What’s Your Default Setting?

I was getting a little cranky when my computer’s web browser kept defaulting to Yahoo when it’s set for Google. Seems there was a glitch and after contacting McAfee (my antivirus protector), I found out how to correct it.

I’m sure we’ve all had to deal with “default settings” on some of our electronics. For example, if our cell phone is having issues, and all else fails, we’re told to reset it back to the default or factory settings. And besides our web browsers on our computers, our fonts or our margins are programmed to the default setting, until we change them.

The question is “What is OUR default setting?” Most of us live on our “programmed” default settings, which oftentimes, isn’t so appealing. For example, we may be programmed to be negative, a criticizer, a complainer, a blamer, a loose cannon (hot tempered), fear-ridden, and so many other default settings that need to be reprogrammed. What I’ve come to realize is that our default settings can be reset. I know that because my default settings included many of those attitudes I just described, but once I recognized those were not the settings that God chose for me, and that I could be reprogrammed, I purposed to make changes.

Here’s how to determine what our default setting may be. For example: If a pressured situation occurs, what would be our default setting? Would we get uptight? Panic? Get angry? Nervous? Hyper? Yell? Spew out a curse word? Or do we remain calm? Are we in personal control? Do we rationally assess the situation? Do we stop and take everything into consideration before reacting?

Let’s talk about a default setting that will keep us in a “chill” mode. It is “gratitude”. When gratitude is our default setting in every situation, then all else can be over-ridden. Gratitude helps us to reset our mind to think positive and not negative. Gratitude helps us reset our heart to be fixed on what matters most so we won’t be fixed on those things that matter least. Gratitude helps to reset our mouth to speak life and not death, and gratitude helps us to reset our eyes to see the best rather than the worst.

Good news: As operators of our own system, we can override our natural default setting. And, we can help others do the same as we set the example for living in the settings of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithlness, gentleness and self-control settings.

Hmm! Those settings sound very much like the Fruit of the Spirit, and those are settings that we can purposely RESET to the Factory/Manufacturer’s (God, the Creator’s) settings.

Consciously, developing the habit to RESET when we catch ourselves outside of the gratitude and Fruit of the Spirit settings, will eventually cause our DEFAULT Settings to be God’s settings consistently. That’s what I call growing fruitful from the inside out! Ready to hit that RESET Button?

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new.”