WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:04.759 Don't believe everything you think. That's one of the most 2 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:09.560 liberating thoughts you'll ever get. I don't have to believe 3 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:14.039 everything I think. You see, we automatically think that if 4 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:16.839 we think it, it must be true. Are you kidding me? 5 00:00:18.199 --> 00:00:20.920 You think a lot of stuff that's not true. If 6 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:23.879 you will listen to that one truth right there. 7 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:26.199 You're on the road to mental health. Now. 8 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:29.480 Our theme for fifty days of transformation is Romans twelve, 9 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:31.800 verse two, and this week I want us to look 10 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:35.719 at it. In the New Living Translation. There on your outline, 11 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:38.759 it says this, do not be conformed to the pattern 12 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:44.880 of this world, but let God transform you into a 13 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:51.560 new person by changing the way you think. We've memorized 14 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:54.200 it in by the renewing of your mind. The renewing 15 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:57.960 of your mind is the way that NIV puts it. 16 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:03.960 The New Living Translation says, by changing the way you think. Now, 17 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:06.280 let me sum up what I want to say this weekend. 18 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:06.599 In one sentence. 19 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:10.040 God is far more interested in changing your mind than 20 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:15.959 in changing your circumstances. We want God to change our circumstances. 21 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:18.680 We want them to take away all the problems, all 22 00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:21.000 the pain, all the sorrow, all the suffering, all the sickness, 23 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.840 all the sadness, and God says, yeah, yeah, I know 24 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:26.319 that's important. But really more important than that, it's what's 25 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:30.280 happening in you. And I'm far more interested in changing 26 00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:35.079 your mind before we change your circumstance. Because nothing happens 27 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:38.040 in your life until you get the renewing of your mind. 28 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:41.560 No transformation takes place, no change takes place in your 29 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:49.079 mind or in your life until your thoughts begin to change. Now, 30 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:51.359 why is it so important that I learned how to 31 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:53.920 manage my mind? We've looked at physical health, We've looked 32 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:56.120 at spiritual health. This weekend, I want us to look 33 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:59.359 at mental health. How do I have a healthy mind? 34 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:03.439 And why is that's important that I manage my thought life? 35 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:05.680 Let me give you three reasons you might write these down. 36 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:11.479 Number one, because my thoughts control my life. My thoughts 37 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:17.599 control my life. Every single action always begins as a thought. 38 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:22.159 If you don't think it, you don't do it. Now, 39 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.199 that's both good and bad. If you don't think it, 40 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:27.159 you don't do it. If it's a good thought, then 41 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:29.319 you then you're gonna do good. If it's a bad thought, 42 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:32.879 you're gonna do bad. But my thoughts control my life. 43 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:36.120 Proverbs for twenty three and today's English version says, be 44 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:40.759 careful how you think your life is shaped circle that 45 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:43.919 word shaped. Your life is shaped by your thoughts. He goes, well, 46 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:46.080 I was just thinking it. Well, you don't realize how 47 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:48.719 important the thought is. The Bible says the power of 48 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:51.680 your mind, The power of your thoughts says tremniscibility to 49 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:53.240 shape your life. 50 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:56.479 For good or for bad. And if you accept the thought. 51 00:02:56.759 --> 00:02:59.319 If growing up somebody said to you you're worthless, you're 52 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:03.599 no good matter, you're ugly, you're uncoordinated. If you accepted 53 00:03:03.639 --> 00:03:07.639 that fact, whether it was right or wrong, it shaped 54 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:11.599 your life. We're always interested in our feelings, and we're 55 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:13.400 gonna look at feelings next week when we look at 56 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:18.120 emotional health. But your feelings don't shape your life. Your 57 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:22.159 beliefs do. And it doesn't even have to be true. 58 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:26.000 If you believe it, it's gonna shape your life. And 59 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:28.000 a lot of you were taught things as a kid 60 00:03:28.199 --> 00:03:32.039 about you that just weren't true, and years later you're 61 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:38.120 still acting on false information. Be transformed by changing the 62 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.960 way you think, Because my thoughts control my life, both 63 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:44.800 good and bad. Number two I need to manage my mind, 64 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.759 because my mind is the battleground for sin. 65 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:51.520 It's where I win or lose the battle. 66 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:55.360 In fact, all temptation happens in the mind. We think 67 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:59.479 temptation is something out there, something external, something that happens 68 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:01.000 that we see out there and say, oh. 69 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:01.840 That's tempting to me. 70 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.759 It wouldn't tempt you if there wasn't a corollary desire 71 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:06.840 inside you. 72 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:09.039 All temptation happens. 73 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:12.159 In your mind, between your ears, and as a result, 74 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:16.759 sin happens in your mind. It happens between your ears. 75 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:19.879 When we talk about the sins of pride or lust, 76 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:24.560 or bitterness or hatred, or anger, or fear or resentment, 77 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:27.439 or envy or worry, where are those things? 78 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:29.079 They're all in your mind. 79 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:32.000 If you can learn how to manage your mind, you've 80 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:34.399 learned how to manage your life. This is where the 81 00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:39.560 battle ground is. Paul and Romans. Chapter seven is very 82 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:43.920 articulate in explaining how we've all felt in this battle 83 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:47.000 that pulls us many different directions in our mind. Paul 84 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:50.279 says this Roman seven twenty two and twenty three. I 85 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:54.000 love to do God's will so far as my new 86 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:55.360 nature is concerned. 87 00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:59.800 But and it's always a big butt okay. 88 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:05.160 But there's something else deep within me that is at 89 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:11.639 war with my mind and wins the fight and makes 90 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:15.639 me a slave to the sin within me. 91 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:19.360 In my mind, I want to be God's. 92 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:24.240 Servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin, 93 00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:26.399 and we can all identify that. I want you to 94 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:30.959 circle some words in that passage war. Circle the word war, 95 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:34.480 the word fight, the word slave, the word enslaved. What's 96 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:36.879 he saying. He's saying there's a battle in your brain. 97 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:41.399 It's one of the reasons why you get mentally fatigued, 98 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:44.879 because there's a battle in your brain and it's going 99 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:47.800 on twenty four hours a day. Sometimes you're conscious of 100 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:53.959 that battle, and sometimes you're unconscious of that battle, but 101 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:54.759 it's going. 102 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:55.759 On in your life. 103 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:58.720 And the reason why that battle in your brain is 104 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:03.120 going on and it's debilitating, it's because it's so intense. 105 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:07.319 And the reason why it's so intense is because your brain, 106 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:13.600 your mind, is your greatest asset. Satan wants to control 107 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:18.360 your mind. The world wants to control your mind, and 108 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:22.959 there's a battle for the way you think. Why Because 109 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:27.519 whatever gets your attention gets you so I need to 110 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:30.480 manage my mind, because my thoughts control my life, and 111 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:34.800 because my mind is the battleground for sin and temptation. 112 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:40.920 Number three, because it's the key to peace and life 113 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:47.040 or happiness. Because managing my mind is actually the key 114 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:50.839 to peace and the key to happiness. If you learn 115 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:53.399 what we're going to talk about this weekend, and you 116 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:56.199 begin to plat in your life, your peace of mind 117 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:58.600 will go up dramatically, and so will your happiness, and 118 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:03.560 so will your understanding and enjoyment of life. An unmanaged 119 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:10.319 mind leads to tension. A managed mind leads to tranquility. 120 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:17.959 An unmanaged mind leads to pressure. A managed mind leads 121 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:24.680 to peace. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict and chaos. 122 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:31.920 A managed mind leads to confidence. An unmanaged mind leads 123 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:35.079 to stress. If you don't manage your thoughts, you just 124 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:37.639 let them go all over the place. You don't ever 125 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.360 even try to control your mind and the way you 126 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:43.959 direct your thoughts, you're gonna have enormous amount of stress 127 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:47.199 in your life. But a managed mind leads to strength 128 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:52.000 and leads to security and leads to serenity. The Bible 129 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:55.279 says it like this in Romans eighty six. If your 130 00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:00.720 sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. Well, by 131 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:02.480 the way, what is death. It's the opposite of life. 132 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:06.439 You're not really living. But if the Holy Spirit controls 133 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:11.920 your mind, there is life and peace. So if I 134 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.439 want to have a healthy mind, I want to break 135 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:17.120 free from all of those bad patterns of the way 136 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:20.199 I've been thinking. What I need to do is make 137 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:23.040 some choices. And the Bible says there are three choices 138 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:25.439 for a healthy mind. I have to feed my mind, 139 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:28.079 I have to free my mind, and I have to 140 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:31.720 focus my mind. Let's look at these three things. They're 141 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:34.799 all choices, and you have to choose them, not just 142 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:38.360 once in your lifetime, but on a moment by moment basis. 143 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:41.279 All right, let's look at what the Bible says. Number one, 144 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:43.440 if I want to have a healthy mind, I must 145 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:47.840 feed my mind with truth. I must feed my mind 146 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:51.559 with the truth. Now we all know the importance of nutrition. 147 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:56.080 Good food and good calories cause you to be better, 148 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:58.679 to be stronger, to be healthier, to have more energy. 149 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:02.559 Bad calory is bad junk food, things that don't do 150 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:05.799 good harm your body. The same is true in your 151 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:09.559 thought life. I must feed my mind not with junk, 152 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:12.759 not with poison, but with truth. But Jesus said it 153 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:15.720 like this, you will know the truth, and the truth 154 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:20.320 will set you free. One time I was given the 155 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:24.720 privilege of lecturing at Oxford University and actually at Cambridge 156 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:29.279 also in the same month in England. And while it 157 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:31.639 was there, I was invited to go to a meeting 158 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:34.919 of Oxford Analytica. This is a group you've never heard of, 159 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:38.759 but has enormous influence in the world. Every day, at 160 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.879 about five point thirty six a m. The leading scholars 161 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:46.559 of Oxford gather in a room to get reports from 162 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:48.480 all around the world and what's happened in the last 163 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:52.840 twenty four hours. They then discuss these things, everything from 164 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:58.080 crop prices in China to unrest in the Middle East, 165 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:02.679 to the weather on the East Coast and all kinds 166 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:05.799 of things like this, and then they make a decision 167 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:09.240 about what needs to be said about it. And then 168 00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.360 they say, who's the best person in the world who 169 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:14.600 knows the most about this, and they send a note 170 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:18.120 to that person. They email that person. By eleven o'clock 171 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:22.159 that morning a report has been given and then that report, 172 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:26.759 the Oxford Analytical Report, is paid for by groups like 173 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:35.679 the United States, Cia, the Soviet Union are now the 174 00:10:35.720 --> 00:10:40.519 Republic of Russia, China, world leaders, major corporations, they all 175 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.840 look to Oxford Analytica to get their daily report and 176 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.919 they pay big bucks for this information. And I got 177 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:49.200 to sit in on one of the meetings. They invited 178 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:51.080 me to watch what was happening. It was about twenty 179 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:53.480 people sitting in a room early early in the morning. 180 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:57.360 And Oxford Analytica was founding on the idea that the 181 00:10:57.399 --> 00:10:59.799 best leaders make the best decisions when they have the 182 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:03.879 best best information. And even if you are a good leader, 183 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:05.840 if you don't have the best information, you're going to 184 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:06.720 make a bad decision. 185 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.039 If that makes sense. Yeah, So you've. 186 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:11.919 Got to have the best information to make the best decision. 187 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:15.360 And that whole purpose was to get the best information 188 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:16.799 on the world situation. 189 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:17.759 In the last twenty four hours. 190 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:22.799 Well you're not Oxford Analytica, but you need the best 191 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:25.399 information to live the best life that God wants you 192 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:28.440 to live. And that information is right here in the 193 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:31.840 Word of God. It's called the truth. The Bible says 194 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:35.360 in Matthew four to four people need more than bread 195 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:39.720 for their life. They must feed on every word of God. 196 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:43.080 The Bible is our soul food. It's our owner's manual 197 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:47.320 for life. Now, when should I feed my mind truth? 198 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:51.600 I mean, when should I do this? And the answer 199 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:57.879 is all the time, throughout the day, morning, noon, and night. 200 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:01.279 You know, they tell you that the best way to 201 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:04.799 eat is to eat just little every couple hours, rather 202 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:08.000 than to eat big meals and then go long hours 203 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.799 without eating. But to eat constantly, just kind of nibble 204 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:14.080 your way through the day, eating the right food. It 205 00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:16.240 keeps your blood sugar level and all things like that. 206 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:21.679 Same is true with truth. If you're constantly thinking about truth, 207 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:24.480 it's going to renew your mind, it's going to change 208 00:12:24.919 --> 00:12:26.960 your mind. Let me give you some examples of this. 209 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:31.840 Here's David. Here's three verses from David Psalm one, nineteen seven. 210 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:37.399 I rise early to cry out for help. That's prayer, 211 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:41.039 and to put my hope in your words that's Bible. 212 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:45.679 Steady circle the word hope, he says, I start every 213 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:49.159 morning talking to you, I cry out in prayer and 214 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:53.080 listening to you. I read your word, and he says, 215 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:56.000 I look for the hope in your word. There are 216 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:01.320 over seven thousand promises in this book, seven thousand of them. 217 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:04.360 If you want to have your mind renewed, become a 218 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:08.519 promised person, begin to learn, memorize. 219 00:13:08.519 --> 00:13:11.200 Think on this. If you feel pretty hopeless about your. 220 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:14.480 Situation, you're not spending enough time in the promises of God. 221 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:18.480 Because they're there. He says, I start my day with hope. 222 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:20.600 Are you starting your day with hope or with despair? 223 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:23.840 He says, I start it there. And then the next 224 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:26.320 verse he says, Lord, how I love your word. I 225 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:29.879 think about it all day long. You might circle back, 226 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:33.799 and then Psalm sixteen, verse seven, he says, even in 227 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:39.440 the darkest of night, your teachings fill my mind. So 228 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:42.080 he's saying early in the morning, all through the day, 229 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:46.440 and even late at night, I'm thinking about God's truth. 230 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:51.120 That's why David is called a man after God's own heart. 231 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:54.519 Let me just give you one example of how serious 232 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:57.799 David was about filling his mind with the truth of 233 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:01.639 God's word. I told you last week that he spent 234 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:04.080 a large part of his life running for his life 235 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:06.639 because the king that he was going to replace in 236 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:10.200 Israel wanted to kill him. Saul wanted him dead, and 237 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:13.799 so David actually had to run and be a fugitive 238 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:16.279 for many, many years. Living in caves and moving from 239 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:18.639 place to place and never knowing. Am I going to 240 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:20.159 wake up and be killed the next day? 241 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:21.840 And there were. 242 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:23.840 People who are actually trying to kill him. I doubt 243 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.480 that's ever happened to you. But look at this verse 244 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:30.039 on the screen Psalone, nineteen ninety five. He says, when 245 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:37.000 wicked people hide to ambush and kill me, I quietly. 246 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:38.759 Keep my mind on your decrease. 247 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:45.360 Wow, I quietly keep my mind on your decrease. Now 248 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:47.639 somebody was trying to kill you, would you be thinking 249 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:52.200 about the word of God, God of doubt it. You'd 250 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:54.840 probably be calling the police. You'd be running, you'd be 251 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:58.279 bolting the door. David says, I don't care what's going 252 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:01.679 in my life morning, knew night, people trying to kill me. 253 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:04.480 I have one thing I do. I keep my mind 254 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:09.440 on the truth. You do that in the crisis. That's 255 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:13.080 called managing your mind. I have to feed my mind 256 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:17.039 daily on truth. Number two. I have to free my 257 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:20.759 mind from destructive thoughts. That's the second thing I need 258 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:26.360 to do. Free my mind from destructive thoughts. Your mind 259 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:32.120 needs to be liberated, Your mind needs to be delivered. 260 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:37.080 Your mind needs to be released because you are a 261 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:41.360 prisoner of your own thoughts, and you're a prisoner of 262 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:43.840 things that people have told you that simply weren't true. 263 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:46.080 And as I said earlier, doesn't matter if it's true 264 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:47.720 or not, if you believe that it's. 265 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:48.600 Affected your life. 266 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:51.200 You may have been told you were clumsy, and maybe 267 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:53.960 you weren't clumsy at all, but if you believed it, 268 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:57.840 you're clumsy. And you see yourself that way because you 269 00:15:57.879 --> 00:16:00.440 always act in accordance the way you see yourself. And 270 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:04.720 he says, I've got to free my mind from destructive thoughts. 271 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.399 Now that isn't easy. 272 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:10.480 And the reason it is easy is because you got 273 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:13.399 three enemies. And those three enemies are trying to team 274 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:18.600 tackle you and keep you from having your mind liberated. 275 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:22.759 These are the things that keep you from fulfilling all 276 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:25.879 your good intentions. You know, all those good intentions about 277 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:28.279 things you'd like to change in your life. I'm going 278 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:31.240 to change this, I'm going to change that, and I'm 279 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:33.320 going to change this, and I'm going to change that. 280 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:35.360 And it never never happens. 281 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:39.559 Why Because you have three enemies in your mind that 282 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:43.240 are battling in your brain to keep you from doing 283 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:46.399 the things all your best intentions would like to do 284 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:49.399 all your good resolutions things like that, and they're not 285 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:51.799 going to give up ground easily. You're going to have 286 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:56.440 to fight to free your mind. What are the enemies, 287 00:16:56.519 --> 00:16:59.159 let's write them down. Number one. The first enemy is 288 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:05.799 my old nature, my old nature. I want to show 289 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.720 you a verse. It's up here on the screen. Romans, 290 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:13.160 Chapter seven, verse twenty three. Paul talks about how his 291 00:17:13.240 --> 00:17:16.240 old nature keeps him in mental bondage. She says this, 292 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:23.839 I see in my body a principle at war, A 293 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:25.000 principle at war. 294 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:26.440 There's that battle for your brain. 295 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:29.119 I see in my body a principle at war with 296 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:33.440 the law of my mind, taking me captive to the 297 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:37.279 law of sin that dwells inside of me. He's using 298 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:44.119 war language here. Let me put it this way. Do 299 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:47.519 you ever find yourself doing things that you don't really 300 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:52.920 want to do? That's the battle? Okay, let me say 301 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:54.400 it this way. You don't have to raise your hands 302 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:58.240 on this one. But have you ever knowingly engaged in 303 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:03.079 self defeating behavior? I know this isn't good for me, 304 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:06.759 but yeah, what's going on there? The battle in your brain, 305 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:11.000 the battle in your brain. You have all of the 306 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:14.000 best intentions in your new nature. 307 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:15.400 I want to do the right thing. 308 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:18.359 But the battle in your brain, and the first battle 309 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:22.559 is with your old sin nature. Your old nature is 310 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:25.240 not your friend. It is the source of all your 311 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:29.359 bad habits. Romans eight fives says this on your outline. 312 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:34.960 Those who are dominated by their sinful nature think about 313 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:38.599 sinful things. But those who are controlled by the Holy 314 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:43.240 Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. Notice it's 315 00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:46.079 all about your brain. It's about how you think. So 316 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:48.640 the first thing that's I may have a good intention 317 00:18:48.759 --> 00:18:51.839 for changing something in my life, but my old nature 318 00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:54.640 is going to battle me on it. The second thing 319 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:57.000 that's going to fight me, the second enemy is Satan. 320 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:01.319 And Satan wants to can control your mind. He can't, 321 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:07.039 but he wants to control your mind and and and 322 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:11.440 so he sends these ideas, these thoughts into your mind. Now, 323 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:14.559 let me be real clear. Satan cannot force you to 324 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:17.079 do anything. If you're a Christian, you have a lot 325 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.279 of Holy Spirit in you. Satan cannot force you to 326 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:22.480 do anything, because the great greater is he that is 327 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:24.000 in me than he that is in the world. But 328 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:27.079 he can make suggestions, and those suggestions are very, very 329 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:34.440 powerful and He is constantly continually planting negative thoughts in 330 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:38.880 your mind. And he'll use other people, or he'll use 331 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:43.759 the television or if you know, if you know he 332 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:45.960 can't get a he'll just throw a thought in your mind. 333 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.599 You go, where in the will that one come from? 334 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:51.440 Have you ever been praying and you're praying real hard, 335 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:53.279 and all of a sudden, the weirdest thought comes in 336 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:54.279 your mind while you're praying. 337 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:55.000 You know. 338 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:01.680 Where did that come from? Well, I'll tell you where 339 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.079 it came from. The devil just dropped the little bomb 340 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:05.759 on your brain. 341 00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:07.079 Okay. 342 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:10.839 Now, Martin Luther said you can't keep the birds from 343 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:14.519 flying over your head, but Rick Warren says, you can 344 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:19.640 keep them from pooping in your hair, okay, And you 345 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:23.279 can duck and you you know, and you can move, 346 00:20:24.119 --> 00:20:28.160 and you don't have to accept a thought. One of 347 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.079 the most important things we're gonna talk about this in 348 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:35.519 your small group is don't believe everything you think. That's 349 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:39.319 one of the most liberating thoughts you'll you'll ever get. 350 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:43.440 I don't have to believe everything I think. You see, 351 00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:46.799 we automatically think that if we think it, it must 352 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:50.240 be true. Are you kidding me? You think a lot 353 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:54.480 of stuff that's not true. In fact, maybe a majority 354 00:20:54.519 --> 00:20:58.240 of the stuff you think isn't true. And you have 355 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:00.400 all these ideas and you think, well, if thought it, it 356 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:00.960 must be true. 357 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:04.680 Of course it's not true. So just because you. 358 00:21:04.599 --> 00:21:06.279 Get a thought in your mind, it may come from 359 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:08.079 your old said nature, it may come from the devil. 360 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:11.440 It doesn't really matter. If it's not true, it's not true. 361 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:15.279 You don't have to think. You don't have to believe 362 00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:17.200 everything you think. In fact, let's just say it together. 363 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:19.279 I don't have to believe everything I think. 364 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:19.799 Let's say it. 365 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:23.720 I don't have to believe everything I think. If you 366 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:26.720 will listen to that one truth right there, you're on 367 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:31.799 the road to mental health because not everything you think 368 00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:34.799 is true. Stuff you think about yourself, stuff you think 369 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:38.039 about God, stuff you think about your husband or your wife, 370 00:21:38.119 --> 00:21:40.880 or a life or community or the government, or it's 371 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:44.839 just not all true just because you thought it. And 372 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:48.319 we're going to cover that in detail in the small group. 373 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:53.000 But Satan puts these thoughts in the moment you wake up. 374 00:21:54.039 --> 00:21:56.799 The moment you wake up, he starts dropping little seeds. 375 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:01.400 You're not gonna have a good day today. 376 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:08.039 Life is gonna really be bad. Nobody's gonna like you. 377 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:13.279 In fact, you're flat out ugly. If I were as 378 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:15.160 ugly as you, I wouldn't even show my face. 379 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:17.960 And you've got to. 380 00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:21.079 Start getting all of this talk going on in your brain. 381 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:24.400 Why in the world am I even trying? It's not 382 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:28.559 gonna be any different. And he starts giving you all 383 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:30.599 these reasons to give up, and you haven't even started 384 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:33.440 the day yet. You see, if you get up in 385 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:35.799 the morning and you don't meet the devil face on, 386 00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:37.759 and it just means you're going in the same direction, 387 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:44.680 follow that one, all right, And so he's gonna drop 388 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:47.839 these little thoughts on you. And then sometimes I'll say, 389 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:52.640 go ahead, you deserve it. Really, yeah, you go ahead, 390 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:55.319 get angry? Good even How dare they say that to you? 391 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:59.839 Why don't you? And he's just constantly dropping thoughts. When 392 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:03.000 the devil gives a thought, we call it temptation. When 393 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:07.359 God gives a thought, we call it inspiration. But both 394 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:09.559 of them are putting thoughts in your mind. And then 395 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:17.000 you're coming up with your own thoughts. We call that stupidity. Okay, now, 396 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:20.160 these thoughts are going on in your mind, but you 397 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:23.680 got this enemy called Satan look at this up here 398 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:27.119 on the screen, tewod Corindians two eleven says. Paul talks 399 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:29.359 about I've forgiven that man, a guy in the church. 400 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:31.960 You'd really messed everything up. He's really critical and problems. 401 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:35.519