THINK FEEL ACT
- Jan 6, 2017
- 4 min read
"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." Romans 12:2
On the way to work, I normally take 20 mins to listen to the teachings of Pastor Rick Warren. He entered the new year with a series titled "How to Get Closer to God". It was the first message I heard from him this year and it is jam packed with wisdom.
A lot of us make New Year's goals and resolutions regarding money because we have continued poor habits over the recent years. Due to poor decision making, the same resolution and goal is made year after year. People often arrive to a place of self-resentment and can't forgive themselves of their past financial mishaps when constantly failing at goals and "resolutions". We have to forgive ourselves as God has already forgiven us. Those past financial mishaps can be learned from and resolved if we make better choices by considering what the bible says about money and wealth.
I look at the bible as the supreme book of wisdom regarding everything, especially money. Unfortunately, we are naturally inclined to stray away from this wisdom and usually encounter hardships and trouble as a result. This usually happens because God already has His plan for us. Being the stubborn people we are, we tend to create our own plans, which results in the illusion of a rough life. I want you to know something; God, our Father, will always be there with open arms ready to help us get back on track. Getting back in touch with him is when the transformation happens. Claiming depression and sadness due to poor money choices does not have to be the life we're living. We can make a change.
There is a great example of this in the parable of the prodigal son. It is within the book of Luke, chapter 15 and displays how a father is always ready to accept his child when they return.
The story of the Prodigal Son follows the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Jesus is responding to the Pharisees' complaint - "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them". Jesus tells the story of a man who has two sons. The younger son asks his father to give him his portion of the family estate immediately as an early inheritance. Once received, the son promptly sets off on a long journey to a distant land and begins to waste his fortune on wild living. When the money runs out, a severe famine hits the country and the son finds himself in dire circumstances. He takes a job feeding pigs. Eventually, he grows so impoverished that he even desires to eat the food assigned to the pigs. The young man finally comes to his senses, remembering his father. In humility, he recognizes his foolishness, decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness and mercy. his father welcomes him back with open arms and clothes him with the best garments.
The prodigal son displayed a "now" attitude that led him to everything opposite of prosperous. The son wandered far away from his father and became completely disconnected from the plan his father had for him. Having that "now" attitude regarding our finances can lead to massive debt accumulation. In turn, debt will lead us into a trap of entitlement; truly believing that we deserve everything we want, even if you can't pay for it with our own money.
I say all of that to say this; as soon as we humble ourselves to return to The Father and his wisdom regarding life, life will change immediately. To make that change, we have to become fed up! We can't make moves if we have the attitude of "I'm just fine how I am. I don't need any change". We need to become anxious for the changes that we vocally and consciously declare for ourselves, i.e. new year's resolution and new year goals. If we don't want the positive change, I can assure you that God will surely let us stay right there unless we want to transform. We have the choice! If you intentionally decide to stay in a position you want to elevate from, God will send a little rain your way to alert you and make you move away from that cloud. Go ahead and move! Don't let that rain turn into a thunderstorm.
Let's start this year off right by renewing our mind to allow a great and prosperous transformation to occur. When you transform your mind, it dictates how you feel. When you feel a certain way, you will take actions based upon that feeling.
THINK. FEEL. DO
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."
(Let's not get caught up in the ways that the typical world handles money. We can transform our minds to think, feel, and act differently. As Dave says, "If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” If you're unique financially, you're probably doing great things.)
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