If we want different results in our life, then we must be willing to get curious about and question our thinking, then think new thoughts.

What we think/believe determines how we behave.

Too often when we want to change our actions, the results of our lives, we try to just do things differently without changing our thinking.

Our thinking drives the result.

Our brains want to prove what we think true.

If we want to change our actions/results, then we must start by changing our thinking.

We tend to think that our thoughts are true but most of the time our thoughts are just that, thoughts about whatever is happening in our life, our circumstances. Since our brains want to prove what we think true, the more we think on something the more we see evidence of it in our lives, because that is what we are looking for. We generate/create our feelings with the thoughts we think. We take actions from the feelings we feel.

I was visiting my middle son last weekend and at breakfast Saturday morning in our discussion he said something like, “You cannot make something out of nothing.” And I have been ruminating on this thought ever since.

We cannot make something out of nothing.

But God can.

God spoke the world into existence. God can create, provide anything. God can birth an idea in us and see it to fruition. God can take our “nothing” and make it something spectacular, something for others good and His glory.

But Before God makes something out of nothing in us, we must think/believe it is possible! We must have FAITH!

I was rereading some sermon notes recently and one of the points the minister made was “Act Like Jesus.” That sounds like a wonderful thing to aspire to, as Christians we want to be like Jesus. It seems though that many of us aren’t acting like Jesus even though we really want to.

My husband, Dean, used to say to me, “Just do differently,” after I used bad tone or overreacted, for example. And I would think, how am I supposed to “do differently” if I never have, if I didn’t know how. It felt kind of like I was trying to create something out of nothing.

Thankfully God has shown me that if I want to change my actions, I must start by changing my thoughts.

I must be willing to think and believe new thoughts. I must believe I am capable of change. I must believe God will show me a new Way of thinking/being.

If I want to act like Jesus I must start thinking like Jesus.

How did Jesus think? What did Jesus believe??

Jesus embodied FAITH! Jesus trusted God.

Jesus believed He was loved by God, and He rested in God’s love for Him. (I think Jesus liked Himself because He knew God liked Him. I think Jesus practiced self-compassion. I think Jesus set good boundaries for Himself, He rested when He needed to rest, He spent time alone when He needed it. Jesus was responsible for Himself and let others be who they were without expectations of them or trying to make them something else.)

Jesus believed God was with Him and for Him!

Jesus knew and believed God’s Word.

Jesus believed He was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus believed in God’s abundance to provide.

Jesus knew His worth and value were in who God said He was. Jesus was rooted, grounded, established in God’s Truth. Jesus was not distracted by the nay-sayer or the criticizers, the Pharisees, or even His closest friends when they were negative or against Him.

Jesus knew God’s love and compassion in such an intimate way that it flowed out of Him to those He interacted with.

Jesus spent time with God, talking to Him and listening to Him. Jesus sought God’s guidance.

Jesus maintained His focus on God. Jesus obeyed what God called Him to do even when it was hard.

We must think like Jesus before we can act like Jesus!!!

We must practice thinking and believing God loves us. Not just thinking God is love but God loves me and wants good things for me. We must practice thinking and believing God will work all things out for my good, even if I cannot see how it is possible right now. We must practice believing in God’s provision, His abundance. We must take time to talk with God and listen for Him. We must believe in the power of the Holy Spirit in us helping us, always available to us. We must believe God is with us, every moment of every day, always and forever.

We must keep practicing believing even if we don’t feel it, or we don’t see the evidence of it yet.

Believe. Think. Act. As if it were true and it will become true.

We will begin to see God working and moving and helping us in our everyday lives when we start thinking about Him and looking for Him. And as we think like Jesus, as we believe in God, really trust Him, embody faith, our actions will change.

We practice liking ourselves, setting good boundaries to stay in our values, resting when we need to rest, and having nourishing habits. We practice being responsible for ourselves and letting other people be responsible for themselves. Then overtime we will begin to act kinder, more loving, more compassionate and accepting. We will respond better and show up in love.

If we want different results in our lives, then we must be willing to think/believe differently.

If we want to be like Jesus, we must begin to think like Jesus.

Keep seeking and discovering!