Our thoughts are extremely important.

Where we are today, what our circumstances are, and our level of joy is a direct result of our thoughts.

Proverbs 23:7 "as a man thinketh, so he is."

That says it all. It can’t be said more clearly than that. Our life, who we are, and everything that makes up our life is a result of our thoughts. As a result of this fundamental fact most of us faced with a concept that we find extremely difficult to accept.

We and we alone are completely responsible for our circumstances. That’s difficult to swallow because over time we have been taught that forces outside of our control dictate what our life will be like. Let me be perfectly frank, that is a BIG cop out. It provides all of us with a good excuse to explain our circumstances so that we don’t have to do anything to change it. It puts us in a mode of accepting our life as it is. Human society tells us that our circumstances will dictate our life.

Don’t buy the lie!
You can and will change your life by changing your thoughts and actions. You will be given the strength and wisdom to achieve what you desire. God is always there to help us and give us the strength we need.

Psalms 138:3 "On the day I called, you answered me; you increased my strength of soul."

With God’s help we can do anything.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Matthew 19:26 "but for God, all things are possible."

If we don’t know what to do, God will show us the way.

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

What makes us think the way we do?
In a word, paradigms. What on earth is a paradigm? In this context it means the theological and philosophical framework that we have learned throughout our lives. It is the moral, ethical and practical framework that we use to make decisions.

This framework is constructed from our experience, learned values and conceptions that we have been taught. Our paradigms filter the information that we receive from our world and tell us how to judge and act upon that information. A paradigm is a preconceived notion created by everything that we have learned or experienced in our life.

The following are a couple of examples of how paradigms work: 1. A young person brought up in an environment of affluence receives $10,000 and decides to put the money to work to build more wealth because they have learned that money can work for you.

2. A person brought in an environment of poverty might take that same $10,000 might buy a new flat screen television with surround sound then invite all of their friends over to celebrate. This is done because they have learned that money is hard to come by and you should get everything you can while you can.

Same $10,000 but a different way of looking at new found fortune. Our society, friends and family have taught us our paradigms. Those teachings may be guiding us in a direction that we don’t want to go.

Let’s look at something a little more specific that can be directly applied to our lives,your wealth paradigm. Answer this question; how do you feel about people that are wealthy? Many people will respond with:

1. Wealthy people are just lucky.
2. Wealthy people got there on the backs of the little people.
3. Wealthy people lied and cheated their way to the top.
4. Wealthy people are arrogant and self-centered.
5. I don’t like wealthy people.
6. It’s not Christian to be so wealthy.
The answer to this question will reflect some of the pre-conceptions contained in your wealth paradigm. If you believe any of the responses stated above, how can you possibly expect to acquire any wealth? In this case, taking actions to acquire wealth would be in direct contrast to your belief system (paradigm). People will seldom take actions that are in contrast to their paradigms.

Remember Proverbs 23:7, "As a man thinketh, so he is."

Think about it…..
If you think having wealth is not good, then you won’t be wealthy, period, end of story.

This principal applies to every aspect of our lives; wealth, health, relationships, our careers, spirituality, everything. Our paradigms filter everything we see, hear, taste and touch in our environment.

Can we change our thinking?
The good news is that we can change the way we think in response to what is going on in our world. How? Learn new paradigms. Change pre-conceived notions. Let’s use the example above concerning wealth and start teaching ourselves a new wealth paradigm.

Think of five positive statements about wealthy people. For example:

1. I like wealthy people.
2. Wealthy people contribute to many charities.
3. Wealthy people create jobs.
4. Wealthy people can teach me to be wealthy too.
5. Wealthy people care about society and their fellow human beings.
Now that you have your five positive statements, repeat them to yourself several times per day and soon you will find that you attitude toward wealth has changed. You may even find yourself taking actions to become wealthy.

Put some power behind it!
If you want to really succeed with your changes put some real power behind it. Let God help you. Instead of just repeating your five positive statements several time per day, ask God to help you change your thinking several times per day. Include your positive statements in your prayer. God will answer your prayers.

Matthew 21:22 "Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."

Luke 11:9 "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

This next point is extremely important. In your prayers, turn it over to God and commit your changes to God.

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."



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