KILLING THE GIANT OF OVERGENERALIZAITION

1. To overgeneralize means to go beyond what are appropriate or justified limits. You see a single negative event as a never ending pattern of defeat.
This giant desires to keep you in bondage and from receiving what is yours by trying to convince you that the “bad” thing that happened to you once will happen over and over again. You conclude that it will always be this {negative} way and there is nothing you can do about it. If you believe this lie, and that is what it is—a lie, then this giant will keep you enslaved and keep you from having restored to you what is rightfully yours. If you were rejected once, you will be rejected again and again.  This distorted or wrong thinking actually sets you up for rejection—you are expecting it to happen! It can and does become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are a “rejection” just waiting to happen.
If a person is rejected and holds onto this rejection, it can color their whole world in an upsetting and negative way. You see yourself as someone who is less than others. Although this is not true, it is nevertheless real if that is how you think.
When you overgeneralize, you basically take a single negative event and allow it to define you. It shouldn’t, but it does because this is how you think. And as we said above, this kind of thinking can keep you in bondage and rob you of what belongs to you in God.
2. So the question is this: how do we defeat this giant of overgeneralization?
(1). First, lift up the shield of faith and block this deceptive and distorted thinking that comes from the devil. God’s will for your life is victory and not defeat! So break out of this pattern of defeat and step into the blessing and favor of God. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, BUT Jesus has come that you might have life and have it more abundantly! It is time for you to be done with the wrong kind of thinking! So block every lie of the devil with the shield of faith. Don’t receive the devil’s lies any longer. Instead, receive God’s plan of victory for your life. It will make this journey of life a whole lot more pleasant and enjoyable.
(2). Secondly, let’s take the head off of this giant with the Sword of the Spirit which is the  Word of God.
a. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you a hope in your final outcome.
b. Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that {God being a partner in their labor} all things work together and are {fitting into a plan} for good to and for those who love God are called according to His design and purpose.
c. Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to all this? If God is for us, who then can be against us? Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?
d. Ps 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
e. Hebrews 13:5 “. . . God himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give up nor leave you without support. I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake you or let you down or relax my hold on you. Assuredly not.”
The only person’s approval that you need is Father God’s! If someone rejects you, be truthful and honest with God and with yourself. And if you need to change something, then change it. But it not, then don’t worry about the person who rejected you. Simply love them, and move forward with your life.
Be aggressive against this giant who would love to hold you down and hold you back. Like David, run toward him and say, your time is up. You will go down and not me. And through the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, I will kill you and cut off your head!
I declare that God’s will for my life is blessing and not defeat! From this moment forward I will look for the goodness of God and not defeat. The old pattern of being held in bondage to always looking for something bad to happen is over! It is Jubilee, my year of abundance, and I am believing God to be released and set free from ALL than binds, and having restored to me ALL that is mine!







                                                                                                                                                                                           

“Tsunamis can travel thousands of miles across the open ocean, where they are difficult to see, rarely reaching more than 3 feet in height. Tsunamis often exceed 100 miles in length in the deep ocean, where they can travel as fast as 500 miles per hour, crossing the entire Pacific Ocean in less than 24 hours.” (ABC News Fun Facts)
This last week the Lord allowed me to see a vision of a Tsunami. I knew it was the Spirit of God moving very fast toward its destination. To be brief and to the point, here is the meaning of the vision: When this Tsunami hits, and it will be soon, it will bring both judgement and blessing. Blessing to those who are prepared and judgement to those who are not. The hearts of many (in the Church and in the world; from the greatest to the least) will be exposed. And although this will look bad, and in one way will be bad, it will actually be good! This will bring about a major shift that will prepare the Body of Christ for the greatest move of God that we have ever seen. It will position the True Church to be the new wineskin that will be able to receive the new wine of the Spirit—an explosive wine of signs, wonders, healing, and miracles! God is only going to pour out His Spirit on a Church that He can trust—a Church that will steward the Presence and power of God in love, humility and wisdom. He that has ears let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
And for those who can receive it, the “Josephs” (stewards) whom God has prepared through hardship and suffering, will be in place to provide “food” for those who are in need.
Please join us as we make intercession for the above: That in judgement God would remember mercy; that the collateral damage will be minimal for those sheep who will be effected by the actions of others; that God will use all that happens to advance His kingdom. Thank you!
(Might I suggest that you print this word or put it in a safe place? In the coming days you are going to need it. Remember, what looks bad will actually be good!) Shalom

“KILLING THE GIANTS”
(TEN COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS)

TEXTS: I Kings 17:1-6; Romans 12:2; I Samuel 17:32-51
SUBJECT:  “killing the Giant of “All or Nothing Thinking”
INTRODUCTION:

Let’s begin by a brief explanation of the above scripture texts. First, in I Kings 17:1-6, God commanded the ravens to feed the prophet Elijah during a famine. This was a supernatural provision of God, but it came by an unclean bird, the raven. The point is that God delivered what the prophet needed through an “unclean” source. I reference this text because when God led me to a book, “Feeling Good,” by Dr. David Burns I was concerned that it was not written from or with a Christian viewpoint. When I questioned Him about it, His response was I Kings 17:1-6. It was from this “secular” source or book that I learned about the ten cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is simply wrong and harmful thinking that can cause anxiety and depression. I think you will be surprised at how this wrong thinking affects most of us in one way or another. Secondly, in Romans 12:2 the Word of God tells us not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In other words, the way to transformation is by changing the way that you think. You can't change the way you feel until you change how you think. And of course the way that we do that as Christians is through the Word of God. Then third, we will use I Samuel 17:32-51, the scripture where David faced the giant Goliath and killed him. In these messages, we will face and kill all ten giants of cognitive distortions. The end result is to see you set completely free from all anxieties and depression. And experience full restoration of all that belongs to you! Jubilee!

1. What is the giant of all or nothing thinking? You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.

I have been affected by this giant of wrong or distorted thinking because I allowed it to cause in me a fear of failure. That would mean, at times, I wouldn’t want to try to do something new for fear of failing at it. So when a new challenge would come along it would cause me to be anxious or experience anxiety. Why? Because it was all or nothing on my part.

Maybe you can relate? Even now you are feeling a bit anxious just by me talking about it. But please listen carefully; the only way to conquer this giant and overcome it is to face it! This “Goliath” will go down if you will trust God. And we can do this together! You are not alone.


Call it “what if” thinking. What if I fail? What if I make a fool out of myself? What if I let down the people who are depending on me? Negative “What if” thinking is wrong thinking!

Illustration: When I played little league football, I didn’t want my Dad—the most loving and affirming man I have ever known—to come and watch me practice because I didn’t want to fail in front of him! The fear of failure can cause a lot of anxiety!

2. So then, how do we slay this giant of all or nothing thinking?

A. First of all, realize that your self-worth is not based on what you do or do not accomplish. Rather, your self-worth is based on your position: who you are in Christ.
1. With this belt of truth wrapped around your waist, lift up the shield of faith and quench the devil’s dart of “all or nothing thinking” when he tells you: “you’re not pretty enough; you’re not talented enough; you’re a loser; you’ll never amount to anything; you’re just a failure; you can’t do anything right; you might as well not even try.”
2. Then take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and take this giant’s head off!
A. II Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Make this declaration of faith: I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. My position in God’s Son is my self-worth and not how I look or what I do or don’t do.
B. Ephesians 1:4 “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Make this declaration based on God’s Word: I am one of God’s chosen ones in Christ, I am holy and blameless in Him—that makes me special!
C. Ephesians 1:5 “In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ. . .” Declaration of faith: I am a child of the living God! He chose me and adopted me into His family, not because of how I look or how talented or gifted I am, but because He loves me unconditionally in Christ.
D. Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of His grace.” Declaration of faith: God loves me so much that He shed the blood of His only-begotten Son so that I could be forgiven and be with Him forever!
E. Revelation 1:5 “. . . to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His own blood.”
Declaration of Faith: Jesus loves me; He shed His blood for me! That is where I find my value!

I declare, based on God’s Word that is forever settled in the heavens; the Word that is sharper than a two-edged sword, that penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart; the word that is the truth and cannot lie. . .

Because Father-God loves me unconditionally and perfectly, (He has set His will to love me forever) I am free to try and fail without any fear of condemnation. My relationship with my heavenly Father is not and never will be based on my performance, but instead is based on His grace and mercy to me in Jesus Christ.

The only opinion that truly matters to me is my heavenly Father’s. If I fail, His love for me doesn’t change. His love, grace, and mercy give me the confidence that I need to keep trying and to never quit or give up.  Therefore, I will not be afraid to try and fail, for my self-worth is grounded in the truth of the Father’s love for me in Christ. Because I am in Christ forever, I cannot fail no matter what!

Allow me here to make a common sense statement that I think will also help you in facing and defeating the giant of all or nothing thinking. What if you do try something and fail? Is that the end of the world? Of course it’s not. Learn from your mistakes and try again. Don’t allow the fear of failure to keep you from trying. You want always get it perfect, but who does? Just give it your best shot and then rest in that. If someone can’t deal with it, that is NOT your problem.

Connie’s first attempts at cooking when we got married were, let’s just say, not exactly perfect! But I didn’t die, and she kept working at it and now she is a very good cook. Still not perfect, but very close!

Be willing to face your fear of not getting it perfect. You will find that when you do you will conquer it. And that will be one giant down! Remember, you’re not perfect. There was only One who was perfect and that is Jesus. But you are chosen, forgiven, and loved unconditionally in Him! Live in that truth and you will overcome your fear of failing.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of the deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who neither know victory or defeat.” President Theodore Roosevelt.