Chapter 10 - Behavior 7 - The Habit of Excellence - Excellence in Thoughts and Speech

Excellence in our Thoughts

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.      Philippians 4:8

 

In past chapters we have talked about our thoughts and our words; in fact throughout our lives we find ourselves talking about our thoughts and our words.  We KNOW what negative thoughts and words do to us, to our lives, to our health ~ yet we continue to allow them to enter into every part of our lives.

Joyce tells us that we can never become excellent in our actions if we don't first make a commitment to become excellent in our thoughts. - there's that word again - commitment!  Anything and Everything worthwhile requires a commitment!   In Philippians 4:8, we are told to think about those things that are pure, lovely commendable, those things worthy of praise ~ to keep our minds focused on the honorable.    Proverbs 23:7 says :  For as he thinks within himself, so he is.   WOW!   Not sure about you ladies, but I want to be a positive, upbeat, smiling, happy person!  I want to walk around with a good attitude in all things.  Negativity exhausts me........whether I'm having a bad day and its coming from me or whether it's coming from someone else.....it's just not good for me - my brain just feels like it's going to explode and shuts down.  Am I the only one or are you like that as well?

Joyce tells us that wrong thoughts can poison our lives and our attitudes,  and since our thoughts are the forerunner to all of our words and actions, we MUST deal with them first.   No one controls our thinking ~ our thoughts are our own. The devil attempts to hijack our thoughts on a regular basis - pretty continuously some days, right?  Joyce tells us to NOT allow the devil to use your mind as a garbage dump or you will 'end up with a stinking mess of a life'.  I get that!  How about you?

As many of you know I have struggled with my weight all my life.  I have lost and gained the same 100 lbs. more times than I care to count. I allow myself to believe negative thoughts about myself; thoughts clearly coming direct from 1-800- Satan.  Earlier in my life it was that I would never be as skinny or pretty as the girls from school, that I just didn't come from the same 'cut of cloth' as most of them did, I just wasn't as good ~ so why bother even trying? However, somehow I gathered enough courage to lose the weight over and over and over. The issue was not losing it but rather that I kept gaining it back after losing it!  Four years ago I lost that 102 lbs. one more time - for the last time, I said!.... then once again life happened and issues cropped up that had me doubting me.  I just wasn't as attractive as other women, I didn't have the outgoing personality of other women - or I wasn't strong enough to stick to a healthy eating plan, the gym was no place for me.....you name it and the negative thoughts were there - entering the places that were most important to me - like my marriage.   It hit hard, hard enough so that I gained every ounce of those 102 lbs. back.  Satan won that battle ~ and all he had to get a hold of was my mind!  Doesn't sound like much does it?  just our 'minds'?!   But think about how powerful our minds are.  Think about the power they have over us.  Our minds CAN control us, if we allow it, and we DO allow it - more times than not.  What do you choose?   ME?  Well, I choose to believe I can fly - that I can do anything!   I strive for EXCELLENCE!

One thing we know our minds control is our speech.  Joyce says "Just as we can direct our thoughts, we can also direct our words" with God's help.   Proverbs 18:21 says "The Power of life and death are in the tongue and we eat the fruit of them".  Like our thoughts, our words are just as powerful.  Words can make you laugh, can make you cry, can bring encouragement and inspiration to others, words can witness to Jesus Christ!  Powerful!    Words can cause pleasure or pain.  How many days have you had a bad day, been in traffic going home (that added to that bad day at work), and then walked directly into your house and snapped at one of your children? or your husband? I am guilty!  More times than I care to admit. 

Joyce tells us in this chapter that we have to think about our words, to choose them carefully, for they are 'containers for power'. We control whether that container carries encouragement or destruction. In order to control what that container contains, we have to think before we speak and control the thoughts of our minds.  This would require us to fight every negative thought coming in on that direct line from Satan.  It would require us to replace the negative with the positive.  To be aware. To strive for Excellence in the battle of words.

Scripture says, 'Even in the midst of trials, we must keep our tongue free from evil'  (1 Peter 3:10), in Proverbs 18:21 it says 'The power of life and death are in the tongue, and we eat the fruit of them'.   

  

All our lives we've heard our parents say, "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all" and Joyce reiterates that saying, "Make it a habit to say nothing if you cannot say something that is worth saying".   Yes, this is something we CAN control.

If we want to live a life of excellence, we must develop the habits of first controlling our thoughts and then controlling our words.  The two go hand and hand and affect more than just us - they affect our spouses, our families, our jobs, our goals.  Do you choose a life of excellency?

Below is a collage I put together that represents that last journey of  losing 102 lbs. It depicts the hard work, the fun, the accomplishments!  A journey that was one of the hardest things I ever faced in my life - but was able to achieve because I chose to keep my mind full of positive thoughts and I didn't allow negative thoughts or words to penetrate or affect my journey.  Many times I heard my husband or one of the kids say, you'll never be able to do "this" or you'll never be able to do "that".  That, my friends, is Satan. Do you have an experience or a journey that was an accomplishment? Something that you worked hard for and met goals for - a time when you chose to be aware of only those things that brought you encouragement?   Think back to that time ~ What was different?  What has brought you to a place that maybe today feels a little bit like defeat?  Chances are it's the thoughts you've allowed to take up residency in your mind ~ or the words you are allowing to affect your heart. Let's change that ~ starting now!  

Important Assignments for Today 

•  Purposely give someone a compliment today.  Tell us who and what!

• Purposely give someone some encouragement.  Tell us who you encouraged! and why?

• Keep your journal close by today.  Every time you get a negative thought in your mind, counteract by getting your pen and jotting down a positive replacement!   See how many times this happens today.  Continue this exercise daily as you build a GOOD habit to replace the bad! You will become aware of it happening and begin to automatically fix it s soon as you think it!  

 Now for the hard one!

•  Write a letter to yourself, as an outsider, and tell yourself about all of the awesome traits you love about yourself.  About how all the positive encouragement and great thoughts you give affect other's lives in great ways.

Example:   Dear Kelley,  Wow! I am so thankful for you - for being such an encouraging and inspirational person.   You work really hard to make people feel good about themselves and that is amazing! (ETC) 

We need to think the positive, believe the positive, share the positive!  Start with yourself today. 

Strive for Excellence!

Prayer:

Dear God,
Thank you for continued blessings, for each other, and for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances to get it right.  Father, we pray today that you will work with us to get this right - to rid our minds of those things that are negative and degrading and replace them with the positive! Father, may we strive for excellence as we work hard every day to become more and more like you.  Continue to mold us and make us into the women you desire us to be.  We love you and worship you.  Amen.

In God's Holy Light,

<3  Kelley