Mind Your Mind to Thrive in Business
Updated: Aug 16, 2021
Before giving my life to Christ in 2014, my approach to business was self-reliance and self-centeredness. Back then, when fear, anxiety, and doubt ruled my thoughts, I thought self-control and “positive thinking” were the answer. I wish I could tell you that making Jesus my Savior eliminated those thoughts, but I’d be lying. Because the enemy seeks to get us drifting from purpose and swirling in distraction and doubt, and his battlefield is our mind! Today, I still struggle with “taking every thought captive,” but I find peace in the Lord’s instructions about our thought life in the Bible - and you can too!
Do a google search for “mindset,” and you’ll find thousands of “self-help” resources available at your fingertips. Read any business or entrepreneurship book, and you’ll quickly find that 80% of success is based on how we think. Having more time to think, ponder and plan in 2020 was a gift for some, but for many, including myself, the space to think led to anxiety and worry. Sound like you?
God’s goal is for us to transform into the likeness of Christ, to reflect His love and light to a broken world. As Romans 12:2 tells us, we are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. For us Godpreneurs, the instructions for learning to manage our mindset are found in God’s instruction manual: The Bible.
Struggling with some stinking thinking in your business? Here’s a map to find the treasure in God’s word to help:
Caught up in the world’s thinking? Set your mind on things above, not on the earth (Colossians 3:2).
In a mental fog of distraction, discontentment, and doubt? Meditate on His word (Joshua 1:8).
Are you feeling anxious at decision crossroads? Take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5).
That’s precisely why God gave us His Word (and instructs us to meditate on it day and night) - he’s not surprised by that swirling! I encourage you to memorize one of these scriptures and store it in your heart and mind for when you need to get a handle on your thoughts. Having that verse handy will give you an immediate sense of peace that clears the mind so you can focus on the next right action.
In his book, Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado puts it this way: we get to pick what we ponder. And what we think about - pray about - meditate on - contributes to our finding calm and operating our businesses God’s way! The greatest action God gave us - the one over which we have the freest will and which plays the biggest part in our success - is up to us.
I find that when I’m most anxious, repeating my favorite scripture - Psalm 25:4-5 - immediately calms me and gives me space to think clearly. It’s like taking a deep breath or as a fog clearing. While it doesn’t change the circumstances around me, it does change my perspective of the circumstances, allowing me to take the next right step for my business.
Imagine the impact that a calm, peaceful, even joyful mind can have on your business. Now think bigger: imagine how differently we can show up to the world and reflect Christ’s light in the marketplace when our thoughts align with His!