What you think and say about God affects your relationship with Him, your actions for Him, and what you can receive from Him. Your entire life is shaped by your thoughts about God. So it's up to you to correct those thoughts and words. Mold them, shape them, conform them to the truth. Let God's Word shape your view of God, not your experiences, disappointments, joys, or victories. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. He takes the things of God and reveals them to us, and when we desire it, we experience it. So, as you shape your thoughts about God, you shape your life.
Your BSI—intimacy, service (sacrifice), and blessing—are all a function of your perspective of God. It is important that this not be a matter of chance, but a determined and conscious effort to align our thinking with truth so that whatever the God of truth desires to be for us, to do in us, and for us, meets with the greatest cooperation.
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A small example. The psalmist says, (Psalm 27:13-14)
What would become of me if I did not have the assurance of experiencing the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? (BDS)
Oh, if I were not sure to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living… (SG21)
I would have despaired if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. AMP
What would have become of me] if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! AMPC
Where would I be if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? NET
Whether it is an assurance in the past of a positive future outcome or in the same past or a present assurance of a positive future outcome, this assurance is inescapable in the experience of God's goodness. This passage states:
- God is good.
- God will show his kindness to the living.
- It is possible not to experience this goodness, even if it is real.
- Faith was and remains essential for the psalmist to experience this goodness. According to some translations, if he had not believed, he would not have experienced this goodness.
All of them affirm one thing: the experience of God's goodness was not passive, but required the psalmist to think, believe, and act correctly toward God. Otherwise, his lot would have been discouragement and failure.
However, by choosing faith, you access God's goodness. This is what we must do throughout our lives, in our daily lives and in our reactions to specific situations. By aligning your thinking with the truth, you unleash God's blessings.
A good expectation
What did he believe? That God was good and that God would do him good here on earth, not just when he was in heaven. These thoughts about God were essential for him to believe that he would see and experience God's goodness; whether it was a situation experienced in the past, or simply his faith expressed in the past and present for a future outcome. This faith sustained him. It may also have influenced the decisions and choices he made, which allowed him to experience God's goodness.
Active Cooperation
Thinking truthfully about God leads us to actively cooperate with and obey Him, which inevitably leads to the abundant blessings of rest, peace, joy, intimacy, and deliverance. When Jesus taught us to pray to God as our Father, he made it clear that we should think of Him as Father, which implies goodness, kindness, love, provision, help, rescue, mercy, compassion, power, strength, and all that is good.
By having this mindset, we have a relationship with Him as our Father, we cooperate with His work in the kingdom, and we receive His provision in our lives. So, think truthfully, cooperate with God, receive abundantly. It is a great mistake to think that God intervenes indiscriminately with people and their circumstances, whether we believe or not, whether we think well of Him, and whether we obey Him or not.
There is a general grace of God in providence and nature, available to all creatures, regardless of what they think of Him. It is possible that, while people themselves do not actively obey or serve, they sometimes experience grace that results from another person's faith and requests for divine intervention on their behalf.
A real transformation
But as believers, we must face the reality that polluted thoughts about God are a recipe for a polluted life. A mindset that harbors notions of divine inadequacy will lead to a life of weakness and inadequacy. The bigger and bolder your thoughts about God, the more aware you are of His power, the more bold and extraordinary your life will be.
You live according to your awareness of Him and make choices based on the trust you have in the One who sustains you. Bold thoughts, bold life.
The word sacrifice frightens many. Those who have a correct view of God see His greatness and willingly submit to it. They see the immense privilege of being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord rather than indulging in carnal pleasures. This is obvious.
Prayer: A Privilege, Not a Burden.
Prayer is only a burden for those who do not think rightly about God. Otherwise, the wonderful opportunity that prayer provides to communicate with such a great King would be immediately evident and continually desirable. Our thoughts affect our relationship with Him. Aligning our thoughts with God's truth is a long-term process, not a one-time event.
This requires ongoing action and growth through regular investment in Scripture, prayer, and other spiritual discipline. Keep in mind that it is not only through human effort but also through God's grace that transformation occurs, enabling Christians to form the right thoughts about Him and strengthen themselves to live out their faith.
For too many people, what matters is doctrinal jousting and scoring points. No, it's about life, intimacy, service, living according to His will, and fulfilling our mission.
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