34. So, What Do You Think?
34. So, What
Do You Think?
"If you think you are
beaten, you are.
If you think you
dare not, you don't!
If you want to win,
but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch
you won't.
If you think you'll
lose, you're lost;
For out in the world
we find Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the
state of the mind.
Life's battles don't
always go to the stronger and faster man,
But sooner or later
the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can."
These are the words
of Walter D. Wintle.
Welcome to
Intervention Radio for Undergraduates, a program produced by VISION BUILDERS to
help undergraduates contact divine intervention to achieve academic victories.
Every week on Intervention Radio we bring you inspirational messages and study tips
to help you be your best academically.
Today, God is set to
bless you by removing every barrier against your academic success and
fulfillment. This is Intervention Radio for Undergraduates, and I am your host
Tope Banjo.
Today I want to ask you, in view of your current academic situation What Do You Think?
Don’t be in a hurry to answer this question.
Concerning whatever you may be facing right now, what are your
expectations? What Do You Think? Concerning your financial survival on campus, What
Do You Think will eventually happen to you? Concerning those tough courses and those tough lecturers, What Do You Think?
Will your problems knock you out or will you be standing after the dust
settles, What Do You Think? Truth is, your victory starts with your
thinking. That’s what we’ll be discussing on today’s broadcast.
James Allen was quoted as saying that, “Good thoughts bear good fruit,
bad thoughts bear bad fruit—and man is his own gardener.” In other words, your
thoughts determine the fruits you reap in life. Although he lived much earlier
than James Allen, William Hazlitt took the subject of thoughts a step further
when he said, “Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts.” In other
words, thoughts lead to action. So, what do you desire in your academic life?
First fix it in your thought life.
When you face any challenge in your academics it will help to ask
yourself, “So, What Do I Think of this situation? What do you think will be the
outcome? Or rather, what is that thought in your mind about the end result of
your situation. What you think is what you will get.
According to nineteenth century Josiah Gilbert Holland, “The mind grows
by what it feeds on.” And Harry Romaine seems to agree for he said, “The man
who idly sits and thinks, May sow a nobler crop than corn, For thoughts are
seeds of future deeds, And when God thought—the world was born!”
Another
word for thinking in this context is imagination. One of the many definitions given to the
word ‘think’ is, “Imagine or visualize”. Another is ‘Focus one's attention on a
certain state’. Yet another is, “Dispose the mind in a certain way’, as well
as, “Have or formulate in the mind” and “Bring into a given condition by mental
preoccupation”
What you visualize about your situation motivates actions. Thoughts are
like seeds. And make no mistake about it friends, you will sow what you reap.
The bible says in Gal 6:7-8, “Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of
God. You will always harvest what you plant.” So begin sowing good, positive
thoughts in your heart from today.
If your thoughts ultimately mold your life, then a legitimate question at
this point would be, “How do you sow good, positive thoughts in your heart?”
I want to share a few tips that I believe will help you sow good,
positive thoughts in your heart, especially concerning your academic life.
1. Meditate on God’s word
2. Confess God’s word to yourself regularly
3. Read and listen to positive, creative materials
Meditate On
God’s Word
The word of God is powerful and adequate for every kind of need that
human beings will ever have. According to John 1:1-5, in the New Living
Translation bible, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was
with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God
created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The
Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to
everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never
extinguish it.”
If the word created everything there is, then it makes sense to meditate
on God’s word so it can produce thoughts within you that will in turn produce
the kind of successful academic life you desire. Actually, meditating on God’s
word is the divinely prescribed way to good success. After Moses had died, God
said to Joshua in Josh 1:8, “Constantly remind the people about these laws, and
you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will
be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed.”
Do you desire academic success and future career success? Then you must
begin today to meditate on God’s word. Only then will you succeed. Psalm 1
verse 3 declares that those who meditate or think always on God’s word, “Are
like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail.
Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.”
You only have success and prosperity to gain. Spend time thinking about
God’s word as it relates to your situation, instead of brooding on your
situation. Your situation will only escalate as you meditate on it, but with
God’s word inside you, you will have a better picture of things. And ultimately
a good result.
2. Confess
God’s Word To Yourself
Your words create actions. Your words determine how your situation will
end up. Success or failure, everything lies in your mouth, in your tongue, in
your words. Man is the only creation of God that he blessed with the ability to
create things and situations through our spoken words. According to the message
translation bible, Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, “Let me tell you something:
Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There
will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can
be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
No one can ever say this better than Jesus said it. Your words are
powerful; take them seriously. Your words can be your salvation. Your words can
also be your damnation.
So what do you really desire in life? Do you want to be saved from your
trouble or do you prefer to be damned by it? It’s totally your choice. Choose
your words carefully!
3. Guard What
Enters Your Heart
There are three gateways into your life - your eyes, your ears and your
thoughts. What you permit through these gateways greatly determines the
direction and quality of your life. Prov 4:23 warns, “Keep vigilant watch over
your heart; that's where life starts.”
The New Living Translation puts it this way, “Guard your heart above all
else, for it determines the course of your life”, while today’s English version
declares, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”
Be careful what you enjoy watching, what you delight in listening to and
what you judge as okay. You cannot occupy yourself with pornography and filthy
material and expect to think straight. So, guard your heart. That is where
everything in your life starts. Be careful what you are starting.
In guarding your heart, you should avoid negative influences and
environments. It has been said that a sheep that spends time with dogs will
soon be eating excrement. You must have heard that the companion of the wise
will be wise. Iron sharpens iron. The company you spend your time with will
also influence your focus in life, either for better or for worse. Mind your
company.
I believe that something good is about to happen in your academic life.
But before I sign off, I want to give you an opportunity to give your heart to
the Lord today. If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and personal
savior why not do it today?
To receive Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, please say this
simple prayer right now: Heavenly Father I ask you to please come into my
life today. I believe that your son Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose from
the dead. Forgive all my sins today and make me your child. Fill me with your
Holy Spirit right now and bring stability into my academics and life. Thank you
for coming. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer with me then know that you have begun a
relationship with God. He has come into your life and will begin working in
your life and academics. Please send me a message @ buildyourvisions@gmail.com or an SMS to +234
817 2239 319 to tell me that you just started a relationship with God.
Remember to include your mobile number and email address. I would like to keep
praying for you.
Continue to expect the best from yourself and continue to maintain a
great attitude regardless whatever happens.
I’ll be glad to hear from you. Kindly send your testimonies, questions
and prayer requests as responses on this blog. To
ensure your friends, class mates and room-mates are also equipped by Intervention
Messages and Study Tips, kindly share this message with them. .
Thank you for joining me. I remain your host Tope Banjo and this is Intervention. God bless you mightily!
You will succeed. You will make it!
Contact:
Tel: +234 817 2239 319, Lagos-Nigeria.
………….
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