Change your thinking, change your life (3)

The book of Proverbs begins: “These are the proverbs of Solomon… Their purpose is to teach people wisdom… to help them understand the insights of the wise… to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance” (Proverbs 1:1-5 NLT).

Creative thinking is simply disciplined thinking. If you think you know all there is to know, then you already know everything you’re ever going to know. In order to break out of the box, you must begin by asking the right questions. Sir Antony Jay said, “The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions.” Wrong questions halt the process of creative thinking. They send you down the same old path.

In order to change your life, you must change your thinking. That means you must be willing to ask these two questions: “Why must it always be done this way? Is there a better way?” Whether your goal is to build a better life, or a better family, or a better business, or a better church, or a better career, or a better “anything,” all change and progress must begin by honestly asking those two questions. The saying is true: “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” So, do you want to succeed? You must be willing to change your thinking in order to accomplish it.

Soul food: Num 27-29; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 62; Prov 11:15

Change your thinking, change your life (2)

If you’re surrounded by negativity, look for a better environment. Charlie Brower said, “A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow.” Negative environments kill great ideas every minute. A creative environment, on the other hand, becomes like a greenhouse where ideas are seeded, then sprout and thrive. In order to grow, you must seek out people who are committed to personal growth. Such people:

(1) Encourage creativity. David Hills says: “Studies of creativity suggest that the biggest single variable of whether or not employees will be creative is whether they perceive they have permission.” When innovation and good thinking are openly encouraged and rewarded, people see they have permission to be creative.

(2) Are willing to risk failure. Even when you have studied and prepared yourself thoroughly, you will have to try several times before you succeed. So, you need to be in an environment where mistakes are viewed as part of the creative process.

(3) Believe in the potential of a dream. A creative environment encourages the use of a blank sheet of paper and the question, “If you could draw a picture of what you want to accomplish, what would it look like?” A creative environment allowed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to speak with passion and declare, “I have a dream,” not “I have a goal.” Goals may give focus, but dreams have power. Dreams expand your world. And God is the giver of dreams and visions (See Joel 2:28).

Soul food: Isa 51:1-16; Mark 5:1-20

Change your thinking, change your life (1)

When you think creatively, you’re thinking like God your creator. But not everybody will welcome your creative ideas. Jesus wasn’t crucified because He worked miracles; He was loved and applauded for those. He was crucified for having ideas that challenged the status quo.

God is the giver of great concepts, truths, and ideas. So when He gives you one, don’t let anybody talk you out of it. Don’t let the fear of rejection or failure kill your idea either. After all, you can’t do something new and exciting if you force yourself to stay in the same old rut. Don’t just work harder at the same old thing; make a change. And the first thing you will have to change is how you think, what you listen to and believe.

Take a look at the following phrases: “I’m not a creative person. Follow the rules. Don’t ask questions. Don’t be different. Stay within the lines. There is only one way to do it. Don’t be foolish. Think of your image. That’s not logical. It’s not practical. It’s never been done. It can’t be done. It didn’t work for them. We tried that before. It’s too much work. We can’t afford to make a mistake. It will be too hard to administer. We don’t have the time. We don’t have the money. Yes, but…”

Paul writes, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (v. 2 NLT). The word for you today is – change your thinking, change your life.

Soul food: Num 25-26; Matt 9:14-26; Ps 57; Prov 11:14

Having a vision for your life

When you ask a little boy what he wants to be when he grows up, he is apt to say a fireman or a doctor. When you ask a little girl that question, she is apt to say a movie star or a fairy princess. The ability to dream is a gift that God has placed within each of us. If you want to achieve great things in life, you need a vision. Joseph’s vision didn’t come to pass until he was thirty, but he received it from God when he was a teenager. And God will give you one too: “Your young men [and women] shall see visions.”

Right now you may be considering different options for your life, and even experimenting with some. That’s okay, you’re still getting to know yourself; your strengths and weaknesses, what you’re drawn to, and what you have no interest in at all. If you focus your thinking on only one thing and your aspirations change, then you have wasted your best mental energy. But as you grow and mature, you need to zero in and become selective. The Chinese say, “A man who chases two rabbits catches neither.”

And when you receive a God-given vision, it has staying power. It’s like a fire burning within you. It may be a full-time vocation or a part-time avocation, but it’s the thing you will find the most fulfillment in doing. Paul wrote, “This one thing I do” (Philippians 3:13 KJV). As a result, he changed history, and today, churches and cathedrals are named after him. Here is a prayer God will answer: “Lord, give me a vision for my life!”

Soul food: Num 22-24; Matt 9:1-13; Ps 44:17-26; Prov 11:12-13

A prayer of commitment to God

If the desire of your heart is to please God and fulfill His will for your life, here is a prayer for you:

“Lord, I thank you that even though you know everything about me, you still love me. You know my thoughts, my mistakes, my sins, and yet you still call me your child. Your grace toward me is beyond comprehension. More than anything else, I want to know you intimately and sense your presence in my life each day. If there is any part of me that I have kept from you, show me so that I can invite you to rule and reign there. Come into me, Holy Spirit, and revive my soul with rivers of living water. Then flow out through me into a dry and thirsty world (See John 7:38-39). Help me to keep my eyes fixed on you instead of others (See Hebrews 12:1-2).

Lord, be my richest treasure always. Help me never to make an idol out of anyone or anything or allow possessions or the distractions of this world to get in front of you in any way. You are my healer, my hope, and my strength. When I need freedom, you are my deliverer. You are my shield from the Enemy, my counselor when I need guidance, and my stronghold in the day of trouble (See Psalm 32:7). Truly, you are the God of miracles. Work your miracles of grace in my life and keep changing me from day to day into your likeness (See 2 Corinthians 3:18). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Soul food: Num 19-21; Matt 8:18-34; Ps 44:9-16; Prov 11:10-11

A prayer for financial contentment

The Bible says: “True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (vv. 6-10 NLT).

Here is a prayer for financial contentment: “Lord, heal me from the stress of worrying about my perception among my peers. Give me the gift of satisfaction with what you want me to have. Thank you for teaching me to walk beside you, not in front of you. I repent of the times I got ahead of you. I also regret the times you were trying to bless me, and I was somewhere behind you, grappling with old issues. From this day forward, I will walk with you in peace and prosperity, knowing who I am, and whose I am. I’m preparing to be blessed with the practical steps I’m learning. But my focus is on you, and my relationship with you. Your Word says when I put you first, other things will happen as I prepare myself for what you have for me (See Matthew 6:33). Thank you for maturity coming to me spiritually, financially, and emotionally. My family will be blessed by what you’re teaching me. Amen.”

Soul food: Num 16-18; Matt 8:1-17; Ps 44:1-8; Prov 11:9