Category: thoughts

how you see yourself

How Do You See Yourself– As Victim or Victor?

Posted on by Evangeline

Our circumstances can influence how we see ourselves…maybe we let them have too much influence. Often, we’re a beautiful swan but we think of ourselves as an ugly duckling.

So many times I’ve heard women say things about themselves that were self-denigrating. It’s a clear indicator of how they see themselves and what they believe about themselves (Matthew 12:34). However, it doesn’t align with how others see them. And it definitely doesn’t align with how God sees them.

“For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”

How about you? Do you see yourself the way God sees you?

Do you see yourself as a victim of your circumstances or do you choose to take the viewpoint of a victor?

If you’re unsure, maybe these simple questions can help:

  • How well do I receive compliments?
  • What do I say about myself in my quiet thoughts?
  • How do I respond to negative thoughts that arise in my mind?

God values you and loves you immensely. He created you to live the life of a victor. That requires a thought-life that is intentionally positive. One that resists negativity and is full of gratitude. Out of love, Jesus came and gave His life for you so that you could enjoy life and live it in overflowing abundance (John 10:10-11).

So I ask again, do you see yourself the way God sees you? He sees you as a victor. If that’s not your self-vision, what’s holding you back from doing so? ♥

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

Strike Out the Negative Thoughts So That You Live With More Hope and Power

Posted on by Evangeline

Kamilah Giraud - Thought StoppingIt’s my pleasure to provide a “rerun” of Kamilah Browning Giraud’s guest blog post from 2015. She shares with us how she used “thought stopping” to get through her mother’s illnesses as well as her own struggle with infertility/miscarriages. Kamilah made the decision that she could depend more on God’s Word than she did on the doctors’ diagnoses. I hope her words encourage you to use the “STRIKE” method to turn away your negative thoughts and live with the hope, positivity, and power that God’s Word brings!

Be sure to read the 2018 Update below! 🙂 

Strike ‘Em Out by Kamilah Giraud

How many times do you go through a day and have “random” thoughts that are completely unrelated to your job, or to the task at hand? I’m sure there are some statistics that give an average, but I can even share with you that in the few minutes it has taken me to sit down and share the first few sentences with you, I have already thought about; how cute my co-worker’s shirt is (as she walked by my door), whether or not I will eat the salad I brought to work, or go to the cafeteria (as my stomach growled), and I even thought about what color I should get my nails painted next (as I looked down at the keyboard while typing). Now as trivial and harmless as these “random” thoughts may be, they all still served the same purpose–taking my focus away from what it is I have set out to do.

TOXIC THOUGHTS

While some may perceive these “mental vacations” as healthy breaks, others might find them as nuisances. I tend to ignore them most of the time because if I gave those thoughts much thought, then I would not have time for anything else. This scenario can be a little entertaining, but what about more disturbing thoughts that sound like, “Why bother running, you’ll always be fat”, or “It’s too hard to save money and pay my bills, so I’m probably never going to buy a house.” And what about the thought that comes up that sounds like, “Why keep trying? It hasn’t happened yet. I am fooling myself.”?

These  less trivial, less mundane, and certainly less entertaining thoughts can so easily surface throughout the course of the day and yes… they too serve the same purpose of taking your focus off that which you have set out to do. So then what type of recourse do we have against these thoughts? Well a good friend of mine name Paul, (whom I have actually never met) was imprisoned and wrote some most amazing letters that reflected how in spite of being in a place of true suffering, we can still choose joy. Even though I never met my friend Paul, and although his letters might originally been written in about 62 A.D, you cannot tell me that he didn’t address me directly in his letters too!

Philippians 4:8  says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Paul understood how these “random” thoughts can come to steal your peace. I can bet while he was imprisoned he had more than a few thoughts that popped up serving the sole purpose of stealing his focus off of spreading the gospel.

Paul said to fix your thoughts, which to me implies the need to replace “broken” thoughts. Broken thoughts are the ones that shatter your dreams, and distort your promises. Broken thoughts are lies from the enemy, and broken thoughts are contrary to the truth. So let’s do what my friend Paul urges. Let’s fix those broken thoughts by using thought-stopping, or what I call the STRIKE method.

S.T.R.I.K.E. Method

Stop the Thought
Replace it with God’s Word
Imagine what it looks like
Keep seeing it
Embrace the truth

As the broken thoughts begin to surface you can stop the thought. Many times that is an internal stop, but I have had to audibly say “Stop” in order to refrain from repeating the broken thought in my head.

As soon as you “stop the thought”, you need to replace it with God’s Word. Replace it with the truth–those thoughts that are honorable, right and pure. Replace it by thinking of things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

As you think on those things, imagine it and see yourself in the manifestation of it.

Keep visualizing the thoughts and keep seeing it. This is a faith walk, and we cannot be moved by what we see in the natural, so allow yourself to keep seeing through the eyes of Christ, and know that He sees His promises.

Embrace the truth! God’s word is true. As believers, we are not exempt from the suffering that’s inherent to human existence, but the good news is our faith gives us a different and hopeful perspective that is based on the truth. God is forever faithful and the truth is that He has plans for you to prosper and not to harm you. He has plans to give you hope and a future. That is the truth and you can embrace it.

S.T.R.I.K.E. out your negative thoughts: Stop the Thought. Replace it with God’s Word. Imagine what it looks like. Keep seeing it. Embrace the truth. Click To Tweet

Our thoughts may or may not respond to 3 STRIKES and be “out”, but if the negative thought comes to bat again, just as sure as a pitcher’s form and speed improves with practice, yours can too. All you need to do is throw another STRIKE.

Thought Stopping - Philippians 4:8

 

2018 UPDATE:

Kamilah is an overcomer! She consistently replaced the negative thoughts with Word-based positive thoughts. She meditated on the best, not the worst. Knowing that the power of life and death were in the words she spoke, she made her conversations align with God’s promises (Proverbs 18:21). Kamilah acknowledged that her miracle was in God’s hands AND her mouth!

She is now the mother of a beautiful baby girl! 

How Your Thought Life Could Be Affecting Your Fertility

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s important to know the factors  that affect fertility, isn’t it? Have you ever considered that your thought life could be one of the factors? Proverbs 23:7 NKJV enlightens us about this:

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Here’s a graphic that I shared in my book, Live to Win.  It may help you see how our thoughts can actually become the seeds of our destiny.

Thought Life - Live to Win

From that graphic, it’s easier to see that our thought life is important, isn’t it? The thoughts we repeatedly think tend to eventually become the words we speak. Since our words shape our actions and future, we really need to pay attention to what we’re thinking. In other words, think about what you’re thinking about.

“My son, give attention to [think about] my words.” Proverbs 4:20 (emphasis added)

God’s Thoughts

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that God said the thoughts He thinks about us are positive and good. They are thoughts of peace and not of evil. His thoughts about us, which are expressed in His Word, give us a future with a hope-filled outcome. Does His way of thinking indicate that God thinks you should be infertile and that you should forever remain that way? No—He’s thinking thoughts of fertility and abundance toward you!

God says that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. This means there’s room for improvement when it comes to our thought life. Instead of dwelling on the fact that another monthly menstrual cycle has started, or that you have a referral to yet another fertility specialist, choose a higher thought, a God-given thought. God-given thoughts are always based on His Word. Take time to meditate on His promises of fertility and allow them to shape your thoughts throughout each day.

Your Thoughts

Instead of wondering if you’ll ever get pregnant, choose to think about something else. Fix your thoughts on God’s love for you. Think about things from God’s Word that are lovely, true, pure, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). That’s thinking like Jesus thinks.

It just feels better when you think about good things, especially the things that God has said in His Word to bless you. It makes a significant difference in how you feel physically and emotionally. When you dwell on things that are good and uplifting rather than things that make you feel fearful, full of despair, and desperate, life is better!

Jesus has made a way for you to bring good things into your life and it starts with your thought life. Make the conscious effort to pay attention to what you’re thinking about today and enjoy thinking about the good things God has for you.

If you feel that you need help with improving your thought life, particularly about fertility, check out my Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion.

Think About What You’re Thinking About

Posted on by Evangeline

What are you thinking about at this very moment?

When we’re faced with a thought filled with doom and gloom, and it repeatedly comes to mind, it’s hard to maintain a hope-filled focus. That’s exactly when we must remind ourselves that we can choose what we think about. We can dwell on the thought that brings us down and continue to ride that wave of despair, OR, we can switch gears and begin to think about the truth.

Truth always prevails. It is unshakable. It is unchangeable. Truth is the foundation upon which we can build a thought-life that brings waves of joy and not sorrow, hope and not despair.

David knew the power of truth and he used it to his advantage:

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” 1 Samuel 30:6

When everyone else around him could would not help him at a time when he was grieving, David chose to think about the truth that he knew — the always-there, never-failing, goodness of God. He looked to Him and David found strength to go on.

The only truth I know is the Word of God. It is absolute,  filled with hope and  love, showing us how good God is. Read it today and let it shape your thoughts, acting as the agent to encourage and strengthen you.

 

Thinking about things

Thought Stopping :: Guest Post by Kamilah Giraud

Posted on by Evangeline

Kamilah Giraud - Thought StoppingIt’s my pleasure to have Kamilah Browning Giraud as a guest on my blog today. I’ve known Kamilah a long time– since she was a baby! Recently, she has experienced a very challenging time with the illness of her mother. She shared with our church how she had to use “thought stopping” to get through that life-threatening time so that she could depend more on God’s Word than she did on the doctors’ diagnoses of her  mother’s condition. I hope her words encourage you to “STRIKE” out your negative thoughts and live with the hope, positivity, and power that God’s Word brings!

Strike ‘Em Out by Kamilah Giraud

How many times do you go through a day and have “random” thoughts that are completely unrelated to your job, or to the task at hand? I’m sure there are some statistics that give an average, but I can even share with you that in the few minutes it has taken me to sit down and share the first few sentences with you, I have already thought about; how cute my co-worker’s shirt is (as she walked by my door), whether or not I will eat the salad I brought to work, or go to the cafeteria (as my stomach growled), and I even thought about what color I should get my nails painted next (as I looked down at the keyboard while typing). Now as trivial and harmless as these “random” thoughts may be, they all still served the same purpose–taking my focus away from what it is I have set out to do.

While some may perceive these “mental vacations” as healthy breaks, others might find them as nuisances. I tend to ignore them most of the time because if I gave those thoughts much thought, then I would not have time for anything else. This scenario can be a little entertaining, but what about more disturbing thoughts that sound like, “Why bother running, you’ll always be fat”, or “It’s too hard to save money and pay my bills, so I’m probably never going to buy a house.” And what about the thought that comes up that sounds like “Why keep trying? It hasn’t happened yet. I am fooling myself.”

These  less trivial, less mundane, and certainly less entertaining thought can so easily surface throughout the course of the day and yes… they too serve the same purpose of taking your focus off that which you have set out to do. So then what type of recourse do we have against these thoughts? Well a good friend of mine name Paul, (whom I have actually never met) was imprisoned and wrote some most amazing letters that reflected how in spite of being in a place of true suffering, we can still choose joy. Even though I never met my friend Paul, and although his letters might originally been written in about 62 A.D, you cannot tell me that he didn’t address me directly in his letters too!

Thought Stopping - Philippians 4:8

Philippians 4:8  says “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Paul understood how these “random” thoughts can come to steal your peace. See, I can bet while he was imprisoned he had more than a few thoughts that popped up serving the sole purpose of stealing his focus off of spreading the gospel.

Paul said to fix your thoughts, which to me implies the need to replace “broken” thoughts. Broken thoughts are the ones that shatter your dreams, and distort your promises. Broken thoughts are lies from the enemy, and broken thoughts are contrary to the truth. So let’s do what my friend Paul urges. Let’s fix those broken thoughts by using thought stopping, or what I call the STRIKE method.

Stop the Thought
Replace it with God’s word
Imagine what it looks like
Keep seeing it
Embrace the truth

As the broken thoughts begin to surface you can stop the thought. Many times that is an internal stop, but I have had to audibly say “Stop” in order to refrain from repeating the broken thought in my head.

As soon as you “stop the thought”, you need to replace it with God’s word. The truth–those thoughts that are honorable, right and pure. Replace it with things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

As you think on those things, imagine it and see yourself in the manifestation of it.

Keep visualizing the thoughts and keep seeing it. This is a faith walk, and we cannot be moved by what we see in the natural, so allow yourself to keep seeing through the eyes of Christ, and know that He sees His promises.

Embrace the truth! God’s word is true. As believers, we are not exempt from the suffering that’s inherent to human existence, but the good news is our faith gives us a Truthdifferent and hopeful perspective that is based on the truth. God is forever faithful and the truth is that He has plans for you to prosper and not to harm you. He has plans to give you hope and a future. That is the truth and you can embrace it.

Our thoughts may or may not respond to 3 STRIKES and be “out”, but if the negative thought comes to bat again, just as sure as a pitcher’s form and speed improves with practice, yours can too. All you need to do is throw another STRIKE.

 

 

 

 

Positive Thoughts

Posted on by Evangeline
Image courtesy of Archipoch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Archipoch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes it’s hard to think positive thoughts, especially in the midst of trying circumstances!

But when we are faced with what seems an insurmountable problem or even sure defeat, that is the most crucial time to think positively. Psalm 8:2 tells us that praise is what silences the enemy so it’s an important part of our strategy in the battles and hardships that we face. It’s not always easy to implement that strategy, especially in the struggle of infertility, but it’s critical to do so in order maintain hope.

Philippians 4:8 [NLT] says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

How will you maintain positive thoughts throughout the rest of your day?

My Horizon

Posted on by Evangeline

When I was a little girl, summers were spent playing outside. I loved playing hand games with the other girls in my neighborhood. A particularly favorite hand game was about a sailor. Do you remember this?

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea

To see what he could see, see, see

And all that he could see, see, see

Was the bottom of the big blue sea, sea, sea.

The other day, that lyric came to mind as I was reflecting on what I choose to look at in my life. Do I hang my head and look down, focusing primarily on all the negative things that happen? Am I like the sailor, who could only see the bottom of the sea, even though there was the beauty of the horizon right in front of him to enjoy? Or do I choose to look up , focus on the positive things and find the joy that may be hidden in my  negative circumstances?

I hope that on a daily basis, I will look up and see Jesus and allow Him to be the author of my life story and the One who directs and perfects how the ending of my story turns out. I know that when I put my day-to-day life in Jesus’ hands, the horizon of my life will always be beautiful.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” ~~Hebrews 12:2 NIV

Think about what you’re thinking about…

Posted on by Evangeline

When faced with a thought filled with doom and gloom, and it repeatedly comes to mind, it’s hard to maintain a hope-filled focus. That’s exactly when we must remind ourselves that we can choose what we think about. We can dwell on the thought that brings us down and continue to ride that wave of despair, OR, we can switch gears and begin to think about the Truth.

Truth always prevails. It is unshakable. It is unchangeable. It is the foundation upon which we can build a thought-life that brings waves of joy and not sorrow, hope and not despair.

The only Truth I know is the Word of God. It is filled with hope and  love. It is food for good thoughts!

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” ~~Philippians 4:8 NLT