WINNING WITH THE HANDS YOU’RE DEALT
Renewing your mind – Hope for Mental Health
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!” Psalm 139:14 (NLT)
“… A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.” Ecclesiastes 7:18 (MSG)
FIVE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE MY IDENTITY
“Life is like a hand of poker. You have to play the cards you’re dealt.”
1. MY CHEMISTRY
“… You shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 (MSG)
No flaw is sinful or shameful.
2. MY CONNECTIONS
“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 13:20 (NLT)
3. MY CIRCUMSTANCES
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every [matter] under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV; NLT)
4. MY CONSCIOUSNESS
“For as a man thinks in his heart, so he is.” Proverbs 23:7
“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NCV)
5. MY CHOICES
FIVE WINNING CHOICES
1) I CAN CHOOSE TO GET HEALTHIER
“You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed your laws.” Psalm 119:73 (TLB)
2) I CAN CHOOSE TO DEEPEN RELATIONSHIPS
“Let love be your highest goal.” 1 Corinthians 14:1a (NLT)
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” 1 John 4:18 (NIV)
“I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love.” Ephesians 3:17 (NCV)
3) I CAN CHOOSE TO TRUST GOD NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS
“… [God] knows us far better than we know ourselves… That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.” Romans 8:27-29 (MSG)
“I will praise the Lord no matter what happens…” Psalm 34:1 (TLB)
I am a product of my past, but I am not a prisoner of it.
4) I CAN CHOOSE WHAT I THINK
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…” Romans 12:2 (NLT)
“… Dear brothers and sisters let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8
5) I CAN CHOOSE JESUS AS MY SAVIOR
“When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a [brand-new] person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB)