It’s funny the better you know a subject the simpler it becomes. The better I learned how to perform formal failure investigations with evidence teams and stakeholder meetings, the simpler the process became. In fact, 3 things seemed to boil to the top.

The first step is to let go of bias and blame. Bias blinds. Blame and bias keep you from ever seeing the truth. As long as your mind is made up before you investigate, then you are blind. Step 1 is to renounce, turn away from bias and blame. You will never understand why anything happened unless you release blame. Remember Jesus said to forgive. He also said to take the plank out of your eye then you can see to take the speck out of your brother’s. The plank is bias and blame. I could and probably will write a book on this one subject because it the enemy’s favorite tactic to keep people in bondage and darkness. The bible describes thoughts that are built up against the knowledge of God or the truth, if you will, as strongholds.

The second step is to look at evidence. Evidence is all around us. Immerse yourself in truth. Our enemy is bias. We have already made up our minds, in other words you can’t see what is actually there – you only see what you think is there. It is not good to be alone. God uses people. People see what you might not. You have blind spots. People keep you honest. You know you will lie to yourself, right? Have you ever counted calories? I have. If it’s true then other people will see the same thing. The only thing to discuss is the evidence. Not opinions, not theories. Any step you take in understanding is supported by a foundation of evidence.

The third step is to gaze into the Mirror of Truth. The final, and liberating, step is to look at yourself in light of the evidence. The answer you find to this question is shocking: what is it about the way I am contributed to this failure. The end result of this exercise is you think differently. I have had Plant Managers walk through this process. At the beginning they are sure they will find egregious incompetence. At the end they stand up in front of everyone and confess they contributed to the failure because they knowingly allowed unsafe work for the sake of production! Trust me, those men are never the same. They have changed for the better because they think differently.   Their subordinates see it. Their Executive Vice Presidents see it. Most importantly their wives and kids see it. I am talking about being derailed out of a rut they didn’t even know they were in. Honestly they smell the aroma of Christ and His Kingdom that is near.

This simple process can be adorned with almost an infinite amount of bells, whistles, and detail but the bottom line is it works. This process helps us understand the pain of failure. It also identifies the What, Why, & How of needed change. This change helps take the limits off God and keeps us from running around the mulberry bush in an ever deepening rut. In the end this process teaches us to think differently or to say it in a biblical way; to demolish strongholds.

Let me get back to changing the way I think. God derailed me and took me out of a rut. He set me free. I need to change the way I think to receive what I have asked God for and all the awesome things He wants to surprise me with. I transition to a place where I use my strengths in the arena God has called me to. My wife is excelling in a broader role and we are very excited and happy.

A couple weeks tick by and we have the opportunity to hear Terry Savelle Foy speak at church. Imagine someone taking about a 6-foot piece of 2×4, swinging as hard as they can, and hitting you right between the eyes. That is, spiritually speaking, what I felt like. You know what I heard: YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK! Ok, here we go again. I think, “God I heard you a couple weeks ago. I know this. I did.” She says, “You know why you are the way you are? Because you chose to be that way. You know why you weigh what you weigh? Because chose to. You know why you dress the way you do? Because you chose to. You know why you owe the debts you owe? Because you chose to. You know why you are where you are in life? Because you chose to.” You get the picture. BAM! Right between the eyes. God goes on to show me that all my decisions in the past have led me to where I am now. It’s not my parents fault, or the government’s, or anyone else. I am responsible for what I choose. If I am not happy, I need to choose differently. In order to choose differently I need to think differently.

It is all about the day-to-day routine. It is all about the little things. The problem is I didn’t see it or connect the dots. It was very much like a failure investigation without the formality of the step-by-step process. It’s the little problems that when ignored have a big impact. I try to lose weight, but it’s tough. One cookie is not going to make a difference. For that matter one day is not going to change anything either. I can eat too much or not eat at all and the next day the change will be minimal. Thank God for Terri. Now I know the reason I weigh 308 pounds is because I chose to. I can’t tell you how liberating that is to say. I don’t like it but I also know I can change it. I don’t need a lab full of doctors to invent a pill to help me. I need to control how much food goes into my mouth. It isn’t about 1 cookie or 1 day. It is about my routine, it is about my lifestyle. To change I have to think differently about little things.

Money is another issue that dominates people. Most people in debt think they just need more money. This may be a bombshell for some of you, but more money is not the answer. They need to think differently about money. Look at people that win the lottery. Over 70% are broke within 5 years. Broke! Isn’t that jaw dropping? They just don’t believe their thinking is why they lack, but it is. Just like my thinking is why I weigh 308 pounds. Take the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Think about the one who was given 1 talent. He went off, dug a hole, and buried it. Do you think more money would have helped him? His mind kept him from putting his money to work. You know why he buried that talent? Because he chose to. I can go on and on with examples but I don’t have to. You get the picture.

Now a couple more weeks have ticked by. My memory is still fresh from meeting God carrying an invisible bat and looking like a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader J. I was able to get my nose pushed back in place and quit spitting blood. I started examining with my family and my best friend (Holy Spirit) what I wanted and what needs to change in my day to day to move me toward our goals. We are very excited with what God is doing in our lives. We have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) but now we’re actually using it and thinking differently.

Oh, by the way, I will leave you with this. It’s not a real big thing in itself, but the thinking behind it has changed my life. As I type this I weigh 303 pounds. Don’t ignore little problems. Work on them and the big things will take care of themselves.