You were made for more than to just barely get by or merely survive… you were made to come alive in Christ, to strive toward Him and thrive in your life. We are called as Christians to be more than conquerors through Christ, Who loves us and lives through us.
The best kept secret in the body of Christ is the blessed life. The blessed life offers to the believer a greater clarity, a higher quality, and a deeper integrity. The secret to seeing your signature life is finding your path and fulfilling your purpose for which God created you and has called you. This is the desire of my heart, for every disciple to discover the dynamic life that Jesus Christ died for them to live and experience.
Last week, we kicked off this series, “Thrive”, and we discovered how we can thrive in our time. We were able to see how the measure of our life is reflected by the treasure of our time. The influence of our life is determined how we choose to invest our time.
This week, in our second installment of the series, we will discover how we can thrive in our thought life.
It has been said, “You are what you eat…” I believe it is even more true, “You are what you think…”
"As a man thinks in his heart... (the Bible says) so is he."
If we desire to thrive in our life, then we must discover our thought life. Our thought life can hinder us or it can help us when it comes to honoring the Lord with our heart and life.
The word, “thinks” means to continually meditate on and constantly evaluate. Where your mind wanders, determines where your life goes.
What is becoming of my life will be determined by what is befitting of my mind.
A little boy went out to the backyard to play with a baseball bat and a ball. He said to himself, "I am the best hitter in the world."
Then he threw the ball up in the air and took a swing at it, but he missed.
With¬out a moment’s hesitation, he picked up the ball and tossed it in the air again, saying as he swung the bat, "I’m the best hitter in all the world." He swung and missed. Strike two.
He tossed the ball up A THIRD TIME, con¬centrating more intensely, even more determined, saying, "I am the best hitter in all the world!" He swung the bat with all his might. Whiff! Missed again!! Strike three.
The little boy laid down his bat and smiled real big. "What do you know?" he said. "I’m the best pitcher in all the world!"
Now that’s a good attitude! Sometimes you simply have to choose to see the bright side of bitter situations. When things don’t work out as you planned, rather than complaining about it which changes nothing, look for something good in your circumstances… a way to grow from your circumstances. Look for lessons in your experience. Fill your mind with good thoughts.
Changing your thought life can change how you receive and respond to life. If you are willing to change your thoughts, you can change your world.
I. The Recognition of Your Mind
It has been said, the mind is a terrible thing to waste. What makes the mind such a terrible thing to waste? I believe it is because, if you waste your mind, then you waste your life. Like the mind, a life is a terrible thing to waste.
There is a link between what you do, and the way you think. Behind our behavioral patterns whether constructive or counterproductive are thought processes.
This is why the Bible teaches us to "above all else, guard your hearts, for everything you do flows from it."
This word, “heart” speaks of the core of our being, our thoughts and desires.
The best way to guard your heart is to give your heart to God. Each moment of every day.
A Sunday School teacher asked her class what they were thankful for. One little boy said, "My glasses." When asked why he was thankful for his glasses when most little boys were bitter about wearing them, he said, "Because they keep the boys from fighting me and the girls from kissing me."
I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Give thanks in all circumstances. Or praise the Lord in all circumstances. That doesn’t mean you like every circumstance of your life. It’s just you can see more than just the negative things in your life. You see the positive, the good and you praise the Lord for them.
A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. “You are hired,” he said. ”Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.” The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer nor an email address.”
“I’m sorry”, said the HR manager, “If you don’t have an email, that means you do not exist. And he who doesn’t exist, cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 20 lb. tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60. The man realized that he could survive that way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day.
Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. 5 years later the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan for his family’s future, and decided to buy life insurance.
He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.” The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
Christianity is not about rules, regulations, and rituals… it is about a relationship with Jesus Christ… involving your heart, revolving around Him. When the Lord has our heart, life begins to flow through Him, more and more so as we grow in Him… at the heart of our life will flow this well spring of joy and peace, that the world cannot give and the world cannot take away… a wellspring of wisdom and knowledge, that helps us have a better perspective of situations we face each and every day, along with life as a whole.
If we give our hearts to God, He will guard our hearts and guide our lives… dictating the desires of our heart and directing the decisions of our life.
If we desire to thrive in our thought life, there must be a recognition of your mind and the role it plays in your life, but also…
II. The Repositioning of Your Mind
Many people will try harder and harder to change their behavioral patterns rather than rely more and more on God to change their thought processes. My beliefs determine my behavior, therefore if I want to become what God desires for me to be, I must understand, right thinking leads to right living.
The Bible says, "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things..."
You must set your mind on the Lord, or your mind will settle somewhere else. A mind not set, is a mind that settles.
There is nothing as powerful as a changed mind… you can change your hair, change your clothes, change your address, change your spouse, change your job, change your residence… however, everything in your life will perpetuate itself, events will continue to repeat themselves, because you can change outwardly, and fail to change inwardly.
Your mind is the control tower of your life. Whoever or whatever commands your control tower will have the greatest influence over your Christian life. By faith, we can yield our mind to the authority of Christ, Who has the power to form our way of thinking, and transform our way of living.
When I am most surrendered to Him, I am most satisfied in Him.
There is nothing as powerful as a changed mind… when someone will surrender their heart to the Lord, He is called on to command their control tower. When God changes our mind, He changes our life.
A few years ago, a series of fires raged through parts of southern California, fanned by the notorious Santa Ana winds. Laguna Hills, a posh, picture-perfect community set inland from the ocean, was hit especially hard. Flames jumped from house to house, fueled by cedar roof shingles. The fire consumed everything in its path—with one exception. The home of building contractor to Bui stood tall. The contractor wanted his home to last, so he constructed his roof with concrete and tile. The fire tested the roof, found it inflammable, and skipped over it to more combustible structures.
We must reposition our mind under the authority of Christ and allow His truth to rule over our thoughts. When we abide in His Word, the truth has the power to set us free.
He says to us, “Set your heart on Me and I will set you free.”
There must be the recognition of your mind, the repositioning of your mind, and last but not least,
III. The Requisition of Your Mind
God desires to influence your thought life for His praise, honor, and glory.
The Bible speaks about walking in the Spirit rather than walking in the flesh. This is the battle of the new man and the old man for the command of your control tower. (Romans 8:5)
When I think of my thought life, I think of an air space… just because a airplane flies into my air space, doesn’t mean that I have to let it land… Every thought that enters into my mind, doesn’t have to be entertained by my mind… every thought doesn’t have to occupy a place in my heart and life.
I must receive the thoughts, one by one, and ask, “Does this thought complement the Word of God… Is this thought inconsistent with the Word of God?”
The Bible says, “We bring each thought into obedience to Christ…” It is like buying an item and seeing where it is made… you can examine the thoughts and say, Will this thought help my relationship with God or will this thought hinder my relationship with God.
Worry, fear, anxiety, insecurity, shame, guilt, feelings of condemnation are red flags, and are not from God.
A Pharisee asked Jesus a highly debatable question in his circles, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The greatest commandment in the Bible is to love God. The Bible is clear how we are to love Him, with our hearts, souls, and minds. What does it mean to love God with all of your mind?
It means to direct our thinking toward Him and to devote our thought life to Him. If we direct our thinking toward Him and devote our thought life to Him, then we discover a fullness in our journey of faith as we treasure Him. When He becomes the sole treasure of our hearts, He becomes the foundation of our life, the focus of our life, and the fulfillment in our life. The reason why we thrive!
When the Bible says, “…all of your mind…” it is referring to a relationship, where we are fully, and wholly engaged. What does it mean to treasure Him? What does it mean to direct our thinking toward Him and devote our thought life to Him? It means to cherish, admire, delight in Him.
The Apostle Paul said, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
If we desire to thrive, then we must learn to treasure the Lord in our thought life.
If the Lord is at the heart of your thought life, then your thought life will bring honor to the Lord.
