How to Fix Your Thoughts
October 16th
2011 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Romans
8:6)
A. The human mind is an amazing thing
1. It is the place of all your thoughts, all our memories
2. It is where choices are weighed and decisions are made
3. It is the realm of dreams, and where we design and create things that don’t yet exist
4. It is our conscience
5. Our imagination
6. Our intelligence – the ability to learn and understand
7. Our governor – controls and directs the life, the heart, and the will
8. Our will – the thing that makes all our final decisions
B. You can either build up, develop, and expand your mind, or you can destroy it
C. It’s up to you!
D. God says in Romans 12:2 that we need to constantly renew our mind, restore it, recharge it
E. The question is, How do we do that?
F. How do we learn to think differently, think better?
G. Last week I told you it all begins with cleaning the mind!
H. This morning I want to learn how to build up the mind
II.
The State of the Common
mind – the “Modern Mind”
A. The mind of the guy your are thinking about dating!
B. Blind to God (2Cor 4:4) and spiritual things – thinking they do not need God (1Tim 6:17)
C. Seared (1Tim 4:2) – burned out, past feeling
D.
Spoiled – ruined (
E. Reprobate (Rom 1:28) – vain, empty, rejected, a waste!
F. Thin, Superficial, unable to discuss and debate about anything – only yell and argue
G. In Bondage
1. To their past
2. To sinful habits, and lusts and to their friends
H. A Sewer (Titus 1:15) – filled with
1. Lusts of the flesh and of the mind
2. Anger and bitterness
3. Envy and jealousy
4. Depression and discouragement
5. Things you wouldn’t want in your child’s thought life!
I.
The worst… Unconcerned –
apathetic! People are proud of their ignorance of God! Proud of their ability to
live without a conscience, and without guilt! Look at the rioters, and the
homosexuals, and the trans-genders, and the lives of
J. No wonder most people can’t handle any time in the Bible!
K. If a modern mind is going to be restored, and repaired, it is going to have to be a miracle!
1. The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse the mind (Heb 9:9,14)
2. God gives us a sound mind (2Tim 1:7)
3. God shows us how to think with a right mind (1Cor 2:16)
III.
How to Renew and
Rebuild Your Mind (Philippians 4:4-10)
A.
Rejoice - Worship –
Praise God (Philp 4:4; Mark 5:6)
1. You will always become like the “God” that you admire
2. Who and what do you think about all day long?
a. Your problems? Well, there you go!
b. Your enemies?
c. Your friends, and what they are doing?
d. Your desires, needs, lusts?
e. Your work?
f. What you think about, is what you will become!
3. Look unto Jesus – consider Him
4. Walk daily with Him
a. Get to know Him – the REAL Him – not the fake, plastic, false god of modern religions and cults
b. Read through your Bible.
c. Cast all your care upon Him – as quickly as it comes on you!
d. Talk to Him
e. It’s amazing just how much restoration occurs just when we do those two things!
5. Just start there!
6. Worship does a lot to repair the damage from stress
a. Ex 4:29-31
b. Job 1:14-21
c. The false promises of the devil involve worship of HIM (Mt 4:19)
7. Do you realise that the majority of people in the Bible, in dire need, under incredible stress, knew enough to come and bow before Jesus and just worship Him?
B.
Refrain (Philp 4:5)
1. To change a fat, lazy slob into an olympic athlete requires setting some strong limits on: what they eat, when they go to sleep, how they exercise, etc!
2. So SET some limits to what you will and won’t think about!
3. Just like limits on what you will allow yourself to do!
4. Moderation means having a limit!
a. Funny how everybody thinks that they drink moderately
b. A moderate drinker is a NON drinker!
5. A moderate Christian does not allow themselves a little porn, or a little covetousness, or a little murder (Eph 5:3)
6. Ponder what you are allowing yourself to think about so easily (Pr 4:26; Dt 32:29)
a. Stop thinking evil about ANYONE (Zech 7:10)
b. Cast down every imagination that disobeys Christ (2Cor 10:5)
c. Don’t ever think about quitting, or going back to “the old life”
d. Be in charge of what you think!
e. Don’t let anything or anyone dominate you except Christ!
C.
Repent – The Lord is at
Hand (Philp 4:5; Isaiah 55:7)
1. This is vital
2. Every thought that you think is not private, is not protected (Mt 12:36)
3. It matters what you think!
4. Thoughts are the seeds of actions
a. If you hate in your heart, you are guilty of murder
b. If you lust in your thoughts, you are guilty of adultery
c. What you think is what you become
5. Take a good look at what’s inside your mind, and be very afraid!
6. And wrestle against it!
7. What have you allowed yourself to get into the habit of thinking about? It’s time to repent and forsake it!
8. Keep yourself soft towards God and hard towards sin!
9. Wrestle against any darkness in your thinking – any strongholds (2Cor 10:5)
a. Involvement in any Occult or Cult activities in the past or present. (Satanic Rituals, Witchcraft, Fortune Telling, Secret Ceremonies, etc.)
b. Expose it – talk to someone about it
1) Your husband, wife
2) Your parents
3) Your pastor
4) Your spiritual mentor – the person you look up to and lean on for godly advice
c. Confess it
d. Forsake it – dump it, like cow manure!
10. Wrestle against your lusts – against the things you want to do
a. Anything you are habitually doing that is sinful. (Sexual Immorality, Addictions, Pornography, etc.).
b. Put up some sort of a fight Christian!!!
11. Wrestle against your reoccurring memories (Philp 3:13,14)
a. Anything others have said to you, or about you, that have created False Perceptions that are not in line with what God says to be True about you. (“You’re Stupid”, You're Ugly”, You’re Good for Nothing”, etc.)
b. Anything that YOU have found yourself saying and believing
12. Wrestle against your feelings
a. Any Attitude that you are presently harbouring that is displeasing to God. (Pride, Rebelliousness, Unforgiveness, Critical Spirit, Mocking attitudes, Jealousy, etc.)
13. Dump every enemy onto the cross, and let it die there! That is the Christian’s “Trash can” or mortuary, or graveyard!
D.
Request – Pray A
1. Casting all your care on Jesus - Pray about everything
2. I think most Christians waste so much energy, and so many of their thoughts because they think and worry without prayer!
a. Why not pray why you are worrying? That’s the right way to worry!
b. Why not ask for God’s help, and God’s grace, and God’s wisdom if it has been made so available to you?
3. Praying is just asking
4. Supplications is to REALLY pray, as in begging!
5. WITH thanksgiving!
6. Quit living and thinking like God is not there! Most people are depressed, not because God is not there and not mighty on their behalf, but because they have lived like He is not there, and have not gone to the throne of His grace and obtained the help that they needed!
7. Praying is NOT repetitious words, but words from the heart!
8. Write out your requests and needs, and then start asking God to help!
E.
Remind (Philp 4:8)
1. There are some things that you can never allow yourself to forget!
2. Look at Paul’s list!
a. Things that are true – real
b. Honest
c. Just
d. Pure
e. Lovely
f. Of good report
g. If there be any virtue
h. If there be any praise
i. Think on these things!
3. Constantly remind yourself of the following things
a. Of what God has done for you (Psalm 103:2)
1) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities! Has He saved you? Stop, close your eyes, and think back when you were born again, where were you, what were you like before Christ came in and saved your lost soul?
2) Who healeth all thy diseases! Has he ever answered ANY of your prayers? I would really get serious about praying if He hasn’t! And if He HAS, then I would get more active in getting more prayers answered!
3) Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies (4). Has he ever been better to you than you deserved?
4) Has He given you ANY promises? (2Peter 1:4)
5) Has He given you a family? A wife? A husband? Children? I bet He has!
6) Has he given you a pretty good church?
7) A job?
8) Just try and tell me what he HASN’T done for you??? (Jer 2:32)
b. Of just WHO God is!
1) Is He still the great I AM that Moses believed?
2) Is He still the God Almighty that Abraham and Sarah believed?
3) Is He still the God of the resurrection?
4) Is He YOUR God?
c. Of the HIGH CALLING of God – whatever God is asking you to go through right now, it is a HIGH calling!
d. Of the cost of sin in your life, and the reward of godliness (Rom 8:6)
e. Of Christ’s efforts for the likes of you (Heb 12:3)
f. Of Jesus SOON return! Remember, He is at hand!
4. We have reminders about everything, except about God
a. Reminders about when to get up
b. About what day it is
c. About people’s birthdays and anniversaries
d. About setting out the rubbish
e. About what bills to pay and when
5. We need constant reminders about God
6. It is a wicked person who does not like to be reminded of how good God is to them (Rom 1:28)!
F.
Read (Philp 4:8;
1Timothy 4:13)
1. Christianity is based upon a Book! God has chosen to communicate Himself to us by handing us a Book. Christian spirituality is grounded not in having visions, not in hearing voices inside our heads, not in cultivating mystical experiences, but in receiving the Word of God. That is, by reading.
2.
3. Today we have become a nation of channel surfers, and we are paying the price in political apathy, moral indifference, and the mad pursuit of sensation. Even our books are often reduced to the entertainment formulas of the pop culture. The old problem was illiteracy, that many people could not read. Today, although illiteracy remains even in products of our school system, the bigger problem is aliteracy, that many people can read but never do.
4.
So the command is for God’s
people to give attendance to
5. Read folks! Turn off the TV 2 or 3 days a week – no computers, no TV, no youtube so that you force yourself to read and think!!!!
6. Make sure you read right materials
a. Start with the word of God – great thoughts start HERE!
b. Books that explore and teach you right things
c. Books that ask and answer questions
d. Books that delight
e. Books that challenge you
7. Read actively – not passively
a. Listen to the words
b. Talk back to the author
c. Critically evaluate what you are reading – ask questions
d. Write in your books
e. Learn things from your reading
8. Read with the Bible as your light
a. Let the Bible judge what you read as right or true – not opinion or popularity
b. It is called the Biblical worldview – seeing things through the Bible’s viewpoint
c. Most people look at and read the Bible with a worldly viewpoint
d. And then wonder WHY their minds are a mess!!!
9. Make sure you read, and make sure you are reading your Bible!
10. A Bible reader is a sound thinker!
G.
Rest – Trust God’s in
Control (Philp 4:7; Psalm 127:1,2; 3:5)
1. Rest is the absence of worry
a. Not that there are no problems, or things TO worry about
b. But, it is the decision to stop struggling, and start trusting!
c. As it was in the sinking ship with Jesus in it!
2. Only a Christian can rest!
3. The proof of rest is patience – the ability to wait upon God to act on your behalf
4. Christians need to get back to trusting in the LORD
a. Be careful to not try and make sense of everything (Eccl 1:18)
b. The Christian knows there is a limit to what we can figure out, and stops there
5. Choose, by faith to…
a. Replace Worry with Prayer and Praise
1) Why do I have to keep saying this over and over?
2) Because we just don’t do it
b. Replace Talking with Listening (Pr 29:11)
c. Replace Boredom with a Hobby (Eccl 9:10)
d. Replace Rough Memories with New Ones!
1) That’s what Solomon finally concluded
2) He had so many bad memories, and disasters from his own stupidity and stubbornness, that he finally realised he needed to stop and smell the flowers, and start making some new memories!
e. Replace anger with forgiveness
f. Replace hours and hours wasted in front of the TV with ONE Book!
g. Replace Fears with Faith and Trust in God!
H. There is so much more – so many more simple steps you can take to renew and rebuild your mind
IV.
Results (Philp 4:7)
A. Peace that passes all understanding
B. A Clean Conscience
C. A Quiet Home
D. A Sound, healthy, active, fruitful and productive mind
E. A Blessed Life
F. A Kept Heart – heart that is under the Lordship of Christ!
V.
Conclusion
A. The human mind is an amazing thing
B. You can either build up, develop, and expand your mind, or you can destroy it
C. It’s up to you!
D. God says in Romans 12:2 that we need to constantly renew our mind, restore it, recharge it
E. The question is, How do we do that? Especially if our minds are:
1. Blind to God (2Cor 4:4) and spiritual things – thinking they do not need God (1Tim 6:17)
2. Seared (1Tim 4:2) – burned out, past feeling
3.
Spoiled – ruined (
4. Reprobate (Rom 1:28) – vain, empty, rejected, a waste!
5. Thin, Superficial, unable to discuss and debate about anything – only yell and argue
6. In Bondage
7. A Sewer (Titus 1:15) – filled with
8.
And Unconcerned – apathetic!
People are proud of their ignorance of God! Proud of their ability to live
without a conscience, and without guilt! Look at the rioters, and the
homosexuals, and the trans-genders, and the lives of
F.
You Renew and Rebuild
Your Mind…
1.
By Rejoicing - Praising
God!
2.
By Refraining – setting
limits
3. By Repenting – Keeping yourself soft towards God and hard towards sin! The Lord is at Hand – what have you allowed yourself to get into the habit of thinking about? It’s time to repent and forsake it!
4.
By Requesting – Pray A
Lot - Pray about everything
5.
By Reminding Yourself
a. Of what God has done for you (Psalm 103:2)
b. Of just WHO God is!
c. Of the HIGH CALLING of God – whatever God is asking you to go through right now, it is a HIGH calling!
d. Of the cost of sin in your life, and the reward of godliness (Rom 8:6)
e. Of Christ’s efforts for the likes of you (Heb 12:3)
6.
By Reading
7.
By Releasing –
Forgetting
8.
By Resting – Trust
God’s in Control
VI.
Tonight I finish this
though off with RELEASING – FORGIVING! The Series
is not complete without tonight’s message!