New Mindset – New Results.

If your life isn’t working, if you don’t feel fulfilled spiritually, mentally, or physically, at some point you have to be willing to admit that something needs to change. It’s easy to keep doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts, repeating the same habits, and then wonder why nothing feels different. I know because I’ve done it. I spent years wanting my circumstances to change without realizing that some of the biggest changes needed to begin inside of me.

I believe the first step is getting quiet. Before making another plan, setting another goal, or asking everyone else what you should do, spend some time alone with God. Turn off the phone, get away from the noise and pray … and ask, “God, what direction do You want my life to go? What needs to change in me?” Then be quiet long enough to listen. We spend so much time asking God to change our circumstances that we can miss what He may be trying to change in us.

One of the first places to look is our thinking. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” We sometimes throw that verse around like a motivational quote, but these are words from God. Our thought life matters. What we continually think about affects what we believe, what we say, the choices we make, and ultimately the direction of our lives.

If every morning begins with I’m exhausted. I hate my life. Nothing ever changes. I’m too old. I could never do that, we shouldn’t be surprised when we begin living from that mindset. Our thoughts become familiar, familiar thoughts influence our words, and our words reinforce what we believe. Eventually we can become so accustomed to thinking negatively that we don’t even realize we’re doing it.

Changing your mindset doesn’t mean pretending everything is wonderful when it isn’t. Faith is not denial. It means recognizing what isn’t working while refusing to believe it has to stay that way. It means replacing I can’t with God, show me what I can do. Replacing It’s too late with God, what do You want me to do with the life I have in front of me?

And then comes the part we sometimes don’t want to hear: we have to participate in the change we’re praying for. If God shows you something needs to change, you may have to change a habit, your schedule, what you’re putting into your mind, what you’re watching, how you’re caring for your body, the people you’re listening to, and most importantly, the words coming out of your mouth. Prayer gives us direction, but we still have to be willing to walk in that direction.

Maybe you don’t need a completely different life. Maybe you need a different way of thinking about the life God has given you and the courage to change the parts that are no longer working.

So … Get quiet, ask God, listen …. then do what He tells you to do.