Chapter Excerpt

You've Got Another Think Coming!

Figuring out what you really think is not an easy job. In fact, even when you think you know what you think, you may be surprised sometimes to find out you don't really think that at all. Sometimes you think something because you have a friend who thinks it, and you agree because that's part of what makes you friends.

For example, if your friend's favorite color is purple, you might both agree to have that be your favorite color and wear it every chance you get. Later, though, you might see something orange and love it and begin to wonder if maybe orange is really your favorite color. If you tell your friend that orange is your favorite color, then you've begun in a simple way to realize what it means to think for yourself.

It's good to have people who agree with the way you think. It's an even better idea to know why you think as you do. If you're not really sure what you think, or you've been thinking some very odd things that may not be true at all, then "you've got another think coming." God has a plan to help you discover how to think more clearly.

In Philippians 4:8, God gave us some great examples of things to think about. We're told, "Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected." The author goes on to say that if we do that, then the God who gives peace will be with us.

"Well, what do you think?" Don't your friends ask you that all the time? From picking out a movie to talking about favorite music groups, your friends care about what you think. When it comes to making choices of any kind, it's helpful to understand why you choose what you do. Those choices come from how you think!

How do you shape up your thoughts or even shake out your thoughts so you can see which ones are really yours? Make a list for yourself right now. Write down the names of the people or things in your life that make a difference in how you think. Did you list athletes, or actors, or maybe a character in a book you read? Did you list your best friend, your sister, or maybe your mom? Perhaps you listed your pastor, or a Bible hero. From TV shows, to music groups, to church, family, and friends, everyone is part of the process that determines how you think today. If you want to think good and worthy thoughts, those you might even be grateful for, how does that change the picture? Think about your goals for getting good grades, or becoming more active in your church group, or helping a friend do a good deed. How are your thoughts bombarded from the outside?

Let's use getting an A in English as your goal. If you're good at English, this could be an easy goal and you might jump right to the A grade and add some kudos (praise) with chocolate chips. But, if you're not good at English and you still set this goal, how will your thoughts affect your hope of achieving an A?

First, you read something in the paper about athletes being paid millions of dollars to play a game, even though they barely got through school. The chances are very small that these millionaires got A's in English.You then begin to think that English is not so important.

Then, your best friend teases you about becoming a little too geeky or nerdy. Now that A is not looking so important. After that, you remember a time back in the second grade when you heard a teacher say your writing wasn't very good. Of course, the teacher was trying to teach you to use correct letter form, but you just remember the statement and that probably confirms to you that you can't get an A in English.

Or maybe you just watched American Idol and you think, "There must be another way to get ahead in the world without getting A's in English"-and even your dad says he wasn't good in English, so you must not be. Now your mind is full of great excuses why getting an A is just impossible!

The point is that all these things influence how you think. How can you decide then how to think and set good goals for yourself? How do you know the real you?

In my book, Battlefield of the Mind, that I wrote for adults, I help them create tools that will be useful in getting their minds straight. Let's make a mental tool kit and put some of these ideas into it.

• Read your Bible: Well, that seems simple enough, but where do you start? Let's look at Romans 12:2: It says,"Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect."

Okay, you read that, now let's look at it again. It says to not follow the crowd, not just make a choice because everyone else has, not think that agreeing with your friends when they aren't making a good choice is okay. Be yourself!

Let's think a moment about why you want to be like your friends. Usually, you want to be like other people because you admire them, or think they are cool, or think they're very special in some way. Those are fine reasons to want to be like someone else.

But what if the person you admire decides to do something you don't agree with? What if your friend decides to smoke, for instance? You already know that you think smoking is gross and disgusting.

You already know your parents would be upset if you smoked. But what if your friend says something like, "If you're really my friend, you won't tell anyone that I smoke and you'll smoke with me." What do you do then?

When you take the Bible's advice and look within yourself to discover what's true for you, it may mean disagreeing with your friend and even choosing to not be friends for a while.

This would be you thinking in a new way, looking at what is right for you. Thinking that way helps you know clearly what God wants for you and helps you choose a way that will be good and pleasing to Him.

• Give yourself permission to think your own thoughts. The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope. When you hope to make good decisions and have good thoughts, this tool will help you every time.

• Give yourself an opportunity to think again. After all, you've got another think coming! The good news about growing up and changing your thinking is that you can always think again. You have another chance to make a better choice than you did the last time. You've probably liked this idea when you decided to try lima beans, for instance, and discovered green beans really are much better. The same principle is at work in other parts of your life. You're never stuck with having to think only one way.With Jesus, you've always got another chance.

• Think about Jesus. You may have heard the popular phrase, "What would Jesus do?" The Bible says that in another way. It says, "Think about Jesus' example" (Hebrews 12:3). When you're making a choice, do your best to imagine what you think Jesus might do or how He might act in the situation you're facing. Go back to your friend who started smoking and think about it through Jesus' eyes. What would He tell your friend? What would He tell you? Think about those things.

• Don't be willing to be led astray. In Hebrews, there's a reminder to hold on to the things you were taught. Don't let strange teachings lead you astray, or take you down the wrong road. Your heart should be strengthened by God's grace (see Hebrews 13:9). In other words, you have the answer within you. God has already given you what you need.

Now you've got a pretty full toolbox. If you carry it with you wherever you go, it will help you think straight. It will help you out on the battlefield-in the schoolyard, in the classroom, and at the party at your friend's house. You need to keep in top condition if you're going to win this one, and being equipped is only part of the answer.

Let's move on and see what's showing up in those old thought balloons.

Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer