In this solo sermon, April Mason of April Mason Ministries urges believers to recognize that their thoughts shape their hearts and speech, and ultimately their reality. She opens with Proverbs 23:7 (“as a man thinks, so is he”) and argues that what we focus on manifests in our lives. Negative thinking is described as a learned, programmed behavior that can be unlearned by deliberately meditating on positive, godly truths. Mason references Philippians 4:13, Philippians 4:8, Matthew 6:31, Mark 11:23‑24, and Proverbs 18:21 to illustrate biblical instruction on what to think about, how to avoid worry, and the power of the tongue. She explains that thoughts embed in the heart, influencing emotions and actions, and that spoken words flow from the heart’s meditations. Two analogies—one about falling in love with a woman and another about a single mother’s negative self‑talk—demonstrate the positive and destructive outcomes of thought patterns. Mason concludes with a call to choose god‑centered thoughts, to speak faith‑filled words, and to access her ministry resources (AprilMasonMinistries.com, BrokenButNotBound.com, TeleseminarZone.com). The overarching message is that kingdom believers must align their thinking, heart, and speech with Scripture to experience transformation.
Chapters
Hey everybody, it's your friend April Mason of April Mason Ministries. How y'all doing today? Listen, I just wanted to take the time out and give you a couple words of encouragement on today. It seems like things in this world— well, it's not seem like, things in this world are going a little crazy. But as Kingdom believers, we're supposed to know that we are not affected by this. And how can we not be affected by this? By the way we think. Bible says, so a man thinketh, so is he. Proverbs 23:7. Have you ever noticed or thought about that the things that you focus on the most end up manifesting in your life? Think about it. If you think you will fail, you will. If you think you're a loser, yeah, you are. If you think that you can't, you won't. If you think that only wonderful things have to only happen to other people They do. Negative thinking is a learned behavior. The funny thing is we've been programmed to think negative— negatively for so long that even when we are presented with something good, we automatically try to find the negative in it. That's amazing to me. I was one of those people. What I've noticed is that children that play sports, oftentimes they're taught it's not about winning, but it's just about go out there and have fun. To me, that's an underlying way of playing it safe. It's like you leave room for the game to go any way because you don't want to get your hopes up. If the child does lose, you can always say, "Well, at least you tried." To me, trying, saying the word "I tried," is a way to say you failed gracefully. What kind of thinking is that? Are we programming our children not to think as winners? Are we not winners? It's so that we have to start thinking like winners. Philippians 4:13 tells us, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Right there, thinking. It all starts out with the thinking. Let's move on down to your heart. As I started meditating on this Proverbs 23:7 about the thought thing, so what the man thinking Let's stop right there. Everything we do starts with the thought and it trickles down to the heart. Have you ever heard the song, the old hymn, "When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me, my soul cries out hallelujah"? She didn't say, "When I feel the goodness of Jesus." She said, "When I think about the goodness of Jesus." Totally different. When she thought about all of the wonderful things if I'd have done for her, and his grace, his mercy, all of the wonderful things that he's done, you know, watching over her children, you know, all of those wonderful things, providing, healing. Her soul cried out because now those thoughts are now embedded in her heart. I'm sorry, think about it. I know it sounds real simple, but these are things that we must understand. That we have to get in order for our lives to change. As I start thinking about this same thing, I went over to Philippians 4:8 where it tells us— did y'all know Bible tells us what we are supposed to think on and how we're supposed to think on? Philippians 4:8 tells us that finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report. If there's any virtue, if there's anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. There's no simpler than that. The Apostle Paul gave us instructions on what we are to think about or meditate on. It said nothing about meditating on what I want, what I ain't got. Said nothing about meditating on lack, sickness, poverty, death. Said nothing about that. As a kingdom knower, not just a believer— so you can start, you start off believing, but then you have to get to a point to where you increase your faith and you know what God is doing. So as a kingdom knower, we should already know the things that we are not— that are not praiseworthy and are issues that we're not supposed to meditate on. The funny part is we can say we're kingdom people and we're kingdom believers, but if you really understood it, you would know that there is no lack, poverty, death, or sickness in the kingdom. So we're not even supposed to be able to process that if we come from the kingdom. Moving right along to Matthew 6:31, it tells us to not worry because he knows what we need. I know right now is a crucial time for a lot of people, but also you have to remember whatever you say is what you have. Scripture tells us not to be anxious for anything. As I looked at the word worry in the dictionary, it says to afflict with mental distress or agitation, to make anxious. Who wants to be sitting there agitated and distressed and to make Anxious. Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing. So as Christians, when we start worrying, we're completely going against the word of God all the way. We can't give him our issues and then take them back. He doesn't want Indian givers. He wants you to know that he has it. It might not happen in your timing, but please understand he has it. Well, it's up to you to decide what you are going to meditate on. Whatever you choose be it good or bad, is what's going to be embedded in your heart. You have to make the right choices. You can't expect them to meditate on negative and get positive results. We talked about now what happened when you meditate on a thing and how it gets embedded in your heart. Now let's talk about the tongue. Mark 11:23 and 24 tells us that we can have what we say. Are we not living kingdom, or are we living lack because of what we're saying? Because of what we're thinking, causing us to say the wrong thing? Think about it. Mark 11:23 says, for surely I say to you, whoever says to the mountain, to the mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believe that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you have You ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Proverbs 18:21 also tells us that death and life, life is in the power of the tongue. So y'all that are so deep, when it says tell the mountain to be removed, the mountain is any obstacle, anything that stands in your way from getting to the promises of God, from getting you to point A to point B. Because you have— have you ever noticed when God shows you a vision He shows it to you complete. And a lot of times we will go after that complete thing that we've seen, not understanding that there are going to be obstacles in the way that are going to try to prevent us from getting to that vision that God showed us. So I want to give you those words of encouragement on today. Whatever you think about, if you let it in your heart, it comes out of your mouth. I'm gonna give you two analogies. First, Man meets a woman. He starts having a good time with her, spending more time with her. He thinks she's beautiful, she's wonderful, she's caring, she's loving, she loves the Lord, she has great character, she has integrity. I mean, she is just it for him. As he's thinking about her going on through the course of his day, those feelings and what he's thinking about better than his wife. And what starts happening is he starts falling in love with her because now it's hard to detach. Only way your heart can get attached is when you think about it. From that point on, now he's telling his friends, hey man, I met this woman, she is the best, this is my wife, I know it, she's this, she's that, and all that in the back of the ship. So now it's coming out of his mouth. He thought about it, but those thoughts got embedded in his heart. And now she's speaking it. Now that's the positive side. Now let me give it to you on the negative side. Ladies, start thinking about how you're doing all that you can do to raise these kids by yourself, how you don't have any help, how, uh, your kid's father doesn't pay child support, he doesn't see the kids, he doesn't spend time with them, and you're just angry, you're thinking these awful thoughts. Well, those thoughts are embedded in your heart now. Now you're angry, angry, you have bitterness, you have unforgiveness, you sick of him. I'm tired of him, he makes me sick. And now from that point on, what comes out of your mouth to others or even to him is, I hate you, I wish you could run over by a car. I mean, I just hate you so much. You know, these kids are this, you're a deadbeat, you're this, you're that, and the other. Those are things that are coming out of your mouth. So as I said before, be careful. What you meditate on, because whatever you meditate on is what's going to come out of your mouth. Be sure now to go to AprilMasonMinistries.com or April-Mason.com to check me out, read up on some things. And please go to BrokenButNotBound.com and sign up for free membership, as well as be sure to check out TeleseminarZone.com and get some resources on how to take your vision and make your vision a reality. Till next time, remember, you may be broken, but you ain't never bound. God bless you.
