CHANGING YOUR THOUGHT PATTERNS
How can I stop having lustful thoughts? How can I have victory over my critical, negative, pessimistic thinking? How can I keep from feeling angry, jealous, guilty, depressed or impatient? How can I keep my thoughts pure?
If you are asking any of these questions, you are basically asking the question, "How can I change? How can I control my thoughts and develop new attitudes?"
Experiences we have had, including our childhood ones, make impressions on us. These experiences cause us to respond in certain ways to situations we face later in life. This is a common pattern for all of us. One person never experienced an outward display of affection from his father, and now struggles with a deep need for that kind of expression. Another was made to feel he could never do anything properly, so today he battles with a sense of uncertainty and inferiority. Another was deeply hurt by someone to whom hr reached out, and now finds it difficult to trust anyone. But there are also positive experiences. Many people experienced love, acceptance, support, and encouragement as children. They are able, as life develops, to relate more easily to people and circumstances.
Where the patterns are negative and destructive, the person needs change so he can find release and experience a new freedom, freedom that comes from knowing the truth and how to apply it. "Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (JOHN 8:32). Where the patterns have been positive and affirming, they can be developed and reinforced by utilization and specific, planned action.
The important fact to recognize is that our thought patterns and habits can be changed constructively and we can experience release from the reactions and responses that continually defeat us.
Let's look at a typical pattern of thinking in this type of situation. First, we recognize that there is a need to change an attitude, whatever the attitude may be. Maybe it's an attitude toward an individual or an attitude toward a situation. In order to change his attitude, the average Christian thinks that just praying about it will hopefully change his attitude.
We have been instructed that the way to change is through means of prayer. After we pray, somehow something is supposed to happen and our attitudes change. We may not say it that way, but there is the implication that some mystical process takes place and attitudes change when a person reads the Bible or prays.
We recognize that there is a certain truth to that concept. The Bible says it, so we know that there has to be truth in it. " How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy Word" ( PSALM 119:9). God is the only One who can bring about real change in our thought patterns. We must always keep that in mind!
However, people repeatedly struggle in vain for results in this pattern - they pray and ask for help but nothing happens. No change of attitude takes place. They continue to struggle with the same basic conflicts. When this happens, a pattern of defeat begins.
Of course, the enemy (satan) takes advantage at this point and begins accusing, " You see, there must be something else wrong or this attitude would change." So people look deeper, pray harder, spend longer periods of time with the Lord, and still many of these attitudes don't change. This is a real issue which we are going to encounter continually in our relationships with people.
In considering this we want to be very careful to avoid any idea of a so-called "do-it-yourself" Christianity. We do not make the changes in our lives. Only God has the power to make deep, inner changes. We want to emphasize that, so that there is no misunderstanding.
On the basis of Proverbs 4:23, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life," and other Scripture, we encourage people to saturate their hearts - their minds basically - with the Word of God. We believe that the more saturation takes place, the more people's conduct and way of thinking are going to be affected. Again, this is a true concept. But to experience change, we must put into practice the truths with which we are saturating our minds.
In order to begin to understand how this applies to the concept of changing our thought patterns, let's examine one little phrase from Paul, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (ROMANS 12:2). Every one of us must seek to answer the all-important and practical question, " How do I renew my mind?"
Where the patterns are negative and destructive, the person needs change so he can find release and experience a new freedom, freedom that comes from knowing the truth and how to apply it. "Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (JOHN 8:32). Where the patterns have been positive and affirming, they can be developed and reinforced by utilization and specific, planned action.
The important fact to recognize is that our thought patterns and habits can be changed constructively and we can experience release from the reactions and responses that continually defeat us.
Let's look at a typical pattern of thinking in this type of situation. First, we recognize that there is a need to change an attitude, whatever the attitude may be. Maybe it's an attitude toward an individual or an attitude toward a situation. In order to change his attitude, the average Christian thinks that just praying about it will hopefully change his attitude.
We have been instructed that the way to change is through means of prayer. After we pray, somehow something is supposed to happen and our attitudes change. We may not say it that way, but there is the implication that some mystical process takes place and attitudes change when a person reads the Bible or prays.
We recognize that there is a certain truth to that concept. The Bible says it, so we know that there has to be truth in it. " How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy Word" ( PSALM 119:9). God is the only One who can bring about real change in our thought patterns. We must always keep that in mind!
However, people repeatedly struggle in vain for results in this pattern - they pray and ask for help but nothing happens. No change of attitude takes place. They continue to struggle with the same basic conflicts. When this happens, a pattern of defeat begins.
Of course, the enemy (satan) takes advantage at this point and begins accusing, " You see, there must be something else wrong or this attitude would change." So people look deeper, pray harder, spend longer periods of time with the Lord, and still many of these attitudes don't change. This is a real issue which we are going to encounter continually in our relationships with people.
In considering this we want to be very careful to avoid any idea of a so-called "do-it-yourself" Christianity. We do not make the changes in our lives. Only God has the power to make deep, inner changes. We want to emphasize that, so that there is no misunderstanding.
On the basis of Proverbs 4:23, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life," and other Scripture, we encourage people to saturate their hearts - their minds basically - with the Word of God. We believe that the more saturation takes place, the more people's conduct and way of thinking are going to be affected. Again, this is a true concept. But to experience change, we must put into practice the truths with which we are saturating our minds.
In order to begin to understand how this applies to the concept of changing our thought patterns, let's examine one little phrase from Paul, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (ROMANS 12:2). Every one of us must seek to answer the all-important and practical question, " How do I renew my mind?"
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