Have you ever been around someone whose comments and commentary cause you to wonder, “What are they thinking?”
The reality is, we know what they are thinking by what they say. The same holds true for each of us. Others know our thoughts by what we say.
What we think about matters! Our thoughts determine the course of each day and subsequently, the course of our life!
The MINDSET is the foundational garment we put on that establishes how we view the rest of the day, every day. Donning the right MINDSET is the most important selection we make upon awakening.
The BIG QUESTION is, HOW do we achieve the correct mindset?
To answer this we must establish this fact: The things we pause on and think about are of our own choosing.
Thoughts come into our minds from many directions and sources. No matter the source of origin, another person does not have the ability to cause us to meditate on anything. It is our own choice to hit the pause button and select the thoughts on which we will focus.
We have control over what we think about!
In the scriptural account of Jesus teaching about knowing whether we possess a heart of good or evil, the apostle Luke quotes Jesus speaking,
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (6:44-45)
The word heart is derived from the Hebrew leb or lebab which refers to the essence of who we are. When we watch, read, listen to, and converse about good, when we seek out what is good and right, we are choosing to feed our leb–our essence–with good, and we are filled with life-giving words for ourselves and others. The opposite is also true. When we choose to feed and focus on the negative, our minds follow the path to negative thinking, culminating into negative speech.
Wherever we allow our minds to dwell, our words will follow.
The great news is that even if an individual has spent too much time focusing on the negative, he or she CAN change. In his letter to the Romans, Paul teaches that our minds can be transformed when he says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.” (12:2)
Getting the right mindset comes from filling our minds with what is right, good and correct.
Paul exhorted, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Begin each day by fixing your mind on what is RIGHT. Your vision will become clear. Your words will bring LIFE!