Would you change anything about yourself or your life? Making changes is risky, and doing something hard is scary. You may fail, but you will never know the possibilities if you don’t take the risk. Being proactive means you evaluate your options, the risks, and the possibilities. You then make a decision based on your evaluation and desired outcomes. Being proactive means you take the initiative to make things happen even when it does not make sense or is difficult. In my last post, I shared the 10 ways to be proactive, the first being, “I can choose my response.” “I will use proactive language: ‘I choose to be thankful.’ ‘I am in control of my feelings and will forgive.’ ‘Let’s look at the alternatives.’” In this post, I will explain how to apply the other ways to be proactive.
Proactively Achieve Desirable Outcomes
Proverbs 10:4 states, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Being proactive requires diligence even when it is hard. I wanted to go to college even though I wasn’t smart. My mother said I was too dumb. I applied anyway and was accepted. I had to take the SAT twice to get the minimum score to be accepted into college. Another traumatic issue was that my mother did not support me or help me in any way. I had to drive myself to college when all the other students had their parents bring them. I also had to work part-time to pay my bills. This experience was tough, but I learned I can do anything I set my mind to doing with God’s help. I never gave up. I am happy I proactively took the risk to attend college because many great opportunities were available. Are you diligent in doing things that are hard to achieve something desirable?
Do you want to change a sinful habit or addiction? It is tough to break sinful patterns and addictions. Ephesians 4:22-24 explains, “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Rather than living a defeated life because of my old life, I proactively sought counselors, read self-help books, memorized scriptures, and prayed. I still struggled with my sinful behaviors, but I kept striving for a solution. Then I discovered the power of healing my trauma memories, forgiving, and giving up unhealthy beliefs and negative thoughts to live a new life. Facing my trauma and forgiving those who hurt me was hard, but the outcome was freedom. I can now feel love, joy, peace, be patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled.
Focus On What You Can Do, Change, and Influence.
You can only change yourself and influence others who want to change. When I became more like Christ, my husband changed as well. You can influence those around you through kindness and living in peace with them. But if someone is not willing to change, you cannot change that circumstance. Proverbs 12:18 explains, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” You can change your physical position and attitude (beliefs) toward a hurtful person. You can proactively choose different friends and activities.
Proverbs 12:26a states, “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor.” Your neighbor is anyone you can be kind to or patient with and have a positive influence on. For example, if someone is being abusive, a spouse, boss, co-worker, or friend, you can proactively tell them how their actions are hurtful. Then, set boundaries and not associate with them if they continue to be unloving and abusive. You can also stay in forgiveness and peace by not allowing their weakness to control your thoughts. Remember, thoughts determine your feelings, beliefs, and behavior. A hurtful, abusive person is acting out of the trauma of their childhood.
Being Proactive is About Making Good Choices.
Before making good choices, you must understand what drives you to make bad choices. One source is your sinful flesh. James 1:14-15 declares, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” If this is the case, James 4:7 explains how to make a good choice: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It is a good choice to put off your old sinful nature through prayer and put on your new self of love to be like Christ (Col. 3:1-17).
Another source that leads you to make bad choices is your past unhealthy beliefs and wrong thinking, which were programmed in your heart by traumatic events. You can proactively choose to be more loving by changing from the inside out through the power of prayer and forgiveness, which heals your memories and changes unhealthy beliefs and wrong thinking. You accomplish this by first submitting to God, resisting the devil, and putting off unhealthy beliefs and destructive thoughts that influence you to make bad choices.
A Proactive Person Admits Their Mistakes and Corrects Them.
Do you desire to have healthy relationships with people? If you make a mistake, you can proactively admit and correct it. For example, if you were rude or not patient with someone, you can humbly admit you were wrong and apologize. If you lied about something, you must admit it and tell the truth to restore your integrity. If you lose your temper, confess your sin to God and the person, then seek God to show you what childhood trauma needs to be healed through forgiveness or what unhealthy beliefs need to be changed. Read my website book to learn more about how to do this.
May God bless you richly as you think proactively about doing hard things, making right choices, admitting you are wrong, and correcting your mistakes.
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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.
If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.
Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.
Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.
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