Paul encouraged the Churches to imitate him and walk in the way he did, which would result in obtaining the rest of God. That statement seemed to be arrogant, but how did Paul get to the place where he could say this? We should be able to make the same statement, that when people look at us, they should desire to imitate us, as we walk out our salvation in a practical manner. It all starts with what we are thinking. We are supposed to think about whatever is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, gentle, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. The saying is that we are what we think, but random thoughts going through our minds is not an automatic classification of who we are. We are able to control these thoughts and should prevent ourselves from dwelling upon what is undesirable. We should especially avoid having a worldly thinking and rather have our minds renewed and transformed. When one’s state of mind is chaotic, find a quiet place and worship God, meditating on his goodness and who is, and regain your peace. Be determined that you mind will not be the enemy’s playground but rather be the means by which to communicate with God. The scientists call the process of creating new pathways in the mind neuroplasticity. Ordinary pathways can be created by learning new skills, regular physical exercise, mindfulness and meditation, a healthy diet, mental challenges, and social interaction. We can also create new spiritual pathways in our minds, and the way to do it is to study the Bible, meditate on the Scriptures and memorise it, by praying, being open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, being accountable, being vigilant and discerning about our thought life, rejecting lies and embracing the truth, cultivating gratitude and positivity, setting our minds on things above, and engaging in worship and fellowship. These spiritual pathways will create a default state of mind which is able to handle the hard times in life. When we start thinking right, we will be living right, being an inspiration for others to imitate our way of life.
