Lasting change requires a shift in thinking. The battle for change is won or lost in your mind. Ephesians 4:23 states, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Spiritual renewal occurs through your thoughts and attitudes—in other words, in your mind.
Here’s how it works: Feelings are not isolated emotions but responses to thoughts. What you think influences how you feel, and how you feel determines how you act. To change self-defeating behaviour, you must change how you feel. However, simply telling yourself, “I’m just not going to feel that way anymore,” won’t work. The only way to change a feeling is indirectly—by addressing its root, a thought.
In other words, you can change your actions by changing your feelings and your feelings by changing your thoughts.
There’s a biblical term for this process: repentance. The word “repentance” comes from the Greek word “metanoia,” where “meta” means “to change” and “noia” means “mind.“
Repentance means simply changing your mind. It involves telling God you want to go in a different direction and asking Him to help you focus on sound and righteous thoughts.
This represents a reversal of your mindset—a mental U-turn. Philippians 2:5 advises, “Think the same way that Christ Jesus thought.”
Your thoughts are a choice, and making that choice is the first step toward change.
When you adopt the mind of Christ and begin to contemplate the things He loves, you’ll view your shortcomings in a new light.
Ask God to help you see Him, others, and yourself as He does, and you will start to notice the changes He wants to bring about in your life.
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