“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:8-9 MSG
Why do we often stop at thinking about an idea or a dream and not do it? Who do you dream of becoming? What do you dream of doing? What are you doing about it? Having those dreams is great. But dreaming about those things must translate into action for transformation to happen. Don’t just think the best, do something about it.
Dear Friend, don’t discount your dreams. They are in you for a reason. The difference between dreamers who only dream and dreamers who live out their dreams is simple. The ones who live them out are the ones who do something to achieve them. What steps are you taking to live out the dream that God has put in your heart?
Have given yourself permission to dream? Then you are off to a good start. If you are disciplining yourself to think about what is best, good! Are you beginning to apply the truth of who God says you are to your life? Awesome! You are making progress toward becoming the person you were designed to be. Now it’s time to take a step further. It’s time to do something about achieving those dreams! Think the best and then take steps in the direction of that dream. Here’s how.
Decide what to dwell in thought on. Where you look is where you’ll go. Looking has to do with where you are focusing your thoughts. Are you thinking about everything that could go wrong or about the reality of every current obstacle? Are you spending your energy trying to anticipate everything that could knock you off course?
There is value in recognizing reality. You need to do that. But don’t stop there. Decide to dwell in thought on the solution to those problems. Decide to dwell in thought on moving forward, not allowing those obstacles to stop you in your tracks. Decide to dwell in thought on progress, not possible problems. Moving toward that dream depends on a positive outlook. Decide to recognize reality and create solutions.
Discipline your thoughts. This can be the most difficult part. Your brain develops patterns. Your neural pathways actually have to be changed for new thinking patterns to become established. Changing a deeply established thought habit takes effort. It’s important that you recognize that. Deciding what to dwell in thought on is just the first step. Deciding that you want to dwell on the positives rather than the problem is the beginning, not the end. The decision begins the process of transformation. I am proud of you for making that decision. Now you have to buckle up and buckle down and do it.
When those negative thought patterns arise, remember that your brain is just following the established pathway. This is the way your brain is used to functioning. To change it takes the discipline of deciding to replace the problem-focused thoughts with solution-finding thoughts. Search out a reminder scripture or forward-focused statement to replace the negative patterns when they arise. Putting some tools in your toolbox to use when the old patterns show up will prepare you for the battle. It will be a battle, but you will win it when you decide what to dwell in thought on and discipline yourself to do it!
Do what you decide. Once you decide to dwell on the solution instead of the problem and keep your focus there, you’ll be able to develop some action steps. As you keep your focus on the potential instead of the problem, you’ll be able to see clearly what the next right step is.
Now do it, Dear Friend! Don’t be discouraged if the step seems small. Every step forward is progress. That is the standard to set for yourself. Make progress and keep making progress. You can do this!
This process of determining where to focus your thinking, disciplining yourself to think that way, and deciding to act on those thoughts is the process of transformation that you are longing for. You want to be more than you are. You can become the person you want to be. You can discover your more. It starts with your brain. Start with your thoughts and then do something with them!
Key Question: How do I stay focused on forward motion?
A Scripture to Consider: “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:8-9 MSG
A YES Challenge: Determine a definite time for reflection. Write out any negative thought patterns and decide what tools you will use to change those patterns. Write down one action step forward that will mean progress.
Prayer: Father, help me to dwell in thought on what is best and to plan for progress. It is so easy to get stuck in old, negative patterns. I want to change the way that I think so that I can change the way that I act and move forward in Your plans and purposes for me. Amen.