The Bounce 30 Days to a Happier You

Think Strength; Live Strong
Brian Clark and his colleagues wanted to test the brain's
influence on strength development. They designed a four-week
study in which fourteen people wore a cast on their arm that
immobilized their wrist and hand. Fifteen additional people did
not have casts. The ones who had the cast were asked to
perform mental imagery exercises five times a week to imagine
that they were moving the immobilized wrist. The other fourteen
did no exercises. After four weeks, the group who did not
perform the exercises had 45 percent less strength than the
control group. The group who completed the exercises had 25
percent less strength. Clark believes this study shows the effect
our brain alone can have on our physical body. The experiment
results demonstrate that when they thought right, even without
physical exercise, the participants maintained strength. 1 [26]

The Pastor's Perspective
Strength in the Bible. It is mentioned repeatedly in Psalms 70, Isaiah 33, and Job 22. Strength
is mentioned in thirty-nine books and occurs 232 times in the Bible.

Read Eph 3: 14-21

In the verse above, Paul indicates that strength is fostered within us. He begins this writing in
the posture of a "bended knee," which means prayer and meditation on God. We are to be
"strengthene'" with might by His spirit in the inner man.

Fear, jealousy, and envy are all spiritual immobilizers and stem from a belief that something terrible will happen in the inner man. When fear hits us, we tend to recoil and not do anything.
Then we meditate on how scary life is and consequently do nothing. In a way, we are in a
"lifecast” where we do nothing. We then complain that we have nothing.
The solution to this mental sickness is to stop letting fear immobilize your love. Begin to use
your imagination, think positively through this immobilization, and watch how God establishes
steps for you. It is not God’s will that you remain motionless or in an effortless place because
you’re afraid to move. Think of all the good that will come into your life if you release the
strength of the inner person where the Spirit of the living God resides! Just thinking right will
cause you to maintain the strength you didn’t even know you had.

Whatever part of your life is gripped by fear and needs improvement, begin to think positive
thoughts about it. Then, watch how God establishes a brand-new day for you! Marriages,
parenting, and friendships can all be blessed if we imagine those relationships healthy and
prosperous. Remember what David said in Psalm 1, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord
and in his law does he meditate both day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the
water. Everything he does shall prosper” (KJV).