What comes first: the thought or the action?

We sometimes make the excuse, “I wasn’t thinking.” or “I did it before I thought.” In reality, that can’t happen.

We may have not had a specific thought like, “I am going to kick the cat.” However, your attitude, your habitual pattern of thoughts, precipitates your action. The pattern could be: “Cats are irritating.” or “Kicking something when I’m angry releases tension.”

We all have an attitude about how we approach life, and everything we say or do is processed through that filter. Our thought patterns determine how we perceive events, how we react to others, what we say, and what we do. Our perception is our reality.

Don’t accept a meal from a tightwad; don’t expect anything special. He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he’ll say, “Eat! Drink!” but won’t mean a word of it. His miserly serving will turn your stomach when you realize the meal’s a sham. Proverbs 23:7 (MSG)

The good news is, we can change our habitual patterns of thinking through practice.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Want to take on new mindsets, attitudes and approaches to life? It takes deliberate thoughts and actions, self-examination and practice, but you can change your thinking to accommodate the attitude that God wants for you.

Want to know more about how to do this?

Choose what you think  and rethink:  https://wordpress.com/post/kathleensevenhouse.com/1905

Anticipatory Anxiety:
https://wordpress.com/post/kathleensevenhouse.com/1900

Pre-fixed Attitude Affects Behavior:
https://wordpress.com/post/kathleensevenhouse.com/1789