Joyce Meyer Talks
Power Thoughts, Life

What do you want people to gain from “Power Thoughts” compared to your book “Battlefield of the Mind” that deals with thought patterns as well?

I think “Power Thoughts” takes you a little bit beyond the “Battlefield of the Mind.” “Battlefield of the Mind” talks a lot about right and wrong thinking, and mainly gets the point across to people that they actually can control their thinking. [In] “Power Thoughts” I kind of laid down that foundation in the first part of the book. But in the second part of the book, I go into 12 specific areas showing that if you really, you know, want to develop a habit in breaking wrong thinking in your life--you need to focus in that area of your thinking for a period of time until your mind is renewed. It also talks a lot about confessing scripture in the area you have a weakness over, where you want to build strength. So I really talk a lot more about confession in this book then I did in the “Battlefield of the Mind.”

What practical ways can new believers overcome years of negative thoughts?

For me, [it’s] understanding that negativity was displeasing to God, or even that it’s sin. So I think that before you can overcome anything, believe that you can. Just learn to take a little time before you start reacting, and just think now: “Is being negative going to do me any good here?” Nobody can ever say that being negative ever helped them at all--not in any way. So I think we need to get smart enough to do what’s going to help us and [not] just continue to do things that are going to hurt us. It’s pretty easy to read something or hear about it in a message, but it’s that personal application of that where it’s just you, God, and your problems, that are going to give you the power to get stronger and stronger.

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