In game 4 of the 1987 Finals, Magic Johnson was in a pickle. His team was down and he only had seven seconds to act. He got the ball and the clock went down in five seconds. Kevin McHale moved towards him as the Magic went for the basket. He found himself double-teamed when Robert Parish joined McHale. The magic didn’t miss a beat. He ran in and stunned the Celtics with a “junior air hook.” He sank into the back of the net with two seconds left. The Lakers won the NBA Finals 4-2.
He had done this before. When asked how he was able to do this, his answer surprised me at the time.
“I’m able to do it, because the night before a big game I picture myself making a big play.”
I’m paraphrasing here, but I’m not far off.
His statement made me think. How can you train your mind to achieve anything? It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or if you have failed in the past.
Every day we allow a “silent killer” to keep us from reaching our goals and dreams. These are God-given dreams, sitting in the deepest parts of our hearts. But something stops us. This Silent Killer is made up of four smaller counterparts. Each one does a great job of keeping us from becoming all that God made us to be.
Four triggers that fuel the “silent killer”
Trigger #1: Personal defeat
Nothing depresses us like personal defeat. Inside our hearts and minds is a movie projector. Reproduce our biggest mistakes and failures. Every time I tried to start reaching a goal or a dream, this projector would start replaying my past. Little by little I lost ground. After a while he would gather enough courage and faith to try again. But the vicious circle repeats itself. This can make it take longer than necessary to achieve your dreams.
Trigger #2: Inadequate approach
One of the worst things you can do is have a false view of yourself. In his book “Healing Changes,” Dr. Henry Cloud says that people need to have a proper and healthy view of themselves. Believing that you are not good enough, smart or rich enough to achieve your dreams charges you with a false view of who you really are. God says in his word that we are wonderfully and terribly made.
Trigger #3: Reasons for failure
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used this one! When evaluating a goal or a dream, it was easy for me to think of all kinds of reasons to fail. In the end I achieved a lot less when I was younger. Making up these reasons paralyzes your ability to move on. You never give yourself the opportunity to achieve what God has set before you.
Trigger #4: Inadequate Entertainment
Hey, I’m not trying to ruin anyone’s “fun”. I am a big fan of movies and documentaries. I enjoy watching the latest and greatest information and blockbuster movies. But the other night I was watching a documentary about gangs. It’s a show called “Gangland.”
If you watch the show enough times, you start to be afraid of living in certain places. A small quiet voice asked me a question. “Do you really want to feed on fear?”
As a Christian, my answer was obvious. And you? Is there something you are watching, reading or listening to that is feeding you a strong dose of fear? If so, he or they are keeping this “Silent Killer” alive.
Guilty
Negative thinking is a cold-blooded killer. Every day silently kills our dreams. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to think that you can’t achieve your goals or dreams? From a young age we are programmed to believe that bad things will happen. For some reason we think we can’t do something when we actually can.
The great Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” And in Proverbs 23, David tells us that as a man thinks, so is he.” In the Bible, God elaborates on the importance of right thinking. Engaging in negative thoughts slows your progress.
For many years I tried to find a way to overcome this type of thinking. Through God’s Word, inspirational books, and CDs, I discovered three easy ways to squash negative thinking one day at a time.
How to squash negative thinking
When I first learned these three steps, it seemed too simple. He had spent a lifetime thinking negatively on most levels. The faith thought outbursts were great, but I hadn’t fully understood how negativity works. But now three simple steps were going to solve the problem?
The first day I tried it I was amazed at the results! This is what happened. I quickly took care of and overcame any issues. The things that would normally linger on my mind and annoy me were extinguished. Three days later my breathing changed. He went from rapid breaths to long, steady ones. And believe it or not, the answers to prayers came much faster!
Please try these steps and let me know how they work for you.
Step #1: Replace negative thoughts
It says in the Bible to take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ. Every time a negative thought enters your mind, replace it with a positive one. I tell the devil every day that negative thoughts of him are not allowed in my mind. I resist him and the thoughts of him and they both run away. You have a choice about what stays on your mind. You can’t control what comes in, but don’t let negative thoughts live there. Keep replacing them with positive ones. Example: A negative thought came into my head about someone else and I not getting along. I replaced it with a thought of him and me talking and shaking hands. The feelings of bitterness and anger were gone.
Step #2: Imagine your dreams
When I’m having lunch or have a few minutes to myself, I picture myself achieving my dreams. My goal is to be an effective, full-time writer. Sometimes I’m sitting on the beach writing a book. In others I am speaking to a large crowd, about how God inspired me to write a certain book. And I imagine building something for others, with the proceeds from my books. The conclusion is the following. Whatever you need to achieve, envision it every day!
Find a quiet place and dream. Do this for yourself. God uses it to reign your passion to achieve what He wants for you.
Step #3: Read the Word of God
I read the bible every day. I don’t, because that’s what I’m supposed to do. I certainly don’t read it, because it’s politically correct in the church. It is my spiritual food. Without it I would starve spiritually. God’s Word reminds us of who we really are in Christ. And it tells us how much God has in store for our lives. It gives strength, encouragement and truth. Something that is rare in today’s world. Without the Bible, I couldn’t write a word of my mystery books.
The devil knows how powerful the Word of God is. It’s one of the reasons he works so hard for us to ignore him. But don’t take the bait! Take 5-10 minutes each morning and night to read the Word. Before you know it, you will have a lot of spiritual strength to achieve anything.
Here are some scriptures to get you going. Feel free to memorize them.
Philippians 4:8 Colossians 3:2 Isaiah 26:3 Romans 12:2
Try these three steps for a week or two. Email me and let me know how it went. You no longer have to be a prisoner of negative thinking. Use these steps to achieve your goals and achieve your dreams!