I walked into the dry cleaners and plopped my basket on the counter.

“How are you today?” Vicki asked.

“I’m great, how are you?” I replied.

“Oh, pretty good,” said Vicki as she sorted my cleaning, “except for my heart. It keeps skipping a beat.”

The smile on Vicki’s face didn’t match the concern in her voice. I wondered if her smile was a cover-up, a learned response to conceal her apprehension. As she prepared my ticket she went on to tell me that her mother was on several medications for heart issues as well as anxiety and she was determined not to wind up like her.

It’s funny how much you can find out about someone in a two minute clothing swap at the dry cleaners.

Not knowing whether or not Vicki was a Christian, I thought this would be a good opportunity to witness truth to her. “Many of our thoughts create physical responses in our bodies,” I said. “You’ve probably heard you are what you eat. The Bible says that we are what we think.”

“That’s so true,” Vicki agreed, flashing another sunny smile. “I can think myself into a whole lot of heart palpitations.”

It sounded like Vicki knew the truth, but I wondered how effectively she applied it to her life. Just like we have a choice in what foods we insert into our mouths, we also have a choice in what we feed our soul. Our thought life is what nourishes our mind, will and emotions. We can spend all day preparing a feast of peace and joy or just as easily, we can consume a diet of toxic thoughts that cause fear, anxiety and depression.

So, what are you feeding your soul?

Proverbs 19:8 says, He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.

The word prosper comes from the Greek word euodoō which means to grant a prosperous and expeditious journey, to lead by a direct and easy way, to grant a successful issue, to be successful. Prosperity is not only about our bank balance!

Do you want a prosperous journey of life? Do you want to be lead by a direct and easy way? Do you want to be granted successful issues? I know I do! If you aren’t enjoying this type of prosperity, you can. Just change your thoughts!

The Message Bible puts it this way: I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health—that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!

Perhaps you know people who have health and success in their everyday affairs, but their soul is not content. They have every external reason to be happy, but they’re miserable. These people need to hear the scripture I mentioned to Vicki from Proverbs 23:7. The KJV says, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. According to this verse, the prosperity of our heart and soul is not determined by our circumstances. Our prosperity is determined by our thoughts.

You may have heard the following quote by Francesca Sedgwick:

Be careful of your thoughts, they become your words.
Be careful of your words, they become your actions.
Be careful of your actions, they become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, they become your character.
Be careful of your character, it becomes your destiny.

Let’s examine this from a different angle—backwards.

Want to change your destiny? Change your character.
Want to change your character? Change your habits.
Want to change your habits? Change your actions.
Want to change your actions? Change your words.
Want to change your words? Change your thoughts.

Did you notice? Everything boils down to our thoughts. If I were to delete everything between the bolded words, ultimately, our destiny is a product of our thoughts.

Are you ready to change your destiny? Get ready for a soul detox.  It’s the only way to get rid of excess baggage. Meditate on truth and think your way to better soul-health!

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for Your word that brings healing to my soul. Alert me to the schemes of the enemy so I don’t fall for his lies. Help me to meditate on your truth so that I may renew my mind and walk in prosperity and peace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Scriptures to Ponder:

• A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones (Proverbs 14:30).
• So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
• Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).
• Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).
• Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him (Psalm 62:5).

Questions to Ponder:

1. How healthy is your thought life? What areas need improvement? (self-worth, finances, sexual temptations, physical health, emotions, forgiveness, relationships, etc.)
2. Pretend someone says to you, “I can’t read your mind, but I can come close. Let me observe your actions and I’ll tell you what you’ve been thinking about.” What would your actions reveal about your thoughts?
3. How do unhealthy thoughts affect your body physically?
4. Read 2 Corinthians 4:18 above. What truths can you fix your eyes on when you need hope?
5. Read Romans 12:2 above. What do you think this scripture means by the phrase, “patterns of this world”?