Think right, live right

Someone has wisely said, “You’re not what you think you are, but what you think—you are.” Lasting change always begins with new thinking. How do you become a Christian? By repenting of your sin and placing your trust in Christ. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia, and it means to change your mind. We’re not changed by willpower, but by the transforming power of God’s Word when we use it to renew our minds each day. The Bible clearly teaches that the way we think determines the way we feel, and the way we feel determines the way we act. So if you want to change your actions, you have to return to the source and change the way you think. At times you may act resentful. Why? Because you feel resentful. And do you know why you feel resentful? Because you are thinking resentful thoughts. The same is true of anger, worry, lust, and other destructive thought patterns. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NLT). When you base your life on truth—when you live with the right kind of thoughts, not misconceptions or false beliefs, and you base your life on thinking from God’s Word—you will be set free. You will find your old habits, feelings, and actions beginning to fall away. When you focus solely on removing bad thoughts, you create a vacuum into which the bad thoughts can return. But when you replace bad thoughts with good ones—scriptural ones—you are empowered by God to live the life of blessing He wants you to enjoy.