Positive Affirmations

~ Part 6 ~
Some Daily Statements on Developing Persistence

Positive self talk is critical for personal development. This set of daily affirmations originally comes from Harold Sherman, author of How to Turn Failure into Success. This "code of persistence" was copied from another source, however, and I'm not sure where I found it. Great statements to memorize though!

1. I will never give up as long as I know I am right.
2. I will believe that all things will work out for me if I hang on to the end.
3. I will be courageous and undismayed in the face of poor odds.
4. I will not permit anyone to intimidate or deter me from my goals.
5. I will fight to overcome all physical handicaps and setbacks.
6. I will try again and again and yet again to accomplish what I desire.
7. I will take new faith and resolution from the knowledge that all successful men and women have had to fight defeat and adversity.
8. I will never surrender to discouragement or despair no matter what seeming obstacles may confront me.
   

For those who are interested, I have linked solid scriptural principles to each of these statements and turned them into biblical affirmations as well. Email me and I'll send the references to you.

Reminder from Oswald Chambers

With all this interest in The Secret and Rhonda Byrne's heresy that we are gods, a timely reminder from a classic Christian author is in order:

"The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, 'I am my own god.' This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis - my claim to my right to myself." ~ Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest (Entry for October 5 - written between 1911 & 1915!)

Self-realization is not a new thing, nor necessarily a bad thing. But Chambers took note of it's dangers nearly 100 years ago. Without God, the self becomes the arbiter of good and evil. This was the sin of the garden. And the same devil tempts us today with the same proposition: "You shall be like God." This is a fundamental flaw in the teaching of the Secret and those who advocate it's doctrines.

And note that we are not talking about whether the teachers of the Secret are moral or immoral. I am sure that many who profess to follow universal principles like the Law of Attraction are quite nice and giving people. That is not the issue. The issue is idolatry. Ultimately, the Secret is about claiming my right to myself.

If ever we travel within to find ourselves, rest assured, it will be a very short trip.

Developing a Biblical PMA

Positive Mental Attitude

Don't discount the role of PMA in your life. Harnessing our mental faculties for creating positive environs for ourselves and other people is a laudable and attainable goal. In fact, it is a biblical mandate.

The Apostle Paul commends to us the pondering of those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil 4.8,9). If these aren't positive in nature then the adjective has no meaning. We are to think on, dwell upon these positive virtues.

Unfortunately, many of us have been taught that if a principle is popularized by the "self-help" movement or is taught by psychologists (gasp!) then it is automatically suspect. And, to be sure, we ought to use discernment when evaluating any teaching.

Especially now, relative to the current frenzy surrounding The Secret. It's easy to jump onto one of two bandwagons - either we buy into its teachings without question or reject everything to do with it without thinking. But if we're honest, we know the path is found somewhere between the two extremes.

Indeed, the Secret and the Bible have one thing in common at least. And that is the conviction that what we think about is undeniably important! So much so that the Apostle again writes to a local church, "Take captive every thought" (2 Cor 10.5). Both the Secret and the Bible teach us to control our thinking.

But here's the crucial difference. The Scripture teaches us to take every thought captive in order "to make it obedient to Christ." The media, our culture, other people, past experiences all shape how we think so it is incumbent upon us to monitor and control, as far as possible, these influencing factors. But the purpose, for the Christian, is to be conformed to the mind of Christ.

This speaks to our motivation. Why should we develop a positive mental attitude? Because the characteristics that describe such an attitude are the characteristics of Christ. And since Jesus is our model, teacher, and Lord, we will want to pattern our lives after him.

For further discussion (borrowed from my pastor, btw) here are some key differences between the world's take on PMA and developing a biblical PMA (feel free to comment below if you know of others):

• Motivation ~ Followers of Jesus want to become like him and give glory to God, not simply utilize positive principles for our own benefit or even for those around us.
• Goal ~ To serve others, witness to God's power, and build up the body of Christ, not simply accumulate money and become prosperous for our own benefit or even for those around us.
• Means ~ The resource we have that enables us to develop a positive mental attitude is Jesus Christ himself ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Phil 4.13) not some "higher self" or "infinite intelligence" or impersonal "universal energy."
• Outlook ~ We have an eternal relationship with our Creator to look forward to - and our PMA is a result of this truth, not a means toward it. The world teaches techniques of positive thinking in order to attain some final state of being known variously as heaven, nirvana, enlightenment, or oneness with the universe.

So yes, by all means, let's control our thinking. We can all agree on that. And one of the best ways to start is to think about what we think about. This will help us evaluate the motive, goal, means, and outlook behind our desire for developing our PMA.

But may I suggest one thing more? That we think about how we think about God? For this will determine whether we're developing a PMA based on his truth or whether we're trying to go it alone.

Daily Affirmations, Part 3

God has given us the ability to create wealth.

Trouble is, many of us grew up with - and still have - a "poverty" mindset. That is, we haven't been taught that it is a virtue to create wealth for the benefit of our family and others. So we have to teach ourselves the validity of this belief. Change our thinking, change our beliefs and ultimately change our lives.

One way to change our thinking is through daily affirmations. Repetition, we know from experience, is the mother of learning. We develop new thought-patterns when we repeatedly affirm something. (An extreme example is that of brainwashing.)

Now it's important to realize that that "something" could be a statement of truth or falsehood. Like gravity, the Principle of Affirmation doesn't care how you use it, it works regardless of our motives. That is why it is imperative to base our affirmations on the truth of scripture.

And a scriptural truth is that God has given us the ability to create wealth (Deuteronomy 8.18).

So one set of daily affirmations that I use to help transform my "poverty" thinking into "abundance" thinking - which thus changes my beliefs about earning money (among other things) - is as follows:

I have decided to use the talents God has given me and create wealth for my family and those around me.

• Think of my family and friends who will benefit.
• Think of the ministries we can fund and the saints we will serve.
• Think of our future friends we'll greet in the Kingdom.
• Think of the tens of thousands of lives we can touch.
• Think of the taxes we'll pay.
• Think of the business we'll generate and the people employed because of it.
• Think of my parents and the positive impact they've had as successful business owners.
• Think of the legacy we'll leave.

I also have a scriptural text for each of these bullet points, so if that's important to you, email me and I will send you the passages that are foundational to thinking biblically about wealth. Also, let me know what daily affirmations you are using to change your thinking and beliefs so that you can experience the life of abundance that God intends.

More del.icio.us Affirmations!

The Theology of Self-Help

Don't laugh.

That's actually what I'm trying to do here at Thought Renewal - develop a theology of self improvement and personal development. Now hear me out before you report me to Lighthouse Trails. :-)

In this extended blog entry I'll summarize my belief that God is actually behind the "self-help" movement and is calling us to "help our selves" to all the riches of his mercy and grace. And like with everything, if he is acknowledged as Lord, then the principles of this movement can be used for our benefit and for his glory.

Please don't skim this article. If you don't have time to digest the full message and follow my line of reasoning to the end, don't read it. You'll see a link to the full post below. These first couple of paragraphs are here to serve as a teaser, if you will.

So enjoy. And help yourself to whatever else you find here.

Help Yourself! by Lyn Perry (c) 2007

Now these are words I like to hear, don’t you?

My wife and I went over to a friend's house recently. Before we even made it through the door our host invited us to make ourselves at home. Isn't this a great invitation? You’ve been greeted this way before I'm sure. Think back to the last time you went over to a friend's place. You probably weren't through knocking before you heard something like, "Come on in. Pour yourself a pop. Help yourself!" Pop, soda – depends on where you're from – either way, these are welcoming words, inviting you to kick off your shoes and make yourself comfortable.

So what do you do? What else can you do? You make yourself at home! It would be rude not to. By serving yourself you are accepting an invitation to join the family and relax in the company of friends. In fact, this kind of invite is primarily extended to those closest to us for it assumes a trust and fellowship that strangers, by definition, do not enjoy.

Let's take a closer look at this informal social contract: Help yourself.

Note two implications. Within the phrase help yourself is first an invitation. We typically do not barge into someone's home and immediately open the fridge. This behavior is reserved for college students (just kidding!). Even the most outgoing among us wait for some words of welcome. We may know for certain what the host will say, yet still we wait for the invitation.

Second, help yourself is an expression of familiarity, even intimacy. It isn't said to everyone. As we've noted, it's an offer typically reserved for family and friends.

This is an issue of trust. Both the host and the guest are confident that their relationship is genuine. For you see, not only does the host accept the guest into his or her home without reservation, but the guest accepts the host's invitation based upon the assumption that he or she is a trustworthy person. I'm trusting that my friend won't slip anything into my drink.

You might be thinking by now, "What does all this have to do with personal growth?" I think it will become clear in a moment because I believe the implications of this welcoming phrase, help yourself, puts our quest for personal development in perspective.

Go here to read the whole essay.

The Theology of Self-Help Continued

Continued from the post, The Theology of Self-Help:

Help Yourself! by Lyn Perry (c) 2007

Let's face it, we're a self help society. From fill-up to checkout more of us help ourselves than ever before. In fact, successful companies have long understood the labor saving and cost cutting advantages of this trend. But this 'do-it-yourself' mentality has moved way beyond gas, groceries, and home improvement.

Look at the explosion of success literature. From the classic best sellers by Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale to the surge in popularity of Oprah, Dr. Phil, and Chicken Soup for Every Imaginable Soul, positive thinking has become a multibillion dollar business. Amazing!

Why is that? Is it an indication that we live in a self-obsessed culture? Are all these publishing companies simply pandering to the Narcissus in each of us? That may well be the case. But in my opinion there is something behind this movement that is good and right and necessary. Our longstanding fascination with self help is not so much a navel gazing exercise of the me-generation (although it can be that). I believe it is a legitimate response to an invitation.

We've been invited to help ourselves.

Open Invitation

Here's what I mean.

Imagine standing outside in the weather, knocking at the door, looking forward to the warmth of fire and friendship. Suddenly, the door swings wide, you're greeted with kisses and hugs. Come on in. Make yourself at home. Open the fridge and help yourself.

Reading and digesting a book on personal growth or attending a seminar on positive thinking mirrors this picture. It is simply accepting an offer to help yourself grow and develop to your fullest potential. The truth is, we all long for relationship, joy and fulfillment; that is, to come in from the cold. And we're knocking about searching for those things the best we can.

The personal development movement, then, is about – or at least should be about – accepting the invitation to help one's self to a satisfying, enjoyable, and abundant life. We may not be doing a very good job at it, we may be looking in some (very) wrong places, we may even become obsessed with all that is set before us. Nevertheless, there's an offer on the table and we're taking the host up on the invitation. This is a good and necessary response.

Who's Hosting This Party?

But here's an interesting question. If we're responding to an invitation, who is doing the inviting? Who is our host? Recall that within the phrase help yourself are two implications: Invitation and familiarity. We don't party in a vacuum. Neither do we develop ourselves by ourselves.

If my perspective on this topic is correct (and of course that is what I'm advocating!) then pursuing a vibrant life is about responding to a gracious host who wants us to say yes to fellowship, yes to friendship, yes to fulfillment. What's more, we are responding to a person who has our best interests at heart.

Think about that. This is an astounding truth. When it comes to all that life has to offer, someone is doing the offering and wants only what is best for us. Self help is simply responding to someone's invitation. But who is this someone?

Motivational writers and speakers often refer to a power or energy or wisdom available to each of us – a universal life force that we can tap into; that we can help ourselves to. With the right techniques and proper awareness, we can access Infinite Intelligence (a phrase used by a well known success author ).

Despite the capitalization ('Infinite Intelligence'), this energy field is not a personal being and should not be confused with the biblical concept of God. No matter the moniker, what many self-help authors are referring to is simply a natural force, an energy that permeates, and is often identified with, the universe.

This is not what I'm talking about. For a number of reasons. First, a force is impersonal. Impersonal objects do not invite people to help themselves. Only in poetry will the wind call us to set sail and head for the open sea. (I didn't say it had to be good poetry, but you get the idea.)

Second, energy is not relational. I'm speculating now, but I assume you would not want to pursue an intimate friendship with an electrical outlet or lightening bolt. So you see, this personal development movement, properly understood, is not really about tapping into some power source that already exists. No. Self help is responding to the Source of this power. Capitalization intended.

Time For An Illustration

Say there's a vending machine at work. You put your quarters in and grab a snack. In other words, you pay the price and help yourself. Now who is actually providing us the opportunity – in a sense, inviting us – to partake of this tasty and nutritional (broadly speaking) product? It's not the vending machine. We would think it mighty strange if we overheard a colleague thank a distribution mechanism for releasing a bag of chips. We don't look to some contraption as the ultimate source of provision. That would be silly. Obviously, someone is stocking the machine.

Snacks don't offer themselves. The only reason we can choose from the variety of goodies set before us is because someone – not something – is inviting us to 'help ourselves.' (By the way, don’t blame the vending machine or the vendor for your increase in caloric intake! We’ll cover taking personal responsibility at a later time.)

All Good Things

Now fortunately, the Creator of the universe is not indifferent about the offerings available to us. The Source behind all matter and energy is a personal being who cares about how this matter and energy are utilized. In fact, that is one reason why God (for this is the Someone we've been alluding to) created human beings. After creating all things, God installed Man and Woman as stewards and recipients of all that has been created. We have a veritable feast set before us. And we not only have permission we have a mandate to take what we've been given and . . . enjoy it!

Come on in. Make yourself at home. Enjoy yourself.

Our Host is extending to us a personal invitation to join the family, find friendship, and experience a life of abundance. This is a genuine offer and it is extended to each of us. Help yourself!

How do we go about doing this?

That is what we'll explore in the ongoing blog entries of Thought Renewal. The purpose of this blog is to help us learn to help ourselves to all good things in life. In the following months we'll discuss, among other things, five fundamental strategies (see below) for crafting a life of fulfillment.

Picture yourself as a masterpiece in progress. Your commitment to personally develop is not selfish, it is responding to the Master Craftsman who designed you for greatness. We've been given the tools to unleash abundance; it would be selfish not to utilize them.

Thinking Right

The five strategies I want to unpack over time center on our thoughts – challenging, correcting, and controlling our thoughts. Our mind is a powerful tool. With it we interpret everything that happens to us and assign meaning to those various events.

It has been said that it is not so much what happens to us that matters as how we respond to what happens to us. At the risk of sounding cliché, this is exactly right. Our life often lacks abundance and meaning because we think in terms of lack and meaninglessness. Our environment is limited because our thinking is limited. Controlling our environment is largely dependent upon controlling our thinking.

This goes beyond merely being positive or optimistic. It means correcting our limiting beliefs by thinking correctly about who we are and our purpose in life. Thus if I were to write a book (wink wink) titled, Help Yourself! then the subtitle would be: How to Enjoy a Life of Abundance by Thinking Right and Overcome Limiting Beliefs. (Maybe that's a bit long, what do you think?)

Right thinking is essential if we are to unleash the abundance in life that is ours by right and mandate to enjoy. The five strategies that will help us accomplish this ongoing project (remember, we're unfinished masterpieces) are:

• Living on Purpose
• Taking Every Thought Captive
• Renewing Our Minds
• Properly Utilizing Faith
• Serving Others
  

Additional resources include the Power of Mentors and Thinking Right About Wealth.

We'll explore these themes and others throughout this blog and examine each of the strategies in light of appropriate God-given universal laws or principles. We'll unpack and apply those principles to various life situations and offer some mental exercises so that we can grow and develop.

Along the way we'll note some 'wrong thinking' (and even dangerous teaching) that is circulating out there as well as discover some surprising truths about life, the universe, and everything. My hope is that this work might serve as a guidebook for those interested in such matters. If you've made it this far I'm assuming you're one of the people I'm hoping to touch.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.