Intentional Thinking
by Diana Scothorn
Years ago, I suffered the pain of betrayal in my previous marriage. The image of this other woman with my husband dominated my thoughts and in return, controlled my feelings, my days, and my life! I continually rehearsed all the bad things I could imagine and how they would affect my future.
I meditated on these negative thoughts day and night, to the point they became a detriment to my health. Romans 12:2 says, “ Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.
We have to avoid thinking about anything we feel like and focus on renewing our thoughts with God’s plan for our future. Jeremiah 29:11 states, “ For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ‘”
I have learned that I must…
…intentionally put scriptures in my heart and renew my thinking if I ever want to have a life with an intentional purpose! The devil deliberately fills our hearts and minds with negative, so our focus will be on the negative. God wants us to intentionally place His word and truth in our hearts and mind so that we can focus on His goodness!!!
If we neglect God’s word, which is good news, from entering our mind and heart, we will begin to adopt human reasoning and focus on the negative the world displays! God wants us to focus on His goodness! God’s goodness overpowers the world’s ugliness!
When we guard our heart with God’s truth, God will guard our life with His goodness! What we allow our minds to think about will eventually reveal the life we are living! When we fill our minds with Christ-like thoughts, we will have a Christ-like life! I’ve learned what I allow my mind to think about is a choice! My choice alone!
It requires discipline, but even amid betrayal, the more I chose to guard my thoughts, the more I began to see I am going to be alright; God has a future planned, and it will be good!
What goes in our hearts will eventually be manifested in our life! Out of the abundance of our heart is what is produced in our life!!! All thoughts have a price! Good thoughts are seeds that produce value. Bad thoughts are seeds that produce destruction!
The truth of God’s word that we meditate on will reveal the truth of the life we choose to live. If we want to live a life of excellence, we must intentionally choose to think excellent thoughts. The results of good thinking are worth the effort! When I began to change my thoughts, it eventually changed who I became and the life I lived!
If I find my life in a place I am not satisfied, I have found my thoughts were not thoughts that would produce the results I want! If I want to think right, it’s necessary to know the truth of what is right, so I can live the excellent life Jesus died to give me!
~Diana
Diana Scothorn has a heart for helping women succeed, with a focus on a strong, spiritual, mental, and physical core. Diana’s background in the health and fitness world began with one of the most iconic names in fitness, Richard Simons. Overseeing ladies’ health clubs for 10 plus years allowed Diana to step into a passion for marketplace ministry even before ministering the gospel in business was widely accepted.
She’s been married to her prince charming, Stewart, going on 12 years, and they enjoy spending time with their 4 kids and 8 grandchildren. Both are ordained ministers of the Gospel, serve on the board of several well-known ministries, and are also co-owners of, The Benefit Link, Inc., a marketplace ministry business, which has been number one in the field for over 25 years and is licensed in all 50 States, serving senior citizens in need of compassion, prayer, and guidance when facing the challenges of the Medicare maze.
Diana’s been featured in Society Magazine’s Successful Business Women of the Year for 2018, 2019, and 2020. As an international speaker, Diana has traveled abroad for over 10 years, along with her husband, to help support missions throughout Europe and South America, focusing on funding the Kingdom and advancing the gospel.
Connect with Diana on Instagram and Facebook, where she has “Diana’s Daily Devotionals” encouraging and inspiring women to live daily in victory.
