What do you think about that?

Robert Phillips March 12, 2016 4 Comments

What are you thinking about?  We’ve stepped out on a difficult path. Fortunately, the most difficult paths in life are often the most transforming.  However, the battle for a transformed and renewed life begins in the mind.  So, what are you thinking about?  This is where a lot of us lose.  That includes me.  I tend to spend a lot more time thinking about the negative things that other people might say about me than the positive ones.  Oh, I love to celebrate the compliments and the accolades.  But, let someone say something negative and I will hold onto that thought and chew on it day and night like a cow chews the cud!  The next thing you know, I am feeling inadequate, angry, and useless.  Now, stop and think about how years of hearing and dwelling on negative messages can affect a person.  Often, we are not even conscious that we are internalizing these messages and living them out.

As we open our minds to be renewed by God’s spirit, we must also take active, conscious control over our thoughts. We can focus our thoughts on the messages from God’s Word that communicate His love and grace in our lives along with our tremendous value as His children. What sayings or Scriptures can you find that communicate those messages? Here’s a challenge: set aside some time (5, 10 or 15 minutes) a few times out your day. Find a quiet place and spend the time thinking about those messages. Just as the negative messages were internalized and affected our feelings and beliefs, the positive messages can be just as, if not more, powerful as they are internalized in the same way. So, what do you think about that?!