Have you ever heard that expression, “Fake it ‘til you make it”? It is an English aphorism which suggests that by imitating confidence, competence, and an optimistic mindset, a person can realize those qualities in their real life. Some people believe in this strategy, others do not.
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Personally, for a long time I thought it was stupid. If your heart isn’t in something, why try and force it? Well, a few years ago, I decided to try this method out anyway. I mean, what did I have to lose, right? My goal was to be a more thankful person. I wanted to pray more and count my blessings.

I came across this quote from Stormie Omartian about four years ago. I printed it out and it has been hanging at my desk at work ever since. I have shared it before, but it is so worth sharing again. This is what prompted me to start faking it until I made it.

“One of the ways we can learn to completely trust that God is a good God is to praise Him for His goodness. Every time we do, it opens up the channels through which that particular aspect of His nature is poured into our heart.

The more you praise God for His goodness, the more you will see it manifested in your life. That’s the hidden power of praise. You will be amazed when you pray this way how God will open your eyes to see things you haven’t seen before.”

After reading this, I really wanted to see if it would work. I began thanking God for everything I could possibly think of as I laid down to sleep each night. I didn’t praise Him, per say, but I thanked Him. Even if I was not in a good place, feeling down and depressed, or just stressed, I thanked God anyway. To tell you the truth, I felt like a phony con artist for a while. Often my heart wasn’t in it. But, that is what faking it until you make it is all about, right?

After a while, I started to see subtle changes in my life. I was looking around me, at my life and the people in it, and the lives of others, and it started dawning on me how much I truly have to be thankful for.

I was raised in a loving home. I have an amazing husband who loves and supports me. I have a nice home and clothes to wear. I have food to eat and clean water to drink. I can get out of bed each morning and clothe myself and feed myself. I have a job that allows me to contribute financially to our family. I have friends who rally around me whenever I need them. And, this is just for starters.

Now I am at a point in my life where not only am I thankful for all these things (and more), but I am grateful for them. And, not only do I pray and thank God for them, I praise Him for all these things as well. The more I open my eyes to the blessings God has given me, the more blessings I find. Stormie was so right. And, I can tell you from personal experience, faking it ‘til you make it, well, it works. (At least it did for me in this case.)

I think the key to all of this is “faking” it the right way. Your motivation has to be in the right place, even if your heart isn’t necessarily in it. You have to make sure that you want to be changed from the inside out. If you truly desire change—significant change, then you can get to work “faking it”.

So, if this is something you would like in your life, just start small. (Like I did.) Thank God for the small things. Your list doesn’t have to be long or extensive. You can be thankful for air to breath, sunshine, and flowers.

You can even make a game out of it. Sometimes I would pick a letter from the alphabet and focus only on things that began with that letter that I was thankful for. (For example, take the letter “A”. I thought about apples, animals, Aaron (my brother), the arts, my appendix, and avocados.) You can also spend time reading your Bible and looking for verses that inspire you. Have fun with it!

Before you know it, you will see your cup overflowing with blessings. You will see blessings that you have never seen before. You will be looking at everything in a different, more positive light. And, your brain and outlook on life will change, for the better.

Before I go, I thought I would share with you ten of my favorite verses about renewing your mind. (Which, is, after all what faking it until you make it, really is, right?)

1. Romans 12:2 – Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you many discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
2. Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
3. 2 Corinthians 4:16 -  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
4. Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
5. Colossians 3:2 – Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
6. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
7. 1 Peter 1:13 – Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
8. Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
9. Isaiah 40:31 – But they wo wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.  
10. Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

There are people I know who don’t believe in God. Or, if they do believe in Him, they see Him as an angry God, who, if He truly loved and cared about us, would never allow bad things to happen. (This is another topic for another time.) Even for those of us who love God and earnestly believe in Him, it can sometimes be hard to reconcile the “angry” God we read about in the Old Testament to the “loving” God we read about in the New Testament. Add into this mix the many verses throughout the Bible that tell us to “fear God” and I can start to see why people can be so confused about the kind of God He is.

Now, I will be the first to tell you that I am no scholar on God or the Bible. However, I do want to share with you what I have learned and come to believe. And, many of you may think that this is a simpleton point of view, but the older I get, the more I understand that often the most straightforward path is the best and makes the most sense.

If you are confused about God and wonder if He truly loves you or if He is just an angry God, I can tell you with one hundred percent surety that God does indeed LOVE you. And, yes, He can get angry sometimes too. You get angry every now and then, don’t you? I know I certainly do. I am not proud of that fact, but I am only human after all. And, God created us in His likeness, His image. (See Genesis 1:27)

But, we should never look at God and see an angry God. On the contrary, God is our loving Father and we should see Him as such. Because, that is what He is—a good and loving Father. And, like any good father, God can become angry when we do things that can be hurtful to ourselves or others. He can become angry when we don’t follow His rules.

​As a little kid, did your earthly father get mad at you for running out into the street? I hope so, you could be hit by a car. As a teenager, did your earthly father ever get mad at you for staying out past your curfew? I hope so, because he made rules to keep you safe. That anger comes from a place of love. The same rule applies to our heavenly Father. God wants to bless us, and keep us safe from harm.

Once you start reading and studying your Bible, you will find plenty of verses that tell us that God is slow to anger. That is His true nature. He is patient toward us and He is full of mercy, grace, and forgiveness. He gives us chance, after chance, after chance, after chance, adnauseam. Psalm 145:8 tells us, “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

So, why does the Bible so often tell us that we should “fear God”? Well, I think we are interpreting the word “fear” incorrectly. And, if you see God as an angry God, it can be easy to understand this confusion. But, once you see for yourself what a good and loving Father God truly is, your knowledge and understanding of the word “fear” will change too.

If you look up the word “fear” in the dictionary, the first definition you see is: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. And, this is how most of us associate the word “fear” with God. We think we should be afraid of Him. We shouldn’t be.

Now, if you keep going, you will eventually find this definition of the word “fear”: reverential awe, especially toward God. This is a very different interpretation of the word “fear”, don’t you think?

Reverential awe.

Let’s look at the word “reverence”. Reverence means a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration. When we think about God, Our Father, shouldn’t we have deep respect for Him? I think so! He created us, this universe, and everything in it. Plus, He loves us unconditionally.

Next, let’s take the word “awe”. Dictionary.com defines “awe” as an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like. In other words, we should be amazed by God because He is extraordinary. We should be astonished and overwhelmed by God and His love for us.  Or, as the Bible says, we should “fear” God.

It is just a change in our mindset. (I say that like it is an easy thing—it’s not. At least, it isn’t always.) Once we spend some time with God and read His Word and get to know Him better--the REAL Him, His true colors come to light. We are able to see Him in all His radiant glory.

We can look at the world around us; at the trees, flowers, and sunsets and see His handy-work. We can be awed by Him and have reverence for Him. Our definition of “fear” changes once we comprehend for ourselves what a loving God we have. We can fear God the right way.

It is another fresh, new year. I can’t think of a better time to start making some positive changes to your life and lifestyle than right now, can you? At the top of many people’s list is to get in better shape. This is always a good idea. Your health should be a top priority. At the top of my list this year is to simply spend more time with God and grow in my spiritual relationship with Him. Don’t you think you would like to add this to your list too? Well, you are in luck, because I have the perfect way to combine both goals into one. (We can kill two proverbial birds with one stone!)

I often find it is easier to make small changes in my life, rather than try to do anything too drastic. I also know that I get excited about the prospect that I can make my life better and I get gung ho about things. And, while it is good to be excited and have a good attitude, I have realized the hard way that going slow and steady is a much better way to achieve any goal I have.

​Change is never easy and can often be difficult. If we take small incremental steps, we are much more likely to stick with the changes we make. We build up those small steps and before you know it, you are making great strides. But, it all begins with baby steps.
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And, speaking of baby steps, if you would like to get in better shape this year, might I suggest taking a walk? I know, I know, walking doesn’t necessarily sound compelling or mind-blowing—but walking is a great foundation on which to build your exercise routine.

Walking allows you to build up a solid cardio foundation. Walking prepares your body for future cardio and strength exercises. It helps your body to circulate blood and aids in the removal of waste from your body. Laying the proper groundwork is the key for future and continued success.

Having a good friend to workout with makes exercising easier. It gives you someone to be accountable to and makes it more fun. However, finding a reliable companion can be tricky. So, I have a splendid idea for you--make God your walking buddy! Walking is a fantastic opportunity to spend more time with God. He is the ultimate friend. He will always be there with you and for you. He will never flake out on you or leave you hanging.

Walking gives you the ideal opportunity to spend true, valuable, quality time with the person who loves you most. One of my all-time favorite things is to just be outside walking in nature. It is the perfect setting to reflect on God and His glory. You can soak up the beauty and get in tune with that still quite voice of God. It is also the ultimate time to talk to God. He is a great listener. And, He longs to hear from you.

Walk and talk to God. Tell Him about your day. Tell Him about every little thing that is on your heart and mind. Hand Him your troubles, worries, and fears. He will gladly carry all that weight and stress for you. (See Matthew 11:28-30)

By walking and talking to God, we can build up our physical and spiritual health at the same time. In my book this is definitely a win-win. So, let’s get moving! Are you with me?