Framed For Success: Getting Your Thoughts in Order

Your life is waiting for your words because your life is word-driven. Your words are the fruit of your thoughts and heart. For many believers and nonbelievers alike, words are just that, words. Things we speak and use to communicate. We often do not understand the reality and power of our words. You hear people say something like, “They’re just words. They can’t hurt you.” While I can understand the intent behind phrases like this, I think they do more harm than good and can hinder change and growth. No, words are far more than simple sounds we assign meaning to.

Words have the potential to bless, curse, heal, or destroy every time you speak them. Your words are full of power and set outcomes into motion. You can change your life by changing what you say, and you change what you say by changing what you think. As scripture says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21) and “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7).

You determine your future by the thoughts you think, the words you speak, and the choices you make. Your words frame your life, and your thoughts frame your words. They are either creating a path to success or a way to failure. What you believe and say about yourself will determine what you do with yourself. When you change your thoughts, you change your words, which changes your life.

The invisible creates the visible

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” – Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV)

This scripture teaches us that the invisible Word of God, which is unseen, created the things you can see. Everything God created existed in His mind first. God used His Word as tools and building materials to make the universe. Being built in His image and after His likeness, we are capable of the same. God has created you and me, and like He formed and equipped the universe with a purpose, He equips us to do what He has purposed for us. We must learn to use the invisible (our thoughts) to bring about the visible.

When you speak words, you are speaking from the invisible world. You think about it first, then speak. The words that come out of your mouth become seeds in your life, and you will reap the harvest of your words. We see this principle in action everywhere we look. Everything we use and see around us began in the invisible world of thought and imagination. Something cannot come into existence without first being thought or imagined.

Shaping your words begins with your thoughts

Everything that we see starts from what is unseen. Your life is shaped not by the clothes you wear or the items you have but by the thoughts you embrace and hold onto. It does not reflect what you wear but what you care for and carry with you, what you think, and your mindset.

Success begins in the mind. Your mind dictates your words, so you cannot afford to have wrong thoughts. You seed your success from the invisible world of thought, so you must change your thoughts to be successful. If your thinking is bent out of shape, God cannot help you get what He has for you. That is why God calls on us to transform our thoughts and mindset.

“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.” – Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

If you don’t change your thinking, you cannot change your living. Your thinking determines the quality or lack in your life. Transforming our thoughts enables believers to prove, discern, and align with God’s will. Without a changed mind, the words that come from it can impede and stop God’s will for our lives.

God will never violate our will, so without transformation, our words can stop God’s blessings for our lives. You have to frame your mind and move from the old thoughts to the new ones. You have control of your mind and must intentionally take control of your thoughts.

Shaping your thoughts begins with the Word of God

We must get our minds in order and develop a new mindset or way of thinking—our thinking patterns must change. Your life is the fruit of your most consistent thought patterns. A pattern of thought is a mindset. You build your life upon it; it is your framework and the lens through which you see the world. What are you framing your mind around right now? Your feelings and experiences, or the Word of God?

You must develop a faith worldview built on the Word and let it be the lens through which we view everything. You will always see yourself from your fallen state if you do not align your thoughts with God’s. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus and must think like it. You cannot afford to hold on to old thoughts and beliefs because they will always take you back to old outcomes.

Root your mind in God’s word

Root your mind and thoughts in God’s Word and let go of the belief systems limiting you. Your thoughts and words shape your life. God used the Word to create the world; your thoughts and words shape and create your world. When you learn to frame your life with God’s Word, your life will align with God’s order. The decisions you make and the results you see will fall under that order. You will get what the Word says, and as the word proclaims in Joshua 1:8, you will make your way prosperous and succeed.

“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.” –Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)

Meditating on the Word is the key to developing the faith worldview you need. When you meditate on His Word, you will let it direct you and stand on it when faced with life’s challenges. The Word of God in you will transform you. It will shape and change your thoughts, words, and understanding. It is the path to success and prosperity, but it requires participation.

Know and follow the Word of God

Knowing the Word of God is not enough—it must be followed and pursued. He is looking for our participation and patience. The instructions you follow determine the future you create. When God gives you instructions, don’t act according to your desires; act according to your instructions.

You can miss what God wants to do for you when you get in your feelings. When you let the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of others influence you, their words in you can separate you from the destiny God has for you. Do not let yourself care more about what others think, feel, or say about you than what the Word of God says. Choose the Word of God over anything and any person. Do not allow people or difficult situations to influence your relationship with God.

Speak in Faith

You are here for a purpose, and it is what you say it will be. God’s Word has to be in your mouth. If you aren’t saying what God says, you will speak what your feelings, experiences, and others say. Through faith, you open yourself to receive everything God says to and about you. Your faith will produce the visible thing you want from the invisible. Faith is proof that the invisible exists. There must be an alignment of your mind, heart, and the words you release with your mouth. You must believe it in your heart first and speak what you believe by faith.

Every problem is pregnant with opportunity. The seeds of opportunity are in your mind, and you must release them with your mouth. You must speak life to a dead situation, have hope in the face of hopelessness, and believe that you are in God’s hands no matter how difficult the situation may appear.

 

 

The information expressed above is excerpted from the sermon “ Framed For Success: Word Activation” preached by Dr. Lee A. Simpson. You can listen to the complete sermon on our YouTube channel.