Your thoughts are some of the most powerful things in your life. Even the little thoughts that you don’t think mean much can have a major impact on your daily life. If you feel like your thoughts are holding you back, you can give your mindset a makeover. You don’t have to be caught in the never-ending cycle of negative, dangerous thoughts. If you feel like your mindset needs a makeover, today is the day for you to change things up and start fresh.
The thoughts that pass through your mind every day have a major impact on how your life will go. If you spend all of your time focusing on negativity, you will probably have negative experiences. Conversely, if you spend your time thinking about positive things, and the things of God, you are more likely to find the kind of joy that everyone is longing for.
The problem is, we often find ourselves trapped in the same thought patterns. If you’ve always viewed things from a negative perspective, it’s hard to just flip the switch and change the way that you think. If you have been hurt in the past, perhaps by someone that you trusted, it’s hard to just start trusting people again. That’s why your mindset may need a makeover.
The process won’t be quick, and it probably won’t be easy. Instead, you’re going to have to ask yourself some hard questions, allow the Holy Spirit to show you some areas where you’re wrong, and make adjustments accordingly. Making over your mindset is a process, but with the power of the Holy Spirit, you can certainly handle it.
Are you ready for a change? If so, keep reading. Today is the day that you can make a change that will last a lifetime.
Whose Voice Are You Listening To?
John 10:27 (TPT)
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Sheep aren’t very smart animals. Science actually teaches us that they are among the dumbest animals in the world. It’s not their fault, their brains are just significantly smaller than most other animals. With that in mind, the role of the shepherd is even more important. In Biblical days, the shepherd would spend all of his time in the field with his sheep. In fact, shepherds lived in the fields, usually in some sort of a tent. The shepherd was solely responsible for making sure that every sheep had easy access to food and water, because they wouldn’t be able to find it on their own. Since sheep have no defense mechanism, the shepherd was also responsible for protecting them. Sheep also have a propensity to wander off, which is why the shepherd’s staff would have a hook in the end.
Sheep don’t know much, but they do reach a point where they know the voice of the shepherd. Since the only people that sheep are around are the shepherds, they get to a point where they know his voice.
Fortunately, we’re smarter than sheep. However, we also have a tendency to wander, especially when we let our thoughts run away with us. We also don’t always know the best way to protect ourselves against our enemy, but we have a Good Shepherd who is more than capable of protecting us.
One of the most important things about changing the way you think is found in determining what voices you’re going to listen to. There are countless voices battling for control of your mind. Most of them are there to cause you problems, but the voice of your Shepherd is there to calm you.
Make the decision today to only listen to one voice, the voice of the Good Shepherd.
Letting Go of Past Hurts
Hebrews 12:14-15 (TPT)
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.
One of the most dangerous things that can impact our thoughts is pain from the past. Take for instance the woman at the well we read about in John 4. She had gone through multiple failed marriages and was now living with a man who wasn’t her husband. She had allowed the pain of her past to lead her into a dangerous cycle of unhealthy relationships. All of that ended on the day that she met Jesus.
When you’ve been hurt, it has a tendency to change the way you think. Perhaps you have a failed marriage on your record that ended when your spouse decided to be unfaithful. If that’s the case, you may assume that anyone who says they love you is looking for an opportunity to hurt you. That’s simply not the case, but it’s hard to move past that mindset.
The author of Hebrews spoke about the importance of cutting off any “root of bitterness.” That’s one of the most important steps to changing how you think. When you are able to allow yourself to move on from past hurts, you’re in a better position to change the way that you think.
Hitting Reset on Your Mind
Romans 12:2 (TPT)
Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.
Finally, the Bible tells us that we can totally transform our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit. Consider it a supernatural reset button. Did you ever play any of the old Mario video games? One of the best features was the fact that if you messed up, you could hit the reset button on the game console and get a fresh start. You got back all of your lives, and you got to use the information that you gathered from your last round to do a better job.
With the Holy Spirit, you can get the same kind of reset with your mind. You don’t have to be trapped by the way that you’ve been thinking, and you certainly don’t have to give in to the opinions and ideals of the culture that you’re a part of. Instead, you can rest in the promise of a fresh start through the Holy Spirit.
A Closing Prayer:
Father, help me to change the way that I think. I am tired of being trapped in this constant cycle of negativity. Help me to start viewing things Your way according to Your Word. In Christ’s name, Amen.