How to Change the Atmosphere in Your Life

Our master bathroom has a jacuzzi bathtub, one of those deep tubs with jets. Although I don’t use it often enough, it’s a great stress reliever and relaxer: just fill with warm water, turn on the jets and relax. Bonus points for candles and a bottle of water to sip. The bubbling warm water creates a great atmosphere for relaxation.

The only problem is that the warm water doesn’t stay warm if I don’t keep adding hot water. In fact, if I let it sit long enough, the water would end up being seventy degrees. Why seventy degrees? Because that’s the setting of the room’s thermostat. The water in the tub is not going to form a layer of ice….and it’s not going to simmer and steam. Eventually the water will get to the temperature of the room because the thermostat setting produces 70-degree water.

Icy water and near-boiling water don’t happen unless an outside force affects them. Thirty-degree water or one hundred-degree water is not inevitable. The water temperature is determined by what I set.

Negative Atmosphere in your life

In the same way, we set our inner culture by what we allow outside of us.

• If we spend a great deal of time with negative friends, our thermostat will be set to negative (and probably gossip).
• If we watch every sad or shocking video in our Facebook newsfeed, we’ll be set for helpless discouragement.
• If we listen to self-trash-talk, we’ll turn the dial to self-hatred and a victim mentality.
• If we continually focus on what’s wrong and talk about it all day long, our thermostat will be set to negativity and ungratefulness.

Positive atmosphere in your life

Thank goodness it works the other way, too. There’s more than one way to set a thermostat:

• If we listen to joyous worship music, our thermostat will set the atmosphere to faith and hope.
• If we speak gratitude constantly so that our ears hear it, we’ll be set to open and receiving. Try it.
• If we spend time with positive, praying friends who are continually seeking personal development, the setting is on growth and breakthroughs.
• If we stay aware of our thoughts and how they come out of our mouths, we can choose both….and reset the thermostat of our life.

Setting the thermostat in the bathroom puts into motion that old principle of sowing and reaping. Sow 70 degrees, you’ll get 70 degrees….not 30 degrees.

Allowing a culture that speaks death and unbelief and ungratefulness to surround you will surely reap a harvest.

The good news is that, to a great extent, YOU get to set the thermostat. You choose the influences that will set your inner culture. You can choose to walk away, look at something else, turn off the TV, and speak and listen to life-giving words. Be sure you’re setting your thermostat to the atmosphere that is where you want to end up.