Lion's Mentality

By Freida Denise Cardwell

Have you ever dreamed of doing great things for the Lord? Did you have great dreams when you were younger, but somehow the ordinary demands of life got in the way and you just find yourself barely getting through the day? You have always believed that God has a great purpose for you, but what is it? You have been taught everyone has spiritual gifts, but for the life of you, you don't think you have any. Spoiler alert. If you are God's child, he has given you at least one spiritual gift possibly more. Do you hear these voices in your head that you aren't good enough, smart enough, just not enough? These voices are coming from the devil. This book will help you get inside your head and help guide you to the mind of God. It will show you how to take every thought captive and live the abundant life Christ died for!

You are an overcomer! The living God of the universe created you to do even greater things than these.

Stop listening to negative thoughts and start living and fulfilling God's perfect purposes for you. You are a child of the living God of the universe!

Why is the lion the king of the jungle? It's his mentality! God has given you the power to live out this mentality! The lion has no fear and neither should you as a child of God! There is no predator that God will not give you the power for success! Embrace this mentality: it is one of courage, strength, perseverance, determination and to know and believe that God can do anything through you! The Power is in our mentality...it's limitless! Do you believe in what God is saying to you? "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685170530

Book preview

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Lion's Mentality

Freida Denise Cardwell

ISBN 978-1-68517-052-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88751-499-4 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-68517-053-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Freida Denise Cardwell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Illustrator Mollie Elizabeth Bartlett

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

Sicks and Stones Hurt My Bones but Thoughts Drive My Purpose

Calgon Take Me Away

Tug of Spiritual War

Overcoming Hurts, Habits, and Hang-Ups

Spoiler Alert—We Are What We Think About

You Are God's Workmanship

Success God's Way

God's Overcoming Tools for Success

God Himself Empowers Us to Overcome

God's Plan to Overcome

Who is Your Power Source?

Know Your Shape

All about the Heart!

Pressing on to Overcome

Overcoming for Eternity

God's Plan Overcomes Out Thoughts

About the Author

Preface

Do you ever hear voices in your mind and wonder where they come from? Do you ever think about what you are thinking about? Do you try to control your thoughts or just let them wildly take over what you are believing? I believe God commands us to control our thoughts wisely! Taking every thought captive is what God is calling me to write to you about. That sounds like a great way to be in control of our thoughts, but what does that look like?

I started writing this book months ago because I felt lead to encourage God's children in that we are overcomers. My purpose was to show them by God's Word and divine inspiration that we are equipped, formed, and even created to overcome.

You see I have witnessed so many people overcome major obstacles by God's grace and become miracles! Against all odds, I have seen people accomplish what seemed impossible because God intervened!

I went to the best place I know to learn about God's gifts, and that was Romans. I had been studying and writing about the different ways he has gifted us to fulfill our purpose and overcome until one day I felt I heard God say, Go back to the very first verse.

Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1–2).

Wow! I was focusing on the gifts he talks about in verses 3 to 8 before I understood completely what that looks like in our minds. That is where it all starts, my friends! Life and all we do begins in our minds! That's why, duh, God had Paul write this first. We have to get a hold of our thoughts and think about what we are thinking about!

Penny for your thoughts. My mother used to say that all the time to me, and I really struggled to even express what I was thinking. After all, I absolutely couldn't tell her I was thinking about the pajama party that everyone was going to but me, or the cute boy that moved to town who had a motorcycle and asked me to go on a ride, or these three new pimples! Let's be honest, there are some things that we just don't want anyone to know. Funny thing, though, is that the living God of the universe knows exactly what we are thinking. That makes me cringe!

I had just about decided I could not write this book after all. What evidence did I have?

I was skimming Facebook the other night while my husband went out to get Mexican food, and I was seeing the familiar posts. I think my eyes were a little green as I saw amazing home decorating, Martha Stewart meals, romantic husbands, perfect kids, new rides, supersized achievements, and I began thinking that I am a nobody! How can I write a book on renewing your mind when my mind is in a pity-party rut? Then it hit me, I am thinking, and it's as if I heard This is a process with you. You go through this several times a day. You are high, then you are low, mostly depending on what you are thinking about!

How about when someone says something to you that is kind of off the wall? You aren't sure what they are trying to say, but you are convinced it was negative. Do you roll it over and over in your mind until it takes over like a vigorous washing machine in full-blown agitation? The more you think about it, the more you are thinking about it!

My friend just sent me a page from a devotional that someone had sent her, and it was from my book Jesus Is Talking to Me. It was as if God said, "Yes, you can write about this because there are others out there going through what you are going through, and my message can rescue them! What had I just written about renewing our minds?

Paul knew exactly what we would experience and the battles that would take place constantly in our minds when he said, For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. For the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4–5).

Paul was giving us the best advice of our life to take every thought captive, then stop thinking about it!

Wild thoughts! We all have them, don't we? Do you ever wonder where in the world they come from? One of my good friends confided in me that she was so depressed and anxious all the time. I knew she was a strong Christian; she went to Bible study, prayed, and did all the Christian things we are supposed to check off. She said her husband was not paying any attention to her; he was always too busy. She confided she just didn't seem to know how to parent anymore; her kids were so rebellious! Things were falling apart at work, and yep, you guessed it, she didn't get that promotion. She felt all alone and depressed. She told me she had recently gotten on some medicine, but it wasn't helping. She confided, I just get so angry and almost out of control, and then I am shocked I could have acted that way. She looked at me and said, What is wrong with me?

I knew exactly what was wrong because I had been there too many times to count. I put my hands on her shoulders, looked straight into her eyes, and said, "Friend, you are under invisible spiritual attack from the invisible enemy!"

How can something we can't see control so much of what we think which controls who we are and determines how we feel? It controls our sleep, our relationships, our confidence. What's that?

The worst part is it not only affects us, but everyone we are around!

Have you ever heard A happy wife is a happy life? Could we be the blame for someone's unhappiness? Ouch!

Think about it. Our expressions of impatience, disappointments, depression, anger, and being anxious are transparent. Ladies, we aren't the actresses we think we are. But we are contagious!

My mother always said, You are who you hang out with. When I was a kid, that just kind of rolled off my back. Yeah, it's a good thing to hang out with winners and not losers! The older I get, the more I get it! Have you ever been in a great mood and you ran into someone who was negative, or have you ever had a phone call from someone that seems to go on for hours of complaining? Maybe you have a friend that is constantly inviting you to her pity party. Don't go!

Our aches, pains, and yes, even the weather depresses us; our outlook or times of depression hinder others from being in a good mood and decrease their joy! We can say one unkind thing, and the person may not hear anything positive that day. On the other hand, what do a big smile, encouraging words, complementary text, thinking-of-you card do for your thermostat?

I remember my thermostat so well responding to a comment over one of my lectures. Many women came up to me and told me they were blessed. But one woman made a negative comment. Which conversation do you think I wallowed and wallowed and wallowed in my mind? By the way, I might still be thinking about it! Let it go, Freida!

We can hinder without a word or an act! Wrong feeling and thinking are more infectious than wrongdoing, especially if we are ill-tempered, have gloominess, touchiness, discontentment, irritability, fear, and I could go on and on.

We are the mood thermostats for all of those around us! Think about it! What is yours set on right now? Is it joy and thanksgiving, or are you at a pity party you threw for yourself? We are too blessed to be depressed!

This question of what we are thinking about could be the most profound cure for depression, anxiety, insecurity, fear, doubt, and the list goes on.

Who do you say you are? You live your life, doing and saying the things you do because of who you believe you are.

Think about it. If someone were to ask you to write a list of who you are, what would you write?

You might first be thinking, Well, I am a mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, church member, friend, and the list goes on. I