I have some questions for you. And I bet you don’t think about them often. I know I don’t. But they are important to live a meaningful life. Here we go – What’s your reason for being alive? How about your motive to keep going? Do you have a life purpose? These questions are key to help you identify critical information about your life. You need this information. Your reasons, motives, and purpose are essential. They actually “set” your thinking and approach to daily living. Mind-set affects everything!
We just explored motives in a recent article Motives Matter. This time, we need to spend time on mind-set.
Mind-Set Affects Daily LIfe
The most important part of living is knowing God and enjoying Him forever. We’ve talked about this before. It can all be boiled down to this one essential reality. And this reality literally turns your life into a purposeful adventure. Even though this might sound a little “high-headed,” it’s true. Life still has difficulties and losses. But those hardships run alongside many blessings that are also present. Troubles don’t erase good things still with you. It’s important to have a balance and perspective. Mind-set affects everything, every day.
Mind-Set is No Guarantee For an Easy Life
We all know when a person gives their life to God, He gives you a new heart. Receiving a new heart means you belong to God. You are part of His family. In fact, Jesus is your big brother! That’s pretty awesome. But belonging to God does not guarantee trouble-free days. You will still have trials, temptations, and even sad times. Losses don’t just disappear. However, the Spirit of Jesus in you gives you all you need.
Life Is Hard!
Life really IS hard! You have likely experienced the harshness of life – the pain and disappointment. Jesus is good enough to give us the heads up. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.” (Jn. 16:33) Jesus knew the scourge of life before He became a human baby, before He created people. He knew how things would turn as His children changed His original plan. But His plan provides intervention, action steps, and intimate relationship with Himself. He provides for you every day. You can have an alive and active life!
Then Jesus adds to His heads up to the verse we already quoted. To the reality of troubles, He adds help, love, and faithfulness. He says, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” So the whole verse goes like this, ““I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. [because] In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.“ (Jn. 16:33) That is hope-inspiring. It is true, and it changes everything. Jesus is telling you He gives you His mind-set. His help. His power. And that affects everything.
How God Established Mind-Set Affects Everything?
God takes care of His children. He sets each believer up for success by giving providing several resources. He is “for” you and wants you to succeed. Here are some of the provisions He makes for you:
Promises
You are in for lovely surprises as you refresh in God’s love each day. He makes promises to you, and Jesus never breaks His promises. Here are some fabulous examples of His promises:
- “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6c) That’s great!
- “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3) That’s even better!
- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Is. 41:10)
Those are just the tip of the ice burg. Scripture is packed with promises God intends to keep. Perhaps the question is – Do you intend to claim His promises?
Healing and Renewal
Jesus gives us something we really need: healing and renewal. Even as you face pain and disappointment, Christ’s life inside you restores hope. He renews your life and brings healing to your heart every day. He makes a pretty bold claim. “I am the Lord who heals you.” (Ex. 15:26c) Jesus, Creator of life, intends to refresh and rebuild your life daily as you turn to Him.
Motives and Making Right Choices
God gives you godly motives and helps you make the right choices. You need to decide if you will cooperate with this provision. He is all about this. He developed the reality that mind-set affects everything. When you reach back to God, you begin to see who He really is through Jesus who proved God’s love for you on the cross. You also discover you can live in His grace, affection, and mercy. This realization helps motivate you to want to obey God.
As you grow and train, the goodness of God drives your choices, if you stay on that path. Resurrection power transforms your life. Desiring God becomes delightful as you daily interact more with His amazing heart.
Overcoming Mumbo-Jumbo
Without God’s perspective, Scripture can sometimes sound like mumbo-jumbo. Spending time in God’s Word daily, increases understanding. You even develop a hunger for it. God’s Spirit uses His Word to form you into a new creation. If this seems foreign to you, but I encourage you to stay the course. It becomes more normal as you continue to use God’s Word. God always proves Himself faithful. Once you become practiced in thinking according to God’s Word, it becomes normal to you. This good place is where God’s seasoned people live. In this place, life becomes an adventure.
As you live in that place, you realize God declares you are now dead to your old sin nature. You trusted Jesus to take your sins into His body on the cross, and in exchange, you received His gift of holiness and eternal life by faith. It’s the Great Exchange. Agree with God. So you actually do need to consider yourself dead to your old nature in every detail of life. This is because you become different. Like Jesus. You become holy by faith and obedience. This mind set affects everything.
Alive and Active Mind-Set Each Day
Aligning every part of your life with God’s standards – that’s your work. It’s not your job, career, or community involvements that give you value. God cares deeply about you and assigns eternal value to your life no matter what you do. When you plant in His love, you want to make your thoughts, attitudes, moods, words, and actions congruent with God’s. What action steps can you take to help make this happen?
- Draw close to God no matter how you feel.
- Choose to trust His love and wisdom in every detail.
- Decide to obey Him.
- Practice His character. What you practice is what you become.
- Pray daily that God will transform you into His likeness as you partner with Him. You need to ask Him to do what you cannot do.
- The more you carry yourself like Jesus and yield to Him, the more you notice His likeness in your life.
- Partnership. You work. He works. Nutshell? You and God together establish your mind-set that affects your entire life.
Selecting A Mind-Set Has A Time Limit
This is really important. Your life on earth is the only time you can give this kind of love gift to God. You can know God as a Friend. (Jas. 2:23) This incredible friendship makes all the difference. All the “greats” had this kind of relationship with God. Scripture says one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord – even the enemy. (Phil. 2:9-11) When this happens, the opportunity to make this love confession will be gone.
Pursuing character development to match Christ’s character and choosing responses that please God proves you love Him back. It proves you are grateful for His gift of life and forgiveness. You don’t know how long you will live. Work inside your time limit.
Application That Mind-Set Affects Everything
Since one day you will be brought under Christ’s Lordship, why not live in this reality now? God lets you choose who you give your heart to. Why not give your heart to God? Few people realize this limited opportunity to say, “I love you” back to God.
“Work out your salvation.” (Phil. 2:12) You have to lift a finger and do something. There’s a reason it’s called work. It helps to consider yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ. You can have an alive and active life!
When your mind-set is to love God first, most, and best, everything else falls into place. Why not let your mind-set affect everything?
Article developed from Romans 8:9-11.
