Do you have a “fixed mindset?” or a “growth mindset?” It is very important to know which you have. The good news? If you have a fixed mindset, with the help of the Lord, scripture and a desire to change, you can develop…a “growth mindset!”
A “growth mindset” is what God desires for anyone. He doesn’t prune dead trees. Often when we find ourselves in a season of “pruning,” “trials” that we either brought on ourselves or not, Satan tempts and lures us into a “fixed mindset”. God wants us to have a “growth mindset”. Satan lobbies hard for us to have a “stagnant.…fixed mindset.” The enemy always wants us to sit down…stop…feel defeated, be defeated.
When we experience less than pleasant times…he whispers to us…
“You are a failure.”
“There is no hope.”
“You suck.”
“There is no way out.”
“It’s not my fault.”
If he can get us thinking those thoughts…then he can take us to places of …despair…blaming others (even God…he really wins there). If he can get us mad at God or …seduce us into blaming others…he has us, then we shed responsibility for our lives. We become like a “roasted turkey”….ready to be devoured.
James 1:1-3 teaches, “Consider it pure JOY, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds [many means any trial whether you invited it or not], because you know that the testing of YOUR FAITH produces PERSEVERANCE. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” [emphasis mine].
Just so you know right here, joy is a fruit of the spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables me/you to have JOY! “Perseverance”, “mature,” and “complete” are all action words that go along with a “growth mindset” NOT a “fixed mindset!”
In life if you want to grow….you have to become “comfortable being uncomfortable”. Pruning, “cutting,” can be painful…but God’s intent is for us to bear more fruit. John 15:2, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit HE PRUNES so that it WILL BE EVEN MORE FRUITFUL” [emphasis mine].
We are to take FULL Responsibility for our lives. Romans 14:11-12, “It is written, ‘As surely as I live’, says the Lord, ‘EVERY knee will bow before ME; EVERY tongue will ACKNOWLEDGE GOD.’ So then EACH of US will give an account of OURSELVES to GOD” [emphasis mine].
God is going to hold us responsible for the life He has given us. He has sent the Holy Spirit as our helper. Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and Peace as you TRUST in Him, so that you may OVERFLOW with hope by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT” [emphasis mine].
In James 1:5, after it teaches about the action words of perseverance, mature and complete, it tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask [action word] God, who GIVES GENEROUSLY [action word] to ALL without FINDING FAULT, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe [action] and not doubt [action], because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” [emphasis mine].
Seek the “growth mindset” that God wants you to “OWN” today. No matter where you are in life, assume responsibility for your life…”the shots you are making”. Do not allow Satan to lure you into doubt, fear, and a “fixed mindset.”
“Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth. Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life, adversity becomes easier to bear.” ~Charles Stanley