The thoughts that you think are an important part of who you are as a person. Before words are formed and actions are taken, they start with a thought.
It’s important to understand how the way that we think impacts what we do, what we say, and how we perceive ourselves. If you need a change in your life, consider starting with a change in your mind.
According to studies, the average person has more than 6,000 thoughts every day. That means that every hour, there are at least 250 thoughts that form in your mind. Some of those thoughts are largely insignificant.
Minor things, such as the color of shirt that you’re going to wear that day, where you’re going to stop for your morning coffee, and where you’ll park when you get to work aren’t the kind of thoughts that will have any sort of lasting impact on your life.
They still count, but they are very substantive. However, some of those other 6,000 thoughts can have a major impact on who you are, the way you interact with others, and the way you perceive life.
Some of our more important thoughts may revolve around what the purpose of our lives is. Those thoughts not only shape how we view ourselves, but they also shape how we view God and how we interact with other people.
It’s easy to evaluate our thoughts and assume that there is nothing we can do to change them. After all, most of those 6,000 daily thoughts simply appear seemingly out of nowhere. No, there is no way to prevent thoughts from forming. However, there are steps that you can take to change the way that you think.
If we’re being honest, most of us would like to experience some level of change in our lives. While you can read self-help books (which there is nothing wrong with), make changes to your financial strategy, and take some steps to get into better physical health, the most effective way of changing your life is to change your thoughts.
Scripture provides plenty of insight into how to change the way that you think. When you embrace those principles and commit to applying them, you may find yourself improving every area of your life.
Cancelling Complaints
Exodus 16:2-4 (ESV)
And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.”
In the verses that we just read, God had just done something incredible on behalf of the Israelites. He had supernaturally delivered them out of Egyptian bondage, had caused the Red Sea to part so they could walk through on dry land, and had killed the armies of Pharaoh.
However, as soon as they started to get hungry, they wanted to kill Moses and Aaron, and started reminiscing about how good things were when they were in Egypt.
Adversity can have an interesting impact on people. In some cases, we romanticize how things were in the past because we’re so caught up with how bad things are going in the present. The Israelites’ problem wasn’t hunger. Instead, it was a thought problem. They allowed their thoughts to focus on what they didn’t have which caused them to doubt the goodness of God.
As much as we may ridicule the Israelites, we’re prone to do the same thing. When we face seasons of adversity, we allow negative thoughts to fester and develop a spirit of complaint.
One of the most powerful ways to change your own life is to make a commitment to not focusing on negativity and complaining. Instead, focus on the presence and provision of God in your life.
What Do You Reach For?
Mark 14:47 (TPT)
One of the disciples pulled out a sword and swung it at the servant of Caiaphas, the high priest, slashing off his ear.
We know that the disciple referenced in this verse was Peter. On the night that Christ was arrested, the High Priest sent out an army of people to apprehend one man. We don’t know the exact number of soldiers that converged on Christ that night in the garden, but we do know that one of the disciples, Peter, decided that he was going to take a stand.
In an instant, Peter was in a war that he was neither equipped nor prepared for. There was no way that one man, a former fisherman turned preacher, was going to fend off an entire army of trained Roman soldiers. However, Peter’s inadequacies for the battle went beyond the fact that he was only one person.
In the verses before this, we find that Christ had taken the disciples, into the garden to pray with him. Unfortunately, every time Christ went off into the distance to pray, He would find the disciples asleep upon His return.
Peter wasn’t able to stay awake for a single hour and pray, but he suddenly believed that he was going to muster up the strength and the courage necessary to fight off an entire band of Roman soldiers.
Tragically, we often do the same thing. We reach for the wrong things when we’re faced with a battle that we never signed up for. This goes back to a way of thinking.
Peter didn’t think it was important enough to stay awake and pray, but he believed he was going to fight off an army on his own. When we shift our focus to the things that we have access to in the spiritual realm, we become even more equipped to stand against the attacks of our enemy.
Remembering What We Are in Christ
Psalm 16:2 (TPT)
You’re as real to me as bedrock beneath my feet, like a castle on a cliff, my forever firm fortress, my mountain of hiding, my pathway of escape, my tower of rescue where none can reach me. My secret strength and shield around me, you are salvation’s ray of brightness shining on the hillside, always the champion of my cause.
Finally, one of the most important aspects of changing your thought pattern is to remember who you are. You’re not who you are because of the education that you’ve received, the job title that you hold, or the number of zeroes in your bank account. Instead, you are you who are because of the God that you serve.
Don’t let your circumstances dictate who you are. When you wait and see how you feel from one day to the next, and then let those feelings dictate what you’re going to be, you’ve set yourself up for a letdown. Instead, spend time focusing on who you are in Christ.
Today, you are as secure as David was when he said that Christ was like the bedrock beneath his feet, and the castle that sits on the cliff. You are as protected as David was when he said that God was his forever firm fortress, his mountain of hiding, and his pathway of escape. You are all of those things because you belong to Him!
A Closing Prayer:
Father, help me to shift my focus on the truths contained in Your Word about me. Remind me of the fact that I am not defined by my circumstances, but I am defined by Your Word and the truths that it contains. Help me to be ever mindful of the fact that I am Yours, and because I am Yours, I am secure. In Christ’s name, Amen.