Proverbs 23:7a (TPT)

The way we think is very powerful; it determines who we are and the lives we live.

My Grandpa W. was born in 1913; his older brother, Floyd, was born in 1911. Their father left the family early on, and though their mother worked hard and took in laundry to support the family, they didn’t have much.

The two brothers had to sleep in the same bed throughout all of their younger years. When Floyd began attending school, he began contracting the various childhood illnesses which were passed around the one room schoolhouse. My great-grandmother openly expressed her concern that my grandpa would also get sick, but he would always confidently respond, “I’m not going to get sick.”

The two boys continued sleeping in the same bed, yet my grandpa never had even one of the common childhood illness. Even after he began attending school, he remained healthy, never having sickness of any kind. My great-grandma always said Grandpa W. was simply too stubborn to get sick. He refused to receive sickness of any kind and boldly confessed it regularly.

Grandpa W. remained extremely healthy well into his 80’s, and died as he was nearing his 92nd birthday. Floyd died when he was 57. Neither Floyd nor my grandpa lived Christian lives, so their health was simply determined by the way they thought about it. (Grandpa W. finally received Jesus on his deathbed as he prayed with my mother. Better late than never.)

If plain old stubbornness worked for my grandpa, how much more will confidence in God’s Word affect our lives.

“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”

Romans 12:2 (TPT)

As we allow the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, to teach us how to think, our lives will be completely changed. And what blessed lives we will have.