Uni Experience: Encouraging yourself in the Lord

It’s been a while. Hope you’re all being consistent in time with the Lord 🙂
In the last few weeks I have learnt some serious life lessons. In the next batch of messages, I’ll be talking about my walk with God whilst in uni. University itself can either be your making or breaking and I truly believe it will be my making. (Everybody say… Amennnnn!)
Moving to university has been both terrifying and exciting at the same time. At the beginning of the year I started to feel quite demotivated and full of doubt, as anyone would. There have been many times when these emotions have tried to get the better of me. Occasionally they have and I ended up in a bad place thinking thoughts of failure. I got tired of it. Wallowing in self-pity is never the answer. I learned to recognise that these thoughts were not of God. How could they be? I am called to be a light: ‘Live as children of light’ Ephesians 5: 8. How can I do that when I’m so down and depressed?

So I’ve been learning how to encourage myself in the Lord. I knew I had to find a way to stop negative thoughts and cynical feelings from loosing my focus. I pursued knowledge.

I’m currently reading Joyce Meyer’s ‘Battlefield of the Mind‘ and it is a real eye opener. I highly recommend it to you all because the mind is so precious in determining failure and success in anything. We have all heard about ‘Mind over matter’ right?
Dictionary definition: The use of willpower to overcome physical problems.
If in society we recognise the power the mind can have over how we feel and act then how much more power can the mind have with God’s influence? We all need that willpower to commit to not letting any demotivating thoughts enter our heads. We have control over our bodies, we have that power to control what we think about. Remain positive and always see the good in all situations because those tough times grow and build you into the person God wants you to become.

This is a hard one to master, believe me. There are times when I want to start work and then my mind wants to drift away, or I start worrying about how much I need to do. I have to, (still do and will continue to do this), literally tell myself ‘Gina those thoughts are not from God’. I remind myself of Matthew 6: 27 – ‘Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?’

Battlefield of the mind has helped me to recognise ways of thinking that should not become ‘normal’. I am particularly focusing on worry, fear and doubt because these are some of the easiest ways in which the devil can get to us. It’s all part of his plan widen that gap between us and God.
I had a moment where I actually questioned God. I thought God you’ve brought me here for what? Am I even capable of this? How can you bring me here when there’s a high risk of failure?

That was a low point for me. I needed a way out and it came in the form of an opportunity. An opportunity arose for me to give an encouraging word on how to persist in maintaining our relationship with God. It was the perfect chance for me to study the bible about coming against fear and doubt. I thought of an activity to help me do this and I’m going to challenge you to do this as well:
Preliminary – Be in a comfortable place where you are still at rest so you can concentrate.

• Grab a piece of paper an pen and write down 3 scriptures that have helped you through previous tough times.
• Write down the tough times and how God changed it around for you.
• Using those same scriptures, apply them to any current situation your in now.
• Apply them by thinking about them, repeating them out loud and in your head.
• State with faith that God is turning it around for you.

Say those scriptures any time you feel that fear, doubt and unbelief kicking in.

This is all part of renewing your mind. Forcing your mind to ponder on what God has done and the good that has come of it, will continue to build you in faith that He can do it again. God will never fail us. Even David had his moments and he thought of the good God did in his life:

‘So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done’  Psalm 143: 4 – 5

Find your encouraging scriptures ladies and gentlemen and…

Blossom into…

A Conqueror.

Gina 🙂 x