If you think you CANNOT you WILL NOT

The issue with thinking badly is that you think yourself out of doing the things God wants you to do. There are so many scary things Jesus asks us to do and unless we are thinking appropriately we will refuse to do them. The problem with that is the people Jesus is sending us to help will not get the help they need. Can you risk that?

The other problem with refusing to do what Jesus has asked you to do is you forgo the abundant life He has promised you when you obey Him. When you forgo the abundant life you will also bring others down with you. You believe you cannot do the things God has asked you to do and you are not afraid to tell people God is asking you to do too much. He is putting undo pressure on you to perform. Immature Christians will believe that and disobey God so He doesn’t ask them to do what they are not capable of doing.

You can as long as YOU THINK YOU CAN

Before we discuss this, I THINK I CAN, concept I want you to know that Jesus will not ask you to do something He has not gifted to do. I love kids as long as their moms are with them. I have four of my own and I don’t want to work with kids. I can do odd jobs like be a clowning for a couple of hours but no more than that. I am a hit and run child entertainer. I know this. I always say “NO” when someone invites me to work with kids longer than two hours, more than once per year.

With that said, how hard is it for you to think you can do something Jesus is asking you to do? What Jesus is asking you to do is for Him but will improve your life. He asks you to change your thinking because you will not do what He wants you to do otherwise. The way we think has a huge impact on our life and on our witness to those Jesus sends to us.

Nopeful to Hopeful Thinking

You are capable of doing everything Jesus asks you to do because He is training you to do what He is sending you to do. He will not send you to speak to someone unless He gives you the words. He will not send you to do a work unless you are capable of doing it. His goal in asking you to work for Him is to give you hope and to give others hope. Yes, he does say no to you but it is because there is not hope for you in that direction.

In the Leading Yourself IN Success Workshop the third session “Nopeful to Hopeful Thinking” I will talk about sixteen different ways we think. Your goal in this session is to stop thinking “you cannot” and begin thinking “you can.” That is the only way you can gain the abundant life. As long as you open your mind to recognizing your nopeful thoughts, you will be able to swap them out with thoughts that are hopeful.

Pursuing Biblical Direction

On my podcast this week (Episode 18) I will discuss three of the sixteen “Nopeful” ways of thinking. What I don’t say in that is that a buzz word needs to be used to stop yourself from thinking nopefully and shock yourself into thinking hopefully. This week watch that podcast and know the three nopeful ways of thinking and begin to recognize them in yourself. Then when you begin recognizing them come up with a way to stop doing them. In Nopeful to Hopeful Thinking we will come up with a phrase or a word that will stop you in your tracks and help you reverse your direction.

When I first started doing this my phrase was “You better stop that!” My phrase was long enough for me to get out of the nopeful thinking but short enough to say it quickly. Now, then years later, I just say “Stop!” The goal is to stop yourself from thinking and change the direction of the thought.

You can do it

When you are living your life, this week watch out for the Nopeful Thoughts you have. If you journal, write them down. If you have a smart phone, create a note, and write it down. You do know your thoughts are not good but what you don’t know is how to stop it. You cannot stop what you do not know you are doing. Know what you are thinking, and you will be able to stop it. You can definitely to this.

Email me with any questions or if you want to just talk about something you are perplexed about working out. I will first off read you Scripture then I will give you the benefit of the wisdom I have gained by walk through my problems with Jesus. I saw a cup at my book signing yesterday that said, “Don’t tell God how big your storm is, tell your storm how big your God is.” Nough said…