Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

There are many opportunities to live worried, afraid, and wondering about what will happen. When you watch the news, you see all the violence, suffering, and division. People regularly say, “This is such a scary time to be alive.” People are on edge, thinking, “What if the economy goes down? What if the medical report doesn’t improve? What if the storm comes here?” It’s easy to let our minds be filled with negativity, doubt, and fear. That’s the enemy’s favorite area to work in. He knows that if he can control your thoughts, he can control your life. But Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.”

A sound mind is a positive, hopeful mind. It’s a mind at peace, which knows that God is in control, ordering your steps. A sound mind focuses on the promises, not the problems. It sees God’s greatness, not the size of the challenges. It doesn’t get discouraged by setbacks; instead, it expects new opportunities from God. It doesn’t dwell on past losses; it believes that something better is coming from God.

What kind of mind do you have? What are you thinking about all through the day? Philippians 2:5 says, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” This is a fantastic promise: you can have the same mind and thinking patterns as Jesus. He had all kinds of problems but didn’t have a worried mind. He had people betray Him, but He didn’t have a bitter mind. He was misunderstood and made fun of, but He didn’t have an offended mind. He stood before Lazarus, a man who had been dead four days, and called him back to life; He didn’t have a doubting mind. He trusted that His Father was in control. He believed that He was called, equipped, and empowered. He had a sound mind. He would never have fulfilled His destiny with the wrong thoughts playing all day.

Pay attention to what’s playing in your mind. The enemy would love for us to go through life with a doubting, fearful, and worried mind. Don’t fall into that trap. You control the doorway to your mind. The mind is a powerful place, and what you feed it affects you in a powerful way. You can’t stop negative thoughts from coming, but you can decide whether you will dwell on them. Take control of your thought life. Be selective in what you’re dwelling on. If the thought is negative, discouraging, or bringing fear, doubt, or confusion, dismiss it. Don’t give it the time of day. Replace that thought with a positive thought. Replace it with what God says about you.

If you dwell on negative thoughts, it will create fear, drain your energy, and steal your joy. Instead, focus on what God says about you. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Take captive every thought that goes against what God says.” When a negative thought arises, such as fear or worry, don’t passively accept it. Instead, take action to arrest that thought and learn to change the channel in your mind.

“Taking it captive” signifies being forceful, aggressive, and on the offensive. The apostle Paul said, “Give no place to the enemy.” Are there intruders in your mind that you are allowing to stay? Are you giving place to negative, discouraging thoughts?

Imagine having worry, doubt, and fear as unwelcome guests in your home, making themselves comfortable on your couch, raiding your fridge, and taking over your space. Just as you wouldn’t tolerate a burglar invading your home, you shouldn’t allow these negative emotions to take over your mind. This song captures this so well:

NF – Mansion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwaH0VEWFrQ

God’s statement that we do not have a spirit of fear is quite interesting. This “fear” is used only once in the original language of the Scripture. In all other instances, the word “fear” refers to not dreading something terrible coming; it’s about what we think, not anticipating the negative. However, when God said, “You don’t have a spirit of fear,” that word for fear implies being passive, complacent, and not putting forth the effort required. In several translations of the Bible, a sound mind is translated as “A disciplined mind,” which refers to self-control and self-discipline. Essentially, God is saying that to have the sound mind He has given us, to stay in peace, be full of faith, and expect His favor, we can’t be passive or complacent, just thinking about whatever comes into our minds. We need to be disciplined and exercise self-control.

God has already provided us with a sound mind, a peaceful mind, and a believing mind. The question is: will you keep the intruders out? Will you lock up those destructive thoughts? Some of us allow too much worry in our lives; now, those worrisome thoughts have their own room. Why don’t you send them an eviction notice?

No more waking up with worry. Try a different approach and wake up with hope, faith, and gratitude. Worry can’t stay in a house full of faith. Discouragement can’t stay in a house full of gratitude. Negativity can’t stay in a house full of hope. If you’ve allowed doubt to take root in your mind, it’s time to evict it. Doubt might have caused you to settle for less and stop believing in your dreams, so it’s time to lock up those thoughts and start believing in yourself and your God-given destiny.

The enemy’s battlefield is the mind. He whispers lies, hoping you’ll dwell on them. Our mind is like a house with various rooms. Picture one room occupied by fear; it moved in during Hurricane Helene and Milton. Another room hosts guilt, residing there since your mistake, and you’ve been hard on yourself. Doubt occupies another room, and inferiority has lingered since childhood when people made you feel insignificant. What would happen if you started evicting those wrong tenants? How much higher could you go if you evicted doubt, fear, and inferiority? You can get well, you can break the addiction, and you can see your family restored!

The key is this: You will only go as far as you believe you can. Scripture calls it a stronghold when we believe a lie for a long time. It’s our thinking patterns that keep us from our destiny. You have to pull down the strongholds and evict the intruders. It’s good to ask yourself, “Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel inferior, not up to par, or not qualified?” Maybe the enemy told you this, and the lie took root. You permitted the intruder to stay. Now he has a room in your house. The good news is that you’re the landlord. You get to decide who stays – Inferiority or confidence, not good enough or a masterpiece, unqualified or well able.

Maybe you need to ask yourself, “Why am I so worried? Why am I so afraid and on edge, thinking something bad is about to happen? Why is there this underlying feeling that I’m on the verge of things falling apart and can’t even really enjoy my life?” That’s a room you’ve let the enemy occupy in your mind. Why don’t you evict that tenant? God has you in the palm of His hand; nothing can snatch you away. A thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, so it will not come near you. You can say with David, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will not fear. The Lord is the strength of my life.” He’s fighting your battles right now, and His victory is in store for the upright.

Some of us have faith, hope, and trust, which is excellent, but there’s still that one corner filled with worry. Worry doesn’t want to leave; it’s stubborn and wants to strangle the joy out of you. We know that God is in control, but we still feel uneasy. “What if my business fails? What if the medical report doesn’t change? What if the storm comes here?” Can I offer you some encouragement? God has never failed you before, and He won’t start now. Worry makes you uptight, disrupts sleep, and weakens your immune system. It’s time to kick worry out and let peace and faith in.

Each time worry resurfaces, use it to express gratitude to God for working on the things that concern you. When worry knocks on the door, say, “Father, thank you that you’re Jehovah Jireh, the Lord, my provider. Thank you for supplying all of my needs.” Philippians 4:7 says, “The peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” Peace should be the entryway into our minds. When you have peace, it’s guarding you, keeping you from fear, worry, and doubt.

Feeling worried and scared under challenging situations, such as health issues, financial struggles, or relationship problems, is natural. But if you let fear take over, it fills your mind with worst-case scenarios. Keep the door closed to negativity, focus on filling your mind with faith and hope, and thank God in advance for fighting your battles. Just as fear can draw in negative things, faith can draw in positive things. Faith is the currency of heaven. You have a destiny to fulfill; there’s a calling on your life, and God has an assignment that only you can accomplish.

The enemy wouldn’t be fighting you if he didn’t know there is greatness in you. He will do his best to make you worried, doubtful, fearful, and discouraged. That may have been how things were, but today is a new day. Some rooms in our minds are being cleaned out right now. Strongholds are coming down; wrong tenants are being evicted. You’re about to see God’s promises: healing, favor, breakthroughs, and the fullness of your destiny. I hope this message speaks to you, and I pray you have a blessed day!