Ever been angry? Envious? Fearful or greedy? Worried, anxious or just plain rude?
Well I sure have. Every day one or more of these characteristics pop up in my life, and I manifest them without even thinking.
However, I know that the Lord wants me to express the opposite of these, which is patience, kindness, faith, generosity, rest, peace and to be considerate of others.
So how does God transform our thinking so that we can act from His nature and not ours?
He gives us experiences that reveal our hearts and nature so that we can put off our old nature (toxic) and put on his new nature (tonic).
Instead of us being angry, he wants us to learn patience.
Instead of wallowing in envy, he desires that we express kindness… and so forth.
He wants to displace our old nature with his new Nature, thus giving us victory in our everyday circumstances.
This is what is so cool about walking with God. He is not out “to get us”. He is out “to give us” His ways, His insight, His understanding and His wisdom. He actually wants to impart to us his very Being so that we can walk in triumph every day.
So, he simply asks us to put off the old, carnal man and put on our new Christian man. We do this through our relationships, tasks, responsibilities and jobs.
Instead of thinking circumstantially, he wants us to think Christianly.
Instead of focusing on Mammon, he asks us to focus on the Master.
Instead of worrying, we are to worship and ingest his Word.
As we embrace this transformation of our old nature, we will experience victory, joy, peace and rest to our souls.
Is your thinking toxic or tonic?
If you are in your right mind, then you are perceiving and acting as Christ does, not as your old nature operates.