Mindset

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13)

In the last 10 years we have seen an increase in a phenomenon known as sports psychology. It is not only for the professional athlete but now is readily used also by amateur players--right down to high school players. Some college teams even have a sports psychologist travel to tournaments with them. It is a powerful resource that shows just how important a solid mindset can be in creating a solid game. There is so much value in learning a good mental process to build upon the fundamentals of sports. But let's use the game of golf in this example. As with so many areas of life, the Bible is not silent about building a proper mindset.

Outside of golf and sport, many people struggle with their own personal mindset in life. Maybe they struggle with low self-esteem, a lack of confidence or even depression--all of which can be caused by a lack of trust or the absence of hope. It is interesting that Paul, on the heels of describing so much of Christian living, included a prayer of hope in his concluding remarks to the Christians in Rome. He recognized the need and desire that even believers have for hope. That's right, sometimes we need to be reminded that we have the greatest of all promises! Paul's desire was that through the person of the Holy Spirit we would be able to trust the God of hope, thus enabling the believer to be filled with joy and peace. This is the fundamental principle on which we should build our "life's psychology." We cannot do it on our own, but God in His great love for us has given us the ability to have joy and peace of mind by providing us with the Holy Spirit to fill and control us.

I encourage you this week to look at what you are hoping in. How determined are you to accomplish the things you set out to do. Are you that determined to live a life of love that is pleasing to God? God has given us the greatest hope! Let's always remember that. Have a great week and married life rocks!!