Change Your Thinking: The First Step to Changing Your Life
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Change Your Thinking by Evaluating Your Mindset
To change your thinking, you must first evaluate your mindset. How would you describe the way you think? Wise? Impulsive? Do you make decisions without considering the long-term consequences? Or do you always have your thinking hat on?
A while ago, I posed these questions to myself, and thought about my young children – the toddler specifically. I adore her, but she’s not what I’d call a sober-minded thinker. She’s fickle. That beautiful girl never, ever sees the big picture. As sweet as she is, she’s also selfish and focused purely on her own wants and needs. I don’t expect her to make good choices. Why? I can’t trust her thinking process. Her limited perception keeps her from making quality decisions. As I laughed and relished memories of my daughter’s bad ideas, I remembered that I’m not always sober-minded either.
If you really want to change your thinking, you’ll have to first evaluate your mindset. How do you think? Don’t rush that answer. Read this post. Wait until you have a free moment. Then, really toss that question around. What beliefs, ideas, and memories affect how you react to different situations? You can claim to subscribe to a certain belief system, but do your actions and conversation back that up?
If you think you may be more like my toddler than you care to admit, keep reading. The path to sober thinking is certainly the one less traveled. Not because it’s so hard, but because of the discipline and diligence it requires. If you’re ready and willing to embark on the journey, I believe the Bible gives us some specific steps to “be alert and of sober mind”. These steps overlap, but there is something you have to do first.
Allow God To Renew Your Mind
Before following Peter’s advice in our verse, you must allow God to renew your mind. Romans 8:7 says that our natural mind is “hostile to God”. A sober mind is a transformed, submitted mind. One that requires an individual to humble themselves before God and allow His Spirit to live inside them.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
A transformed, sober mind is vital to our walk with God. We can’t live out His plan for us without it. But what you DO is more important than what you THINK, isn’t it? False. In fact, how you think is who you are. Your thinking will determine your actions.
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
The first part of Proverbs 23:7 isn’t an unfamiliar scripture, but it’s one that’s easy to forget. Your thinking determines who you are. If you aren’t thinking soberly, don’t expect to reap the benefits of a temperate life. But how can you control your thinking?
Change Your Focus
Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]
Once you allow God to transform your mind, it’s up to you to change your focus. You can’t control which thoughts tune in, but you’re in charge of the reruns. If your thoughts become your identity, what better battle to prioritize? Controlling them is one of the most important aspects of your natural and spiritual life. It’s important to align your thinking with God’s Word.
There are two sides of every coin. Despite the tragedy of your trials, there’s always some glimmer of hope for which you can be thankful. Each day presents new opportunities in which God’s grace and mercy are available to you. Refuse to allow negative thoughts and memories to drunken your mind and stain your identity.
A change in thinking also requires a shift in perspective. Our limited outlook rarely lines up with God’s infinite knowledge. Allow me to tell a story about my toddler to illustrate. Once while I was cleaning the bathroom, my daughter woke up from her nap in a bad mood. She immediately wanted me to hold her and give her some juice. With disinfectant dripping from my hands, I explained she would have to wait until I finished one more thing. She had a fit. In her mind, I was mean and inattentive. Then she decided she wanted to drink the cleaning product. After the obvious “no”, her frustration intensified. All my young daughter could perceive in that moment was her unmet desires. Her level of thinking would not allow her to see how the timing was off (who wants juice from bleach covered hands?). She couldn’t even fathom the danger of a “yes” to that poisonous drink. And she had no idea that even though she wasn’t getting what she wanted at that moment, she had everything she needed. My baby was only focused on getting her way. Her stinkin’ thinkin’ blinded her from my more complete perspective.
See Things God’s Way
Have you ever treated God the way my toddler treated me? We become so focused on what we can see, we forget our spiritual Father knows and can handle all of our unknowns. That’s why God instructs us to walk by faith. Thinking, speaking and doing the Word of God, no matter what you see and feel, is so important. We have to learn to see our lives how God sees them.
But how? We can only find the answer in God’s Word and presence. You can’t broaden your perspective without His help. I suggest taking your concerns to God and asking Him not only for the way out, but for the lesson you’re supposed to learn. Then seek Him and search His Word for His perspective.
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us].
God says we are overcomers when we partner with Him. Instead of perceiving yourself as a perpetual victim, be intentional in thinking of yourself as an overcomer. And how can you overcome without an obstacle?
Get Rid of Pride and Worry
The first steps to godly thinking lead right into the next. A sober mind is one that has gotten rid of pride and worry. First, I’ll address the worry warts. A mind plagued with worry has a warped perception. It will blur your vision and waste your time.
Think about it. If you believe the world is out to get you, getting laid off from your job will further convince you of this “fact”. You’ll tally it up with the other reasons that “prove” how the world is out to get you. Instead of considering your opportunities, you’ll focus on your tragedy. But thinking of good things will help you be grateful and open to new possibilities. One person can be laid off and spiral into depression, while another will devote their time to building a business. Trust me, I know depression is more complex than I have time to discuss here. But the point remains the same: your perception of an issue determines your response to it. One person’s stop sign is another’s detour.
Right before today’s verse is a famous scripture that most Christians know by heart. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”. If you’ve been to enough church services, you’ve likely heard at least a sermon or two on this verse. But it’s not as common to see it in action. Most of us only call on Jesus when we feel things are out of our control. By the time we “let go and let God” we’ve usually allowed worry to influence us into a string of poor decisions.
Pride isn’t any better than worry. So what if you aren’t losing sleep every night? Maybe you’re the type who trusts your own strength or power or intelligence. Perhaps you aren’t underestimating God’s abilities, but overestimating your own. When you don’t see yourself correctly, you can’t see God correctly either.
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Pride leads to destruction because it keeps you from understanding the truth. The truth is we “can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13). You are wonderful and unique and worthy of abundant life. That worth, however, is because of who God created you to be and not because of anything you can do on your own.
One of my little pet peeves is when intellectuals or other powerful people say they don’t need God. They think because they are successful in their arenas; they don’t need God’s help. Those unaware of the Giver depend too strongly on their gifts. Just like the worry wart, a prideful person allows a false narrative to cloud their thinking.
Truth Vs. Reality
See how pride and worry distract us from focusing on God? Give God your problems and root yourself in His Word. Being consistent in your faith walk is the only way to remain alert and sober-minded. In fact, that’s what faith is: holding on to God’s truth despite the reality that life presents you.
Many people say truth and reality are the same, but I don’t believe that. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines reality as “the state of being actual or real”. Its definition of truth is “A true thing; a verified fact; a true statement or proposition; an established principle, fixed law, or the like; as the great truths of morals.” The Bible says it this way:
Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
Truth is God’s Word. In this fallen world, our realities don’t always line up with God’s Word. Your reality may be that someone victimized you. While God empathizes with every single bit of pain you’ve endured, His truth is that you’re an overcomer. You may feel as though your life means nothing, but God says He created you for good works (Ephesians 2:10). The reality of what’s happening in the physical world doesn’t always reflect God’s truth.
In fact, many things in this world generate a false reality. Social media, television, music, people – they all create an atmosphere. Have you ever been in a relationship with a toxic person? I have. The reality was that a narcissist victimized me through manipulation and verbal abuse. My reality was that I had no self-worth and severe depression during a certain season of my life. However, the truth is that I am called for a unique purpose. I am God’s masterpiece. And so are you!
If you’ve discovered that you aren’t completely sober-minded, don’t feel bad. It’s a journey, not a destination. But don’t put off your journey any longer. You have an enemy who’s as real as you and I. He is consistently seeking someone to devour. While that sounds like bad news, it really isn’t. If he has to seek, he can’t destroy everyone. But don’t be confused. The devil is tricky, and he’s been around a long time. He knows more about the spiritual realm than us, but he cannot destroy you unless you let him. Don’t let stinkin’ thinkin’ so intoxicate you, you can’t stand up to the devil.
Change your thinking so you can change your life. First, submit to God so He can renew your mind and live inside you. Then, seek God’s perspective and commit to focusing on good things. Cast away your worries and lay down your pride. No matter what, decide to walk by faith according to the truth – not just your reality. You’re only one step from changing your life by sobering your thinking.
P.S. If you’re currently depressed, anxious or struggling in any other way, please speak to someone who can help. You can even email me if it’s just that you need to talk. I don’t mean to minimize the effects of depression or anything like it. But you do have a level of control over your thoughts and you are worth the work!
