Chapter two: Think Different
Behavioral development; baby steps

Encounter

Weekly Reading Plan

DAY 1 | Romans 12:1-2
DAY 2 | Galatians 5
DAY 3 | 2 Timothy 2:1-13
DAY 4 | Hebrews 3:1-6; Hebrews 11
DAY 5 | Psalm 89; James 1:4-8

Experience

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Has your criteria for a good auto mechanic ever included that he have a master’s degree in English literature? How about a dentist who has only studied accounting? It’s probably safe to say that not many people use these measures to find people in these professions. You could trust them to help you dissect a poem or do your taxes, but you might think twice about letting them work on your vehicle or touch the inside of your mouth. But why? It’s simple; because if they don’t think like a mechanic or think like a dentist, then their behavior and skills will not line up with what you really need. How one thinks is often reflected in his or her behaviors and abilities. Before you can follow God’s path for your life, you must first start to think like someone on that path.

One day, Jesus was ministering out in public and people started bringing their children to him so that he would bless them (Luke 18). The disciples rebuked the children and sent them away. The Son of God was clearly too busy to be bothered by a bunch of little kids, right? Actually, Jesus quickly corrected them, and instructed them to let the children come to him (Luke 18:15-17). In another passage, when asked who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus said it was anyone who welcomed him like a child (Matthew 18:3-4). Children welcomed Jesus with awe, wonder, and love; they didn’t overload their minds with doubt, disbelief, fear, or religion. When it comes to Jesus, thinking like children requires us to put all of our unrestricted focus on him and what he says about us! The Bible teaches that we are God’s children (Galatians 3:26), God’s friends (John 15:15), the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), and more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), just to name a few! Before you can continue this journey on the path God has set before you, you must first start to think according to His promises and His Word.

If you really want to see improvements in your life, after repentance, you need to start with the way you think. Your behaviors and attitudes flow from your thoughts and how you view your situation. Don’t dwell on the negatives that this world has to offer. Instead, dwell on the promises of God and what His word has to say about who you are through him. You were not born to fail; you were born to live, and how you live is the result of how you think.

Respond