Hey PPN Family,

I finished reading a book called, “The Power to Change,” by Craig Groeschel yesterday, and one of the thoughts from the author that really stood out to me was, “You do what you do because of what you think of you.”

The idea is basically that a lot of the things that we do are actually determined by what we think of ourselves. In other words, many of the negative things that we do, come out of the negative beliefs that we may have of ourselves, and conversely, having a positive view of ourselves, leads to more positive behaviours.

So, if we want to make some new changes in our lives, we need to start by correcting the way that we think about ourselves. Like Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 (NIV), “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Transformation begins with changing the way that we think.

In a nutshell, we need to stop defining ourselves by what other people think about us, or even by our own thoughts about ourselves, and we need to accept the truth that God is the one who defines who we really are.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” When we are in a relationship with God, he makes us into a brand-new person who has been completely forgiven and saved. This is who we really are. And when we embrace this new identity, it will empower us to live out new habits and behaviours, that will enable us to have a new and better life.

God bless,

Roland Talamaivao-Amituanai