Good thinking helps you eliminate the bad part of a common pattern everyone experiences in life. All your changes follow the common pattern even though it may be hard to believe right now. Once it is stated, you probably will agree.

Options for Change

Since the pattern is so real, the middle part “THIS happened” is the critical element. THIS in David’s story was the time Nathan confronted him, but that is just one way THIS is communicated.

Three examples from my life.

Heaven & Eternal Rewards: I believed in God’s desire to conform me into His image, but despite that, I did not understand the connection of this life to living in the kingdom. That made going to heaven my focus. Now because of understanding Scripture better, my thinking is different. While going to heaven is very important, it is not the end of the story. Eternal rewards and being prepared to reign with Christ is also critical. This life is an apprenticeship for being a servant king in God’s Kingdom.

Corporate Ladder & Strengths: Another former belief about work and career was climbing the corporate ladder was an important goal for me in an organization. Now I believe that the key is to work with a focus on your strengths. That makes you most effective for the organization.

Self-sufficiency & Relationships: Yet another change I’ve had is social: I used to believe in self-sufficiency, but now I believe that relationships are critical.

Take a minute to think about your life. Think about some examples of what you believe now and reflect on what you used to believe.

What happened that moved you to change? What THIS happened?

Change and Your Thinking

Different thinking ties you directly to any change whether good or bad. Consider this principle.

If people are changed, they are changed largely because their thinking has changed.

Notice how that statement fits the scripture below.

Acts 19:18-20 (NKJV) – And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Before they knew Christ, they thought magic was the answer. Now that they believe in Christ, they burned an absolute fortune in books about magic.

Why? Their thinking had changed! Their common pattern could have been stated as, “My life was dependent on whether I had the right magic or potion to make life better. Now that I believe in Christ, I have burned by magic books and believe that He is the answer.” Their life was radically changed, so much that they burned what they used to consider treasure.

Three Options for Change

Change follows three options: get better, stay the same, or get worse. So, a “Change Table” looks like this:

What’s obvious about the BETTER column? Right, it involves believing TRUTH!

Truth is imperative for a “better” life. When your life changes for the better, truth is there somewhere. “Better” in this context does not mean winning the lottery. While that is possibly better for some, if they have the right thinking about stewardship, for most it creates a nightmare. So, “better” is a life that closely aligns with God’s prescription.

Truth is always aligns you with God. Consider the definition of truth: “the quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual; a proven or verified principle or statement; fact.”

And, let me introduce another word to consider – REALITY. Reality is “in actual fact, the quality or state of being real.”

While those definitions are not identical, they show great similarity. Believing truth means seeing what is actual, genuine, and factual. Being in reality means you see objectively and factually. While lies are real, the content of the lie leads to what is not true and factual. Truth is often difficult to accept, and reality is often an acquired taste. But both are the best for you despite any unpleasantness they may create.

Reality and Change

With truth and reality in mind, let’s build on the earlier statement –

We seldom change for the better unless we accept and act on truth or reality.

What reality/truth are you not applying to your life? Will you ask others for their input? Consider the following as a starter kit to reflect on changes that may be needed in your life.

• Health/exercise/food/weight
• Financial stewardship/saving/spending/investing
• Prayer life/Bible study

If you took one item and saw truth or reality about it, you create a great chance to make a change. Assume it is your spending. That money is God’s. Your actions show you think it is yours (I was living this way). You accept truth or reality or, you ignore it and keep acting like the money is yours. Your life is better, the same or worse (Now I live this way). It is only better if you adopt good thinking. See the pattern?

The Critical Element of the Common Pattern

So, what is THIS in the common pattern for life change? It is one of two things:

• Truth and Reality or
• Lies, Deception and Bad Assumptions

You see which THIS as you watch where your life goes from that point. Even better, get someone to review your decision in comparison to God’s Word.

Lies and deception lead to unexpected consequences, regrets, grief and even slavery like addictions. You end up just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, wondering how things got this way. Deception always looks like something good but ends up bad. For King David it seemed so right to be with Bathsheba. That bad thinking led to further bad thinking when had Uriah killed.

It seems so right, just like Eve’s statement about the tree.

Genesis 3:6 (NKJV) – So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

But there are unexpected consequences.

Genesis 3:7 (NKJV) – Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Truth or Reality is just the opposite. It often does not look easy. Bad thinking drives your emotions which tell you it is the wrong way. But when you choose truth, there are rewards, wisdom and freedom, all of which are largely unexpected also.

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth – only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.  – C.S. Lewis

It’s your choice.

Hebrews 3:13 (NKJV) – …but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

The Lord continually pursues your best and your growth. What needs to change, even though it has been repeatedly brought to your attention? You have two options: you make the change, or you don’t. That is the reason you need to use “Opposites”, meaning it is true or false, good or bad, right or wrong - no other options.

Simple Tools for Better Thinking

1. Slow Your Emotions Down

Most situations stimulate your emotions in some way. You may have a near miss collision with another car, hear lies about you, or narrowly escape a temptation to sin. Whatever it is, something happens, and feelings are stimulated. Your flesh is ready to act, and your self-control may be switched off.

At that moment, you have a choice, but you may not realize it. Follow your emotions, the same as following your sin nature and bad thinking or follow the Spirit. Too often, a choice is never considered, there is only a reaction to the situation.

Slowing your emotions allows you to reflect on what is right. Hopefully, you’ve been in God’s Word and under good biblical teaching so that you can consider Godly principles, Christ-like values, and truth. If you do not have a foundation of good values, then slowing your emotions may only delay the reaction. But if you do have a good foundation, slowing the emotions will give you a chance to act on good principles, truth and virtues. Eventually, emotions or feelings will follow your thinking.

Simple, right? Isn’t that what you were taught as a child? Count to 10, take a deep breath – those types of things help slow the emotions down. What you were taught is correct and works.

2. Pre-decide

What happens when you don’t take time to think and weigh your options? You tend to react and respond. But it is worse than you think. Depending on the situation, what you think you value can easily be pushed aside depending on the temptation at hand. For example, research shows that men who select good values toward women, then are shown pornographic images of women, will then select lower, immoral, and even illegal actions toward women as they view those images.

Those situations let you know if your values or good thinking have become part of you rather than just part of your speech. Difficult situations show your character. Actions show character, not words.

A good way to prepare for many of life’s situations is pre-decide. Take time to list various temptations or situations where you know you are weakest. Study and reflect on God’s Word related to those situations and then pre-decide now to trust God’s way by the power of Holy Spirit living within you.

Immerse yourself into God’s Word; meditate on what He says is the best way to live. Mediate on the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Then listen to God about each decision you have so that your decisions align with God's thinking. Now you have more of the fruit of the Spirit in your life now.

And the simplest of all – will this bring glory to God? That is an excellent foundation for good decisions.

Finally, keep in mind the power of deciding for not just against something. When you identify something to remove from your life, it naturally creates rebellion, because you see that as removing a freedom you currently have. While stopping bad habits and bad thinking is necessary, find ways to start living differently with a focus on adding the fruit of the Spirit or those things that are “…pure, just, lovely and true…” (Philippians 4:8) into your life.