Conditioned To Fail

When a young elephant is added to the circus, a heavy chain is fastened around the animal’s leg. Then a long stake, which is connected to the chain, is driven deep into the ground to prevent the animal from breaking loose and wandering away. The young, energetic elephant constantly tugs on the chain trying to escape. But, after failing to break free from yanking on the chain day after day, he eventually gives up trying.

However, when the elephant becomes an adult, a rope is tied around his leg that is attached to a short stake that is pushed into the ground. The elephant could easily break the rope if he hadn’t been “conditioned” as a young elephant to believe the restraint on his leg is more powerful than he.

Many Christians have become conditioned to believe that they are powerless to break free from distorted thinking. However, we can escape wrong thoughts if we’ll put them through a process of renewal. Much like renovating a building, old thought patterns must be torn down first, and then replaced with new thoughts. The Apostle Paul instructs us how to do this:

Just like with any renovation, it is a process that takes time, but it’s not impossible! God has supplied us with the equipment we need to complete this renovation process. Second Timothy 3:16 says:

God’s Word is able to reset the course of our lives regardless of the nature of our distorted thoughts — whether they relate to our health, our finances, our employment, or our relationships.

Begin to search the Bible for scriptures that specifically address the problem and write them down on a 3” X 5” card or a sticky note. Each time our thoughts drift off course, we can read the scriptures on the card and meditate on them throughout the day. Soon the distorted thoughts will be replaced with God’s thoughts.

Then while lying in bed, before we drift off to sleep at night, recall the verses mentally. Don’t go to sleep until at least one scripture is brought to mind. We may have to get out of bed to look at our card, but eventually with enough practice they will flow out of our hearts with ease. This is more than a memorization program — it’s the living Word of God remolding us from within.

In the morning, before we get out of bed, bring this scripture to mind again. If we practice this regularly, the scriptures will become rooted and established in our hearts and that’s when our lives will begin to change dramatically!

Transforming Your Self-Image Have you ever been to an amusement park that had those funny shaped mirrors? There are mirrors that make you look really tall and thin. Others that make you look short and wide. There is also a mirror that makes you wide in the middle while your legs and neck look skinny. Words spoken by significant people in your life - friends, spouse, parents, teachers or employers - can affect you like the amusement park mirrors. You can change distorted images by simply getting an accurate mirror that reflects the true you.

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