Think Pray Then Act

We challenge reactive living with a simple rhythm that creates real progress: think, pray, then act. We connect Scripture, mindset, and everyday choices so our private thoughts line up with our public faith. 
• honoring the people who change the world by refusing to stay quiet 
• learning “think and act” as life wisdom, not just sales advice 
• noticing how the modern world trains us to react fast 
• renewing the mind through Romans 12:2 and disciplined thinking 
• using Philippians 4:8 to filter what we feed our minds 
• tracking the chain from thought to perspective to habits 
• avoiding the trap of thinking without God through Proverbs 3:5-6 
• pausing before big moves and asking God better questions 
• reframing sales as relationships built on trust and service 
• turning sales prompts into spiritual prompts for daily living 
• running through twelve questions that expose priorities and motives 
• choosing obedience over endless research, inspired by James 1:22 
If you don't have a relationship with Christ, you need to get right. 

Transcript

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A Toast To The Misfits

SPEAKER_00 0:00

It is to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the ones who see the world differently, who don't fit neatly into boxes, and refuse to live by someone else's script. You can quote them, you can disagree with them, you can glorify them or vilify them, you can shake your head at their ideas or be inspired by their courage. But the one thing you cannot do is ignore them. Because they change things. They disrupt what's comfortable, they challenge what's normal, and they push the human race forward. Sometimes with loud revolutions, sometimes with quiet persistence that changes everything over time. They see possibility where others see limits. They dare to dream out loud when the world tells them to be silent. They take risks, they stumble, they rise again, and they keep going. Not because it's easy, but because they can't imagine doing anything else. These are the ones who remind us that every great leap forward was once considered impossible. So here's to them the ones who won't sit down, won't be quiet, and won't stop until the world is different. Because they're the reason it will be.

Think And Act As Life Wisdom

SPEAKER_02 2:11

And that's gonna be today's spiritual reflection. Today's food for thought. Think, pray, then act. I've been reading a book, quick reading a book called The Patterson Principles of Selling. It's a book I've had for a while, and I don't know why I haven't read it yet, but I've been more into reading these days. So it's got some pretty good stuff in it. Um the first thing that it says is think. And there's a phrase in the book that caught my attention. It was a uh quote from John Patterson. It says, think and act two words of progress. You see, it sounds like great business advice. It sounds like sales advice because it comes from a sales book. I think he was the one who created the cash register, uh little food for thought, little history for you there. Um, so it goes back like decades, decades, decades old. Um, but the more and more you think about it, the more and more I thought about it, because I think, the more I realize it's life advice, it's not sales advice. And it goes even further to, I mean, I can even go even further and say it's spiritual advice. Because today, look at today, okay? Look at the world we live in today. The world we live in today constantly encourages a reaction, right? Something happens, we react. Someone says something, we react. There's a problem, we worry, we fear. An opportunity comes, we rush to it. We get offended, we respond. I mean, that's how quick our attention spans are. But how often do we actually think before we act? Another um quote by the author of the book, Jeffrey Gittmer, says, thinking is an action that very few people take the time to do. So, how often do we actually think before we act? And spiritually, you can take that even one step further.

Renewing The Mind With Scripture

SPEAKER_02 5:12

Before I think, what is shaping my thinking or my thought? I mean, look at Romans twelve, too. It says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Guys, transformation doesn't begin with your circumstances or the changing of your circumstances, it begins with a renewed mind. Because if you're being honest with yourself, if you're being one hundred percent honest with yourself, your thoughts eventually become your actions. If you think about something so long, so hard, you they become your actions. Thinking like any other action is a discipline. That's a very powerful quote because sometimes we treat our thoughts as though they're completely like uncontrollable. Right? We all do. Oh, I'm just worried. Oh, I'm just angry. No, I've always been this way, it's just me. You've heard all those before. But if you look at scripture, it repeatedly over and over and over tells us to pay attention to what's happening in our minds. I mean, just take a look at Philippians 4 8. It tells us to think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Why? Why? Because what occupies your mind eventually influences how you live. That's a fact. What occupies your mind eventually influences the way you live and how you live. Think about it. A fearful thought entertained long enough can become a fearful decision. A bitter thought entertained long enough can become bitterness towards another person. A lustful thought entertained long enough can become destructive behavior. Right? But faith works similarly. When I continue to remind myself of God's faithfulness and his promise, I begin approaching life differently. I begin approaching worry differently. I begin to approaching feeling the coming of anxiety differently because I know that does not have the final say. I remember when Jesus told me to forgive, I start looking differently at people who hurt me. When I remember that my life carries a purpose, I start looking at my day and how I wake up differently. You see, thought becomes perspective. Perspective influences decisions. Decisions become actions. Actions repeated over and over become habits, and habits help shape your life. So just a little food for thought. What thoughts have been feeding you lately? And where are they taking you? We should all take the time to think.

Think With God Before Responding

SPEAKER_02 11:02

But there's also dangers in thinking. We can become very good thinkers and still head in the wrong direction. We've got to start thinking with God. Proverbs three, five and six, trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. God gave us a mind, we're supposed to use it, but we're not supposed to make our mind our God. You feel me? There's a big old difference between what do I think I should do, and Father, what would you have me do? Big difference. Prayer should always be included in the thinking process. Scripture should always be included in the thinking process. Wisdom then enters the thinking process when those things are included. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is stop before making that phone call, before sending that text, before making that purchase, before quitting that job, before confronting that purpose person, or saying yes to an opportunity. Just stop for a minute. Stop for twenty seconds, stop for an hour, stop for a day, however long it takes you. And just ask God, what is actually happening here? What am I not seeing? What am I supposed to see? What response would honor you? You see, now that's a different kind of thinking. That's a spiritual thinking. Yeah, the book's good. I mean, it's it's a good book. And it's it's a good sales book, and there's a lot of great questions. The book gives questions like how can I uncover new customers? How can I be a better presenter? How can I serve better? Are my customers loyal today? How am I investing my time today? Did I work on my legacy today? All good sales questions. But as I read these books, as I sit here and I think, and the thing that kills me the most is when you talk to like

Reframing Sales As Relationships

SPEAKER_02 14:31

another individual, a human, another human, and the word sales comes up. It's like being in a shoe store, and you being and somebody asking you, can can I help you? A cut of the sales representative comes up and says, Can I help you? You go, no, I'm just looking. It's it's like a human, when any you're in a conversation and the words say, Oh, I can't do sales. Oh, I'm not a salesman. Oh no. It's like an instant reaction. But when I read my sales books and I read books in general, they're all the same. Like, it doesn't matter if you're a preacher, it doesn't matter if you're a salesman, it doesn't matter if you're a motivator, it doesn't matter if you're a content creator, whatever. It's all the same thing. I mean, all you gotta do is change the language, and suddenly it becomes life. So I did a little comparison. How can I uncover new customers? Okay, so who has God placed in front of me that I've been overlooking? There you go. How can I become a better presenter? Well, maybe you could change that and say, how can life represent what I say I believe? Then the next one was, how can I serve better? Well, keep that one exactly the way it is because Yeshua taught us that greatness looks like service. So I wouldn't change that one at all. Next one, are my customers loyal? Well, maybe instead of saying that, you could say, am I being faithful to the people that God has entrusted to me? You could start with your spouse, your children, your friends. Then you can move to your coworkers, employees, neighbors, business partners. You see, sales is not a bad word. Sales is about relationships. Trust. Communication, service, and value. Well, guess what else is? Life. And that should not be a scary, fearful thing. I mean, when you met your spouse, you had to sell yourself to them, and vice versa. When you taught your kids growing up, you had to sell them so they would trust you. That might be a little far-fetched, but anyway, you know where I'm going with this. You know, we're all presenting something to the world every single day. It's not necessarily a product, but it is a product. The product is yourself. So I have written down twelve spiritual

Twelve Questions For Better Choices

SPEAKER_02 18:14

think questions as I was thinking. So I'm gonna run through them real fast. Number one, what has God already given you today that you haven't thanked him for? Number two, what thought has been controlling you? Fear, thought, anger, pride, faith? Doesn't have to be a bad thing. Number three, who can I serve today without expecting anything back? That's easy. Number four, is my attitude today reflecting my circumstances or my faith? Is my attitude reflecting my circumstances or my trust in God? Number five, did what did yesterday teach me that I shouldn't waste time on today? That's a good one. Number six, is there someone I need to forgive or ask forgiveness from? Number seven, where am I spending my time and does it match what I say that matters the most? Number eight, what temptation do I need to stop entertaining in my mind? Number nine, who can I encourage today? Number ten, what have I been praying about God may have already been asking me to act upon? Make into a verb. Number eleven, if my family copied the way I'm living right now, would I be happy with where it leads them? Number twelve, what am I doing today that will matter in eternity? And I want you to marinate on that last one. What am I doing today that will matter in eternity? Because we're all good at filling up our calendars, we're all good at filling up our schedules, but a full calendar does not necessarily mean a fruitful life. So that just brings us back to the original phrase think, pray, and act.

Obedience Turns Faith Into Movement

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Not just think. Look at James 1, verse 22. Be doers of the word, not just hearers. You see, a lot of times we already know what we're supposed to do. We've prayed about it, we thought about it, we've talked about it, we've asked tons of people about it. Heck, a lot of us even watch videos about it, and we're still watching videos about it, you know? Sometimes we're waiting on God, but sometimes God may be waiting on us to obey what He's already shown us. How many signs do you need? How many signs do you need? If you know you should apologize, act. You already thought about it. If you know you should forgive someone, act, you already thought about it. If you know you need to spend more time with your family, act, you already thought about it. If you know there's a habit that's pulling you away from God, act, you already thought about it. If you know someone needs encouragement, call them. If you know God has put something on your heart to begin something today, to start something today, something that you already know. You got to step out on that water. You got to take that faithful first step. We don't have time to understand the entire journey because we ain't gonna understand the entire journey. And we don't have to understand the entire journey before being obedient and taking that first step. So I'm leaving this with you today. Think. But don't just think about problems. Don't just think about your problems. Don't get overwhelmed with the negativity. Think about your purpose. Think about what you're becoming. Think about the people God has entrusted to you to come into your life. Think about what you're doing with your time and where it's going. Think about what you're feeding your mind and think about whether your private thoughts agree with your public faith. And most importantly, think with God before you act. Think, pray, then act. Because a good thought that never becomes an action doesn't change anything. I'm gonna say that one more time. A good thought that never becomes an action does not change anything. A conviction without obedience does not change anything. A dream without movement doesn't change anything. Maybe today you need some progression. And progress does not require some giant breakthrough. It starts with three simple words. Think, pray, then act. But most of all, keep God in the middle of think and act. Think, pray, act. That's your food for thought today. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you.

Prayer And A Final Wake Up Call

SPEAKER_02 25:41

We thank you for the mind that you have given us to thank. We thank you for another day that you've placed before us. Father God, just please renew our minds and help us recognize the thoughts that do not come from you do not come from truth. Lord, just give us the wisdom before we speak, before we decide, before we react, before we even act, Lord. Just teach us not only to hear your word, but to live it. Father God, just show us who we can serve. Show us who we need to forgive. Show us what we need to change. Show us where you want us to move, Lord. Father God, help us to use our time well. Help us to love people well and to live today through the eternity lens, Lord. Father God, give us courage not to just think about what is right, but to act on what you show us. It's in Jesus' holy, heavenly name we pray. Amen and hallelujah. Well, guys, thank you. We love you. God loves you more. And if you don't have a relationship with Christ, you need to get right.