How often do you have the courage to look at your personal negative perspectives, the ones that don’t serve you well?
When you do uncover these hidden ‘destiny inhibitors’, you can start work on reversing them. This is when you’ll see incredible blessing in ways you never imagined!
Hidden negative perspectives hold you back from being all that you were created for.
Whilst interviewing some of our coaching graduates, I was reminded of the power of coaching perspectives to get breakthrough for anyone. This is something you can self-coach yourself through or use it to coach others. It shifts mindsets that you may not have realised you’ve had for years! I’ve regularly worked on many of these myself in just about every area of my life and work. I have had to practice keeping on ‘positivity’, trusting and having faith for great things in seasons where outward circumstances don’t match at all. It’s so encouraging to be able to measure actual progress you’re making by reversing negative perspectives and renewing your mind, aligning it with Him through different seasons.
A pastor I respect once said; ‘Any area of your life where you don’t have glistening hope is an area where you are under the influence of a lie.’ Because of who our God is, we can have glistening hope in every area of our lives. God’sintention is to bless us. Wow!
So how do we uncover and then reframe these hidden negative perspectives or ‘lies’, to release hope to glisten again in all areas of our lives?
Step 1
First, draw a table (as example below) or make a simple list on a piece of paper. On the left-hand side examine your heart for areas of your life without glistening hope. You are looking for areas without joyful expectation. Get it all out! Give yourself permission to complain, be negative, express your heart hurts and cry (if you need to).
(Check out more examples below from my own experience and people I have helped.)
Step 2
Second, take a look at your list. Ensure you have identified the negative beliefs, lies or ‘limiting beliefs’ (as we call them in coaching). Eg – ‘I believe that things never change’. Or ‘it’s too hard’. Or ‘my friendship cannot be healed’. Or ‘I believe that I will never get the job I want’. Or that ‘I will never be able to follow my dream of setting up the business I want to.’
Step 3
Now the fun begins.
Third, take each negative belief and imagine a time in the future when God has done immeasurably more than you can think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Now take each negative belief and reframe it with a positive belief that would represent what could happen if God did more than you can imagine.
‘Things will never change’ BECOMES ‘God has turned my whole situation around for the better and bought good from what was difficult. Things are changing for the better and will continue to because that is what God does for me in my life. He is a redeemer!’
‘It’s too hard’ BECOMES ‘It’s easy! All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me.’
‘My friendship cannot be healed’ BECOMES ‘My friendship is healed, and we are becoming closer than before.’
‘I will never get the job I want’ BECOMES ‘I have the perfect job that I want. I am the best person for this job. They are blessed to have me!’
‘I will never be able to follow my dream of setting up the business I want to.’ BECOMES ‘I have set up an incredible business which is hugely successful and has favour and longevity.’
Do you get the picture? This is an ideal exercise to do with a friend, because they will be better than you at switching your negative perspectives to positive ones. You can return the favour.
Step 4
Lastly, declare the positive beliefs and declare them often. Choose to believe them as the truth. You can record your positive declarations and listen to them often.
This exercise is so simple really but so few of us take the time to actually do it. You will find the time you spend drawing out and reversing your negative perspectives will shift your life and work in ways you cannot imagine. It’s a powerful game changer!
More examples
| Hidden Negative Perspectives
Areas without glistening hope, joy & expectation |
Positive Reframe
New joyful perspectives |
| Loss
Losing people, I love. Feeling despondent and grieved. Why do people have to leave so quickly? |
I can celebrate the life they have lived and them being promoted to go to heaven. I am looking forward to spending time, lots of time with them in heaven.
1 Cor 15:55 – “Where, O death, is your victory? |
| Timing
Things just never seem to break through. It takes so many years. |
I remember God’s promise of redemption and blessing and His eternal perspective of a day being like a thousand years. It is not too late, victory will be here soon!
2 Peter 3:8 – “… a day is like a thousand years” |
| Experiencing feeling like I am NOT living fully in my calling, my purpose – succeeding and flourishing in all that God has put on my heart | I can specifically thank Him for areas where feel I am aligned in my call and purpose. I can remember the journey of how far I have come to get this far. (Specifically, how I felt say 10 years ago). I can celebrate what He is doing not what He is not doing. I can practice thanking Him for what I believe is coming
Jerimiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you” |
| Financial breakthrough
I feel frustrated that financial means are not where they need to be |
I can explore areas in my heart that are still acting like a ‘pauper’, taking responsibility that my beliefs affect what God can release to me. I can meditate on the fact that I am Gods child and have all His resources of His kingdom available to me. I can communicate to Him as to what needs to be changed in my heart to receive it all.
Psalm 92:12, Psalm 25:13, Prov 28:25, Prov 13:21, Psalm 1:3, Job 36:11, Deut 28:11, Matt 25:21 – The faithful and righteous will propser! |
| Feeling that God is not listening and is not concerned about the details of my life. Feeling He is distant | God is with me no matter how I feel. He is instantly accessible and delights in hearing from me.
He is interested in the details of my life He collects my tears in a bottle – Psalm 56:8 Psalm 139:7 – I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! Matt 28:20 – Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. |
| I am under attack and must work hard to fight this | Haha – I have authority to scupper the plans of the enemy. The enemy only has the power I choose to give him. I choose to enjoy the banqueting table in the midst of my enemies with God (Psalm 23:5)
He has given us authority to take dominion over the enemy. (Luke 9:11) |