Automated Transcript
[00:00:00] Be like you. The children going out with Mr. Bobby and Miss Debbie.
[00:00:07] Look, some of them got to be drugged. Told you he’s coming. A good Baptist child. That’s the way the Holy Spirit is with most of us. Got to drag us in here Sunday, right?
[00:00:21] All right. Thank you for that singing and for David, for filling in. I know David’s out of David virgin’s out of town. He’s having to earn a living. Some people got a word for a living, as he says, so he’s driving a truck.
[00:00:37] I just want to thank David for filling in. Just be praying for David as he’s on the road and traveling. That’s always fun. So just keep him in your prayers. If you would turn in your Bibles.
[00:00:48] To Romans, chapter eight, I’m going to be looking at I know this will shock most of you, but several verses today. So just get your pen and paper. Out, write them down. My purpose is not to show you every verse. I can’t show you every verse of this topic that we have today, but.
[00:01:08] I want to give you a glimpse of them giving you something to look at. See the importance of it, of studying it. You ask yourself, have you ever just. Caught yourself trying to pray at night and you’re into maybe laying in the bed or something, and you start praying, and next thing you know, you’re not at all. I’m not alone, Emma.
[00:01:30] I think we all do that. Or you try to get God’s Word. And you try to study it, and you start reading, and you start reading. And then you think, oh, I’m supposed to do this, or maybe you doze off on that while you’re studying it. Why is it so hard?
[00:01:48] Why is it so difficult for us to just really focus and concentrate on our prayers and while we’re studying God’s Word? Why do you think that is? Why do you think it’s such I mean, we have no problem talking to one another. I mean, I certainly talking to Robin. She’s talking.
[00:02:08] I don’t just start yeah, well, sometimes. I do, but not most. I mean, we talk to one another and have no problem. But then when it comes to talking to God, boy, we just seem to struggle and we fall asleep or we catch our minds wondering or going here and going there and looking in. The Word is the same thing.
[00:02:30] Why is that? I want to give you just the root of all that, all the problem. Satan doesn’t want you to. That’s what it boils down to. He’s going to bring things to distract you, to keep you from having that fellowship that you need, that I need, that God desires of us to have with him.
[00:02:53] Prayer is fellowship and communication to God reading His Word, we’re having fellowship with Him. We’re learning more about him. And Satan does not want that. He fights that with all that he has. He doesn’t want you to know the truth.
[00:03:09] He doesn’t want you to be in a close relationship with God the Father. And so there’s a constant battle going on where in our minds, satan’s telling you one thing, God’s word says another thing, and you’re back and forth and struggling and trying to focus and trying to do that. I believe it’s all just part of Satan’s plan to distract us and to keep us from knowing the will of God, to understanding who God is, to the I think I’ve heard of people that say Vietnam, World War One, World War II. One of the main things that the tactics that they used in battle was propaganda, right? I mean, if they knew have you ever seen a couple boxers and they’re having their news interview and they’re just standing nose to nose, just staring at each other and staring each other down?
[00:04:07] That’s just psychological. That’s a mind game. If I can beat you in your mind, I’ve got you. And Satan knows that all too well in these battles, propaganda, boy, they use flyers, they throw out the airplanes, talking about lies and talking about things that they’ve lost and they this and they that. And the people that get them and read them, they can look at it and say, wow, I didn’t know such a thing.
[00:04:35] Well, such a thing probably wasn’t even true. They use loudspeakers to just bring confusion and distraction to make people’s minds wonder and all these things in battle, satan uses the same thing against us. There is a constant battle of the mind. Has everybody ever experienced this battle? Maybe you have and you don’t understand it.
[00:05:00] Well, that’s my purpose today, I want you to understand. And we’re still primary in the New Testament, but how many verses, how many scriptures that talk about our mind first, that we get our minds right, that we get our attention on those things that God would have us on. Because Satan is a liar. He’s out there as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and he. Begins in your mind.
[00:05:28] So let’s look at some of this today and look at some of the things that are going on. I’ll give you scriptures. Not all of them, but just some of them. I believe the Lord’s laid on my art that deal with our mind and how it works. Romans eight and we’ll read four through nine that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
[00:05:52] For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
[00:06:22] If so, be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Father, that you lead and guide us in all truth, Father.
[00:06:39] And we just pray now that you would just clear our minds and our hearts to receive the truth of Your word. I pray that any distractions would be done away, that they’d be put away. From us, that we could just focus. On you for the next few minutes and the truths that you have for us in Your word. Lord, just lead and guide and give me every word you’d have me to say this morning.
[00:07:03] In Jesus name I pray. Amen. The righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Now, what he’s talking about is the law fulfilled. All that the Law had given we fulfill in our bodies through the Holy Spirit.
[00:07:21] He said he’ll write those laws on my heart and in my mind. So because God’s Holy Spirit indwells us as believers, the Holy Spirit reveals what is truth, reveals what God wants for us, reveals his law to us. And he says that that happens to those who do not walk in the flesh. They said, Wait a minute, the Holy Spirit’s in me, and I certainly have flesh and bones. So how does that go work, brother guinea?
[00:07:52] This flesh that he’s talking about is not flesh and bones. This flesh that he’s talking about here is what drives us, our old flesh, our old nature. What drives me, what makes me do what I do first comes into my mind. And what’s in my mind often dictates what I do with the rest of the day, with what I do throughout that day. So the flesh here is what drives us and what drives us.
[00:08:26] And typically, when he’s referring this scripture against the will of God, against the knowledge of God, see, in my flesh is no good thing. The spirit of God within me reveals who God is. Not Kenny, not my flesh, not what I think, not what I do, but what he says. So this flesh here is what’s driving us. And he’s talking about.
[00:08:51] And you say, this may be a little bit strange verse, but if you jump down to verse six for the carnally minded or the fleshly minded is death, but the spiritually minded is life and peace. You see, here Paul is talking and he’s comparing this thing of my flesh, what I think, what I want, what I desire, versus what the Spirit wants. And what he desires and what is right. So there’s this constant battle, there’s this constant war going on within us, between my flesh and between the Spirit within me. Now, I should die to my flesh.
[00:09:33] He says that I live in the Spirit and ask those who are mature and arrived I mean, maybe it’s all you and I’m the only one in here that struggles with this battle. But one day we won’t be struggling with our flesh and our desires and our wants. But I just want to read those scriptures to you, to just point out that there is a constant battle between my flesh and between what the Spirit of God wants. So how do I fix that? Well, first of all, you can’t fix that.
[00:10:08] Well, wait a minute, why are you. Even talking here today? Let me read. You know Romans twelve two and be not conformed to this world. In other words, the desires of your flesh, the things of this world.
[00:10:21] Don’t be conformed or made in the image of this world, but be ye transformed, changed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. How do you fix it? You have to have a renewed mind. You got to think differently. Robin and I have gone through situations in our life and gone through difficult times and struggled with those times and we come up with the same, no more stinking thinking, stop it.
[00:10:58] We got to get past that. We have to have a renewed mindset that from this day forward we can’t do anything about our past. I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ll talk about that in just a few minutes. How do we deal with these thoughts that come to our mind?
[00:11:16] I did a little bit of research and even in the research I found something very interesting that applies, I think, to this message and to God’s word. Today, according to research, we have about 6000 thoughts a day. Did you know that, Jack? That’s why you’re so tired. At the end of the day.
[00:11:35] Jack’s pretty intelligent. I probably have about 2000 3000 thoughts. But 6000 thoughts a day you are making decisions, conscious decisions or thoughts that come into your brain 6000 times a day. Well, our mind’s pretty busy, isn’t it? What is going into your mind?
[00:11:56] And as I researched that and I looked at those things, I found one article that said no, we don’t have. 6000, we got 75,000. Well, there’s a contradiction and that’s quite a bit right. And I researched that some and beginning to look at that and actually that is a myth. The 75,000 a day, there’s no research to back that up.
[00:12:25] They researched and looked and where that may have come from. And the 75,000 thoughts a day came from a motivational speaker that talked to plumbers, heating air guys and electricians to help them to be successful in their business. That sound like good research or good reliable research, right? A motivational speaker salesman that just pulled a number out of the air and said it’s 75,000. Now you do the Google search that is all over the internet as truth as fact.
[00:13:02] And it actually was just something a guy pulled out of his hat that fit his agenda and his narrative and made it look all that much better. If I say 75,000, that’s a whole lot more than 6000, right? But the actual research and fact of it is we have somewhere in neighborhood of 6000 thoughts a day and you say what in the world has that got to do with anything? I thought it very interesting. In this battle of our mind it is important that we obtain truth.
[00:13:34] That’s hard to find these days. There is a lot of propaganda out there. Remember I talked about propaganda, a lot of lies, a lot of deceit, a lot of things that people use in God’s word and that there’s nothing biblical at all to back it up. But some preacher somewhere or some speaker somewhere made a statement about God’s word that fit his narrative and agenda and made it look so much better. The mind is the devil’s workshop, praise the Lord, preacher preach it.
[00:14:09] That’s nowhere in scripture, even though it. Is a true statement, that’s not a verse in scripture. So be careful what you hear. Look and it’s important for us to understand in this battle of our mind of what’s coming in. Is it true or is it not?
[00:14:31] I mean if you took 6000 verse 75,000, that’s a huge difference. That can make a huge difference. And if it was just that much variance in something else in your life. And Satan often uses variances just like that.
[00:14:51] I’m just so there’s no hope. I’ll never get out of this mess, I can never fix this. It’s bigger than anything I’ve ever there’s just no hope. There’s your 75,000. The truth is God said I’ll never leave you nor forsake you.
[00:15:12] Through me all things are possible. What are you going to believe is truth? So in this battle of our mind, the first thing we need to do in renewing our minds is understanding what truth is. What does God’s word say? How do we to know this sound doctrine when we see hear all these things that lies straight out of scripture?
[00:15:38] Satan knows scripture and Satan uses scripture against us. We saw it in Adam and Eve. He takes and twists what God said just a little bit. It looks just almost like what he said but it’s a little more intriguing and he twists the truth of God into a lie and he’s very good at it. So it’s important for us, as Two Timothy 215 says, study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.
[00:16:10] Rightly dividing the word of truth, rightly dividing that means you’re taking God’s word and you’re breaking it down and you’re seeing who they’re talking to, what they’re talking to, what’s going on at the time, how did it apply to them, does it even apply to me as a believer today and all that. You break this down and look at that’s. Why it says study it. Don’t just say read it.
[00:16:41] I’ve had people ask me, said, brother Kenny, how many times you read through the Bible? You ready for this? I never have, I have never started at Genesis and went to Revelation, oh my goodness, how could you even be a preacher and not do such a thing? Because I don’t believe in just reading it, I believe in studying it. And if you’re just going to say.
[00:17:06] Oh, I’m going to read through the Bible, that’s good. I’m not trying to knock that if you’re just reading this just for the sake of reading it so you can say, I read through the Bible every year for the last ten years. Good. What did you learn? What did you obtain from it?
[00:17:25] What did you gather from it? So I have read probably the entire Bible. I’m sure I have some books several times, but I’ve never started Genesis and. Went to Revelation because I think it’s. Important that Paul says to Timothy, study.
[00:17:44] To show he didn’t say just read it. He said study it. Rightly, divide it, know the truth. One. John four.
[00:17:52] One. Beloved, we believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God because their false prophets are gone out into the world, try that means to prove with a view of approval. How didn’t something gain approval? Does it line up with what God said? When you hear things and people say, even with me here today, I don’t expect you to brother Kenny said it, so it’s truth.
[00:18:28] Now, I hope there’s some things that maybe I say and you never heard that for, well, Brother Kenny said it. So it must be true. No, when you have that moment, go. To God’s word and find out. Now, hopefully I’ve given you some verses.
[00:18:45] To back up and I try my best to back up everything I say. But if you have a question in your mind, is that true? Try the spirit. Does it compare? Does it line up with what God says?
[00:18:58] That’s where you know truth is that’s where you know that you can understand and be rooted and grounded in God’s word. So first we know programming of our mind. We need to be sure that we are feeding our mind truth because there’s a lot of lies out there. How many of these 6000 thoughts of a day are productive and healthy?
[00:19:27] Are they based on truth? They based on false information. Are they encouraging or positive with positive results? Or is it just nothing but negativity? You ever heard?
[00:19:39] Don’t run with those people. You don’t want people bringing you down. You hear that in the world a lot. Don’t be running around people bring you down. Get around people that love you, care for you.
[00:19:49] That’s what do we do here? We come together as a family to. Fellowship with one another. You can watch online. I’m glad we have all that technology and we can do this online for those who are shut in, but it will never replace the fellowship that we have as we come together and encourage one another, put our arms around one another’s shoulders and love on them.
[00:20:15] You can’t get that online. You can’t get that kind of encouragement as much as I like it, and that is a ministry. But don’t let that replace coming into the house of God with the people of God and having fellowship with one another. So do you get this positive or do you get negative? Does your thoughts, these 6000 thoughts per day, do they cause fear and confusion?
[00:20:47] Or is it what two Timothy one Seven said? For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and. Of love and of a sound mind. If there’s fear, that’s not a sound mind there, right? Satan uses fear often to distract us and discourage us.
[00:21:07] One corinthians 1433. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace in all the churches of the saints. Oftentimes people are saying, I’m praying about this and I don’t know the Lord’s will. And brother Kenny, can you help me know the Lord? No, I can’t help you know the Lord’s will for you.
[00:21:29] I don’t know exactly what that is. Now, I can help you how to identify maybe and one of those things I can use this verse if you’re confused and you don’t know, you might not ought to do it yet or at all because God is not the author of confusion. So if there’s confusion, first of all, in a decision that you have, put it on hold. Keep praying about it until the God of peace gives you peace about it. Does that make sense?
[00:22:02] I can give you information like that, but no, I can’t tell you go buy that new car or take this job or do this. That’s between you and God. But I can point you to how God gives you peace about it, how God directs you about with it. And that’s one of them. He gives you a sound mind.
[00:22:23] He’s not the author of confusion. Now, just the opposite of that. James tells us about James 316. For where envy and strife is, in other words, contention and battling of the mind, there is confusion in every work. So if it’s not of God, envious strife of God.
[00:22:45] And the church said no, right? Y’all wake envious strife is not of God, right? Amen, brother King. Yeah, I got it.
[00:22:58] Confusion is not of God, right? All right, now we’re getting there. So James is telling us if there’s envy and strife and confusion, God’s not in it. That’s not of God. That’s the opposite of a sound mind.
[00:23:14] That’s the opposite of peace in all the churches of the saints. So we can identify these things. These are what come into your mind. I just don’t know what to do. I feel like I don’t get well, listen here, there’s another thing too you need to learn.
[00:23:32] God is not in a hurry. And I’m not saying he’s not in a hurry. Like, I’m never in a hurry. God’s never in a hurry. God never gets in a tight, in a bind that you feel like something’s absolutely got to happen right now or.
[00:23:50] Else God’s not there yet. God’s not in that position. God knows all things from the beginning to the end. He’s got everything in his control, and he’s a perfect peace is what’s going on in your life, in mine, in the world. He’s working all things for his good pleasure.
[00:24:09] So don’t feel like you got to get in a great big hurry. Nothing surprises God. You need to understand these things in your mind before you ever go out to make a decision, before you ever go out to do things. You need to have the right mindset. A renewing of the mind, another verse.
[00:24:28] For you to write down real quick ephesians 423 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. There are many, many scriptures in the New Testament especially, that talks about the mind and being renewed and having the right mindset. Philippians two one through five. This is interesting is our mindset in relation to others.
[00:24:54] If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the spirit, if any boughs of mercy fulfill you my joy, that ye be like minded. This is Paul speaking to the Philippians. If you want fellowship in the spirit, if you want mercy and comfort of love, fulfill you. But do this and fulfill you my joy. Means if you understand this, if you get a hold of this, paul says, be like me, be like minded like me, having the same love, being of one accord where there is no divisions, no contingents, no envy, no strife, be of one chord of one mind.
[00:25:47] He’s talking about the body of Christ in relation to others, one mind in one accord. He says, Let nothing be done through strife and vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. That means to be humble. That don’t mean to say, I’m a terrible person, I’m awful. I don’t even deserve to be part of that congregation.
[00:26:18] I don’t even deserve God. That’s not humility. Humility means you don’t even think of yourself at all. Don’t think bad about yourself. Don’t think more about you.
[00:26:30] Don’t think about yourself at all. You understand, hey, I’m a sinner just like they are. But God’s using me for his glory. I’m a vessel of his for his glory. That’s humility, understanding that it is God who works in you for his good pleasure.
[00:26:50] And he’s saying to have this lowliness of mine or this humility to esteem others better than themselves. Look, not every man and his own things, but every man also on the things of others. As we come together, our sole intention is, what am I going to get at it? I’ve heard people say, I go to that church. That preacher just never feeds me.
[00:27:14] I don’t get nothing out of that boy. He’s so far off the mark. Maybe. Or is it you? If you come in there with the.
[00:27:26] Attitude of what am I going to get? You’ve come in with the wrong attitude. You come in with the attitude of what can I do, Lord, to please you today? To help and lift up others, to. Encourage others to edit?
[00:27:42] Miss Tony does a great job. And, boy, I wish I know I keep bringing you up and I’m sorry David’s not here. I don’t have anybody else to pick on. But she does a great job of encouraging and lifting up. And I bet every one of you.
[00:27:56] Has experienced that through Miss Tony. Just a little card or she’ll just call that’s a gift she has. I wish I had that gift. But she does it so beautifully. And that’s she does these things not thinking of herself so much as she thinks of others and how they must feel, what they must be going through.
[00:28:20] And she wants to encourage them. That’s the attitude he’s saying we ought to have toward one another in the church. You may not be as excellent at it as Miss Tony but you can come through that door thinking I’m not here to please me, to get me to get but I’m here to lift up and encourage someone else. They may be in a bad place, and I’m not there. And I can encourage them.
[00:28:48] Come together with one mind thinking of others. Let this mind, he says, be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. He says, there’s your perfect example of what kind of mind Jesus forgot all of his left, his home in glory. He came and lived a life here on earth. He suffered and died and for the joy endured the cross.
[00:29:15] He wasn’t thinking about him. He wasn’t thinking about his glory. He was thinking about the Father’s will. And what he was doing would bring salvation to millions and millions of people. He brought salvation.
[00:29:29] He denied Himself and became obedient to the cross. So he gives Jesus as an example of our relationship to others. Let this mind be in you. I may be having a terrible day but somebody else is probably having one worse. How can I lift up?
[00:29:50] How can I encourage? And I think you’ll find I’ve learned. And I’ve told a few people I. Think that if you’re ever in a. Bad slump and you’re just depressed and down and out and discouraged go help somebody else that’s having a difficult time you’ll soon forget about your problems.
[00:30:11] I think that’s the best therapy you. Can do when you’re going through a. Difficult time and hardship rather than just sitting on the couch eating nachos with. Your little pity party. Life is terrible.
[00:30:26] God hates me. Why he’s ever done this to me? Get up and go help somebody else and see what kind of therapy that is for your mind. See, Satan wants to take your difficulties and your problems and put you on. That couch where you’re not going to do anything to glorify God.
[00:30:46] That’s his plan.
[00:30:50] Don’t let him do it. Don’t let him get in your mind. I know many of you here going through a difficult time and even in. The midst of your difficult time and he stormed a tornado. They said help.
[00:31:04] Encouragement to others even though they were struggling. That’s pretty awesome testimony of what God can do.
[00:31:16] Our relation to others. Let our mind get right in relation to one another. How about your past? Everybody got a past, right? The boy keeps coming up.
[00:31:27] It will not leave me alone. Every time I think I’m doing okay and I’m doing fine, and I also hold on. Yeah, I remember that. No, I’m not worthy. I could never be a deacon.
[00:31:43] I got a past. I could never be a Sunday school teacher. I’ve got a past. I can’t even go to church. If you know my past, preacher, if.
[00:31:52] I come to that church, the walls and fall down. If we stop living in our past, it would be a whole lot better for our future. You can’t do anything about your past. You can only do something about your future. Stop living in the past, brother Kenny, you’re just mad.
[00:32:10] But no, I’ll give you scripture. First put. This is what Paul is talking to the Philippians. He said in relation to others in chapter two, chapter three, it’s about our past. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended.
[00:32:23] I’m not there quite yet. But this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth into the things which are before. If anybody had a past, the Apostle Paul had a past. He murdered Christians that were following Jesus Christ, all for the sake of the law and all that stuff. And when he was saved and converted on the road to Damascus, his whole heart, his whole mind changed.
[00:32:57] But don’t you think that past satan. Tried to use that past. How could you go tell people how to live for Jesus? You killed Christians. I don’t know if that was his thorn in the flesh or not.
[00:33:12] There’s many speculate. It doesn’t matter. What matters is what is your thorn in your flesh that keeps you in the past and not pressing toward the future of what God has for you. Learn from the past, but don’t dwell in the past. He says.
[00:33:28] I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. Let us therefore, as many as. Be perfect or mature. Be thus minded, and if anything, be otherwise minded, god shall reveal this unto you. In other words, if there’s something in your past that really needs to be dealt with and you wronged a brother sister in Christ, and you haven’t dealt with it, god’s going to let you know if you need to go back.
[00:33:57] Up and go to make things straight. But if he hasn’t done that, press forward. Keep going. Don’t dwell in your past. There’s nothing you can do.
[00:34:10] And if you’ve dealt with it, ask God to forgive you about it. If you’ve wronged somebody else and you’ve asked them to forgive you, then go on. Press toward the high calling of what God has. Don’t dwell in your past. Get your mind right.
[00:34:25] So many people live in depression and defeat and doubt and out because they can’t get out of their past. You don’t know what I’ve done, brother. Kenny. No, I haven’t. But God knows, and he’s giving you to.
[00:34:42] Jesus nailed it to the cross, and he paid for that sin. Accept the free gift of salvation. Accept the forgiveness of sin and move on.
[00:34:56] What else, Brian? Move on. Thank you. Wonder if y’all are awake sometimes. That is probably the one number one thing Satan uses to defeat us.
[00:35:11] We have a past. Everybody’s got a past. Move on. Get it right. Move on.
[00:35:18] Learn from it. Keep pressing forward. Another thing Satan uses against us in Philippians four is our view toward God. He’s that guy sitting on the white throne up there, or on a big throne up there with long white, flowing hair and a white beard and a rod in his hand that shoots lightning bolts of people. Right?
[00:35:42] That’s the wrong mindset of who God is. He is nothing like that. That he is not described that way anywhere in Scripture. I mean, the closest we have is Isaiah in chapter six. He saw the Lord eye and lifted up.
[00:35:57] He saw his throne, but he didn’t say anything about lightning bolts striking him did.
[00:36:03] Matter of fact, it’s just the opposite we saw from the throne. God sent cheruphims to cleanse his tongue, to bring healing, to bring help to Isaiah’s pitiful situation. The wrong view of God can damage our mindset. He says, Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. I’ll stop right there just for a second.
[00:36:34] Go home and do some homework. I preached. I think my second sermon was Rise and Shine. First was how to plant a godly garden. I had some weird title back then.
[00:36:48] The second was rise and shine. And I researched every place in Scripture. It said early in the morning, Abraham took Isaac. Early in the morning, moses went. Early in the morning, they went to the suit.
[00:37:02] There’s something about in Scripture about rising early in the morning and seeking God. Why is that so important? Why is that in scripture that we start our day with prayer, studying God’s word and being thankful that I have another day? That is very important to your 6000 thoughts. You have a day because I know for a fact if it doesn’t start that way you’re in for a bad day.
[00:37:31] A lot of times if you wake up in the morning you think oh. I forgot this, I got to do this, I messed up this, I did that. You’re going to have it, just go ahead and plan it, just go back to bed. How about that? You’re going to have a bad day.
[00:37:47] The old saying, you got up on the wrong side of the bed, that’s what you did. But he says start your day with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving to God. Try that. Why is that important? Have you ever heard us go to battle?
[00:38:06] You wake up in the morning and. The news comes on. Well we went and bombed so and so at 04:00 in the morning. Why do they do battles like that? To catch the enemy off guard when they least expect it.
[00:38:21] That’s when they’ll attack.
[00:38:25] Satan will attack you when you least expect it. Often early in the morning when you first open your eyes and begin to think don’t you think Satan’s not there going, you’re a miserable soul, you’ll never amount to anything. I can’t believe you did that. I can’t believe you even think such thoughts. I can’t believe you forgot that.
[00:38:50] I think it’s important to say, yeah, you know you’re right, satan but God. But God. And as you begin to prayer on studying God’s word and thanking Him for. All that he is, despite your failures. It’Ll change your mindset.
[00:39:09] But if you just leave what Satan. Puts in there you might as well. Just go on back to bed.
[00:39:16] Just no extra charge for that. But I like that. Verse four six be careful for nothing. But everything in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known unto God.
[00:39:29] And then what happens? And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and your minds through Jesus Christ. Try that, you having a bad day. Just try the day. Begin with Him and see if his word isn’t true that he’ll keep your mind pure for times.
[00:39:55] I’m out of time, I know. But the Romans seven, paul talks about the battle of the mind. For that which I do not allow and what I would that I do not. But what I ate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good you see this battle.
[00:40:24] And Paul, even Paul struggled with the battle of the mind, the battle of things going on. And he says, the things I don’t want to do, I do and the ones I want to do I don’t. And man, I’m all messed up. I’m a terrible person. And then he goes on and says, oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of death?
[00:40:47] I thank God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that’s who will deliver you? Let your focus be on things above, not on the things of this world. Not on your conflict, not on your failures, not on all the things that you’ve done wrong. But focus on him. Let you have a renewed mindset.
[00:41:11] We’ll never win our battles of our mind.
[00:41:16] First of all, we have to acknowledge there is a battle. I just go through life and everything’s good. No, you need to understand you’re in a battle. Every day there is spiritual warfare. And Satan is seeking who he can steal, kill and destroy.
[00:41:33] That’s your enemy. But your help comes through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Who are you listening to? Understand you’re in a battle, know the word of God. So when these trials come, these tests come, like Jesus, when he was tempted by Satan, what did he answer him with?
[00:41:52] Scripture. So when Satan comes and says, you’re. A terrible person, I’m beautifully and wonderfully made. God says you can quote Scripture at Him. When he brings those nasty, stinking thinking into your mind.
[00:42:11] Give him scripture. Know the Scriptures, study the Scripture, the truth of the Scripture, what God said. And understand that you’re not ever going to win without the help of the Holy Spirit. You can’t defeat anyone. You can’t win.
[00:42:26] But God Jesus said, in this world you will have trials and tribulations, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. He is the victor. He lives within me. I can have the victory through Jesus Christ.
[00:42:44] Start the day in prayer and supplications and being thankful, and let go of your past. Just let go of your past. God knows your past. And if he’s called you to do something, guess what? He still knows what you did before, but he’s still calling.
[00:43:07] Old Jonah had a past, did some things, reckon Moses had a past. God used him in great way. Did Paul have a past? God used him in a great way. Don’t dwell on the past.
[00:43:21] And most importantly, have the proper view of God exactly who he is, what he has done for you, and sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins. He wants so much more for you. Than you could ever imagine. To Him that is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think, god has so much more for you. Where’s your focus?
[00:43:54] You world your problems? Or is it on him? Father, we thank you for the day. We thank you for your blessings. And Lord, we just thank you for Your Word that encourages us, Lord, that we could just satan just constantly accuse the accuser of the brethren, as Your Word says, beating us down and, Lord, just in our minds, that’s where he starts the battle.
[00:44:20] Lord, I pray that we’d have a renewed mind that we’d be led by Your spirit to know right, to know wrong, to know truth, to know false teachings, to know who we are in Christ, to know the victory that we have. Lord, we just thank you and praise you for that today. We thank you for the privilege to come to Your house to study Your word, to sing praise. We just thank you for this blessed time we’ve had together. Lead and guide in Your perfect will and way today.
[00:44:52] In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.