Thinking Carefully

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

Proverbs 4:23 (GNT) 

God is far more interested in changing your mind than changing your circumstances. 

We want God to take away all of our problems, pain, sorrow, and suffering. But God wants to work on us first. Transformation won’t happen in your life until you renew your mind and your thoughts begin to change. 

Your thoughts are powerful. They have tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad. For example, maybe you believed the lie someone told you about yourself when you were growing up: “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If you accepted that thought, even though it wasn’t true, it shaped your life. 

The way to be careful with your thoughts is to examine them because some thoughts are good, but others aren’t. Careless thoughts lead to a careless life. 

This is one reason you get mentally fatigued: There’s a battle going on in your brain 24 hours a day. Satan is trying to neutralize your mind—your greatest asset in this battle. He wants you focused on negative and destructive thoughts that will distract you from God’s love and goodness. The struggle can be debilitating. 

Your thoughts determine your feelings, and your feelings determine your actions. To change your life, change your thoughts. 

How can you be careful with your thoughts today?

March 4 from Open Doors: A Year of Devotions