My Life is Shaped by My Thoughts

In review of Proverbs 4:23 it says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT).

Bottom Line:

Life is shaped by your thoughts, so be careful how you think

What this means to me:

I need to be cautious about what I think about, my life is shaped by my thoughts, therefore it is important for me to guard what I allow to get into my mind / heart.

Today’s verse tells me to guard my heart, (the cockpit of my decisions) above all else, for it determines the course of my life

My heart; my feelings of love and desire, dictate to a great extend how I live. I seem to always find time do do what I enjoy. So in this passage Solomon tells me to guard my heart above all else, making sure I concentrate on those desires that will keep me on the right path. Making sure my affections push me in the right direction. Puttting boundaries on my desires: In other words Don't go after everything I see. Look straight ahead, keep my eyes fixed on my goal, and don't get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin.

Also what I’ve learned is that God is far more interested in changing my mind and heart than changing my circumstances.

My choice would be to have God to take away all of my problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness. But what I find is that God wants to work on me first, because transformation won’t happen in my life until I renew my mind, until my thoughts begin to change.

There are three reasons why it is so important that I learn how to manage your mind:

First, because my thoughts control my life. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT). My thoughts are powerful and have the tremendous ability to shape my life for good or for bad.

Secondly, because the mind is the battleground for sin. All temptation involves the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, "I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB). One of the reasons why I get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle in my brain 24 hours a day. It’s debilitating because it’s intense, and it’s intense because my mind is my greatest asset. Satan wants my greatest asset!

Lastly, because it’s the key to peace and happiness. An unmanaged mind leads to tension; a managed mind leads to tranquility. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict; a managed mind leads to confidence. An unmanaged mind leads to stress. When I don’t try to control my mind and the way I direct my thoughts, I will have an enormous amount of stress in life. But a managed mind leads to strength and security and serenity. “Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NLT).

My life will be shaped by my thoughts and what I feed it. It is important for me to guard what I allow to get into my mind / heart. I should fill it with what God wants and not what culture or popular belief tells me.