S.T.A.R.T
R- REFOCUS
I need to refocus my thoughts if I want to
change my life. If I want to get going again, if I want a fresh start, I need
to rethink the way that I think. I need to change my mind about a number of
issues. Proverbs 4:23 "Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by
your thoughts."
The way you think, determines the way you feel.
And the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change your
actions, just change the way you think and it will inevitably change the way
you act. If you are depressed, discouraged and distressed it may be because
you’re thinking depressed, discouraged and distressing thoughts. That’s your
choice. You don’t have to think those thoughts. If you’re acting in fearful,
worried ways it’s because you’re thinking fearful, worried thoughts.
Romans 12:2 “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” If I have
to refocus my thoughts to start over to get a fresh start, that means I have to
stop thinking some old patterns. Which memories are you still rehearsing that
keep you from having a fresh start in life? The Bible says let go. Let go of
those things. The more you hold on to that memory, the more you rehearse it, it
continues to hurt you today. It cannot hurt you without your permission. You
have to change your mind and let go and get rid of those painful, hurtful
memories of shame and guilt and other things.
How do you do that?
· First, confession. You say, "I’ve confessed
to God but I still feel guilty. How do I get rid of a painful memory?" Not
by resisting it but by replacing it. Not saying, "I’m not going to think
about it! I’m not going to think about it!" What are you doing the whole
time? Thinking about it. Stop focusing on what you don’t want and start
focusing on what you do want. Get your attention onto something else. Refocus.
Replace those memories by, every time they come up, start thinking about
something else. Focus on something else.
· What’s the best thing to focus on? God’s word.
Psalm 1 “Happy are those who are always meditating on God’s word.
They’re like trees along a river that do not dry up. They succeed in everything
they do. ”
Those are the two things that everybody wants in
life. We all want to be happy and we all want to succeed. The antidote, the
answer, the way we get those is the phrase right in the middle “meditating on
God’s word.” That’s the answer to the other two. The more you meditate on God’s
word, the happier and more successful you’ll be in Your Christian life. It’s a
promise from God.
Meditating on God’s word simply means rehearsing
God’s word in our minds. It’s interesting that the Bible does not say, "If
you read this book, you’ll be happy and successful." It does not say,
"If you listen to this book, like through a sermon, you’ll be happy and
successful." It says, "If you meditate on it you’ll be happy and
successful." In meditating it means I think on it over and over and what
it means in my life. I consider it and consider its implications for my life.
As we fill our mind with God’s word, it begins to change our mind. We stop seeing
ourselves as other people see us or as we have seen ourselves and we begin to
see ourselves as God does. That’s where the change takes place. That’s the
power to start over.
Stay Blessed.
To be continued............
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