Choose to Believe

Choose to Believe

What you choose to believe is revealed in your words

In this clip from Kung Fu Panda, Master Oogway gives wise counsel to Shifu by encouraging him to  believe that Po, the Dragon Warrior prophesied about in their culture can save the empire against evil Thai Lung. When Shifu approached Mastor Oogway with “bad news”, the Master replied; “That is bad news IF you believe the Dragon Warrior cannot stop him.”   

What you choose to believe, revealed by your words has an impact on your circumstance.  God spoke all of creation into existence with words and we are made in His image.  Our words have the very power of creation and are subject to the law of sowing and reaping.  What you speak, you agree with, and invite to happen in your life. The peach seed could only produce a peach tree. Negative beliefs can only produce negative results. Positive beliefs can only produce positive results.

You Speak your Choice

You can be like Shifu and believe a negative outcome. He believed that Thai Lung will come and destroy the land because that is what the natural circumstances appeared to be telling him.  Or, you can be like Master Oogway and believe in the prophetic promises of God. Like those that gave him faith to believe that Po would save the empire.  When your heart has made a choice it speaks it out loud.  Your tongue is the rudder for your life.  What you speak reveals your heart. Everything aligns with your belief, even at the cellular level.  Believe the limited and negative prognosis, and watch what happens.  Believe in the supernatural promises and power of God and watch what happens. God loves to be believed for the promises He makes in the Bible.

The Power of All

The Word of God is full of amazing promises for which to anchor your faith.  We worship and “Omni” God.  Omni means “all”.  It is an absolute word.  The Bible reveals that God is Omni-benevolent.  He is LOVE as an identity and not just a feeling. God is Omnipotent which is all powerful.  He is God ALMIGHTY.  All strength comes from Him and through Him.  God is Omni-Present which means HE will be with you always and will never leave or forsake you.  He sees everything that was, is and will ever be already.  And, God is Omniscient.   He knows everything.  Even the unknowable things, He knows. 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians  5:22-23 (AMP) The amazing thing is that He shares His omni-ness with us by dwelling in our hearts. He transforms us by His power to be like Him in character and nature. What an amazing truth!

That Pesky Illusion of Control

I loved the line from this clip when the Master says; “The panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours, until you remove the illusion of control.”  So, if God, who knows everything, is everywhere and sees everything, and is all powerful and benevolent promises something, who do you think is better to hold the reigns of your life and your circumstance? You really aren’t in control of anything if He is in control of everything. It seems counter intuitive, but when you surrender the reigns of your life to the Omni-LORD, you find true freedom in Christ. You experience the freedom to live inside the boundaries of God’s perfect protection, provision, power and blessings.

Fix your Eyes on Jesus

In this movie, there was a prophetic message that a savior would come that would overcome the evil one. The Master recognized that Po was the one for whom the prophesy of victory was centered, and he had hope because he believed. Master Oogway had his eyes fixed on the promise of the prophesy.  Which he spoke out loud.  His belief in that prophesy is what gave him hope.   

Shifu had his eyes fixed on the natural problem.  He was allowing himself to picture the worst-case scenario.  Then, he spoke out loud that he believed in the worst-case scenario.  This activated his faith in that direction and caused him to panic and lose faith.

The same is true with us.  For example, we can choose to look at the bad diagnosis or the dwindling checking account, and spiral down into hopelessness. Or, we can choose to fix our eyes on the supernatural truths we find in the Bible about our Omni-God.   At all times, fix your eyes on Jesus.  God alone is where all hope is found.  He IS the Way, the Truth and the Life;  The Great Physician, the Author of your Story, the Strong Tower, the Sovereign King of kings.

Expect the Unexpected

Once you choose to trust Him, let God be God.  God doesn’t solve problems the way we expect. And our prayers need not be us telling Him how to handle it!   Just like Shifu was not seeing a savior in an overweight panda, so the world didn’t expect the savior to come as a vulnerable baby in a manger. Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

Let’s Ask Jesus

Jesus, what do you have to say about this issue of believing?

To believe is an action; a choice to act.  It’s not a notion that stays in your head.  Believers behave in the direction of their faith. James 2:18 clarifies. But someone might object and say, “One person has faith and another person has works.”^[a] Go ahead then and prove to me that you have faith without works and I will show you faith by my works as proof that I believe.

Believers take that step of faith because of a Promise from Me that is so scary, so challenging that it makes their heart beat hard and their palms sweat.   You know you are a believer when you become a doer. Trust Me. I AM believable!

Check out the award winning Clips that Move Mountains: 2nd Edition for more film clip driven inspiration. https://pattysadallah.com/other-books/