Myrna Brind Centre for Integrative Medicine at Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital and Medical College in Philadelphia. He is the co-
author of, among other books, How God Changes Your Brain, as well as dozens
of scientific articles on prayer and brain health. He is also one of the founders of
the field of neurotheology, the study of the relationship between the brain and
religious and spiritual phenomena. His research has included studying the brain
scans of more than 150 people to observe the various changes that take place
during different types of religious practices and meditations. The research goes
on to describe how such experiences relate to our feelings, thoughts and
behavior towards ourselves and others. In his studies, Dr. Newberg seeks to only
understand what happens in the brain when we engage in religious activities and
how it impacts our health, quality of life and relationships. He does not attempt
to evaluate or question religious beliefs or the underlying concept of faith in
one’s religious and other personal beliefs as the most powerful way to maintain a
healthy brain. Religious beliefs and activities can have a profound impact on our
mental and physical well-being by reducing stress, improving resistance to

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diseases, enhancing memory and mental function, and helping us to lead longer
lives. “There is not just one part of the brain or body that is the religious centre of
who we are”, he says, instead the whole self seems to be very deeply affected by
religious ideas and practices. Dr. Newberg’s studies show that various parts of
the brain are affected in different ways by prayer and other religious rituals and
ceremonies.

Prayer is objectively real — a real God, real communication, real work, real
answers.

How Prayer Affects the Brain

In society today, scientists are embarking on research in an attempt to
understand the spiritual experience and the “divine” and what happens in the
brains and bodies of people who believe they connect with the divine. This field
is termed “neurotheology” and although it is new, it’s drawing prominent
researchers in the US and Canada and some other parts of the world. Scientists
have found that the brains of people who spend untold hours in prayer and
meditation are significantly different. Although the brain has many components,
Dr. Newberg’s studies show that certain areas are distinctly affected by prayer
and other related religious experiences. The overall result is an improvement in
brain function and well-being and an increase in the person’s capacity for
compassion. The regions of the brain illustrates the key components of the brain
that are influenced by prayer. For example….

The Frontal Lobe – is activated by prayer and focused attention. Activities that
engage this area protect it against age-related deterioration that is associated
with dementia. According to research, if prayer is done for at least 12 minutes a
day regularly, it may slow the age-related decline of the frontal lobe.

The Anterior Cingulate – is activated when we feel compassion, have awareness

of other people’s feelings, and empathise with them. Prayer increases activity in
this area, which is considered to be the part of the brain that most clearly
distinguishes human beings from animals. Dr. Newberg calls it the “neurological
heart.”

The Parietal Lobe – is at the back of the brain and is divided into two
hemispheres. It functions in processing sensory information regarding the

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location of parts of the body as well as interpreting visual information and

processing language and mathematics. This part of the brain is deactivated by
religious experiences such as singing hymns at religious services, making us feel
a connection with God and other people. Activity in this area drops during
religious experiences; our sense of self diminishes, enabling a feeling of being
more “at one” with God, other members of a congregation, or the universe at
large.

The Limbic System – the primitive or “reptilian” region of the brain is activated
by prayer. Once activated, it gives us comfort and reduces stress. This region
includes the amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, septal area, and cingulate
cortex. The limbic system is associated with anger, guilt, anxiety, depression,
fear, resentment, and pessimism. The limbic system is the oldest and most
rugged part of the brain, designed to fight for survival in harsh, primitive
environments that existed long before we lived in the type of society we have
today. It becomes activated when we feel anger, resentment, and other
destructive or pessimistic emotions. One part of the limbic system, which is the
amygdala, turns on a fight-or-flight response which then eliminates regard for
others and deactivates compassion. Prayer can prevent negative emotions in the
limbic system from becoming activated and can help turn on positive emotions.

As a general rule, prayer activates the more “human” (anterior cingulate) and
rational (frontal lobe) parts of the brain and deactivates the more primitive region
(the limbic system). This tames the anxious mind. Specific activities have
different types of impact and brain scans show that in Christianity, when
individuals speak in tongues, for instance, activity in the frontal lobe decreases.
This happens because the frontal lobes act as a type of gateway that keeps
information organized and attention focused. But the individual’s attention at that
very moment of speaking in tongues is not focused says Dr. Newberg. The
temporary suspension of the frontal lobe gateway enables new ideas that are
being discussed in the church setting to have a deeper impact on the person.
Singing hymns and saying group prayers at a church service have a different
effect on the brain. These are activities in which the members of a congregation
for example become a part of something bigger than themselves. At the same
time, they temporarily lose some of their sense of isolation. Worship played at a
service can intensify this effect. In addition to making a person feel closer to God,
this activity also increases a sense of unity with larger groups. The degree to
which prayer enhances the brain depends upon how long and how often people
pray. While a few minutes of occasional prayer may not bring about significant
improvements, studies show that more frequent practice for longer periods will
produce tangible benefits.

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Exercise Your Mind

“The brain is like a muscle,” says Dr. Newberg, “The more you use it, the better it
works.”

When prayers are spoken, either silently or out loud or sung, whether from
memory or by reading a prayer book, the brain becomes highly engaged. Such
prayers can focus on getting closer to God, showing gratitude, seeking strength,
or making a petition on behalf of oneself or another person. In addition to prayer,
Dr. Newberg’s research has examined the effects of meditation. To put this
research in context, meditation simply means to think about or contemplate
spirituality. The brain activity associated with various types of meditation is much
like that of contemplative or meditative prayers, which may include repeating
prayers (chanting) or simply reflecting on the meaning of Biblical passages. Brain
scans show that contemplative prayer increases activity in the frontal lobe. This
area becomes more active when we focus our attention It could be activated by
quiet prayer in your alone time or prayer at a religious service, where attention is
focused on saying, singing, or reading the scriptures or any other form of
religious text. Studies of people who meditate for many years have shown that
their frontal lobes are larger than those of their peers who don’t meditate. In a
study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Dr. Newberg examined
the effects of a meditation program on people who were experiencing a mild
degree of difficulty with memory. He found that participants who practiced
meditation for 12 minutes a day over eight weeks experienced significant
improvements in their memory. Strengthening the frontal lobe has other benefits
as well. It improves the “executive function” of the brain, which describes a wide
range of cognitive behaviours and processes that occur as we go about our
everyday lives. This can include anything from planning a daily itinerary to
coming up with a dinner menu to making more significant decisions such as
where to invest savings, or whether or not to buy a new home or where to send
your children to school. Overall, the enhancement of the frontal lobe helps to
maintain what we think of as a healthy brain. It keeps the brain in better shape
throughout the later years of life.

Our thoughts can activate the most primordial part of our brain, the limbic
system, while damaging those parts that support a healthier brain and a more
positive life. We must understand that prayer is not just something spiritual that
we do. According to brain research, scientists are finding out that prayer has
tangible effects on many of the brain’s systems. These are effects that can shape
the brain and make you feel more calmer and more compassionate toward

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yourself and others; overall carving a healthier you. The effects of prayer are
endless and from my own experience, I can tell you that praying, practicing
mediation and mindfulness promotes peace and good health mentally,
physically, and spiritually. I believe in the principle that states that a relaxed body
produces a relaxed brain and the mind-body connection helps to promote overall
well-being. Researchers have pinpointed that certain areas in the brain are
stimulated by prayer and this is directly related to how we feel in our body; it
makes us feel calmer, emotionally connected and generally more healthier
during and after prayer.

Prayer Heals the Mind

The after effect from fighting the battles of life can cause the mind to operate in
dysfunction. Living life in dysfunction starts when your life or another person’s
life ceases to operate normally. The term “dysfunction” is defined as the
“abnormal or impaired functioning” on the part of a person, between people in
any sort of relationship or amongst members of a family. Psychologists define a
psychological disorder broadly as psychological dysfunction in an individual that
is associated with distress or impairment in different areas of life and a reaction
that is not exactly expected. It is where the functioning of cognition, emotions or
behavior ceases. It is a syndrome that is characterised by clinically significant
disturbance in an individual’s cognitive, emotional regulation or behavior that
reflects a dysfunction in that psychological, biological or development process
underlying mental functioning.

Mental dysfunctions are often associated with significant distress in social,

occupational, and other important activities. A person with a psychological or
mental dysfunction, experiences abnormal thoughts, feelings and behavior. But
the question is… what is normal and what is abnormal? Let’s take a look at one
scenario, the person who washes his hands 40 times a day and the person who
claims to hear the voices of demons exhibit behaviours and inner experiences
that most would regard as abnormal. They exhibit beliefs and behaviours that
suggest the existence of a psychological or mental dysfunction. What thoughts,
feelings and behavior represents a true psychological or mental dysfunction and
how exactly do you deal with it? There was a time in my life when I was in
university, the enemy tormented my mind in the area of abandonment and
rejection. Why was this door open to the enemy? Because as I mentioned earlier,
at the age of twelve, I was falsely accused of doing something that I didn’t do by
my mother. The accusation went on from the age of twelve till I finished my time
at university, and to be falsely accused by my own mother was painful and
because of the accusation, not only did the accusation come with abandonment
and rejection, it also came with much torture and verbal abuse. Physical abuse

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and torture can heal within a few days or a few weeks, but verbal torture and
verbal abuse takes many years to heal because it affects the mind and how it
functions. It took me a long time to heal from that situation because as the years
go by, I spent time searching for an authoritative figure that I could trust for wise
counsel, encouragement, instructions, and prayers that is accessible and
approachable but unfortunately, I couldn’t find what I longed for. So I lived in
mental dysfunction for many years which led to certain addictions.

Many people go through life dealing with dysfunction, fears, and anxieties, that
have upended their lives. The pressures of life, the pain of the past, and the way
we choose to handle it all, can be shattering. This results in our minds, bodies
and emotions suffering the cumulative effect of living in a dysfunctional, soul-
impaired, stressed-out world. The mind is the engine room of your life and
destiny, it is the seat of power. The mind is where our limitations and
breakthroughs are formed. Until the mind is healed, life cycles are repeated and
conforming to a life of dysfunction becomes a lifestyle. It should be understood
that when your mind is filled with negative thoughts and your fears, anxieties
and depression takes a turn for the worst, and there is a decline in your faith and
you are roaming through life as if there is nothing worth living for, you need
mind deliverance and prayer is the antidote. According to…

2 Chronicles 7:14 – If my people who are called by My name, shall humble

themselves, pray and seek My face, turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear
from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. (NKJV)

Let’s say the mind is the land that needs healing. Prayer has the power to
penetrate through the stubborn mind. With prayer we can break the bondage of
Satan over the aware and unaware mind. As you lift up your voice in prayer, you
must expect your deliverance, because doubts, negative thoughts, or worry will
be a crack in your protective armor. Through prayer, we are well equipped to
denounce all kinds of mind control manipulation and renounce all mind controls,
strongholds, from the hand of the enemy. The healing of the mind through
prayer is possible. Jeremiah prays for deliverance and cries out to the Lord in….

Jeremiah 17: 14 – Heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be
saved, For You are my praise. (NKJV)

Here we see that in contrast to the people of Judah who trusted in man, in their
own heart, or in riches, Jeremiah looked to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel.
Jeremiah was confident that healing and salvation from the Lord would be true
healing and true rescue. It is hard to say if the healing that Jeremiah cried out for
was literal or spiritual in nature and in the bigger picture it doesn’t really matter.

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Either need is real, and God’s ability to heal both our physical and spiritual needs
is true and proven. Either way, Jeremiah was convinced and was confident that
the healing that comes from God is the only healing true and needed. Just like
Jeremiah prayed and cried out to the Lord for his healing, you can also cry out to
the Lord for you’re the healing of your mind. He is not a distant God. He is our
ever-present help in time of need who invites us to draw nearer to Him because
He desires to draw closer to us to heal every part of us that is wounded, hurt, and
broken.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Deliverance of the Mind
Deliverance is for the Desperate

T
he mind is the engine room for your destiny. It is where anything and everything
that is concerning your life is decided and executed. Hence the reason why there
is a constant battle for your mind. It is a ferocious spiritual battle and we are to
address this battle with the power of God and our spiritual armor. We must be
intentional about protecting our minds from the fiery arrows of demonic spirits
which continuously shoot projectiles in the archive of our mind to destroy our
lives. We are admonished to protect our minds with the Word of God to stay
sober and clear-headed according to…

Ephesians 6:17 – And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit
which is the Word of God. (NKJV)

Here Paul is saying that as believers we must put on the helmet of salvation and
be filled with the Word of God. The helmet protects the head from injury.
According to Wikipedia, a helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the
head. More specifically, a helmet compliments the skull in protecting the human
brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective functions are
sometimes worn. Soldiers wear helmets often made from lightweight plastic
material. Not only are we to protect our minds, we are to be loaded with God’s
Word, which is the sword of the Spirit. It is our counteractive weapon against to
combat the arrow of the adversary against our minds. We must know what the
bible says concerning right and wrong; this means we need to be students of the
scriptures. When we don’t understand certain passages, we must ask the Holy
Spirit and He will guide us into all truths according to John 16:13. We must think
about what we are thinking about. We must be patient and examine our
thoughts. Stop and ask yourself…Are they evil or righteous thoughts”? Would
Jesus oppose these ideas? Do they glorify God? The assurance of salvation is a
mighty defense against doubts and the kind of actions bred and manifested by
them. Our adversary and his allies look for open doors such as pain, betrayal,
failure, rejection, sicknesses, accidents, to capitalise and unleash all kinds of
attacks against the mind. You must understand that the adversary is not after the
tangible things in your life such as your house, your car, your clothes or shoes,
the adversary is after your faith. The sole purpose of the enemy is to plant seeds
of fear of the unknown in your mind to paralyse your faith. Throughout this book,
we have discussed and explored many ways to bring the mind under control.

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Now let’s look in-depth into what the deliverance of the mind entails. Deliverance
according to the Collins Dictionary is to rescued from imprisonment, danger, or
evil. It is the act of being rescued and set free. According to…

John 8:36 – He whom the Lord has set free is free indeed. (NKJV)

When we talk about deliverance, especially from a religious context, many have
the notion that it is only for those who have demons in them. While this may be
true that yes, it is for those under demonic attacks, it also includes freedom for
anything and everything that is sabotaging the life of God’s people. It includes
freedom from all kinds of oppression, stagnation, unforgiveness, anger or
anything that causes the many to live in a state of limitation. As life progresses,
and we encounter certain challenges, our minds are cluttered with all manner of
unpleasant thoughts, building residue of anxiety, depression, and fear. This is
what cripples many from moving forward in life. When you find yourself in such
a situation, you’ll realise that you gradually start conforming to the beat, the
sound, and the language of your pain. In such cases, we require a three-
dimensional deliverance of the mind, the heart, and the spirit. But for now, we
focus on the liberation of the mind. You might ask, is there such thing as mind
deliverance? According to…

Proverbs 4:23 - Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of
life. (NKJV)

Many people live in perpetual defeat because of the lies of the adversary until
those lies become strongholds. Many battle with past hurts and trauma that
prevents them from even attempting to enjoy the life that Jesus has already
made available for them. The changing of your situation largely depends on the
changing of your mindset. As mentioned earlier, battles are either won or lost in
the mind and the mind is easily accessible by the enemy if there is an open door.

Why the Need for Deliverance of the Mind?

Anxiety, depression, fear, and oppression first begin in the mind. It is an open
door for the fiery darts, projections, and suggestions of the enemy. By this, it

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then eventually becomes a legal ground for demonic penetration and operation.
Because the door is open, many people suffer from sicknesses that they cannot
explain, thoughts of suicide, even to the point of actually committing suicide,
leading to premature death. The mind needs to be rescued from oppression for
us to progress and take hold of the promises of God for our lives. Out of the mind
and the heart proceed the issues of life; our thoughts and actions. any people are
stuck in life because they are still holding onto offenses, anger, bitterness,
unforgiveness and these are all issues of the heart. It starts from the heart, then it
proceeds to the head. It’s time for a heart check. It is stated in…

Matthew 15:19-20 – For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murder,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things
which defile a man but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.
(NKJV)

Jesus boldly amplified that a man is defiled from the inside out rather than from
the outside in. Jesus stated a fundamental principle. Eating with “unclean hands”
or any other such thing that we put into us is not defiling; but rather what comes
out is what defiles and reveals if we have unclean (defiled) hearts. Our lifestyle is
indicative of the state of our mind. A corrupt mind through the lies of the enemy
can result in a life of struggling and stagnancy. We are not meant to stay in one
place. Life is progressive and even the smallest step in the right direction draws
you from where you are and pushes you closer to your destiny.

Battles are either won or lost in the mind and the mind is easily
accessible to the enemy if there is an open door.

God instructed Israel to make a move according to Deuteronomy 1:6. They had
been at Mount Sinai for too long. God did not bring them out of Egypt for them
to live forever at Mount Sinai. It was time to move on in faith and take hold of the
promised land. A year at Mount Sinai was too long. They became stagnant
because their mindset had not changed. Even though they were brought out
from Egypt, they still had the Egypt mindset. Remember, I said earlier that even
the smallest move you make, will draw you closer to your destiny and veer you
away from stagnancy. Stagnancy is a place of no movement, no growth, no
progression in life. It is the mission of the adversary to keep you away from your
destiny. Not too long ago, I went to view a new property that I want to move into
at a different location. Now, after viewing the property, compared to the

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apartment I’m sitting in right now as I am writing this; the size cannot compare.
After viewing the property, on my way home, I started making comparisons
between the two apartments. The new property is smaller in size compared to
the current apartment but then as I began to look at it from the God perspective I
realised that, even though the new apartment is smaller, the content of the new
property in terms everything that is included in the house far outweighs that of
the current property, therefore even though it looks like a downgrade, in actuality
because of the content, it is an upgrade and the move I am about to make stirs
me closer to where God is shifting me to, in this season of my life. God desires
for His children to advance and grow. Many have the notion that advancement
and growth only comes in the form of monetary blessings. If you are in a position
to hear God give you an instruction to move to a certain location in faith, then
that’s another opportunity for advancement and growth. For some of you, I don’t
know how long you have been roaming about in life, in the same place and the
same spot, going around in circles but It is now time to move! It is truly time to
move forward. God has no glory and honor in stagnation. So anything telling you
that being in the same place for the past ten to twenty years without no progress
is God, is a liar. It is all in the mind. Another reason why deliverance of the mind
is necessary in this hour is because the wrong mindset cannot approach God nor
receive from Him. The wrong mindset leads to carnal and fleshly desires. As
stated in…

Romans 8:5-8 - For those who lived according to the flesh set their minds on the
things of the flesh but those who live according to the spirit, the things of the
spirit. For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is subject to the law
of God indeed nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot
please God. (NKJV)

Here we see that Paul gives an easy way for us to determine if we walk in the
spirit or if we walk in the flesh – to simply see where our mind is set. The mind as
we have established, is the strategic battleground where the flesh and the spirit
fight. When our minds are set on the things of the flesh, we bring death into our
lives but walking in the spirit brings life and peace. The flesh battles against God
because it does not want to be crucified, surrendered, and be subjected to Jesus.
The mind that resists going through the renewal process is the mind that is
battling two worlds; the flesh and the spirit. Paul didn’t say that the carnal mind
was at enmity with God, he simply stated that the carnal mind is enmity against
God. The carnal mind is corrupted and rebellious as it operates in the realm of
the flesh, it leaves the door open for wrong thoughts, wrong desires, and wrong
motives. We must understand that the wrong mindset cannot approach God in
prayer or fellowship.

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The Deception of the Broken Mind

The truth that many cannot comprehend is that the mind can be broken. As you
are journeying through life, if you see parts in your reality or forms that are
separate and moving along according to an unknown modus operandi, you likely
have a broken mind. It sounds scary doesn’t it? To me, a broken mind is not a
description of the psychologically disillusioned or disordered but for all of us. A
broken mind comes when there has been a lot of wear and tear, particularly on
an emotional level. Yes, it functions normally but not in the desired way it should
because past experiences hinder its regular functioning. A lot of doubts and fears
circle the mind which we eventually call broken. This, therefore, means that we
can’t trust the thoughts that slithers in our mind. It can be deceptive. We
established that the genesis of our actions is the heart then the mind. It is stated
in…

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked;
who can know it? (NKJV)

As we have established, if the mind is broken, our thoughts can be deceiving. We

all tend to lie to ourselves about certain situations in our lives. Some may agree
with this statement and some may disagree. The truth of the matter is, at some
point in your life, you’ve deceived yourself by way of thought that a situation is
better than it may appear in your eyes. Sometimes, we may tell ourselves that
life is good but in actuality we may be struggling on the inside with torment and
all sorts of things. When we experience conflict with a brother or a sister, we’re
telling ourselves it’s no big deal when it is a big deal. You cannot be trusted to
tell yourself the truth. That’s why you need to question your own thoughts and
teach others not to believe everything they think. Just because you catch a
thought doesn’t mean it’s correct, neither should you believe it.

The wrong mindset cannot approach God in prayer or fellowship

John 8:44 - You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the
desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the
beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

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When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of
lies and half-truths. (NKJV)

Satan is “the father of lies”. And if he can get you to believe a lie, he can distract
you from what matters the most in your life and ultimately cause you to sin.
Anytime you sin, you are thinking that you know better than God. God has said
this, but what about that? And so you have to question what you think “If we say
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We deceive
ourselves all the time according to John 1:8.

The Imprisoned Mind

The bitter truth is that the hardest prison to escape is the prison of the mind.
Everything that we are and everything that we will ever become exist in the
mind. The effect of mental imprisonment on a normal person’s life can be
detrimental to their whole entire being. But what is the prison of the mind? It can
be many things and we must examine the cause and effect. In mental
imprisonment, your mind is corrupted by the traumatic happenings in your life,
and it is fairly easy to be deceived by what your mind tells you to do and where
your mind tells you to go. You see, the mind is like a jailor for the many who box
their lives to the events of the present, because of the self-imposed limitations
that they hold within themselves. To break out of the prison of the mind, the key
is to eradicate those self-imposed limiting beliefs so you can take a step forward
to a whole new dimension in your life. I always say that the smallest step in the
right direction leads you closer to your destiny. Your external reality influenced
by the internal beliefs you have about yourself, your life, and others. But once
those self-limiting beliefs are eliminated from your mind, you’ll find that your
perspective about who you really are, will change dynamically. Transformation
begins when the perspective changes. Perspective is the cornerstone of our
foundation of success in every area of life. Your perspective is indicative of how
fulfilling your life is and will be. The power of perspective is the ability to reframe
a situation. We are to consciously make the time to clear the lenses of our mind,
so we can view life from a different perspective – The God perspective.

What is your perspective? It is a particular attitude towards or way of regarding

someone or something. In layman’s terms, It is simply the way one looks at
something. It is also an art technique that changes the distance or depth of an
object on paper. An example of perspective is a farmer’s opinion about a lack of
rain. Another example of perspective could be of a painting where the railroad
tracks appear to be curving into a distance.

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Your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception – do not

confuse them with “facts” or “truth”. Wars have been fought and millions have
been killed because of the inability of men to understand the idea that
everybody has a different viewpoint. – John Moore.

There is only one thing we can truly own while we are here on Earth and that is
the one thing that can never be taken from us, the thing we carry with us
everywhere we go, every day of our lives – That is perception. Our perception is
completely unique to us. Everyone is different and none of us will ever have the
same perception of reality because there are no two people whose lives are the
same. The way we were raised, the culture we grew up in, the relationship we
had with our parents, all play a part in forming our perception.

Your reality is as you perceive it to be. So it is true that by altering this

perception, we can alter our reality – William Constantine

Two amazing things happen to us when we realise that our perception does not
equal “truth”. The first being, we can view circumstances and people from a
bird’s eye view rather than being attached to one side. Because of the inability to
see things from both sides we notice that we no longer are naming situations in
forms of black and white, right, and wrong, good, or bad. We see that each
person has their own unique viewpoint and technically, they are both “right”
(from where they are standing). People can only see things through the lens of
their own perception.

Your viewpoints in life shape your thoughts, decisions, actions and ultimately
your success. For example…have you ever wondered why people from the
poorest parts of the world seem to be happier than those in the wealthiest
nations? It’s probably because they view life through the value-lenses of health
and family versus wealth and fame. Of course, those choices are not mutually
exclusive. However, if you lose the latter you can recover, if you lose the former,
you’re truly lost. Do you remember a time when your perspective changed
dramatically? Times such as falling in love or death in the family? In an instant,
your orientation shifted. What you placed in focus was different. The world may
have looked brighter or dimmer. You may have been prompted to action. If you
just welcomed the birth of your first child for example, you may start thinking
about the quality of the local school system or the quality of the food you buy in
the supermarket.

At least 60% of my time is spent studying the mind and how it works. I am all
about transforming the mind to its original state of functionality for you and I to

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live the life that was already made available for us through the finished works of
Christ. We know that Jesus said It is already finished according to John 19:30.
Everything concerning your life; all that you will need to live a fulfilled life has
already been taken care of. What a promise! When transformation in the mind
begins, you strive more, you become more curious, you become more motivated
to take steps toward the necessary actions required that will ultimately lead to
what you truly want to achieve in your life. Many people limit their lives because
of what they think they cannot achieve. Why does this happen? Because of self-
imposed limiting beliefs ingrained in their minds due to the after-effects of the
pain of the past. However, once you break out of the prison of the mind, you
become unstoppable. You have the propensity to achieve anything you set your
mind to achieve when it is backed up by consistent actions. Consistency is key.

Once you break out of the prison of the mind you become unstoppable

Many people live their lives in their own self-imposed mental prison. As stated
earlier, the mind is the jailor for many who confine their life to their current
reality because of the self-imposed limitations that they hold within themselves,
the key is to banish those limitations so that you can elevate your life to a whole
new level. Your outer reality is influenced by the internal beliefs that you have
about yourself, once those limiting beliefs are eliminated from your life you will
become more motivated to take action on what you truly want to achieve. You
see, the mental prison you conform to, you hold the key within you to escape.
Make it a point every day to perform something I call mind projection. Project
your mind to who you dream of becoming and what you dream of doing with
your life. This will enable you to break free from the prison of conformity that
wants you to stay stuck where you currently are. Your thoughts affect your
emotions, your emotions affect your decisions and your decisions affect your life.
The subconscious part of our mind controls 95% of our lives while 5% is
controlled by the conscious part of our mind. We tend to repeat the habits that
have been ingrained in our minds day in and day out unconsciously. These are
habits that create limitations and stunts the growth and development of the
mind.

The Surrendered Mind

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The reason why many people are walking broken with a corrupted and
dysfunctional mindset is because we are susceptible to want to take full control
of the battles and the challenges we face. To surrender is to stop fighting and
resisting something or someone and you intentionally submit to their authority.
The average mind is full of what experts call “mental clutter"—all the chatter
that’s going on in our heads during our waking hours. While some of this is
normal, it can also be stressful and make it pretty hard to concentrate.

Life is all about living in liberty with peace of mind. Learning to let go of the
things we cannot control. I learned the heart of surrender a long time ago and
when applied accordingly has proven very beneficial in my life. There is a
difference between the art of surrender, the act of surrender and the heart of
surrender. We can talk about surrender, but do we really know what it means to
surrender? And even if we surrender and let go of the things we can’t change or
control, is our heart really in it? Whenever life presented me with a situation that I
could not handle, I stopped trying to figure it out. Instead of constantly dwelling
on the situation, I simply surrender. You may say, “it’s easier said than done”. I
totally understand. It took a while to willingly surrender the things that I can’t
control. It wasn’t a walk in the park, because I used to be someone who would
constantly worry about everything. I would sit down and think about a certain
situation over and again. It started to affect certain areas of my life and my
health. But we thank God that I am on the road to recovery.

Self-imposed limitations are detrimental to God’s plan for your life.

Deepak Chopra said: “Surrender is faith that the power of love can accomplish
anything even when you cannot see the outcome.

Isn’t that powerful? Let me ask you a question… How do you handle situations in
your life that seem to leave you feeling anxious and worried? The way you
handle and respond to the situation determines the outcome. I have found that
instead of pondering on the same situation over and again, sometimes, it is best
to take a step back, evaluate the situation, listen to that still small voice in earnest
expectation that the solution will be available at the appointed time. This is
something that many people know about in theory but cannot practically apply
when a situation presents itself in their lives. The ultimate goal in life is to live in
peace with a well-balanced mind. This may seem somewhat out of context right
now but for me, I have also come to a place in my life where I have trained
myself to prioritise my thoughts. I prioritise what I think about every minute of

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the day. You may ask…what do you mean? Let me explain…If I have certain
issues in my life that are affecting the way I function and are directly stunting my
growth and progress; I intentionally choose to prioritise what issue really needs
my attention on a particular day. It frees my mind from the trap of fear and
anxiety. When I am in this mode, just like a lightbulb comes on when you switch
the light on in your homes, the subconscious part of my mind will give me an
idea as to how to solve certain problems. You don’t need to get stuck and stay in
the fog of confusion. Why? Because we live in a society, in a culture, in a world
that is always looking for answers. Sometimes, in life, we are led to a place of the
unknown as a time of training and testing. We always need to allow room for
uncertainty in our lives. It takes the pressure of wanting to know every move we
need to make, and it certainly takes the pressure of the need to control
everything. Surrender is also learning to submit your mind to your heart. Why,
what do you mean? You may ask! I mean, learning to follow what your heart tells
you to do more than what your head tells you to. The mind tends to flow on logic
and reasoning. The conscious part of your mind is the part that wants to be in
control of everything and mainly runs on logic and reasoning. Have you ever
been in a position where you had to make a very important decision and you find
yourself going over it again and again and each time, your mind is telling you
one thing and your heart is telling you something else? I don’t know about you,
but I have been there many times. Let’s be real with ourselves for a minute, there
are certain decisions, that take the life out of you because you are fully aware
that, the decision will either affect more than one area of your life or it will affect
more than one person in your life. So it is understandable for anyone to go into a
“temporary” state of worry. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you
don’t dwell on it for too long. The one thing you will find though, is that there is
an automatic battle between your mind and your heart, and this is where
confusion begins; we know that God is not the author of confusion but of peace.

Where should you go to school? What should you study? Whom should you
marry? Should you have kids? Where should you live? Our society often nudges
us to make hard decisions by making you answer the default questions above.
Decision making often becomes hard tasks, then when we look to the world
around us for answers and solutions, no suggestion is offered. I have had to
make some tough decisions in my life and all the while, my mind is telling me, go
to the left and my heart is telling me to go to the right. In most cases, I go with
what my heart is telling me to do. With that being said, the mind can be
deceptive, if it is functioning under the realm of dysfunction, it can create
problems that don’t even exist and adversely lead you to make wrong decisions
that can be detrimental to your present and your future. Hence, why not only is it
imperative that we learn to submit our minds to our hearts, it is also vital that we
master submitting our thoughts to Christ.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Maintaining the Deliverance of the Mind
Freedom is a State of Mind

G
ood mental health is essential to living happy and healthy lives. Mental health
emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and
act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make
choices. Mental health is important at every stage of our lives from childhood to
adolescence through to adulthood. People who have good mental health are
aware of their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. They feel good about themselves
to have good relationships. However, many things that happen in our lives can
disrupt our mental health and this can lead to strong feelings of sadness, stress,
and anxiety. An important part of keeping fit and healthy is to take care of our
mental health. Good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfill
several key functions and activities including the ability to learn, the ability to feel,

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to express, and manage a range of positive and negative emotions. The ability to
form and maintain good relationships. A well-balanced life is predicated on
having a well-balanced mind. It essential for personal effectiveness, peace of
mind, and living well.

Good mental health is an expression we use every day, but it may surprise you to
know that the term “mental health” is frequently misunderstood. Phrases such as
“good mental health”, “positive mental health”, “mental wellbeing”, “subjective
wellbeing”, and even “happiness” have been proposed by various people to
emphasise that mental health is about wellness rather than illness. While some
say this has been helpful, others argue that using more words to describe the
same things just adds to the confusion. It is important to remember that mental
health is complex. The fact that someone is not experiencing a mental health
condition doesn’t necessarily mean that their mental health is flourishing.
Likewise, it is possible to be diagnosed with a mental health condition while
feeling well in many aspects of life. Ultimately, mental health is about being
cognitively, emotionally, and socially healthy. The way we think, feel, and develop
relationships and not merely the absence of a mental health condition. People
with good mental health have learned healthy ways to cope with stress and
problems that are a normal part of life. A mentally healthy person is a productive
person; they are engaged, they feel safe, they like that they are cared for, they are
focused on whatever they set their mind to do.

The bible indicates that our adversaries are intelligent, and they can speak their
minds. God permits them to speak to human beings through the same spiritual
channel the Holy Spirit uses to insert thoughts into our minds! The problem we
have is that most often, we cannot always identify the source of the voice. We all
have imagination and we can all create thoughts! We all have a profound
proclivity to create evil thoughts because regardless of who we are, we all have
the natural propensity for doing wrong. The enemy is an expert at doing wrong
and can insert their knowledge of evil into our minds. They are masters at using
the power of suggestion. This power is not trivial and does not confuse it with our
ability to generate evil thoughts on our own. Similarly, the Holy Spirit uses the
power of suggestion to plant thoughts in our minds, therefore prompting us to
obey God and do right. The fruit of the power of suggestion initiated by the
enemy manifests itself in the form of anger, hatred, violence, the urge to cause
vengeance and destruction and when adrenaline-induced anger goes beyond
reason, you can be sure it is the work of the enemy.

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Freedom is not voluntarily given, it must be commanded

It is imperative to understand, that as much as God is fighting for our mind, the
devil is also fighting for our mind. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but
against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We
are told in scripture that we should not think it strange regarding the fiery trials
that we sometimes undergo as if something strange were happening to us. As
stated previously, the enemy cannot possess the believer but can oppress the
believer and the place to strike is the mind. How and when does he strike? He
strikes when we are overwhelmed with the challenges of life, when all the odds
are against us and all hope seems lost. When we experience grief, hurt, and pain,
that is when the enemy attacks the mind. Why? Because this is the point of
vulnerability. These are demonically orchestrated to send the believer to great
despair, so much so that they struggle to have a God-focused mindset.

The assignment of the enemy is to steal, to kill, and to destroy according to John
10:10. All of a sudden, you find yourself struggling with doubt, fear, guilt, anger,
depression, inadequacy, etc. These are strategically designed to attack the mind
to make the believer go into a state of no want, which adversely leads the believer
to dummy down or even give up on their Christian walk. Why does this happen? It
happens because when we go through the toughest seasons of our lives, instead
of looking to God, we look to the world and to man. Instead of focusing on the
Word, we focus on the world. I cannot tell you how many times, I have counselled
people who have gone through and are currently going through challenges in
their lives, who turn around and say to me… “It seems like God has forgotten
about me. I don’t think this Christian thing is really for me”. The audacity! That is
an insult to God. The reason why the enemy can oppress the mind is because
when push comes to shove, if our mind is not filled and renewed with the Word of
God, it becomes an access point for the enemy. Scripture tells us in…

Matthew 12:43-45 – When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through
dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I will return to my house
from where I came. And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in
order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than
himself and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse
than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation. (NKJV)

The enemy can only inhabit someone if he finds them empty, without the working
of the Word of God in their inner man. If the inner man is empty, it doesn’t matter
to the enemy if it is swept and put together. The enemy has no obligation to the
house being swept and garnished; for a moralist may be as truly his slave as the
man of debauched habits. So long as the heart is not occupied by his great foe

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and he can use the man for his own purposes, the adversary of souls will let him
reform as much as he pleases. The enemy can inhabit someone when they are
operating or walking around with the wrong spirit. If a man or a woman is
operating with the spirit of jealousy, envy, and insecurity, the enemy can use
those things as bait to lead them to “try” and destroy someone’s life. Notice I
said… “try”? The enemy is already a defeated foe, so all he can do is “try”.

The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on the things we desire not on
the things we fear. The reason why a lot of people are struggling in the area of the
mind is not because they do not want to succeed or do not want to do anything to
become a better version of themselves, it is because they have been wounded by
the battles of life which has left them bruised and corrupted in the mind, so much
so that they walk in chronic fear. Everyone gets anxious sometimes, but if your
worries and fears are so constant that they interfere with your ability to function
and relax, you may have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD is a common
anxiety disorder that involves constant and chronic worrying, nervousness, and
tension. You can only go as far as your mind allows you to. The mind must be
filled with the Word of God daily. Where the word is, there is illumination, light,
and life. In order for us to live the life that was already made available for us
through the finished works of Christ, we must abide by the laws and the principles
of what is written in the Word of God. The secret to being filled and remaining full
of the Holy Spirit is to saturate yourself with His Word. The Word brings purpose
and success to life. According to…

John 17:17-18 – Sanctify them by Your truth, your Word is the truth. As You sent
Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. (NKJV)

Jesus came into the world to fulfill a purpose. As we study His Word, we find
purpose in Him. God told Joshua, the Word must not depart from his mouth and
he must do all that is written in it. This principle works. God promised that if we
put the Word into practice, He will bless us in all things. The Word of God is living
and active. His Word never returns back to Him void but accomplishes all that it
sets out to accomplish. Studying God’s Word does not make us morally different
from others; instead, it educates our conscience, sharpens our minds, and causes
us to see this world and the people in it more as God sees them. The Word is light
according to….

Psalm 119:130 – The entrance of your words gives light; it gives understanding to
the simple. (NKJV)

Here the psalmist tells us that God’s Word brought light in him. It made things
more clearer. When the Word came in, light and clarity came in. The Word of God

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is so clear and light-giving that even the simple find understanding. Our minds
need to be washed daily with the Word to be restored, renewed, and transformed
from the old state of thinking predominately led by the past to a new state of
thinking. You can only become by unbecoming. One of the fundamental lessons I
have learned in my life so far is that you can only become by unbecoming. The
phrase “Becoming” is being used very loosely in society today. Sometimes, I
wonder if people really know what it takes to become. It is a painful process of
unbecoming full of tears and frustration. I can tell you, just last night, I went to the
park to pray, in the middle of the prayer, I had to stop and sit down on the grass
and just talk to God normally because there was something in my heart that I
needed to get out. In the midst of me talking to God, I couldn’t help but to start
crying and I cried bitterly. Some want to become overnight, but it takes years.
Sometimes, it takes years of being alone because the journey to destiny is a lonely
journey. It is a lonely journey because 1) You are most often misunderstood 2)
People will dislike you without a cause 3) Your vision and you as the visionary is a
target for the enemy. It is the same thing with the mind. The mind cannot be
renewed, reprogrammed, and transformed overnight. It takes days, months, and
even years of intentional efforts to work on watering the mind with everything it
needs to function properly, which begs the question….How patient, willing, and
resilient are you to see through the becoming process in mind, body, and spirit? In
this case, let’s focus on the becoming process of living life with a renewed and
transformed mind.

Maintaining Your Deliverance With the Word

Your mind is the roadmap to your destiny and if the mind is corrupted, it ceases
to grow. Life experiences depending on the manner and magnitude of the
experience can stunt the growth of the mind. The primary assignment of this
book is to enable you as the reader to gain an understanding of how the mind
works and how you can take control of your thought life by taking you through
the process of transforming your mind with effective tools, techniques and
teaching accompanied by my own personal experiences, extensive research on
the brain and how it operates. It is your time to declutter your mind from the
experiences of the past and gain control over your life. The creeping in your
mind. It is filled with not only with reminders of His unconditional love for you
but also reminders of how much God desires that you are set free and delivered
in mind, body, and spirit. What does it feel like for the mind to be filled with the
Word of God? A mind filled with God’s written Word is a free mind, continually
empowered, enlightened, and filled with thoughts of all things true, pure, lovely,
noble, and of virtue. We are admonished to meditate on the word day and night
according to….

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Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according
to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have good success. (NKJV)

To meditate is to focus one’s mind for a period of time on something, in silence

or with the aid of chanting for spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation. It
can also mean “thinking deeply” about a particular thought. The Greek word to
meditate is “Hagah” translated as “to muse”. To muse is a period of reflection on
a thought or something important. It is similar to thinking, pondering, reflecting,
reminiscing, or being in deep thought. The command to meditate on God’s law
includes reflecting on what the law means and how it can be applied in one’s life.
It, therefore, involves incorporating its teachings in one’s lifestyle as the basis of
true success in life. There is a wisdom and an understanding that comes through
meditation that is beyond common and intellectual sense. It is mainly the method
that God provided to renew our minds, impart focus, and ingenious waves of
creativity and abilities enabling us to walk in dominion here on earth. Meditation
is a spiritual law and it works every time. In order to shift our thinking, we must
understand the power and the importance of meditating on God’s Word. It brings
the unseen promises of God into manifestation int your life. It is my source of
peace and strength. You see, wealth in monetary terms cannot compare to
walking through life with a sound mind and the peace of God that surpasses all
understanding. This is the missing link to true success for many people.
According to….

Hebrews 8:10 – For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord, I will put My laws in their mind and write them
on their hearts; and I will be their God and they will be my people. (NKJV)

The new covenant in this text started with Israel but it was never intended to end
with Israel. This new covenant is not like the covenant God made with their
Fathers. Again this emphasises that there is something substantially different
about this new covenant. The new covenant features “transformation” from
within not regulation through external laws. There is kind of an reason why many
people are struggling in the area of the mind is because they have been injured
by the battles of life which has left them bleeding. The world is filled with broken
people with fractured hearts, wounded hearts, wounded minds, and torn spirits.
Where the mind goes, the man follows. I know what it feels like to be completely
bruised and wounded in the mind, in 2017 when I lost absolutely everything that I
had worked for, I almost lost my mind. The thought of seeing everything slip out
of my hands and the people who were supposed to be supporting me, started
turning against me, was unbearable and to add insult to injury, six months went

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by, God was completely silent. Regardless of how many times I prayed and
worshipped, It felt as though God was distant but what I didn’t know was that, He
was pushing me to go deeper into the Word. The Word of God was my urgency
for the people of God to delve into the Word on a deeper level. When we make
an intentional effort to dive into the Word on a deeper level, we are better
equipped to handle the affairs of life in times of unexplainable circumstances. A
mind filled with the Word of God is free from anxiety and worry but filled with
peace. Many attribute their peace to the material possessions of this world but
there is something fundamentally different from the kind of peace that God gives.
Right now, I am facing challenges that I’ve never faced before in my life but for
some reason, my mind is filled with peace. I am persecuted, accused, ridiculed
every single day but I am at peace and I cannot explain this feeling. Some may
ask….why is she so calm all the time? she must not be going through anything,
otherwise, she will be frustrated, complaining, and fretting all the time. I refuse to
complain. I refuse to fret, because when I read my bible, I read my bible for
revelation not for information and I know what the Word of God says about my
situation and what I should do. I “refuse” to worry or stress. The one thing I have
come to realise is that, you can read the bible five times a day for ten hours a day
but if you’re not getting revelation, it is pointless. We walk by revelation not by
information. If you dive into the Word and you still end up worrying, stressing,
and complaining, it is useless. The entrance of the Word gives illumination,
understanding, and light. This is where the God kind of peace comes from.
Anxiousness is a paralyser. According to….

Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God and the
peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

What is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding? Good question isn’t
it? You would be surprised that many people read this verse on face value but
don’t exactly know what it is, otherwise, we won’t have so many people worrying
about their lives and what the future holds. We only have the present moment,
so we should accept our past and move on. We’ll never get the past back. I’m not
saying we shouldn’t worry because there are moments in life when the
challenges we face become unbearable. It will feel as if you’ve lost control. We
may worry momentarily but I dare say, it is not acceptable to wallow in fear. The
peace of God that surpasses “all” understanding is when you’re in such
calmness and serenity, but you have no logical, rational reason for it. This is the
state I am in, in this season of my life. I should be worried. Yes! I should be
shouting at the top of my lungs. Hmm! but no, I find that my mind, my body, and
my spirit is at peace. Why? Because peace keeps you silent. Knowing what the

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Word of God says when applied accordingly keeps you silent; in silent trust and
silent confidence. Isn’t that what we hear all the time. Some will say… but how is
it possible that he or she can be in so much peace? I mean, you just heard that
you lost your job, right? You just heard that your house is on the list to get
repossessed right? But for some reason without any comfort. When I had no one
to turn to, when it seemed as though I was surrounded by so many people in the
church I was living in, there was no one I could trust to open up to, so I started
reading the Word of God like a crazy woman and now I can gladly say that, I am
constantly working on reprogramming and renewing my mind with the truth of
God’s Word. We must understand that our minds are sanctified by the truth of
God according to John 17:17. By continually and ceaselessly delving into the
Word of God, it gives me light and clarity. God’s Word is a source of cleansing
and washing. It aids in detoxing the mind of toxic thoughts and enabling you as
an individual to walk through life in a state of positivity.

A Mind Filled With the Word

A mind filled with the Word of God cannot be easily penetrated by the enemy.
When we consciously fill our minds with the Word of God, there will be no room
for the whisperings of the enemy to have any effect. The Word of God is like a
blocker. It blocks impure thoughts from logical explanation, you’re at peace
about the situation. Is it possible? Yes, it is. That is how the mind filled with the
Word of God operates when backed up with prayer. A mind filled with the Word
of God has the propensity to shift your perspective. You look at life and your
situation from the God perspective. The battle in front of you may be intense.
You’re fighting battles from every corner, but you are confident that the
omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God is on the case. That is how you
activate the peace of God in your life.

Replace Self Focused Mindset With God Focused Mindset

The God-focused mindset is thinking about who God is and how He thinks. Did
you know that your brain adapts to your thoughts? Your beliefs about God affect
not just your spiritual health, but your mental, emotional, and physical health as
well. How? Who you think God is and the way you think God operates affects the
functionality of your brain, which directly affects the decisions you make. For
example… If you made a request to God and after days, weeks, months of fasting
and prayer, and it seems as though God is silent and nothing seems to be
working in the natural, you will be tempted to take matters into your own hands
and do it your way. A person’s thoughts will determine who that person is. To
maintain a healthy state of mind, it is imperative to change your view of God.

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Your Brain Conforms To Your Thoughts – Research shows that the thoughts you
choose to entertain constantly reshapes the physical structure of your brain.
Thinking new thoughts causes new neurons to develop and new electrical
circuits to be wired to form new patterns of connections. Letting go of old
thoughts causes unused neurons to disappear and rewires the electrical circuits
within your brain. When we learn something new, the old neural pathways are
overlaid with new ones (that’s the physical change in the brain) which creates
new patterns of thought and behavior. Throughout the day, our body is reacting
and changing in response to the pattern of our thoughts. One thought that move
stealthily into your mind causes your brain to release neurotransmitters; these
are chemical transmitters that allow your thoughts to communicate with your
nervous system and other parts of itself. Neurotransmitters control virtually all of
our body’s functions; from hormones to digestion to feeling happy, sad, and
stressed.

Liberty is your passport to living life with fearless faith

With much research, I found that your thoughts cause neurochemical changes in
the brain and it can be temporary or permanent. One example of this is when
people make it a priority to practice gratitude. They get a surge of rewarding
transmitters like dopamine and generally experience a more empowered and
enlightened mind. What flows through your mind has the potency to reshape
your brain in permanent ways. Expressed differently, set out to relax yourself and
think of your mind as the movement of information through your nervous
system, which according to science on a physical level, is all the signals running
back and forth, most of which is happening below your conscious awareness.
There is an old saying in neuroscience: “neurons that fire together, wire
together”. This means the more you run a neural circuit in your brain, the
stronger the circuit becomes. “Glial cells” are the gardeners of your brain – they
act to speed up signals between certain neurons. Neuropsychologist Donald
Hebb first used this phase in 1949 to describe how pathways in the brain are
formed and reinforced through repetition. The more the brain does a certain task,
the stronger that the neural network becomes, making the process more efficient
each successive time. This is why the practice of gratitude – the regular
journaling and the habitual moments of reflection can be so powerful. It creates
and strengthens pathways in the brain to acknowledge all we have to be grateful

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for each day. And the more we do it, the more ingrained the practice becomes,
and the easier it is for our brain to process gratitude – creating a virtuous cycle.
When your thoughts travel through your brain, neurons fire together in
remarkable ways mainly based on specific information and according to
research, those patterns of neural activity change your neural structure.

Look at Your Situation from the God Perspective

In the world we live in today, it’s easy to get caught up in our problems, so much
so that we lose sight of our true purpose in life and that is to worship and love
God fully. We become so focused on our problems; attaining the next
accomplishment, possessing the next material thing, or the breakthrough that we
so desire to happen, that we take our eyes off the source. Yet, we are constantly
reminded to run our race with our eyes focused solely on Christ according to
Hebrews 12:1-2 which declares…“Let us run with perseverance the race marked
out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. I came to
a season in my life where I thought it was unquestionably imperative that I
eliminate all the distractions and silence all the noise around my life. You see,
focus is the fuel for the future, and it is to consciously direct one’s mind and pay
particular attention to something or someone. If we are focused on Christ, then
He alone should have our attention. God ultimately should occupy the forefront
of our minds and be the centre of our focus at all times. With our minds shooting
in a focused direction, we find that some of the challenges we are facing in life,
are minor in the sight of God. Even during the most challenging seasons in my
life, I understand, He has complete supremacy over everything concerning my
life. We are told in….

Colossians 3:2-4 – Set your mind on things above, not on things on earth. For
you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life,
appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (NKJV)

Psychology says… when you focus on your problems, you will have more
problems. When you focus on possibilities, you will have more opportunities.
With all the chaos happening around the world, we as human beings have been
classically conditioned to directly focus on our problems instead of focusing on
the God who has the ability and the credibility to change all things. Once again, I
decided to go to the park to pray. As I was walking to the park, I was ready to lift
up prayers in the atmosphere but as I sat down on the grass worshipping, it was
almost as if I came to a state of arrest, God would not release me from that place
of worship, I just kept worshipping and for a moment, I forgot about everything.

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You see, we are to focus our minds on things above and look at the challenges in
our lives from the God perspective. As a reflective thinker, I often ask myself a
question…. “could it be that God allowed certain situations in my life to look
dead so He can show Himself as the ultimate resurrector”? You see, the mind
fuels from asking yourself “hard” questions.

Let’s take a look at the story of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood
according to Mark 5:21-43. Here we see that, Jesus had left the gentile region
around the sea of Galilee, where He met a man who was possessed by many
demons and after a while, He returned to the Jewish town on the other side.
There a large crowd gathered around to meet Him. Among the multitude of
people was a synagogue ruler named Jairus, whose daughter was sick to the
point of death. With much persuasion, he begged Jesus to come and lay hands
on His daughter that she may live. Jairus had great confidence in Jesus, he
believed that Jesus had the power to heal his daughter, but he also believed that
Jesus should be physically there for it to happen. As they were making their way
to Jairus’ house, with Peter, James, and John, He had an encounter with the
woman with the issue of blood. This woman had been in this critical condition for
the past twelve years. Her condition made her ceremonially and socially unclean.
This woman had gone to see many doctors only to suffer even more. She had
spent all her livelihood on physicians but still could not get the treatment that she
so desired. The first lesson here is this… many times, in the heat of our trials and
tribulations, we tend to consult with the people around us and the counsel they
give makes the situation worse. We must take our problems first to the throne
before we take them to the phone. In the presence of God, you will find the
direction that will lead you to the solution to the problem at hand. For everyone
who seeks, finds. Now, because this woman’s condition was considered
shameful and humiliating, she would have been condemned for touching Jesus
but in desperation, she reached out to Jesus and uttered… “If only I may touch
His clothes, I shall be made well. Because of her condition, she wanted to do it
secretly. She would not openly ask Jesus to be healed but she thought, “If only I
may touch His clothes, I shall be made well”. Sometimes, only Jesus can fix what
we are going through. He uses man as an agent of the solution, but He is the
initiator of the solution. Our ultimate cry should be to the source of our solution.

In the end, Jesus felt that someone had touched His clothes, and virtue had left
him. He said, “who touched my clothes”. This was before she revealed who she
was. Point to realise here is this…Jesus already knew who touched His clothes,
He just wanted to know if she would openly confess that it was her. With much
fearing and trembling, knowing what she had done, she fell down before Him
and told Him the whole truth. After doubting whether she had even been healed,
Jesus said to her “Go in peace and be healed from your affliction”. Jesus called

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her out so she would know without an ounce of doubt that she was healed. All
she had to do was believe. Whatever we desire, happens in two ways, we do our
part and God takes care of the rest. In this case, the woman did her part by
reaching out to Jesus and Jesus did His part by speaking to her situation and
providing healing. We must understand that from the first time we inquire of God
about a certain situation, He has already released the solution, all we have to do
is believe and at the appointed time, not only will we be led to the solution, but
we shall also see the manifestation of that which we have been praying for. It
took me a while to get to this point in my walk with God because I used to be
such a worrier. The test is the ability to be patient. Every day I learn that, you
don’t get what you only pray for, you get what you wait for. Certain blessings are
bigger than we can ever comprehend, but it takes patience to see the
manifestation. Impatience leads to a life of compromise. With that being said,
“sometimes, our blessings don’t come as gift-wrapped as we want them to and if
we focus on our preferences and how we want God to do it, we will miss out on
the greatest blessings of our lives”. According to Isaiah 60:22

Notice something here…while Jesus was tending to the woman with the issue of
blood, Jairus was still waiting for Jesus to come to His daughter’s rescue. Poor
Jairus! During all this, his daughter laid at home, ill! Her life was slipping away. It
was torture to see Jesus take time out to minister to this woman while his
daughter suffered at home. God is never slow. He is always on time but
sometimes, He seems to be slow to the sufferer for a “reason”. Emphasis on the
word “reason”. Jairus made his request “first” but had to wait while Jesus took
care of someone else who made their request second and all the while, his
daughter’s condition got worse to the point of death. Could it be that what you
requested for or what you ordered for is a special order and it needs time to be
cooked and be prepared? Or could it be that sometimes, what we requested for
or ordered is already prepared but God has to prepare us mentally, physically,
and emotionally? With that said… Sometimes, God will allow a situation to “die”.
He will purposely delay to the point where the situation looks dead to you and
others around you. Here we see that Jesus called Jairus to an extreme level of
faith with an extreme promise. Certain issues require extreme faith and extreme
patience.

Some people from the synagogue came to Jairus and bluntly said…”Your
daughter is dead, why bother the teacher”? Jairus’ heart sank when he heard
this! Imagine how you would feel if you have been praying for healing for your
son or daughter; you’ve prayed, fasted, and waited but all of a sudden out of
nowhere, someone or a relative comes to you and says… “your child is dead”.
Jairus must have thought, I knew this would happen. Jesus was taking too long
with the woman. He shouldn’t have wasted time with that woman and now look

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at what has happened. It seemed like Jesus delayed and now the situation is
beyond hope. He must have thought, there is nothing that can happen now.
However, this was an opportunity for Jesus to show Himself as the resurrector
who died and resurrected on the third day and has the ability and the power to
resurrect what seems to be dead. Jesus told Jairus to stop being afraid which
seemed somewhat cruel for Jesus to say something of such to a man who just
lost his daughter, but Jesus knew that fear and faith don’t work together. Before
Jairus, could really trust Jesus, He had to first put away his fear and only believe.
Remember when I said, I used to be such a worrier, this is something that God
has had to strip away from me, and it was done the hard way. We cannot believe
and be afraid at the same time. Eventually, fear will override faith if it is fed for
too long. We are not supposed to believe and try and figure it all out in our own
strength and in some cases with some people; use manipulation to make things
happen. I concluded at some point a few months ago, to not try to believe and
make sense of any delays in my life. Only believe. Jairus was only meant to
believe in the Word of Jesus, even though everything in the physical, told him
that the situation was hopeless.

When He came in, He said to them “why make this commotion and weep”? The
child is not dead but sleeping! This gets to me up every time I read it. How can
you tell me that my child is sleeping when she’s dead? Have you lost your mind?
Let’s replay that scenario again... Some people from the synagogue came to
Jairus and said… “Your daughter is dead, why bother the teacher”? Jesus came
to the house and said… why are you all behaving like something bad has
happened, “the child is not dead but sleeping”. You must be kidding me! My
child is lying there with no movement, you should have been here a long time
ago to heal her and now you’re telling me she’s only sleeping? What does this
tell you? It tells me that some people “claim” to know Jesus, but they have ever
had a real encounter with Him. Jesus as He resurrected on the third day became
the “resurrector”. Could it be that the situation you deem as “dead” is just
sleeping? Sometimes, God is waiting for us to take our hands off, so that He can
step in as the resurrector and bring it back to life. Sometimes, God purposely
allows some situations to get worse, so that we have no choice but to take our
hands off. That’s when He steps in to resuscitate, revive, and resurrect what is
deemed “dead”. He purposely delayed the healing of Jairus’ daughter to show
that by His resurrection power, even the dead can come back to life. Sometimes,
God’s delays are purposeful for many reasons, but we can only come to this
revelation when we decide to fix our eyes and our minds solely on Him and on
the things above not on things on earth.

Practicing Mindfulness Affects the State of Your Brain

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As stated previously, mindfulness changes the state of your brain and how it
functions. Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being
intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment without
interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods,
guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce
stress. When we practice mindfulness we’re practicing the art of creating space
for ourselves; space to think, space to breathe and control ourselves and our
reactions. It is a kind of mental exercise for your brain. It enables you to
understand the power of living in the present. But what actually happens to our
brain when we practice mindfulness regularly? Research has shown that
practicing mindfulness has the propensity to change many parts of the brain and
there are certain areas of the brain that are responsible for specific functions. The
frontal lobe for example is where future planning and problem-solving take
place. Research also suggests that practicing mindfulness can affect the
production of chemicals that change our mood. Other evidence according to
research shows that connections between different regions of the brain can
change when we are mindful.

Some may ask…..What does it mean to live in the present? Aren’t we all here
now in the present? Technically yes, but for many of us, we are only 10 percent
here. We are really living in our minds. We exist from day to day in a dream-like
state where we’re not connected to the world around us, nor centred in our own
body or being. Instead, we’re pre-occupied with memories of the past, churning
thoughts, and worries about the future and judgments and reactions to the things
we do see. We’re missing out on most of our own lives, which leaves us feeling
shallow, empty, and deeply unsettled. The great news is, you can learn to be
more present and mindful every moment of the day. Becoming more aware of
where you are and what you’re doing without becoming overly reactive or
overwhelmed by what’s going around you. Practically, this could be done by….

 Eat Mindfully

When you scoff down your meal on autopilot while distracted by the television,
computer, or constant conversation, you miss out on the delicious taste and
smell of your food. You're also less likely to feel satisfied and nourished because
you 'missed out' on the fact that you ate. It can be helpful to remember this
phrase: When you eat, eat. When you drink, drink. In other words, don't attempt
to do fifty other things when you sit down to a meal, coffee, or juice. Simply
focus all of your attention on what is in front of you.

 Wa

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Take a beautiful tip from spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh and "walk as if you are
kissing the earth with your feet." In other words, when you are out and about,
pay attention occasionally to the movement of your body and your surroundings.
Notice as your feet connect with and leave the ground. Feel your muscles moving
and supporting you. Observe what is going on around you -- the sights, sounds,
and life unfolding. You may be amazed to find a whole new world you hadn't
even noticed before.

 Observe Your Breathing

As Eckhart Tolle once said, a single breath in and out is a meditation.

Your breathing occurs naturally and rhythmically. When you pay attention to it, it
takes you out of your mind and into your body. You momentarily free yourself
from your churning thoughts, worries, and fears, and you remind yourself of who
you really are -- your inner spirit, not your thoughts.

 Connect With Your Senses

Your senses -- touch, smell, taste, sound, and sight -- are your gateway into the
present moment. But when you are lost in thought, you don't experience what
your senses are picking up. Pause to soak up the beautiful aroma of your coffee.
The salty ocean air. The beauty and diversity of flowers in your neighbourhood.
The mouth-watering waft of wood-fire pizza coming from your local Italian
restaurant as you pass it. Notice how your clothing feels against your body. The
soft clean bed sheets on your skin in the morning. The comforting warmth of
your lover's kiss. The grass under your feet. The sensation of water and suds on
your hands as you do the washing up. Put love and attention into the simple
tasks of your day, and you will be amazed at how much joy and peace they can
bring you.

 Pause Between Actions

Pause and listen to the sound of the phone ringing before answering it. Pause
and feel the weight of your body in your chair before beginning your work for the
day. Pause and feel the door handle of your home before you open it at the end
of the day. Putting mini pauses between actions in your day can ground you in
your inner being, clear your mind, and provide you with fresh energy for the new
task ahead. Think of it like putting energetic bookends at the start and end of
each activity.

 LISTEN WHOLEHEARTEDLY

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Most of us never truly listen to people when they are speaking to us, because
we're too busy planning what to say next, judging what they are saying, or
getting lost in daydreams altogether. Next time you're in a conversation, make it
your goal to fully listen to what the other person is saying to you, without getting
lost in your thoughts. Trust that you will intuitively know the right thing to say
next when it's your turn to speak.

 GET LOST IN THE FLOW OF DOING THINGS YOU LOVE

We all have certain activities we love doing -- they connect us with our inner
spirit and bring us fully alive. For you it could be cooking, dancing, singing,
gardening, writing, painting, bushwalking, swimming, or building Ikea furniture.
We love doing these things so much that we often lose ourselves in them. That
is, we lose our smaller self -- our churning thoughts and worries - because we are
pouring all of our love and attention into the present moment. Incorporate more
flow activities in your weekly routine, and your happiness will skyrocket.

 MEDITATE DAIL.Y

There's no getting around it -- meditation has huge benefits and increases your
levels of energy, happiness, inspiration, and inner peace. It doesn't have to take
long. Even 10 minutes a day can have a positive impact on your life. It will also
strengthen your mindfulness muscles, so you'll find it much easier to become
present throughout the day.

 TRAVEL OR MIX UP YOUR ROUTINE

There's more than one reason you feel amazing on holidays. When you're in a
new place, you automatically become more present and mindful -- simply
because there are so many new sights, sounds, and smells to soak up. Your
senses take over for a short while and it frees you from your mind. No travel
plans? That's fine. Mix up your routine -- it will have the same effect. Take a
different route, stop at a new coffee shop, visit a new place locally, or try
something you've never done before like cooking a new recipe or writing etc.

 OBSERVE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS

You are not your thoughts -- you are the observer of your thoughts. The fact that
you can listen to them shows that they are not you. You are something higher
and separate. By simply becoming aware of your thoughts and non-judgmentally
observing them as they come and go - like clouds passing in the sky -- you are
being more present. You are not getting caught up in your thoughts and
forgetting that they are not you. As you observe, resist the temptation to get
carried away by a particular thought down a tunnel into the past or future. Picture
your thoughts like trains at the station - you're on the platform watching them
come and go, but you're not going to jump on and go for a ride.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Becoming Success Conscious
Success is a State of Mind

B
eing success is having the knowledge of something, being aware of and
responding to one’s surroundings. It is being alive and feeling that you exist as a
spiritual being. Being success conscious is a state of mind that requires you to be
certain that you will succeed and even see yourself having your goals achieved
regardless of your current situation. Developing success consciousness is like
reprogramming your brain. Your mind is the incubator of your dreams and
whatever we plan by careful thought in our minds that is in alignment with our
passion, we can certainly achieve. Napoleon Hill said…”Whatever the mind can
conceive and believe, the mind can achieve”. Is it a myth? Does it really work out
as it is stated? According to science, everyone comes to the earth plane, blessed
with the privilege of controlling their mind power and directing it to whatever
ends he may choose. On that note, Henry ford said, “if you think you can or if
you think you can’t you’re right. That is so profound. Why exactly? Because he
knew that the mind is a key element to success. Success is a mindset. The key is
to train the mind to become success conscious. As the mind is a key component
to living a successful life, it then means that we must think about success and
develop success consciousness in all that we do. It involves, taking the decision
to think success, focusing on success, being absolutely sure that it will happen,
believing, and having the faith that whatever the dream, regardless of the hurdles
and obstacles in the way, it will surely come to fruition. We are graced and
equipped to succeed. It is already in us and nothing can hold us back from
getting to that place that God wants to take us, but our dream can only become a
reality when we believe we have what it takes and make a conscious decision to
commit to the process.

Many are more failure conscious than success conscious due to difficulties
surrounding their lives. Failure comes to those who become failure conscious.
Anything that we seek to achieve goes through the enduring process. It is in this
process that the dream and you as the dream carrier is being tested. Being failure
conscious is what motivates a visionary to set a plan B for their vision instead of

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pursuing the original plan regardless of the time it will take to see the fruits of
success. It’s very easy for someone who has been rejected and disappointed
many times, to have the idea in their mind that success is not possible for them.
In all transparency, I was in that state a few years ago and it is one of the most
crippling feelings you’ll ever experience. Though failure is part of life
development and most often the gateway to success, you must guard your mind
from the thoughts of failure. Identify and evaluate what you are thinking about
the most. If you are thinking about the success of what you are working on, you
are “success conscious” and you will find that, as time passes, your steps will be
ordered to the results you seek. If you are thinking about the failure of what you
are working on, you are “failure conscious” and you will most likely make
decisions that cause you to fail.

Many years ago, my mind wasn’t as trained to handle failure and think success
as it is now. From experience, observation, and research, I concluded that
success consciousness can be developed very early on in childhood dependent
on environment and surroundings as well as influence from family, friends, and
loved ones. If someone told you when you were younger that you will never
achieve anything in life, or if a former partner told you that you were worth
nothing, those words are ingrained into your mind. It goes without saying, life
has a way of knocking us down to the ground and amid the challenges things
and the people around us change. This then puts a dent in our passion to pursue
purpose and make an impact in the world. It is never too late for anyone to
accomplish their goals and dreams but there is a difference between hoping that
you will succeed and knowing with full confidence that come what may, you will
succeed.

Success is a state of mind If you want to be successful,

start thinking of yourself as a success.

Some people start doing something, hoping that they will succeed and there are
those who hold a powerful vision in their hands, and they start with the full
assurance that regardless of the challenges, it is guaranteed that they will make it
to the other side and become successful. Success consciousness is a state of
mind in which you cannot see yourself as anything else but successful. It
motivates you to strive to move from the ordinary to extraordinary. The truth of
the matter is that, we seldom think about ourselves as successful unless
someone affirms that we are significant, and we can become successful.
Especially when life knocks you down to the ground and you are asking… “what
is happening to me”? because you just can’t seem to figure it out or find an

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explanation for it. We’ve all experienced moments in our lives, when we took
one step forward, all of a sudden, we took five steps backward. When we
encounter failure, let us learn to see it as feedback and not a signal to quit.
Failure is part and parcel of life and what man calls failure; God calls it
“formation”. All the battles, the challenges, the trials and tribulations, the
rejections are all forming us to become who God created us to be. Operating
from the realm of success consciousness does not mean that you “might”
succeed, it means that you “will” succeed in the fullness of time with the right
attitude, the right mindset, the right motives, and the right character.

Success comes not from hoping that you can but knowing that you will. I’ve
studied a few successful people and I can boldly tell you that successful people
take necessary risks and make necessary moves towards that which they desire
to achieve. I recently made a change to my morning routine as another way of
continuously improving myself because it is said that once you win the morning,
you will win the day and highly successful people have a strict morning routine
that they follow. This gives me the strength, the mental stamina, courage, and
enthusiasm to conquer the day. Successful people are wired differently from
others in the way they operate. Not only are they in absolute control of their
lives, they have the willpower, the unbreakable self-discipline, emotional
intelligence, and zero tolerance for distractions that drives them to continuously
be thriving for the life they want, what they want to achieve and who they want
to become. What is the secret? The secret is taking the time to understand how
the mind works concerning success consciousness.

“If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right” – Henry Ford

The mind is the seat of thought and as we have already established earlier on, it
is divided into two parts: the conscious and the subconscious. The human mind
is a powerful tool that shapes us and controls the direction of our lives. Our lives
are formed by the state of our thinking. This is to say that, if you have complete
mastery of your mind, you can then train your mind to be success conscious. As
stated earlier, neuroplasticity is how you can train your brain for success.
Neuroplasticity is the term for the development of pathways in the human brain
which are developed as a result of your daily interactions, neural processes,
emotions, behavior, and the likes – in other words, it is the ability of the brain to
change continuously throughout a person’s life. For years, scientific research has
revolutionised our understanding of the brain. With this, we can now harness our
brainpower to work for us. Research shows that your ability to understand the
way your brain operates can give you a definite edge in your efforts to live a

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healthy, happy, and success conscious life. The key to making any change in life
is to get your brain to work with you and for you, because the mind is in charge
of helping us achieve our goals and dreams.

Failure is feedback, not a signal to quit.

Not many people are aware of the power of their unconscious minds. We often
go through life completely unaware of untapped potentials within us. We journey
through life still holding on to our limiting beliefs. We roam through life on a set
of beliefs lodged in our minds from childhood. The mind is programmed through
repetition. This then explains the unconscious programming of our past in the
way that we were raised by our parents etc. For example if you are abused as a
child, you start forming the belief that people can’t be trusted. As a result of this,
we go through life treating people by the deceptions of our heart. You may not
know them but because you have formed the idea that people can’t be trusted,
you treat them how you believe they are, which may not be true. Often, we are
unconscious about what we believe and how those beliefs affect our actions. Our
limiting beliefs can cause us to miss out on the things that we want most, and
our empowering beliefs can drive us toward the life we want to live… whatever
your reason, there’s always a limiting belief.

LIMITING BELIEFS

Belief is the acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without
proof. Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the
case with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is
the case with factual certainty. Man often becomes what he believes himself to
be. For example: if I keep on saying that I am not capable of achieving my dream,
it is possible that I may end up becoming incapable of achieving my dream and
fulfilling the divine purpose on my life. On the contrary, If I have the belief that I
can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the
beginning – Mahatma Gandhi

WHAT THEN ARE LIMITING BELIEFS?

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A limiting belief is something you believe to be true that limits you in some way
but may not be true. The limiting beliefs could be about you, other people, or the
world.

These beliefs may…

- Hold you back from making necessary decisions in your life.

- Keep you from seeing the different opportunities presented to you each
day
- Prevent you from seeing the unique gifts and talents that you possess
within
- Keep you focusing on the negative aspects of your life.

One of the challenges with limiting beliefs is that most of us don’t think we have
them and they are not easily spotted initially. Just like pride is not easily
detected, limiting beliefs cannot be easily spotted. Your words become your
thoughts. Your thoughts become your Beliefs and your beliefs become your
flesh.

WHERE DO LIMITING BELIEFS COME FROM?

Limiting beliefs can come from many places, including family members, parents,
teachers, coaches, media, society, and culture. They are formed by repeated
thoughts and are mostly created in childhood from the interactions with the
people around us. As children our brains are not fully developed. Children can
take many limiting beliefs from their immediate environments as they don’t know
the difference between what is real and what is not. For example: a situation
occurred in childhood, interpretation about the situation was made, which led to
making meaning which then led to a thought. The person then believed that
thought (Whether it was true or not), kept thinking it as other similar situations
occurred over time, subsequently, it became a belief.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF LIMITING BELIEFS?

There are many examples of limiting beliefs. They can be general or specific.
Specific limiting beliefs relate to specific areas of life – that includes money,
family, friends, work, health, and fitness. General beliefs are more global and can
relate to many different areas.

Some examples of limiting beliefs that most people take on are….

- I can’t handle it
- I just don’t have enough

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- I am going to fail so why bother trying

- I am not worthy, or I am not a worthwhile person
- It’s just not working out how I want it to work out, so I will just quit.
- I don’t deserve it, or I deserve that to happen to me as I am not a nice
person

ASK YOURSELF – WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST LIMITING BELIEFS? – NOTE IT

DOWN

Why is it easier to believe limiting beliefs? – In life, it is easier to believe in

limiting beliefs because we want them to be true. In the Buddha’s brain, Dr. Rick
Hanson says… “Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for
positive ones, even though most of our experiences are probably neutral or
positive.

ERADICATING LIMITING BELIEFS?

How do you transform limiting beliefs? Firstly with awareness. Remember that
beliefs are not facts! Yes really! For example: Some of the beliefs that most of us
seem to believe is that….

- Happiness comes from the outside (by achievements or possessions)

- I have to earn the right to be worthy of love, connection or belonging
- Other people’s opinions of me is more important than my own opinion
of myself
- I will get hurt if I share my true self
- There is something wrong with me and I need to be fixed.

None of these are true. If one journeys through life with these lies embedded in
their mind, their life will be restrained, restricted, and ultimately become
stagnant. Unfortunately as life goes on, and you continue to evaluate and
examine yourself, you are bound to find limiting beliefs within yourself that you
didn’t even know was there because as you dig deeper you will see sprouts of
self-imposed limiting patterns in your own behavior. You must continue
unravelling and untangling your limiting beliefs by digging deep down to the
root of it and staying present with them to confront, conquer and rise above
them.

That which transforms your life is what you practice. And what you practice
constitutes your personal laws of life not what you merely believe in but what
you practice. It’s all well and good to read books and to attend seminars, lectures,
and workshops and say “Oh that resonates with me! It’s now part of my life’s
philosophy”. Your philosophy may give you a temporary state of euphoria, but if
you want to be anchored in reality, it takes practice, practice, and more practice.

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We are not here to be euphoric but to get free. Rudimentary spirituality is theory;
advanced spiritually is practice.

A stagnant life is a life of no progress and no movement

Based on what we see and what we hear in our environment, we begin to form
beliefs about the world and our place in it. As I study how the brain and the mind
operate, I realise that, the brain is good at spotting patterns and making
associations, so we constantly process the stream of information about the world
around us and use it to form our beliefs. As I mentioned earlier, in early
childhood, these beliefs are usually based on our own experiences and shaped
by our parents or other dominant figures in our lives. For example… if I hit
someone, I get punished, so hitting someone must be bad or if I say “please”
and “thank you”, I get rewarded, so saying please and thank you and being polite
must be a good thing. Now! let’s say, you saw your parents arguing as a child.
As an adult, you believe that constantly arguing with your significant other must
be normal.

I read an article a while ago that presented a scenario of a girl who as a child,
never spent quality time with her father. Why? Because her father was constantly
travelling from one country to another. At a certain period in her life she entered
into a relationship with a gentleman who was extremely affectionate, caring, and
compassionate. This gentlemen loved her company and wanted to always spend
quality time with her. Isn’t this what we all desire? She felt uncomfortable with
this, so she complained and murmured continuously, that the gentleman was too
attached to her, so they ended up fighting over and again because they both
came from different backgrounds, with different upbringings and different
beliefs. In the end the relationship ended. What did I learn from that article? I
learned that you cannot give what you don’t have.

I grew in an environment where my mother was always out of the house. She
was never in the house for a lengthy period of time, so I never got the chance to
spend quality time with her. There were moments when both my mother and my
stepfather will argue constantly about the importance of prioritising her home
before anywhere else. My stepfather is a building constructor and he had a very
lucrative job as well as a business mind, so he owned multiple houses and had
multiple streams of income, but with all the hustle and bustle of life, most of the
time, he was at home either with myself, his family when they came to visit,
doing the gardening because we had a massive garden at the back of our home,

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or he would just be at home cooking – he was a great cook. Now, as I was

growing up, I realised that I loved staying at home to work, write, cook, and do
other things. Why? Because I was watching how my stepfather lived his life, I
observed how he spoke to my mother, I listened to his advice on how to speak to
people and my beliefs about life, love and people formed from there. I already
had a rooted foundation about life whilst living with my grandmother for the first
decade of my childhood. You may ask…Why didn’t you watch your mother?
Funnily enough, I knew from a very tender age what was right and what was
wrong and what to take in and what not to take in. I am in no way perfect
because I have made some mistakes in my life that I wish I never made but at
that age, I was already starting to see, what is acceptable and non-acceptable and
what would be beneficial for me and so I chose to discard what I perceived
wasn’t instrumental for my growth and development. After a little while, I
witnessed my mother and my stepfather argue constantly about different issues
in the house and every single time, I would stand on a different spot in our home
and wonder why the sudden change in the atmosphere. Witnessing these
constant arguments formed and ingrained a set of beliefs in me about what a
relationship is and what it is not. Now! You may say…that’s a good thing,
because then you know what to look for and what not to look for in a relationship
as well as how to behave and how not to behave in a relationship. Let me
emphasis the word “arguing”. In my adult life, especially around the ages of
twenty-two to twenty-five, I noticed that every single relationship I have had,
ended because of an argument. What caused the argument?”. With much
reflection and spending time in the presence of God, He led me to a specific day,
when I experienced the most intense argument between my mother and my
stepfather, and this time, my stepfather was definitely in the wrong. I saw how
patient my mother was whilst my stepfather falsely accused her about something
that she didn’t do but he claimed she did. After a moment of patience, my mother
exploded like a volcano. She screamed so loud the whole neighbourhood could
hear her voice. Being present and observing how the argument unfolded,
influenced my beliefs about relationships. All the relationships I have had in my
few years on earth, ended because of an argument. I was determined to break
the cycle, so I went on a quest of self-discovery with much fasting, prayer, and
seeking the face of God for revelation. I understood clearly that patience is a
virtue that we must all master. Eradicating limiting beliefs and changing habits is
crucial to growth and success and it doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process that
we must commit to.

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The first step to change is to become aware of your own limiting beliefs

ERADICATING LIMITING BELIEFS

Limiting beliefs are by far the greatest obstacles holding most people back from
the career, financial, relational, and health breakthroughs they seek in life. The
gnarly thing about limiting beliefs is that it’s not hard to catch yourself thinking a
limiting belief along the lines of “ I’m not good enough” or “I don’t deserve this”,
and mentally bookmarking your exact moment of self-sabotage. The problem is
that since limiting beliefs come from our subconscious mind, it is impossible to
just consciously wish them away. What you must do instead, is learn how to then
engage your subconscious mind and loosen the grip of your most crippling
limiting belief lurking beneath the surface of your waking reality.

Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. If your beliefs don’t
empower you then change them. There are many common beliefs we tell
ourselves. By acknowledging that you have them, taking the necessary steps
required for change, you can create the opportunities for success and fulfillment
that you so long for. Success and fulfillment do not happen overnight. It is a
process, and this is the process that most don’t want to go through. In God’s
economy, you cannot get to the promise without going through the process
because there is no short cut to destiny, whatever that may be for you; whether it
is to have a fulfilling marriage, a thriving business, an impactful ministry etc.
Throughout my life, I have had the privilege of meeting different people from
different cultures and different backgrounds and the story is always the same.
For example: I may have a conversation with someone who wants to be healthy
but is constantly making excuses. I may ask them a question along the lines of….
“Why are you making excuses? What is holding you back from being healthy or
eating healthy?”. With these kinds of questions, the answer is usually the same…
“It’s too expensive” or “I can’t afford it”. According to research, 17% of people
think it is too expensive to make the change toward living a healthy life. There is
not much difference between the cost of eating healthy and unhealthy. If you are
committed to making a change, don’t base your beliefs on common
misconceptions.

From my experience, the most effective way to eradicate limiting beliefs is to ask
yourself some hard questions. Questions such as…

1. WHICH AREA OF MY LIFE FILLS ME WITH THE MOST ANXIETY?

Let’s get the most obvious question out of the way: If a certain area of your life is
bothering you; for example, if you’re stuck in an unfulfilling career, or you’re
struggling to find your soulmate - then it will always leave a mental breadcrumb
trail that leads to the limiting belief pinning you down. Of course,

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not every setback in life is caused by a limiting belief. But when you dig deep
enough into the areas of life, you’re least satisfied with, you’ll find that even
uncontrollable external circumstances, like the economy or the industry you work
in, often give birth to limiting beliefs that implant themselves in you and stay
there - even after those external circumstances are resolved.

2. ARE SOME OF MY REALISTIC BELIEFS ACTUALLY LIMITING BELIEFS IN

DISGUISE?

“Rich people are selfish.” “You can’t be spiritual and wealthy.” “Pursuing your
passion is overrated.” In an effort to shield ourselves from failure and pain, we
often unknowingly disguise many of our limiting beliefs as “realistic” beliefs that
supposedly help us make sense of the world. How do you know when a
“realistic” belief is a limiting belief? You can tell by the way you submit to fear of
the unknown instead of leaning into the positive possibilities of life.

3. WHAT IS THE LIMITING BELIEF BEHIND MY LIMITING BELIEFS?

In some cases, what you think is your most damaging limiting belief is actually
only a symptom of a deeper limiting belief that may be the source of multiple
challenges in your life. One of my favourite ways of getting to the core of my
limiting beliefs is to simply put pen to paper and drill down each limiting belief
by asking myself, “What is the belief that had led to this belief?” Once you find
you can’t go any deeper, that’s when you know you’ve reached the core limiting
belief.

4. IS THERE A MOMENT IN MY CHILDHOOD THAT CAUSED THIS LIMITING

BELIEF?

As we have established previously, according to neuroscience, the vast majority

of limiting beliefs take root in your childhood, up to the age of around seven.
During these years, your mind is like a sponge, absorbing every situation, idea,
and opinion with no filters - including limiting beliefs that end up sticking with
you for years. By revisiting your childhood and speaking to your parents, family
members, mentors, and childhood friends, you may be able to pinpoint certain
hurtful events, misunderstandings, or unresolved conflicts that birthed your
limiting beliefs. And from there you can begin the process of forgiveness,
reframing, and the necessary releasing required to break free from it.

5. WHAT ELSE IS POSSIBLE FOR ME?

Limiting beliefs don’t just suppress your existing hopes and dreams - they also
hold you back from visualizing exciting new goals and possibilities, and even
from recognising opportunities sitting right in front of you. The next time
you meditate, allow yourself to think of what your soul would desire to
experience if money, time, talent, and connections were not an issue - no matter

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how absurd these mental images might seem in that moment. Do this often
enough and you may begin to perceive new pathways are forming where there
were previously none, allowing you to move closer to what you once considered
impossible.

THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND DOES NOT LIKE CHANGE

Your subconscious mind has immense power in controlling your life experiences
— from the types of food you eat to the actions you take each day towards a goal
or a project, the level of income you earn, and even how you react to stressful
situations. Every bit of it is guided by your subconscious beliefs and
interpretations. In short, your subconscious mind is like the auto-pilot feature on
an airplane. It has been pre-programmed to follow a specific route and you can’t
deviate from that route unless you change the directions programmed into it first.
As I study the mind in-depth, and also gleaning from my own experiences, I
understand clearly that the subconscious mind does not like change. It’s been
pre-programmed with habits and routines from childhood to adulthood that
cannot be easily changed. The subconscious mind is a habit mind and it is
resistant to change. So how do I rewire my subconscious mind? Practicing
essentially means that you repeat the movement or thought you want until it
then becomes automatic. In my experience, there is a 3-step sequence I use for
subconscious rewiring that is simple and effective and they are….

- SEE THE PATTERN - Seeing is always the first step. To see means that
you bring to your conscious mind that which was previously
subconscious. For example…subconscious thoughts such as “I am
poor” or “I am unworthy”. You use the power of your awareness to see
that thought. You bring the thought into the forefront of your conscious
mind.

- REFOCUS YOUR ATTENTION - Once the subconscious thought sees the

light of your awareness, you can now literally rewire it. You divert your
attention to that which you want. Using the “I am poor” example, you
focus not on the thought itself but on what you want. You plant a seed in
your subconscious mind that is completely opposite to that thought. “I
am abundant”. Look in the mirror and repeat it. “I am abundant”. Feel
the truth of that statement in every cell of your body. “I am abundant”.
Don’t just say those words or think them. Saying something is easy. The
trick is that you feel this truth with your entire being. You can see, smell,
taste, and touch abundance. Every single time you focus your attention
on this new seed, this new thought, you are allowing it to sprout. The
awareness of your conscious mind is like the sun shining on a seed.

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- PRACTICE GRATITUDE - If awareness is like the sun shining on a seed,

gratitude is the water that is essential for it to sprout. Awareness and
gratitude work together. Be grateful for what you have now and be
grateful for where you are now. Observe, consciously refocus and be
grateful.

The key to being success conscious is cultivating an enduring success mindset

regardless of what your life may look like in the present. In today’s world, having
a success mindset is important. Many people have their hands full with the daily
affairs of life. We experience adversity, setbacks, and disappointment. There are
complexities which create clutter and make us lose sight of how we feel and how
that impacts what we are doing. To ensure we maintain a positive outlook in life
and lead successful lives is to dream big but play small. Why is this? Because
success is not like many think it is. Success thinking is not a straight line and it is
never accomplished in one big brush stroke. It is a series of a thousand small
actions taken and accomplished day in and day out. We, as humans need some
level of gratification and feeling of accomplishment to stay motivated. Too often
we set big goals but ultimately become frustrated because we get too
overwhelmed with the affairs of life. The key is to understand that you can dream
big, but it is advisable to set smaller goals that will take you down the path to
success at a manageable pace. Becoming success conscious is finding ways to
measure and recognise the level accomplishments, that when added up, leads to
extraordinary accomplishments.

Conclusion
The Purpose of Mastering the Mind

T
he mind is the faculty of an entity’s thoughts and consciousness. It holds the
power of imagination, recognition, and is responsible for processing feelings and
emotions, resulting in the way we think, feel and act. I learned very early on in
life to become a master of my mind instead of my mind mastering me. Why you

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may ask? Because the mind is everything and as a man thinks in his mind, that is
what he will become. Your mind has a powerful impact on your body and your
physical health. Your physical health sets an important foundation for your brain
health which ripples out into the rest of your life. The mind is a powerful force, it
can enslave us or empower us. It can plunge us into the depths of misery or take
us to the heights of ecstasy. For the mind to take us to great heights of ecstasy,
we must learn how to master it.

Life happens to all of us in different ways. It’s not what happens to us, but how
we respond to what happens to us that determines the state of our mind. It is
also how we respond to what happens to us that determines if we’re going to
play the victim or position ourselves to receive everything we’ve ever dreamed
of. Some of us have faced challenges that almost completely destroyed us; we
lost ourselves and our sense of direction. We asked ourselves what is the point of
living? Will I ever succeed? Why are all these things happening to me? Do I
deserve what is happening to me? All these experiences become memories and
they are stored in our minds. The mind is where life truly happens. Our thoughts
determine our actions which creates our reality. It is the gateway where we either
win it or lose it. When life deals you a bad dice, it is very easy for you to keep that
memory in your mind and walk with it throughout your life, operating in anger,
bitterness, resentment, and regret. What that does is…it destroys you as a person
and ruins your life gradually. Why? Because whatever state of mind you’re
operating from, is what determines your thoughts. This is something we must
pay particular attention to because the quality of your thoughts affects everything
concerning you and your life; your passion for purpose, your happiness, your
willingness to explore and learn new things, and more. That is why it is
imperative to have a disciplined mindset to monitor and maintain a good and
healthy thought life, ensuring that you are constantly planting roses in the
garden of your mind. Having a disciplined mindset is having the ability to do
things that you would rather avoid. These are the necessary things that can take
your life to the next level. Things that can set you up for greater success in life. If
you want to make positive changes in your life, there is no better way of going
about it than learning to develop and master a disciplined mindset. A mindset
that will motivate you to continue striving for success no matter the obstacle
standing in your way.

The journey of mastering the mind is undeniably one of the most challenging
journeys to embark on, but yet it allows you to truly live a free and fulfilled life.

MASTERING THE MIND

 CONFESS YOUR PAST – God has promised a new life to anyone who
believes in Jesus. Putting the past behind you is life-changing and God

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will help and strengthen you every step of the way. You may regret the
past, but through forgiveness, you can look forward to an incredible
future. By confessing your past, you take possession of your future.
What you confess you possess. Your past should not define your future,
so by confessing your past, you take authority and command a better
future for yourself. With this, the negative thoughts in your mind about
yourself and your life will break gradually. You see your past sins and
you realise that you need to change. To repent and put the past behind
you means that you not only regret the past, but that you have a
complete change of heart, in which you make a covenant with God that
you don’t want to live this way anymore. You confess your sins to God
and pray that He will forgive you. Going back to the past and festering
negativity is not only dangerous but harmful to one’s health. Receive
God’s forgiveness today.
 LEARNING TO LET GO OF THE PAST AND EMBRACING THE FUTURE –
The path to embracing your future goes through letting go of the past
and embracing the present moment as if you have chosen it. It is letting
everything that isn’t now, leave, and that includes all of the past that you
no longer recognise in your present. The past holds memories, the
future holds hope. True wisdom resides in transforming everything you
have learned from previous bad experiences into something useful and
functional in your present. You must remember that situations of
extreme pain put your strength to the test. The past should never be a
burden but a responsibility. It is not good to carry a bottomless backpack
full of guilt and stumbles from the past. You have to give a brief moment
of reflection and maybe of sorrow to each discomfort. This is the
difference between the past that makes you and the past that transforms
you. Calm waters never make a good strong sailor. You don’t owe the
past one single explanation. You simply need to respond to the
responsibilities that its lessons have projected to your future. For
example, many psychologists are interested in the history of a patient,
not because it is relevant or determines what is happening now, but
rather to understand whether someone’s actions in the present are a
defense mechanism against the pain that they have dragged from the
past.

WE RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENESS - The slate is wiped clean and you

get a fresh new start. The guilt of the sins you committed in the past is
taken away through forgiveness. You never have to worry about your
past sins being held to your account because they are forgiven entirely.
Now you have the chance for a complete turnaround; a whole new life;
you can put the past behind you.

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 DEVELOP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND KEEP GUARD OF YOUR

EMOTIONS – Developing emotional intelligence is the ability to
understand, use, and manage your own emotions, understand what
they’re telling you and acknowledge how your emotions affect people
around you. It involves the perception you have of yourself: When you
understand how you feel, this will allow you to manage your emotions
effectively. Emotions are powerful. Gaining control over your emotions
will help you become a better version of yourself. Just like any other skill
managing your emotions requires practice and dedication. Your
emotions are the biggest trigger of negativity. To make peace with your
mind is to fully accept your negative thoughts and feelings will be there,
you can’t run away from them, but the good news is, you can control
them. By learning how to control your thoughts, you allow yourself to
focus on the present in order to move forward in your life. You don’t
always have to like your thoughts or agree with them, but you do have
to acknowledge that they are there. Knowing and being confident that
you can discipline and control your thoughts.

 REALISE THAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE JUST THOUGHTS – There are

times when you feel like your thoughts and your feelings are you. So
what you think about is you. Your mind, your thoughts, and your
feelings are interlinked so you accept them as they are. Don’t avoid
them. For example if negative thoughts of being unworthy of love come
up, give yourself permission to investigate the root of the thought and
counteract it. Thoughts are like habits. Like habits, they can be healthy
and unhealthy. It takes time to eventually change. The cycle of your
feelings and thoughts is something you can automatically turn off. It
takes a conscious practice and effort through repeated discipline of the
mind.

 LEARN TO BE COMPASSIONATE TOWARDS YOURSELF – We can’t

always change the intensity and level of our thoughts, but we can
certainly change how we respond to those thoughts and how they make
us feel. Expressing how you feel is the highest form of strength. When a
negative thought comes back to mind and it triggers a certain feeling,
expressing it will enable it to dissipate in the background. There are
certain benefits to allowing yourself to feel the thoughts that you think.
They are a valuable source of information about our reactions to certain
events in our lives and gives us an indication of what is important to us.
Whenever you feel negativity, pain, or suffering, you can come up with

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ways of comforting yourself. Tell yourself how beautiful you are, tell
yourself how successful you already are and how successful you will be
in the future, tell yourself how loveable you are because there is only
one of you, tell yourself how capable you are to loving other people and
how capable you are to build strong and beneficial relationships in your
life. Whatever you think and confess with your mouth will bring comfort
to you.
 LEARN HOW TO COUNTERACT YOUR THOUGHTS - The mind is an
instrument of deception. It can only deceive you when you accept all the
negativity that it is telling you. You can turn your thoughts around by
learning how to counteract it. Counteracting your thoughts simply
means to act against something to reduce its force or neutralise it. In this
case, it is to act against the negative thoughts running through your
mind by turning the negative thoughts to positive thoughts in order to
reduce or neutralise all the negativity. For example: if your mind tells
you that you are a failure, you can counteract it by telling yourself that
you are a success, whatever you put your mind to, you can accomplish.
Learning how to counteract the thoughts in your mind is the greatest aid
to mastering your mind.

THE MIND GATEWAY

Restored…Renewed…Transformed
Published by Breakers Publishing

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