Changing Starts With Choosing
By Rick Warren
"Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)
Are you looking for a fresh start? I don’t mean moving to a new town. I’m talking about a reset in any area of your life that is stuck. You will go through many resets in your life. That’s because God didn't just create you. He also wants to transform you into what he's always intended for you to become.
To reset and experience a transformation in your life, the first thing you need to work on is your mindset—how you see yourself, how you see others, how you see your problems, and, most importantly, how you see God.
If you don't change your mindset first, a change in your location or a change in your scenery is not going to help much. Why? Because you could go to the ends of the Earth, but you will still take you with you wherever you go.
For example, let’s say you’re stressed, so you decide to go to Hawaii for relaxation. But you just end up taking the stress with you because it’s in your body. If you don't deal with the mental stress first, then it’s going to continue to cause trouble in every other area.
Life change begins in your mind because your thoughts direct your life. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts" (GNT).
Every action and reaction in your life, everything you feel and do, starts as a thought. It all begins in your mind! If you don't think it first, it doesn't happen.
You can use this truth for good or for bad: Good thoughts lead to good habits and good choices; bad thoughts lead to unhealthy habits and behavior.
The truth is, we don't realize how often we sabotage our own success by the way we think and talk to ourselves. You're talking to yourself all the time!
The Bible says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).
Your relationship problem doesn’t start with the relationship. It starts in your brain. This is true for money, sex, a habit, food, your work, or anything else. You cannot reset any area of your life without first changing how you think.
Changing starts with choosing. You can choose what you think about. It’s time to make choices that reflect the kind of person God wants you to be.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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