Week 1 Day 6: Our Need To Change

"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

No one likes a “know-it-all” but we do admire wisdom. What’s the difference? A know-it-all tells us constantly everything about everything. It is exhausting. A wise person demonstrates knowledge and understanding through their actions. That is intriguing.

A know-it-all wants to show they know more than others, giving themselves a sense of importance. A wise person wants to discover things and grow, they are encouragers and give others a sense of importance. A know-it-all has a fixed mindset, they may know a lot of things but they cannot connect that knowledge or process it in a deep, understanding way. A wise person has a growth mindset, they recognize they don’t know or understand everything and they want to learn and develop more.

I. Fixed Mindset

A. Knowledge is fixed at a shallow level.

B. Motive for learning is to look smart so they

1. Avoid challenges

2. Give up easily

3. See effort as a waste

4. Ignore useful negative feedback

5. Are threatened by the success of others

II. Growth Mindset

A. Knowledge is always developing.

B. Motive is to learn and understand more so they

1. Embrace challenges

2. Don’t give up because of setbacks

3. See effort as the way to breakthrough

4. Learn from criticism

5. Are inspired and learn from the success of others

A person with a fixed mindset believes they are who they are and they cannot change. When they are challenged they believe they can’t overcome it so they give up which causes them to feel hopeless and overwhelmed.

People with a growth mindset often outperform those with a fixed mindset. They believe that they can overcome obstacles, embracing challenges because they see them as opportunities to learn something new. They are emboldened and driven.

Intelligence and ability does have its advantages, but those things only go so far. What really matters in life is how we handle challenges and resistance. The way we deal with failure will determine how successful we are in life. We often see failure as the opposite of success, but the truth is failure is a vital part of success. We can’t see failure as a sign to stop trying, we should see it as an opportunity to try something else.

We are told throughout the Word of God to change the way we think. We need to quit doing things in our own way and in our own time because what we know and do is so limited in its capacity. We are finite beings who need to learn from an infinite God. If we rely on our own intelligence and abilities, we will reach our potential quickly then burn out like a shooting star. But if we align our finite capabilities with our infinite creator, there is no end to what we can become and achieve. The choice is ours, it always has been. We can do what we’ve always done and be what we’ve always been, or we can open our minds and hearts to God and be transformed into the people we have always desired to be.

Do you believe that God has placed in each of us the ability to grow beyond our limited human capacity? What steps do you think you need to take to begin the journey of unlocking your potential?

Memorize and Meditate on Romans 12:2