Thinking strong and never giving up was the theme for today’s church sermon delivered by none other than Joyce Meyer. I’ve heard her many times (she comes to my church Lakewood Church at least once a year). She always delivers an inspiring message.

Her message was in line with what I have been talking and thinking about recently.  We have to be willing to fight the good fight of faith and never give up on our dreams. When progress is slow or stalled to a halt we want to give up. It’s only natural to want to throw in the towel. We just can’t see a way. But our victory is in our positive, strong thinking and our determination. If we can get these two things right we are more than halfway there.

Here’s some key insights from today’s message:

Do it again.

“Here’s the answer to all your problems: do it again.” – Joyce Meyer

Joyce tells the story of how she lost half of a book she was writing. Ouch. Having just written a book of my own I can imagine how crushed she was. Yes, it hurt, but she didn’t wallow in it. She simply did it again. There’s a similar story in the book of Jeremiah. The king tore up what Jeremiah had written and God told him to write it again.

If you’re always willing to do it again, no matter how many times you’ve already done it you will find victory. There’s so many stories of people who have tried again and again failure after failure before finding success. Jack Canfield said Chicken Soup for The Soul was rejected 144 times before he and his partner were victorious. Every time they submitted a proposal and were met with a rejection letter they did it again. They submitted the proposal again.

Commit to doing it again. Always be willing to try again. I’ve said before that there is always something else you can do when you find yourself stuck. That something else is “do it again”.

Think strong. Be strong.

“Where your mind goes your actions will follow.” – Joyce Meyer

Your thoughts impact your actions. I’m not of the mindset that thoughts become things all by themselves. I am of the mindset that your thoughts lead you to taking action or to inaction. If you think weak thoughts you’ll have weak actions. When you think strong thoughts your actions will be strong.

Joyce was molested by her father and her mother knew about it. Years later, her mother told her that she didn’t do anything about it because she didn’t think she could take care of Joyce and her brother alone. She didn’t think she could and she didn’t.

“Think ‘I can do it.'” – Joyce Meyer

If you don’t think you can do something you won’t. You won’t even try. You’ll be paralyzed by your faithlessness. Don’t walk around thinking you can’t do something. Believe in yourself, your abilities, and your God.

“If you think you can’t you’re defeated before you ever get started.” – Joyce Meyer

Joyce summed up her mother’s inaction by saying, “She was weak.” Joyce said her mother was weak in other areas of life as well. That’s not surprising. How you do anything is how you do everything, because how you do anything is determined by how you think.

Weak thoughts = a weak woman; strong thoughts = a strong woman

“Think ‘this is not too much for me.'” – Joyce Meyer

Never Give Up

“Get over thinking you’re going to give up.” – Joyce Meyer

The personal permissions we give ourselves will make us or break us. Have you ever given yourself permission to do something that was unbecoming? Maybe you said to yourself, “If my food is not here in 15 minutes I’m going to go off.” And then when you’re food was not there in 15 minutes you went off on cue?

I know I’ve given myself permission to act out or otherwise behave against my best interest. When I realized the connection between my previous personal permissions and my future behavior I started to change those permissions. Instead of proclaiming to do or say something unbecoming I give my permission to be patient, to let things go, and to keep the peace.

Giving yourself permission to give up is to your detriment. It doesn’t matter it you’re exercising, pursing a dream, or waiting on God to move in your life. As Joyce said, “Get over thinking you’re going to give up.” Give yourself permission to try again and again and again.

Be Determined

To say that Joyce dealt with a lot as a young girl is an understatement. I can’t imagine what it was like for her. The one thing that helped her get from where she was to where she is now is her determination.

Joyce says that determination is the one thing that no one else can give to you. No one can dig deep inside of you and pull out your grit, determination and resolve to fulfill your dreams. You have to do that all by yourself. Be determined to get the best out of life. Be determined to accomplish your goals and dreams. Be determined to have, do, and be all that God has for you.

“Every time you fight for a victory in your life you’re not just winning a battle for you. You’re winning a battle for other people that are going to come behind you.” – Joyce Meyer

Don’t just be determined for you. Be determined for other people who are watching you. Be determined for people who are coming up behind you.

Your goals and dreams are not really just about you. They never are. When you understand that this isn’t about you, your determination to see things through increases. Who is counting on you? Who needs you? Who is waiting to be inspired by your progress? Your weight loss? Your business success? Your marriage or health turning around?

Be determined for that person.