The Overcomer Attitude

Ever wondered what separates an overcomer from one who gives up quickly?

That is right: The Overcomer Attitude!

In the following article, you’ll learn about three principles for better emotional control and results.

What is an Attitude, and Why is it Important? 

Our attitude starts with our inner worldview; it speaks to how we see God, ourselves, others, and circumstances, plus our internal self-talk. 

Our attitudes then show up outwardly in how we interact with others and our daily choices.

Our beliefs and attitude drive our behavior, which is the biggest driver of brain change!

Consider the difference in the attitude of two people who decide to lose weight:

• Person #1:” I need to get rid of this fat.”
• Person #2:” I want to live as a fit and healthy person.”

Person #1’s Attitude comes from avoidance or escapes from mindset. Therefore, they may see healthy habits as punishment for excess fat.

Because no one likes to feel punished, Person #1’s outward actions manifest as rebellion, self-sabotage, eventual quitting.

Let’s contrast Person #1’s attitude with Person #2.

Person #2’s attitude comes from an attraction or moving toward mindset. They see daily healthy habits as desirable, a tool to increase their energy, sharpen their minds, and live their God-given purpose. Because they see healthy habits as serving a higher purpose, they commit to practicing them.

The good news is that we can change our attitude with God’s help. Consider this scripture:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

– Romans 12:2

Rather than a worldly mindset, the Lord calls us to a kingdom mindset, operating with the mind of Christ and being about our Father’s business (as the 12-year-old Jesus said in Luke 2:49).

The Lord would not say to, “be transformed” if change were impossible for us!

What is an Overcomer? 

In John 16:33, Jesus said to His disciples:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jesus didn’t promise us a trouble-free life. However, He desires we have peace even during trouble!

Because Jesus has overcome the world, our destiny as people who live in Him is to overcome the world too so that He gets the glory.

I have heard my Pastor define an overcomer as a “problem solver.”

Problem solvers refuse to allow challenges to stop us; instead, we seek wise solutions to move forward with the Lord’s help. The Lord invites us to ask Him for wisdom (see James 1:5).

We see the big picture of life: expanding God’s kingdom and sharing in the Lord’s mission to save lost people; Therefore, we take that responsibility seriously.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked the disciples to watch and pray. However, they kept falling asleep. He advised them: 

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

– Matthew 26:41

In addition to watching and praying to escape temptation, it is also wise to practice wise physical health habits to support Spiritual endurance!

We heed the apostle Paul’s sage advice:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

– 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

3 Ways to Become an Overcomer

Here are three attitude shifts to operate as an Overcomer:

1. We believe solutions exist and seek the Lord for them; we choose an optimistic and productive attitude towards problems. 

When the Lord provides solutions, we act upon them immediately. Even a tiny step in the right direction is progress!

We operate like a thermostat, not a thermometer. We do not allow circumstances to dictate our mood; we set our minds on things above (see Colossians 3:2) and take an active role in our daily lives rather than operate passively. 

As we follow the Lord’s guidance, we expect our situations to align with God’s word and will. We encourage ourselves daily in the Lord as King David did during times of distress (see 1 Samuel 30:6).

The following two strategies are especially powerful:

• Speaking scriptures to yourself helps re-wire your brain to a Godly mindset.

•  Praise music can change our mood instantly because it bypasses our analytic mind and communicates directly with our souls (mind, will, and emotions).

1 Samuel 16:23 tells us that David played the harp when an evil spirit distressed King Saul. The evil spirit departed from Saul upon hearing the music; it refreshed Saul, and he was well again.

2. We take one day at a time, knowing that the Lord is walking with us. We practice patience according to James 1:2-4:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  

In time, we expect that our brains will change so that solution orientation will become second nature; when problems arise, our new “overcomer’s attitude” will activate.

As we repeat new behaviors, we form new pathways from chemical, structural, and functional brain changes.

We will awaken each morning excited to see the Lord’s hand working in our lives as we follow His way: 

 “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”

– Proverbs 4: 18

3. We focus on progress and gratitude, not loss and lack. While it is lovely to have goals, we can discourage ourselves when we focus on how far we have to go in reaching our goals rather than celebrate the behavioral progress we make each day.

I read a great book recently called, “The Gap and the Gain,” which focuses on this idea.

Take a moment to meditate on how far the Lord has brought you!

Let us heed the wisdom of Proverbs 13:12:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.”

Find joy in making progress in the process; each day, celebrate the small steps you are taking toward your goal. Life is happening as you walk forward, not trying to live in the past. 

Do not withhold happiness from yourself until you reach your goal; Enjoy the process of learning, developing, and changing each day, even during challenging times. 

Refuse to allow pain to derail you, numbing yourself through distractions and addictions. Instead, you face pain with the Lord’s help, allowing Him to comfort and heal you.

With an “Overcomer’s attitude,” your experiences shape you into the person the Lord has destined you to become.

In summary, you can change your attitude with the Lord’s help. As an old saying goes, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.”

As you magnify the Lord (amplify, enlarge, intensify) above your circumstances, watch them yield in comparison.

Remember that your attitude is how you see God, others, and the world. You will be an overcomer when God’s viewpoint shapes your perspective and daily choices!

Be Blessed with Health, Healing, and Wholeness,

Kimberly Taylor

Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple Weight Loss Community

P.S. Do you struggle with overeating sugar? If so, you are not alone!

Overcoming sugar addiction was a key factor on my weight loss journey; I lost 85 pounds and dropped from a size 22 to an 8.

In our 14-day Sugar Detox Challenge online course (inside the Take Back Your Temple Community), you’ll get the same success strategies and support to gain peace in your eating habits and achieve lasting weight loss.

Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple Christian Weight Loss Community.