Isaiah 5.21
“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!”
Proverbs 26.12
“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Thinking is the mental mechanism God has given to us to plan and pursue objectives, and it is one of the primary ways we look at, evaluate, and respond to the events and situations we experience. The effectiveness of our response to the situations of life is directly linked to the effectiveness of our thinking. When we think effectively, we respond effectively. When we do not think effectively, we tend to respond poorly.
Here is a list of thinking habits to avoid and thinking habits to practice.
| Avoid These Habits | Practice These Habits |
| Self-centered Thinking Dominated by a personal agenda and disregards the goals and perspectives of others. People who are “wise in their own eyes.” | Christ-centered Thinking Guided by the Word of God, asks the Lord for wisdom, and seeks the counsel of godly people. |
| Negative Thinking Focuses on problems. Preoccupied with what is wrong in people and situations. Tends to be a pessimist. | Productive Thinking Focuses on solutions. Actively looks for positive things in people and situations. Seeks to be a wise optimist. |
| Impulsive Thinking Ready—fire—aim—defend. Acts first, thinks second. Rationalizes and defends. Directed by undisciplined emotion and impulse. Hasty, impetuous, impatient. | Disciplined Thinking Ready—aim—fire—adjust. Thinks first, acts second. Reflects and learns. Considers consequences before taking action. Patient, careful, thoughtful. |
| Combative Thinking Wants to win arguments and prove people wrong. Resists the ideas and insights of others. Wants to be right. | Collaborative Thinking Works with others to make wise decisions. Actively seeks the ideas and insights of others. Wants to be effective. |
| Either/Or Thinking Reduces a complex issue to two opposing choices and creates an exaggerated “good choice” versus an exaggerated “bad choice.” | Both/And Thinking Generates options, and then seeks to combine options in order to find the most effective course of action. |
| Fragmented Thinking Sees the parts, but not the whole. Ignores the elements that are uncomfortable or difficult. | Integrated Thinking Sees the whole. Focuses on all the parts and how they fit together. |
| Lazy Thinking Unwilling to do the hard work that is required for effective thinking and wise decisions. Pursues what is easy and convenient. | Diligent Thinking Invests the time and effort to gather information, do homework, and think carefully. Does the hard work that thinking requires. |
