Good thinking wasn’t what we thought when one of the teens deliberately touched the side of the metal fire pit at summer camp and burned himself. It was more like, what were you thinking? Fire is hot!
The look on his face was one of pure shock. (Actually, that was the look on all of our faces.) For some reason, the thought never occurred to him that fire burns things, especially skin.
How many times have you had a similar situation? You know that awkward moment when you reach out to do something and the consequences of your actions never crossed your mind. Then you wonder why you didn’t think it through.
Let’s face it. Good thinking is essential to a successful life, but it doesn’t always come easy, does it? We get distracted, self-motivated, or focused on the wrong thing.
Here are three steps you can take to have good thinking consistently:
1. Stop thinking about you so much.
Flawed thinking is rooted in selfish thinking. We can focus on our comfort, our superiority, and ourselves way too much. It’s a dangerous place for our minds to be.
Romans 12:3 gives us some insight to help us get out this danger zone when it says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Sober thinking is humble thinking. It realizes we are all sinners saved by God’s grace. It’s the best place to keep your mind.
2. Have a closed mind.
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking; we need to have an open mind. Right? Well, that’s true to some degree. The problem is that our minds are often too open.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) tells us to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
How many times do your emotions get the best of you, letting your mind wander into a dangerous place? Close your mind to negative, destructive thinking and open it to Jesus.
3. Think about how to please God.
Good thinking always puts Jesus first. It considers what God wants instead of what I want.
Romans 8:5-6 (NIV) tells us that “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.”
Question: Doesn’t life and peace sound way better than death? Yes, it does!
Did you know that your thoughts produce one or the other? If you choose to think about what pleases God, it will produce the opposite of death… life. Who doesn’t want that?
Take these steps toward good thinking and share this with a friend.
Daily messages are helping to stay focused on Our Heavenly Father who cares for us. It is pleasant to know my church family is connected and sharing as one while reading and praying. May our love for our brethren increase as we prepare for eternity.
Love it Connie!
You’re proving that power isn’t in the number of words written but in their content. Powerful truths that are easy to read, simple to understand, and ready to apply in my every day life. Thank you for writing!
Thank you Andy! Very encouraging.