Thoughts & Actions

Hi and welcome back to afaithtalk. I’m so glad you’re here. This is a place where we talk about faith, we attempt to grow our faith and try to live our lives full of faith.

In light of that, I know these few Scriptures and more that are lit in the Bible in my head are supposed to be in this. And I’m counting on Jesus to connect it all because I have no idea how He’s going to do that.

So let’s pray.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that You have made these things jump and light up so that I will spend extra time writing about them to figure them out. Lord, I can’t even see it yet. Please help. Please use these Scriptures and this effort to grow my faith, to grow all of our faith. Lead me, Lord. Speak through my hands as I type this. I’m counting on You. In Your holy and precious name, I pray. Amen.

I was reading another book last night and this line, or rather, the thoughts that came to me upon reading the line, really lit up so I made sure to write them out before I knew there’d be so much to connect them to. Here is my rewrite of that line:

What you think, how you think, determines how you act, what you do. It determines how you feel too. Everything about your life depends on how you think. But it’s not just think. It’s how you talk to yourself. What do you say to yourself?

Several years ago I read another book that I can’t even remember the name of but the main thing I remember from it is about making agreements with our thoughts or our things and how we need to stop doing that if those thoughts are not beneficial and those things are causing trouble.

It’s obedience to transform your thoughts, your self-talk; your entire life changes when you are obedient to allow this to happen.  And the best part is, obedience is proof of your love towards our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because faith prompts obedience, obedience is proof of faith, and faith is precious. Faith is the only thing that will save you.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If everything about your life depends on how you think, which in turn affects everything you do, how much of your day is spent for God’s glory? By that, I don’t mean the things you think you do for God, like read your Bible or go to church, it’s an every day thing, the things we need to do, like laundry and cooking and dishes and cleaning and all our parenting responsibilities. Somehow it is possible to bring Him glory doing everything we do in our day. 

And it has everything to do with our thoughts. Another instance…

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

1Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

While we’re talking about our thoughts and how we’re supposed to transform them, perhaps the best way I know of to do that is to do what these several verses tell us to… pray continually, on all occasions, always, and always give thanks in all circumstances.. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. This is God’s will for you: be thankful, keep praying, rejoice always. The rejoicing is important, the thankfulness is critical, prayer: indispensable. It’s only with the Spirit’s help that we can succeed in transforming our thoughts, yet if you have faith, real faith, the Spirit is already with you, so it’s totally possible. Just ask.

Turn your self talk into prayer. Carry on a conversation with Jesus. He’s the best friend anyone could ever have. And so very much more too. He is beautiful. He is precious. He is worthy of every second. He’s everything we ever need. This is why faith is all you need. You don’t get Jesus without faith. You don’t get God without faith. You don’t get all the in this life benefits or the eternal ones either without faith.

1 Corinthians 3:10-17
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

Only what is done to glorify the Lord will last.

May He help us turn our every moment into praise. Our every moment into bringing him more glory. So much so that it will be true one day, glory will be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

These days have really messed with a lot of our minds, our thoughts, our self-talk. Recover your faith. Remember your faith. Grow your faith. It is all true. And He’s coming soon.