#122 HOW TO HELP YOURSELF BECOME BETTER

James Allen, in his book, As A Man Thinketh, said, "Man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put in, then an abundance of useless weed seeds fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind".  Our thoughts are important!  Jesus taught that our lives are but our thoughts turned inside out, Luke 6:45.  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he," is the way the Old Testament writer said it.  If you are what your thoughts make you, then you can transform and upgrade your life by improving the way you think.  Here are some ways to do just that: First, fellowship the lofty.  The Bible is the loftiest volume to which we have access.  Spend time with it.  Force your thoughts upward to its sublime pictures.  Try this motto: "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."(Colossians 3:2)

Secondly, associate with the people who embody an inspiring ideal.  If it is true that "evil companions corrupt good morals" as the Bible states in I Corinthians 15:33, then the converse must also be true: Worthy companions elevate the life.  In practical terms this simply means that although we should not completely isolate ourselves from worldly-minded people, our closest and dearest friends should be those whose lives are based upon the principles of the Bible.  Jesus, during his public ministry, ate with the publicans and sinners and did everything possible to influence them to obey the truth.  But his closest and dearest friends were those who were trying to serve God.  In the same way, we only fool ourselves when we ignore the principles of the Bible on this point.  The old proverb which says, "If you lay down with the dogs you get up with the fleas" still bears a vital element of truth.  If you do not presently take an active part in Sunday School and worship on a regular basis, this is a wonderful way to begin to develop the associations you need.

Thirdly, stretch your mind.  Tackle the difficult and challenging.  Read in an unfamiliar field.  Learn something new each day.  No man has made any gain by listening only to the things he already believed.  Study the Bible and keep your mind open to what it really says rather than what you would like it to say.  The only man who really is thinking is the one who is waking up his mind.

Fourthly, each day, conquer one weakness in your thinking.  It might be pessimism, lust, anxiety, or fear, but determine to identify the negatives and expose them to the light of God's love, emphasizing one at a time.  At the end of the first week you will be seven times stronger than when you began.  Remember the words of Paul: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."(Philippians 4:13)