The power of your mind is awesome. Your mind is to your life what a control tower is to a pilot as he or she flies a plane, guiding and directing your character, your conduct and your conversations. In the Bible the Proverbs writer said “For as he think in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV)  In other words if you want to change the direction of your life, change your thoughts.

The good news is that what you think about is your choice. You can choose today to think right thoughts or wrong thoughts, good thoughts or bad thoughts, it’s your choice. It’s a choice we need to make circumspectly because the rest of your life, your life as God’s masterpiece, will be influenced by your thoughts. Successful living is birthed in successful thinking, living in hope comes from hopeful thinking and the list goes on.

Your behavior is a result of your pattern of thinking, to change your behavior, or to change your direction, simply begin by changing your thinking pattern. Change your thoughts and you will change your direction. The Bible tells us this: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.

Here are 4 ways to change your thinking pattern and ultimately change your direction:

1. Realize you have the mind of Christ.

“…we have the mind of Christ” 1 Cor 2:16 (NLT)

“WWJD”, an acronym for What Would Jesus Do, has been very popular in recent years and has had a positive impact on many people. However, the more important question is “What Would Jesus Think”?  To live as the masterpiece God created you to be, to live like Jesus, we must begin to think His thoughts. First about yourself, then others and about the world we live in.

2. Resolve to think right thoughts.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” (Col3:1-3 NLT)

While we cannot control all of our circumstances we can control how we think and respond to them. Take an inventory. Are you thinking thoughts that align with what God says about you or are you still thinking negative thoughts that perhaps were spoken to you by someone that influence you in a wrong direction? Write down the thoughts that you are resolving to think as a masterpiece.

3. Refuse to think about some things.

“…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  (2 Cor 10:5-6  NIV)

Once you have resolved to think right thoughts to get going in the right direction, you must recognize those thoughts that will lead you in the wrong direction or have been leading you in the wrong direction and simply refuse to think them. If you find that there are certain negative thoughts or sinful thoughts that are a part of your pattern of thinking, while making the commitment to refusing to think about it is important, it’s not enough. You must take the next step:

 4. Replace your thoughts with God’s thoughts.

• “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Phil 4:8 NLT)

The way to change any pattern of thinking is to replace it with a new pattern of thinking. Let Philippians 4:8 become the filter for all of your thoughts, because any thoughts that are contrary to what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or worthy or praise will lead you in a path away from the masterpiece God created you to be.

These four simple things will help you begin to change your pattern of thinking. Changing your thinking is a must for changing your direction, breaking through barriers and continuing to grow and live life more and more as the masterpiece God created you to be.