Troubled Thoughts

If we want to experience the plan of God for our lives we must learn to master our thoughts. Far too often, we allow what others think about us to form our perspective instead of what God says. Our thoughts have a direct impact on the way we see ourselves. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as a man thinks within himself, so he is.”

This means someone with impossible thinking can only produce impossible living. And if we think small it will cause us to live far below what God has planned. When we feel limited in what we can do, our thinking will confine us to those boundaries, but God is limitless. He wants to raise us to a new level of thinking and that will raise us to a higher degree of living!

Our daily challenge is to train ourselves to think from God’s perspective — not our own. God sees us in the light of what Jesus has done for us, not based on our own achievements, education, or outward appearance. Notice the strong words Jesus spoke to Peter when he looked from the wrong perspective: “Out of My way, Satan! You stand right in my path, Peter, when you look at things from man’s point of view and not God’s” (Matthew 16:23 Phillips).We can stand in God’s way when we look at things from our own, limited perspective. Instead of hindering God’s plan we want to cooperate with Him in every way possible.

The Lord revealed His perspective to the prophet Samuel while choosing a king for Israel. “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).There is a vast difference between the way God looks at a person and the way we typically form an opinion. When the people chose a king, they chose a tall, handsome man in appearance. But the Lord chose a man with the heart of God.

We only see what a person looks like externally — their nose, eyes, hair, weight and typically form our opinion accordingly. Instead, God sees us for who we really are — in the light of what Jesus has accomplished for us, not what we’ve accomplished ourselves.

Jesus exposed the attitude of human nature when He said, “You judge according to the flesh…” (John 8:15 NKJV).

We will begin to think like God when we conform our thoughts to His Word. Notice Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you] (AMP).The ways of the world are superficial. However, when we conform our thoughts to God’s Word we will begin to think like God. We must learn to master our thoughts.

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Transforming Your Self-Image Have you ever been to an amusement park that had those funny shaped mirrors? There are mirrors that make you look really tall and thin. Others that make you look short and wide. There is also a mirror that makes you wide in the middle while your legs and neck look skinny. Words spoken by significant people in your life - friends, spouse, parents, teachers or employers - can affect you like the amusement park mirrors. You can change distorted images by simply getting an accurate mirror that reflects the true you.