Why its important to build mental strength.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2
Have you ever watched a game of golf? Have you seen the look of concentration on the players faces when they are about to take a shot? They look like they are deep in thought!
Like most sports, it is important to know how to play the game, be in great physical shape, study your opponents, and have a game plan. But probably one of the most important things for any golfer to develop is their “mental game”. Golfers build a “mental framework” that they think about throughout their game. This framework helps them develop strength, flexibility, and the ability to handle different outcomes. Having a “strong mental game” is essential for golfers to play their best game and to win.
Have you ever wondered what makes someone of great leader, parent, or athlete?
We think it must be because of their natural talent, intelligence or performance. But would you believe that one of the biggest factors in succeeding in these areas are actually our mental strength, toughness and grit! Its plays a very important role in achieving our goals in health, fitness, business, relationships, and life.
Building mental strength is like building muscles in your body. You build strength in your body by lifting weights, and facing challenges in life are like weights, it helps your mind to build strength.
None of us really like going through things that are difficult and hard, but we actually need challenges to help up to develop and grow.
Our mind needs the opportunity to build toughness and strength by facing things that make us uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable helps us to rely on God and his strength to help us push through difficulties.
Its important for us to build mental strength, so we are prepared, equipped and ready for the future.
How do we transform our minds with God's word to build mental strength?
God’s word is our compass to help us find our way, it contains God’s promises to us, it provides comfort, it guides us, and is full of stories of people who overcame challenges with God’s help.
God’s word is like food for our soul, heart and minds. It enlightens our minds, unveils God’s plan’s for salvation, nourishes us, helps us grow in our faith and shows us how to live.
We can transform our minds to become stronger when we meditate on God’s word.
God’s word helps us to focus on him and his promises for us, and gives us the tools we need to build strength. God's word helps us break old habits of negative thinking and shows us to build positive Godly mindsets that help us win in life.
Building a habit of meditating on God’s word is the most helpful way to transform our minds.
How do we meditate on God’s word?
By reading it, listening to it, studying it and thinking about it.
“The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success” Joshua 1:8
This principle of meditating on God’s word is a very important one when it comes to building strength and resilience in our lives.
What is one thing you can do this week to start meditating on God's word daily?
Here are a few practical examples:
Taping a few Scriptures to your bathroom mirror and read them every morning as you get ready
Listen to sermons in the car
Writing down a Scripture in your journal once a week and reading over it, thinking about it and focus on it for that week
Why do we need mental strength?
Building mental strength can reduce our fear of failing at something when we are working towards goals.
It can help us deal with situations effectively and recover quickly
It helps us develop strategies
It can help us foster compassion towards others
It can help you with your productivity and decision making
Mental strength is built through lots of small choices on a daily basis that help us build our “mental toughness muscle”.
Here are a few practical ways you can start building mental strength by building daily habits:
Start by building your Identity in Christ and what he says about you. This will give you a firm foundation to build your strength upon.
Focus on meditating on God’s word to change negative thinking patterns
Develop a daily routine of healthy eating, drinking water, exercising, and focusing on your wins, rather than you losses
Journaling your “moments of joy” from the day and everything you are grateful for
Wherever you are on your journey to developing mental strength and toughness, I want to encourage you to think about your daily habits and one thing you can start doing this week that can help you work towards building strength in your mind.
It all starts with one step forward in the right direction.
Building mental strength takes time, and be patient and gracious with yourself as you continue to change old ways of doing things.
Remember that everything challenges, obstacle, trial, difficulty or uncomfortable situation can be an opportunity to grow, develop, change, and build mental strength, toughness and resilience.