You Are What You Think

By Linzy Slayden, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Owasso, OK

Read Proverbs 23.

How we think is fundamental to who we are and what we do. To a large extent, the world will be what we think it is. If we think everything is bad and everything we believe in is threatened by the culture we live in, to a great degree, it is. But if we think God is sovereign and that the Holy Spirit is at work in past events, as well as present events, and that no force in heaven or earth can do anything outside the will and knowledge of Almighty God, then that is the world we live in.

How we think develops our worldview. It also determines how we act in the real world. These are not just examples of two different ways of thinking. They are the realities of two different people behaving differently in the world because, in fact, their worlds are different. This practically illustrates Proverbs 23:7.

One of the most important things we do is think. Our thinking can be profitable or futile. We are, or we should be, the masters of our thoughts. If you fail in your mind, you will be defeated in your life. Too many times, our problem is a thinking problem. Vance Havner once said, “Our defeat or victory begins with what we think, if we guard our thoughts, we shall not have much trouble anywhere else along the line.”

Our defeat or victory begins with what we think, if we guard our thoughts, we shall not have much trouble anywhere else along the line. Click To Tweet

Leave it to God to perfectly capture, in one verse from the Bible, the secret to having a good life.

Reflective Questions:

  1. What are you putting in your mind through books, movies, blogs, etc.?
  2. Who are the three people who most influence your thinking?
  3. What spiritual disciplines for your mind do you need to strengthen?

Memory Verse:

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for Your sovereignty where I know I can place my trust. Help me to think good, godly thoughts and focus entirely on You.


Click here to see a listing of each daily devotion.