The Bible has something very interesting to say in Proverbs 23:7 - "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (NKJV)

Monday afternoon I was with my other parents (Jenny’s) in San Marcos taking a small respite after a long morning to watch the US Open Golf Tournament reach its dramatic conclusion. If your not familiar with it, Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate tied for the first four rounds and needed a fifth on Monday to crown this year’s champion. I don’t often watch sports, but I would have to say that the 30 minutes I watched was probably some of the best sports I have ever seen. Back and forth the two players went, with amazing shots under huge pressure. 24,000 came out to watch those two lone players battle it out, and with great grace they did, Tiger Woods finally emerging victorious.

As I sat there with Jen and her parents, a commercial came on from Nike. First let me say that I am a huge fan of Nike commercials, I think they are (for what I’ve seen) very well done. This one featured old video clips of Tiger Woods and his father Earl Woods. In the voice-over, Earl Woods, who has since passed from this life, talked about how he would coach his son in his youth. He talked about various techniques he would use to keep Tiger focused, and how he would constantly challenge him to be better. There was one statement, however, that really hit me - at first it struck me as ridiculous.

Earl said, "I would tell Tiger - ‘Tiger, I promise you you’ll never meet another person that is as mentally tough as you the rest of your life’." What? Can you imagine making that statement to anyone, much less your own son? How can anybody know that? The statement seems ludicrous.

But to this day - the legitimacy of that statement has rung true. Time after time, the man Tiger Woods has overcome in countless pressure situations to become arguably one of the greatest golfers, if not one of the greatest athletes, of all time. And how does he have it in him?

Simple - he has always believed what his father told him. And so he has thought in his heart, so he is.

How did Earl Woods know what to say over his son? He most likely didn’t. He just believed in him and developed what was in him with words of affirmation and life. The power of life and death are in the tongue, and Tiger’s father spoke into him identity, encouragement, and strength - and his success today is due to the simple fact that he has believed it. Of course, there are long hours of practice and performance, but none of those would even be possible nor worthwhile if it weren’t for his Father’s words to spur him on in good times and bad.

Oh that we as the church would believe what our Father says about us. Its’ the only way for us to be what He’s purposed us to be. Simple? Not really. Powerful? We had better believe it.