Bobby Schuller - Change Your Thoughts, Change Your World: How Life-Giving Thoughts Can Unlock Your Destiny

PRAISE FOR

CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS, CHANGE YOUR WORLD

The original Hour of Power with Robert Schuller Sr. was the very first television ministry to buy time on the then fledgling startup network of TBN in the early seventies. So, needless to say, the Crouch and Schuller families have had a very close and longstanding relationship. However, its not for this reason that we wholeheartedly endorse Bobby Schullers book, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your World. Living up to his family legacy of encouragement, Bobby does a masterful job empowering his readers and giving them the unique ability to refocus their all-important thought lives. Given the all-out war being waged on hearts and minds these days, we highly recommend this enlightening read for you and your entire family.

MATT AND LAURIE CROUCH, HOSTS OF TRINITY BROADCASTING NETWORK

Bobby has such a gift with words in that he has the rare ability to pack such a fresh vision of truth with such a tender and loving tone just jumping off the page. This book is no exception and its a must-read! What if we actually believed we could change our thoughts, and then change the world? Well, you can, and Bobby shows us how.

JEFFERSON BETHKE, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF JESUS > RELIGION

The mind is a battlefield of endless thoughtsboth positive and negativethat people fight on a daily basis. A constant tug of war where we, as humans, strive to overcome and struggle to hear Gods truth in this chaotic culture. Bobby Schullers book Change Your Thoughts, Change Your World, pierces the heart with the beautiful reminder that we should have the mind of Christ. Reading this book gives hope, encouragement, and full armor to those in the midst of this battle, equipping you for a life of peace and freedom.

DAVID AND ANDREA LOGAN WHITE, COFOUNDERS OF PURE FLIX ENTERTAINMENT

Bobby Schuller is a voice of hope in a society looking for it. His ongoing message of Gods love is a powerful light in what can seem like a dark world.

LISA BEVERE, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Bobby Schuller will help you change the way you think so you can change your life. Hes a friend and encourager that is worth listening to.

JOHN ORTBERG, PASTOR AND AUTHOR

2019 by Robert V. Schuller

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ISBN 978-1-4002-0171-6 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-0170-9 (HC)

ISBN 978-1-4002-1546-1 (IE)

Epub Edition April 2019 9781400201716

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018964328

Printed in the United States of America

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To my beloved wife, Hannah, the best thinker I know.

CONTENTS

Change your thoughts and you will change the world.

NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

T here is no doubt our thoughts impact our lives. What we think about ultimately results in the decisions that guide our lives. Yet we often dont think about what we think about. We dont realize that our thought lives can be scattered or disciplined, anxious or at peace, filled with faith and hope, or wallowing in despair. Instead, we allow our minds to wander like corks bobbing on the sea. What if we are actually supposed to be training our minds, thinking with discipline, so we can be the people God has called us to be?

This, of course, is what God wants for us. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians to have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). He told his protg Timothy, For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7). Too often, we allow very dark thoughts, like bitterness, entitlement, fear, or despair, to be our norm. Then we self-medicate through substance, work, or other vices to get our minds off of them.

But it doesnt really help in the long run. Jesus said, When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it (Matt. 12:43). That demon leaves, only to come home later to find everything swept and in order. So, he brings seven others to join him!

This is also an analogy of what happens when we try to rid ourselves of dark thoughts without replacing them with new, life-giving thoughts. We just leave a clean, empty house for more bad thoughts to inhabit. There is a better way to control our thoughts, and its not try harder.

Learning to control thoughts is the key to a healthy mind. Its important not to allow negative thoughtsjealousy, blame, accusations, or othersto swirl around in our heads. They quickly and easily turn to bitterness and sin. By thinking about what we think about, we can move from being a person of bitterness to a person of blessing.

Our thoughts need to be trained. To get out of despair and stay out of depression, we must train our minds to focus on whatever is true... noble... right... pure... lovely... admirable... excellent... or praiseworthy, as Philippians 4:8 says.

As a pastor Im in touch with a lot of pain. I see how often that pain occurs in the mind, in our thinking. People feel isolated, alone, and too depressed to be who they truly want to be. Many of the addictions, relational issues, and shortcomings in our vocation are the result of not training our minds into the right kind of thinking. We all do this.

Ive had major struggles in my marriage, my parenting, my business, and my ministry, and I can tell you the solutions I came to only succeeded when I identified the thinking that led to these areas of my life breaking down. Through pain, struggle, research, and experience, Ive found a way to have an amazing marriage and family life, to grow my ministry and business, and to live a reasonably happy life most of the time. Thats what this book is all about. It begins with training your mind with the Word of God and the thoughts of God.