Elevate To The Next Level: "Transformational Thinking”

Elevate to the Next Level: “Transformational Thinking”

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Our minds are an extraordinary creation of God. They process billions of bits of information and recall 800 memories per second. No computer can match the mind’s processing power. And what’s even more amazing is that we only use a small part of it.

Now, the Bible says, “As a person thinks in his or her heart, that is who they are.” (Proverbs 23:7 paraphrase)

Our thoughts shape who we are more than anything else. It’s not our background, heredity, or environment. Instead, it’s what we choose to think about that has the biggest impact on our lives.

So, if we want to truly change something in our lives, we need to start by changing the way we think.

The Apostle Paul said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

One of the biggest problems with thinking clearly and transformatively is our perspective on what we’re going through; therefore, we change our minds by changing how

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

we see things.

Paul had a good handle on this.

“We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

Paul knew that while he might get knocked down, he wasn’t knocked out, and that no matter how tough things got, it was nothing compared to what Jesus went through, so he was willing to endure for the sake of the gospel.

And so, here are some guidelines to help us shift our thoughts and change our thinking so that we can, in turn, endure to the end.

Thinking about God

To sum up this point, I would say it’s all about capturing every thought.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV)

Although we are born again, forgiven, and are new creations in Christ Jesus, our minds are still conditioned to live apart from God. And since we don't have delete buttons, we must be careful about what we fill our minds with.

We must continually renew our minds, which means reprogramming them. This involves replacing all the lies we've accepted as truth over the years, along with those strongholds and arguments that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God and hinder us from obeying Him, with the truth of God’s word.

Therefore, we need to be careful with what we fill our minds with.

King David said, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” (Psalm 101:3a NKJV)

Now, besides filtering out all the bad stuff, there’s also a lot of things we don’t need to get involved in or let in.

The Apostle Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.” (1 Corinthians 10:23 NKJV)

In other words, while some things are not necessarily wrong, they simply aren’t necessary. Many shows and books aren’t necessarily harmful or bad, but they're just filler—things we consume that don’t strengthen our faith.

And so, we need to start taking control of our thought life and bring it into obedience to God’s word. Only then will we truly live out what we say we believe in.

Now, the next three points are about what or how we are to think about God.

Think about God’s Goodness

One of the main reasons we feel depressed and discouraged is because we constantly focus on all the negative things. Instead, we should focus on the goodness of God.

And what this tells me is that when we feel depressed, it's often because we’ve forgotten how wonderful God is.

Research shows that gratitude is one of the healthiest emotions a person can feel. Therefore, boosting our sense of thankfulness and gratefulness can improve our health.

Therefore, thinking about the goodness of God accomplishes this very thing. And it’s more than just being grateful for all that God has done; it also means clearly remembering how good God truly is.

How good is God? Well, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him in heaven. That shows how good God is.