Your Future

 

 

 

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

—Prov. 23:7

 

 

You are what you think. The person you are today is a creation of the things you have allowed yourself to dwell on. What you focus on right now is creating your tomorrow. 

 

I have always been very introspective and meditative. As a child, I often was slow to finish my chores because I was daydreaming. My mother, being a teacher, never told me to quit “pondering” so much. She would say, “Lynn, stop ruminating!”

 

To ruminate is to think deeply about something. It is to contemplate or reflect, to focus your thoughts, or to strategize and project in your mind. 

 

Whether we grasp it or not, we all devote a great deal of time to meditating on something. Too frequently, we think about, ruminate on, and ponder negative circumstances. We dwell on our perceived needs, the things that irritate and worry us, and the destructive words of others. 

 

“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace,” (Romans 8:6).

 

When we are carnally minded, we dwell on things that create “death.” We worry about our circumstances. Worry creates fear, and fear creates pictures in our minds of bad future events. If we spent more time reflecting on God's love, His blessings, promises, and Word, we would be spiritually minded, and experience life and peace. 

 

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21, KJV).

 

Our thoughts and words are powerful (Proverbs 23:7, 18:21). They can be negative and destructive or positive and life-affirming. What we think about creates pictures in our minds, and those pictures fuel our imagination. Imagination gives us vision. We were created in Jesus as new creations. We have the capacity not to have a foolish heart that cannot perceive the things of God. Our hearts have come to life by hearing the Word. We can perceive the things of God. We can know the thoughts of our Father. We can meditate on the Word until who we are agrees with it. Our imaginations can become alive in Christ. 

 

We choose what we think about. We choose to allow the Holy Spirit to capture our thoughts. 

 

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

 

You will mediate on something today. Will it be on things that are true and in agreement with God? Will it be on things that are reasonable and wholesome, lovely and commendable, and worthy of praise?

 

You are either carnally minded or spiritually minded. Your heart produces what you sow in it. Sow the negative, and reap the results. Sow the positive, and reap the results. 

 

What thoughts are you sowing in your mind and heart? 

 

Those thoughts are your future.

 

 

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