Mindset: You Are What You Think

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”

Henry Ford

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 

Proverbs 23:7

I can’t do that. How many times have you made that statement about something you really wanted to try? I have been thinking about learning to draw for years. I assisted the high school art teacher when she did special classes for the elementary school. I learned a few techniques, but whenever faced with a blank page, I chickened out.

The 12 Week Year for Writers reminded me that my thoughts determine my actions, which is directly related to results. In the spiritual realm, the same is true. Your heart determines your thoughts, and those thoughts lead to actions. Actions will lead to habits. So, if you want a change in your life, you have to start with your thoughts. Our spiritual health as well as our physical health is heavily influenced by our thoughts.

With that in mind, I have been trying to adjust my thinking. I was gifted with a book on drawing the kinds of doodles you see in many coloring books: flowers, arbors, butterflies and the like. Even though I was excited about the book, I was still hesitant to get started. I was afraid I couldn’t do it well, but in order to learn something new, you have to be willing to be bad at it first. You have to practice.

Dream Big

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:5

In our spiritual lives, we often let “I can’t” pop up when we feel God calling us to do something new for Him. We throw out all our usual excuses about not being talented enough or brave enough to do something that big. We may not be enough for the big dream God has put in our hearts, but He is big enough. So, how do we go about dreaming big?

Philippians 4:13 tells us we can do all things through Christ, so we have to start with thinking like Christ. Jesus was obedient to the father. When we follow in obedience, God will equip us. All that we are required to do is be obedient and say yes.

Change Your Tune

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

The hard part is retraining your mind to go along with your spirit. We all have these repeating records in our head of every negative thing we either heard or believed about ourselves. We have to write over that record with the Truth of God’s Word. Every time you hear one of those lies or anything that takes us down the rabbit hole of fear, anxiety, or despair stop and write over it with the Truth:

• We don’t have to be afraid or anxious because God is in control. (Philippians 4:6-8)
• We can do all things through Christ. (Philippians 4:13)
• God will equip us for what He calls us to do. (Hebrews 13:21)
• We are not responsible for the outcome; God is. (Isaiah 55:11)

Write these scriptures on note cards or sticky notes, commit them to memory. Every time you start down the rabbit hole call them to mind. The enemy loves to deride us, but the Holy Spirit loves to help us grow. He wants us to find higher ground, not go down the rabbit hole, so change your tune to a better song, literally if necessary.

You are what you think, so remember whose you are so that you can become more like Him. We will never be enough on our own, but with Christ we have all we need to follow a God-sized dream. So, go ahead. Dream Big. Then take the first step of obedience and God will take it from there.

What I’m Reading:

The following are affiliate links. When you purchase via the link, I may earn a small commission. I do not link to books that I have not read. I only link to books that I have found helpful and would like to share with my readers. Commissions help pay for my website and hosting.