4 Abundant life ~Avoid Small Thinking
- Joanne Oestmann
- May 1, 2013
- 2 min read
4 Abundant life Blog #2
Avoid Small Thinking
Most people fail to experience a life of abundant success; even if they are a Christ follower using their talents and gifts to glorify Him; because they think small. Small thinking is easier than big thinking for two primary human conditions:
We are naturally more afraid of success than failure (this is a lie of the enemy).
We do not think we deserve abundance (this is another life of the enemy).
Successful individuals who live abundantly are easy to identify (JD Rockefeller, JP Morgan, Princess Diana, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and many others). Now I cannot personally confirm they are/were Christians, but they all have unique qualities of big thinking that overcome the two primary human conditions above. First, all successful people are able to overcome criticism because they have a strong self identity (i.e., they know who they are, what they are capable of) which allows them to not fear rejection. Second, all successful people have experienced hardships and failure along the way. However, these people kept moving forward, always forward, learning from mistakes and failures with an eye on what could be!
Our God is BIG, not small. He is everywhere and the creator of all things. Big thinking = Big God. Small thinking = Small God.
Application: Dream Big, Speak it into Existence, Write it Down
Dream Big…If you can dream it, you can experience it. Dreams are simply possibilities of “what could be”. Maybe you dreamed of playing professional baseball. Maybe you dreamed of owning your own home or business. Maybe you dreamed of a loving spouse and children. Whatever it is, do not dismiss it.
Speak it into Existence…The power of the tongue influences life and death. Literally we speak life or death into our dreams. Do NOT tell yourself, “Well, that will never happen”. Why? Because abundance has no limitations! God did not say “…you will have some abundance or limited abundance”. Abundance is unlimited. It is more than we need or deserve. Often times it is more than we could even ask or imagine. Affirm your dream of abundance. “I am _____” or “I will _____”. “I am successful in business and school.” “I am a loving spouse and child.” “I will be a professional baseball player.”
Write it Down…It is important to write our dreams of abundance down. Keep a journal or list. Make two columns. Column 1: “Asking God for…” and Column 2: “Thanking God for…”. Over time you will see Column 2 fill in. Keep in mind that what you are asking God for may manifest itself in a different way than you think it will.
Abundant success will manifest when you do not limit it, speak it into existence, and write it down, at the appointed time and place while using your natural gifts/talents for the glory of Him!
There is more on this topic in Chapter 3 of our book “4 Abundant Life”.
Do you think small because of fear? Why?
Do you think small because you don’t think you deserve it? Why?
We look forward to hearing about your transformation from thinking small into thinking BIG! Drs. Eric and Joanna Oestmann
