Changing your life requires new thinking. The battle to change the defects in your life is always a mental battle. It starts in the mind—and that’s where the battle is won or lost.

Ephesians 4:23 says, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (NLT).

You’re not going to change until your thoughts and attitude change. This is why a daily quiet time is important. The time you spend intentionally studying God’s Word and in conversation with him through prayer is the spiritual renewal in your mind. Even with the Holy Spirit, it takes spiritual discipline to have the power to change. You have to get to know God so you know what he expects from you and desires for you.

Do you know what the theological term for “change of mind” is? It is the word “repentance.” To repent literally means to change your mind.

The word “repent” is actually a Greek word: metanoia. Metanoia means to change your mind—to turn from death to life, sin to forgiveness, guilt to peace of mind, hell to heaven. You turn from “my way” to God’s way. The most positive change in your life will be when you repent of your sin and turn from regret to forgiveness and peace of mind.

You have to learn to think in new ways about your defects. Defects are often strengths being misused. That’s a new way of thinking. You probably never thought of that, but that’s repentance! That’s a change of mind. Your defects are often the strengths God gave you that are being misused.

You have to change the way you think so you can make the most of your strengths instead. To do that, you “must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:5 NLT).

God wants you to learn to think like Jesus. How do you do that? Again, it’s a choice. You’ve got to make a choice and say, “Lord, how would Jesus think about this?” The more you fill your mind with God’s Word, the easier that’s going to be.