Joyce Meyer (June-20-2024) Daily Devotional: How Your Focus Determines Your Destiny.
Years ago, I learned an invaluable lesson: Whatever we focus on, we become. That simple statement taught me a great deal. Wherever we put our energies or our attention, those things will develop. Another way I like to say it is, âWhere the mind goes, the man follows!â
If I begin to think about ice cream, I will soon find myself in my car pursuing ice cream. My thought will stir my desires and emotions, and I will make the decision to follow them.
If we focus only on the negative things in our lives, we become negative people. Everything, including our conversation, becomes negative. We soon lose our joy and live miserable livesâand it all started with our own thinking.
You might be experiencing some problems in lifeânot realizing that you are creating them yourself by what youâre choosing to think about. I challenge you to think about what youâre thinking about!
You might be discouraged and even depressed and wonder what caused it. Yet if you examine your thought life, you will find that you are feeding the negative emotions you are feeling. Negative thoughts are fuel for discouragement, depression, and many other unpleasant emotions.
We should choose our thoughts carefully. We can think about what is wrong with our lives or about what is right with them. We can think about what is wrong with all the people we are in relationship with, or we can see the good and meditate on that. The Bible teaches us to always believe the best. When we do that, it makes our own lives happier and more peaceful.
I have a great lifeâand a loving husband and children. And I am privileged to be used by God to bless millions of people around the world through the wonderful ministry He has given me. But life isnât perfect, and if I had allowed the devil to fill my mind with negative thoughtsâas he once did long agoâI would have been defeated.
I want to focus on Godâs grace and give thanks for all the good things in my life. I donât want to focus on what I donât have.
An old friend used to quote this saying: âAs you wander on through life, brother, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the donut and not upon the hole.â Too many people focus on whatâs not there and whatâs not right.
All of this is to say that our thoughts largely determine our destiny. Our thoughts also determine our happiness. That is why Proverbs 23:7âtodayâs scriptureâis one of my favorite verses. Thoughts are powerful. They arenât just words that flow through our minds. So, it is very important for us to decide what we will allow to rest inside our minds.
We must not forget that the mind is a battlefield. We must always remember that our adversary will use it in any way he possibly can to trap us.
We canât have a positive life and a negative mind. Our thoughtsâour focusâis what determines where we end up.
Jesus, our friend and Savior, wants our minds to be filled with positive, beautiful, and healthy thoughts. The more we focus on those things, the more readily we defeat Satanâs attacks.
Prayer of the Day: God, I ask You to forgive me for focusing my thoughts on things that are not pleasing to You. I pray that You will help me fill my mind with thoughts that are clean and pure and uplifting. In Jesusâ name, amen.
