“ As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Proverbs 23:7

According to this powerful verse in Proverbs, the thoughts we think determine what kind of life we live.

In every moment of life, your thoughts impact you for good or bad. And as we journey through life we will have many opportunities to change our way of thinking.

The story of Gideon shows us the importance of right-thinking. He was living at a difficult time when the Midianites were invading Israel during harvest time and stealing their crops after the Israelis had spent hours harvesting them.

We find Gideon hiding in the wine press threshing his grain. He was hoping the Midianites would not look there because grain and wine were harvested at different times.

Then an angel showed up to talk with Gideon, and two words immediately stick out. The angel called Gideon a “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12).

Now it was obvious that Gideon did not think himself a mighty warrior because he was hiding from the Midianites.

But those two words planted a seed in Gideon’s mind and changed the way he thought about himself. Throughout the story we see Gideon moving forward as a ‘mighty warrior’ while his army became smaller and smaller.

We can plant seeds of self-doubt and shame that produce fear and condemnation. Or, we can plant seed thoughts that empower us to move through the ups and downs in our lives. 

We can call ourselves a “Mighty warrior” or a “Mighty failure.”

God gave man a free-will and this means no one else controls your thoughts unless you give them that power. When the Angel planted the seed in Gideon’s mind that he was a mighty warrior, it was now Gideon’s choice to believe those words.

Our God-given inheritance is that we can choose the kind of life we want for ourselves through our thoughts. So, avoid thoughts that weaken you and focus on thoughts that encourage, strengthen and empower you. 

Dr Wayne Dyer writes:

“Your thoughts are your seeds. You either accidentally creating your life or consciously choosing to create your life.”

In other words what we think will produce a good crop or bad crop.

When the angel told Gideon that he was a mighty warrior, the angel also added this important statement, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Not only was Gideon a mighty warrior, but God was also with him. God was on Gideon’s side.

But Gideon had a choice. He needed to believe the seed thought that he was a mighty warrior. He also needed to believe God was with him.

Similarly, we need to choose thoughts that are in our best interests, the ones that empower us to live a full and abundant life. God has our best interests at heart and His divine plan includes the ability to choose thoughts that create a full and purposeful life. 

We can think faith, or we can think unbelief and doubt.

“Other seeds fell among the thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still, other seed fell on good, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Matthew 13:7-8