Have you ever told yourself, I’m too old. It’s too late. Nothing is ever going to change. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything.
Maybe you’re waiting on an unanswered prayer, worried about someone you love, struggling with negative thoughts, or feeling stuck in an area of your life.
You love God. You read your Bible. You go to church. But some days, you still don’t feel motivated to do what you know you need to do.
Friend, what if motivation isn’t what you need?
What if what you really need is to learn how to follow Jesus?
We live in a world that constantly tells us to get motivated. Watch the videos. Set the goals. Make the vision boards. Get excited about changing your life.
And maybe that works for a little while.
But what happens when the feeling goes away? When life gets hard, when you’re discouraged, or when things aren’t going the way you planned?
The world teaches us to get motivated. Jesus teaches us to follow Him.
That’s the difference between worldly motivation and biblical discipleship.
We’re trying to motivate ourselves into becoming someone different instead of allowing God to transform us from the inside out.
And one of the most important places that transformation begins is in our thoughts.
Why Your Thoughts Matter More Than Your Motivation
Romans 12:2 tells us:
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (NKJV)
Notice that God doesn’t tell us to hype ourselves up.
He tells us to renew our minds.
Because the thoughts we keep thinking become the thoughts we start believing, and what we believe affects how we live.
Think about how often we talk ourselves out of something before we even begin.
I’m not good enough.
I’ve tried before and failed.
God isn’t hearing my prayers.
It’s too late for me.
Nothing is ever going to change.
How can we move forward in what God has for us when our thoughts keep telling us we can’t?
And here’s something I want you to remember:
Just because you think a thought doesn’t mean it’s true. And just because you feel something doesn’t mean you have to act on it.
We have to learn to recognize the difference between what we’re thinking and what God says is true.
What Are You Agreeing With?
Maybe you’re thinking, God doesn’t care about me. He’s not answering my prayers.
But 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that we can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us.
Maybe you’re thinking, I’m too old. I’ve missed my chance.
But your age doesn’t put you beyond God’s ability to work in your life.
Maybe you’re worried about someone you love and thinking, I’ve prayed and prayed, and nothing is changing.
You can remind yourself that God hears your prayers and that you can trust Him with the people you love, even when you can’t control what happens.
Thinking God’s truth doesn’t mean everything suddenly becomes easy. It doesn’t mean you have all the answers or know how things will turn out.
It means you’re choosing to stop agreeing with thoughts that don’t line up with God’s Word and start agreeing with what He says is true.
So how do we actually do that?
1. Take Your Thoughts Captive
One of the things I teach in my courses is what I call the 3 Cs of FIT, Faith Inspired Transformation Thoughts: Captive, Cast, and Choose.
The first is Captive.
Second Corinthians 10:5 tells us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
The fact that you think a thought doesn’t mean you have to own it or believe it.
When a negative thought comes into your mind, ask yourself:
Does this agree with what God says in His Word?
If it doesn’t, you don’t have to keep believing it.
Picture your mind like a flower garden. Negative thoughts are like weeds. We have to recognize them, pull them out, and plant God’s truth in their place.
And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to do this.
2. Cast Your Cares on God
First Peter 5:7 says:
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (NKJV)
Friend, God cares about what concerns you.
But here’s where so many of us get stuck.
We go to God. We pray. We ask for wisdom. We search His Word.
And then we start worrying again.
We try to figure everything out. We want to know how it’s all going to work. We want to control what happens next.
Before we know it, we’re carrying the very thing we just gave to God.
And think about how exhausting that is.
Sometimes what we call a lack of motivation is really the weight of everything we’re trying to carry and control.
God never asked us to figure everything out on our own.
We can do our part and trust Him with what we cannot control.
Whatever you’re facing today, ask yourself:
Have I really given this to God, or am I still trying to carry it myself?
3. Choose to Renew Your Mind With God’s Truth
The third C is Choose.
Romans 12:2 teaches us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
That transformation involves choosing to spend time in God’s Word, recognizing thoughts that don’t agree with His truth, and allowing Him to change the way we think.
Here’s a self-talk test I want you to remember:
If you wouldn’t say it to your best friend or someone you greatly love and respect, then you shouldn’t say it to yourself.
Think about that.
Would you tell your best friend she’s too old, not good enough, or that she’ll never change?
Then why are you saying those things to yourself?
Pay attention to the themes in your thinking. Find Scriptures that speak to those struggles. Pray through them.
And remember, you don’t have to wait until you feel motivated to make a different choice.
You can choose to open your Bible.
You can choose to pray.
You can choose to take care of your body.
You can choose to take one small step toward something God has placed on your heart.
These daily choices are part of learning to follow Jesus.
4. Activate Your Faith and Take the Next Step
Now here’s something else I want you to understand.
We can know God’s Word. We can renew our minds. We can pray about what we’re facing.
But at some point, we have to put our faith into action.
I once heard someone jokingly say, “You have to put your toe in the Red Sea for God to part the waters.”
As I studied Exodus in the Old Testament, I learned that God actually told Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!” (Exodus 14:15 NLT)
It gave me a completely new perspective.
For a moment, picture God saying to you, “Why are you crying to Me? Get moving!”
Because sometimes we’re waiting for motivation, waiting until we feel ready, waiting until we have the whole plan figured out, when what we really need to do is take the next step God is showing us.
Activate your faith.
It isn’t just believing. It’s moving, it’s doing, it’s pushing yourself, and it’s knowing that as you do your part, God is doing His!
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been where you are or how impossible your goals seem. God wants you to get up in your inner man and live for Him!
Think of the paralyzed man in John 5:6–9 who sat next to the healing pool in Bethesda for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, “Do you want to be made well?”
The man explained that he had no one to help him into the pool when the water was stirred, and someone else always got there ahead of him.
Then Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”
At once, the man was healed. He picked up his bed and walked.
I want you to picture Jesus asking you that question.
Do you want to be made well?
Maybe for you, it’s not about physical healing.
Maybe it’s about getting free from the thoughts that have kept you stuck for years.
Maybe it’s forgiving someone, letting go of something you’ve been carrying, taking better care of yourself, or finally doing what God has been putting on your heart.
What would you say?
And here’s the question I really want you to think about.
What are you doing about it?
Because following Jesus isn’t just about what we say we believe.
It’s about how we live.
It’s about trusting Him enough to take the next step, even when we don’t feel motivated.
You don’t have to feel motivated to be faithful.
Remember C.A.L.M.: Christ Alone Leads Me
Here’s an acronym I created to help bring our thoughts back to God.
C.A.L.M. = Christ Alone Leads Me.
When your thoughts are all over the place, when you’re worried, overwhelmed, discouraged, or trying to figure everything out, remember who is leading you.
Not your feelings.
Not your fears.
Not what the world says.
Christ alone leads me.
That’s what it means to go to God first in your thoughts.
Your Mindset and Heartset Matter
There’s something else I don’t want you to miss.
You’re not going to feel motivated all the time.
There will be days when you’re tired, discouraged, or wondering whether anything is ever going to change.
That’s why we can’t build our lives around motivation.
We have to build our lives around following Jesus.
Psalm 51:10 says:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (NKJV)
I keep coming back to two words.
Mindset and heartset.
Because it’s not just about changing what we think. It’s about changing what we’re living for.
We need to renew our minds with God’s truth, and we need to ask Him to create in us a clean heart and a steadfast spirit.
Romans 5:3–5 reminds us that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.
Perseverance. Character. Hope.
This is so much more than motivation.
This is what God is developing in us as we learn to follow Him.
Your Next Step: Go to God First
Friend, my prayer for you is that you’ll stop letting your thoughts talk you out of what God has for you.
Remember the 3 Cs:
Captive: Take the thought captive. Does it agree with God’s Word?
Cast: Give God what you’re worried about instead of trying to carry and control it yourself.
Choose: Choose to renew your mind with His truth and take your next step.
And when you don’t know what to do, remember:
C.A.L.M. Christ Alone Leads Me.
You don’t have to have the entire plan figured out.
You don’t have to feel motivated to be faithful.
You just need to go to God first and take your next step with Him.
Listen to This Episode of Go to God First
In this episode of Go to God First with Kim Dolan Leto, I’m sharing how to recognize thoughts that don’t line up with God’s Word, renew your mind with biblical truth, and activate your faith when you don’t feel motivated.
Why Motivation Isn’t Enough (And 4 Things God Wants You to Do Instead)
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Free 7-Day Go to God First Devotional
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For seven days, I’ll help you bring what you’re facing to God, find His truth in His Word, pray through it, and take your next step with Him.
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Coming Soon: 21-Day Holy and Healthy Habits Challenge
I’m creating something new called the 21-Day Holy and Healthy Habits Challenge, beginning November 1.
For 21 days, we’ll focus on going to God first, renewing our minds, and creating holy and healthy habits that help us follow Jesus in everyday life.
Not because we’re trying to earn God’s love or become perfect, but because we love Him and want the way we live to reflect that.
I’ll be sharing more details on next week’s podcast!
Share This Episode
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And remember, whatever you’re facing, go to God first.
With so much love in Christ,
