1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,600 When I was at university, I went to a very small church. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,560 There was about 15 in the church, maybe 20 on a good day. 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,920 But at that church, there was some real diamonds. 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,080 One of them was actually one of the elves at the church. 5 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,000 And I'm going to go as far to say I truly believe this. 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,520 He is one of the godliest men I've ever met. 7 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,720 Even to this day, he hands down is one of the godliest men and I 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,000 remember something he said to me that had a tremendous impact 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,640 upon my life. He said, Joe, one thing you need 10 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,400 to remember is the Christian life is really just one big 11 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,840 battle. It's really just a battle of the 12 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,280 mind. My dear friend, that's what I 13 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,160 want to talk to you about today. I want to talk to you about this 14 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:46,080 battle which is in the mind. But here's the big question, who 15 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:48,920 we battling against? Well, it's the devil. 16 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,960 You see, the devil will use your mind as a battleground. 17 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,920 And his goal is to control your thought life. 18 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,600 His goal is to enter into your mind because he knows if you can 19 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:02,000 get your mind, you can get the rest of your body, the rest of 20 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:06,120 your vessel. So there's two things really I 21 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,760 want to share with you today. There's two ways that you can do 22 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,360 this. The first way is this, he can 23 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,120 somehow plant sinful seeds into your mind. 24 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,360 And then the second way you can do this is by putting a 25 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,480 heaviness, heavy thoughts, a wrestling inside of the mind. 26 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,240 So we're going to talk about these two factors and how the 27 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,920 enemy does this. But before we do that, if you 28 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:33,120 are new to this channel, this is my coffee channel where we just 29 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,840 drink coffee. We drink coffee, we have a hot 30 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:37,880 drink. So please, if this is your first 31 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,400 time now, if you're already a veteran of this channel, you 32 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,440 know what to do. The kettle should be on by now. 33 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:45,520 You should be making yourself a nice cup of tea. 34 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,200 Maybe you've gone to the the fridge freezer and you've got 35 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,920 yourself a nice a nice cold drink, or you've got yourself a 36 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,600 nice a nice cup of Joe. But we just literally have 37 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,440 coffee and we talk about the Bible. 38 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,520 All right, the first way that the devil seeks to take control 39 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:13,320 of your mind is by planting sinful seeds into your mind. 40 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,800 Now, what you need to remember is your mind is like a garden. 41 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,680 And just like in a garden, there are many different plants, there 42 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,160 are many different things growing. 43 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:23,960 Well, your mind has got many different thoughts. 44 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,480 You think about your family, you think about your job, you think 45 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:29,520 about your pets. Perhaps there's all these 46 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:33,040 different things growing there and each one is a seed that 47 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,440 started. Anything that is planted, it 48 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,080 will one day grow. And if you allow wrong things, 49 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:43,000 wrong thoughts, sins enter into your mind, it will grow you. 50 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,520 Mark my words. Some people the devil has 51 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:48,680 planted the thought of I want to get more money. 52 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,720 If I get more wealth, more success, then I'll feel like a 53 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,680 somebody. Then I'll feel happier. 54 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,280 I just need to get these possessions, a bigger house, a 55 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,640 better car. Some people it's I need more 56 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:03,520 respect, I need more admiration. I want to be great. 57 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,280 I want everyone to know who I am. 58 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,840 I'm tired of people looking down on me and the devil plants that 59 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,280 into your mind. Some people it's it's a jealousy 60 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,920 that he plants there or it's a seed of gossip and you've just 61 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:19,280 got to know this information or, or perhaps there's division 62 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,080 there and you want to see someone you know that's hurt you 63 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,640 in the past. You want to see them outage. 64 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:26,800 You want to see the whole world to know. 65 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,080 You want everyone to know just how bad this person is. 66 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,920 Or maybe you've been dwelling on another person, someone who 67 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:39,920 you're strongly attracted to, but you're married and the devil 68 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,360 has has put that thought into your mind. 69 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,400 Oh, you dream of them. You dream of what it would be 70 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,280 like to be with that person and, and over time you think about 71 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:50,720 it. My dear friend, do not be 72 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,200 deceived. It's not just a thought. 73 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,120 If you are thinking about this as a scenario, if you're, if 74 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,840 you're just dwelling on this as a scenario over in your mind 75 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,760 over and over, any of these thoughts, it will affect your 76 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,240 behaviour. If you think you can stand, be 77 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,320 careful lest you fall. Because these things, they get 78 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,480 into us, they mess us up. And that is the devil's goal, to 79 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,840 plant a little seed here, a little seed there and to make 80 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,279 you lose control of your mind. One of the Puritans I don't 81 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,040 want, let's put a name to it in case I'm wrong, but he once said 82 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:24,240 we can't stop the birds from flying around our heads, but we 83 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,960 can stop them from planting a nest in our hair. 84 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:28,960 Now, some of us haven't got much hair. 85 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,520 There isn't a lot to work with for some of those birds. 86 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,800 But you get the idea, don't you? We can't stop these things 87 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:37,840 flying around. We can't stop the temptations 88 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:40,880 being there. But if we dwell on it, if, as I 89 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,720 said, we play these things over as a scenario, if we start to 90 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,080 dream about these things, that's where the problem arises because 91 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,760 very soon it can become a reality in a moment's time. 92 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:53,800 I'm going to share some Bible verses with you on this 93 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,400 particular thought. But first, I think it's really 94 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,240 important I ask you this question. 95 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,560 As I've been speaking right now, I believe the Holy Spirit, for 96 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,000 some of you at least, He's been laying His finger on an area of 97 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,760 your life and you know exactly what seed has been planted in 98 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:12,800 your heart. So I'm going to ask you very 99 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,920 plainly, what is this seed? What is this thing that is 100 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,800 growing inside of you that's in your mind that the devil is is 101 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:22,560 battling with you every single day? 102 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,760 What is it that's in your mind right now as I speak? 103 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,320 What are you thinking of and what is it that you know you 104 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,000 need to repent of? Because I really want you to 105 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,280 dwell on this and I really want by the end of this video for you 106 00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:38,800 to truly be able to fight against this and to be wiser and 107 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,880 stronger and to put on the full armour of God to know that you 108 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,840 will have victory over this and the devil will not win the 109 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:49,440 battle for your mind. OK, so if you've got a Bible 110 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:53,840 there, please turn to Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 7. 111 00:05:54,640 --> 00:06:00,720 Proverbs 23 and verse 7. The Bible says, for as he thinks 112 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:05,000 in his heart, so is he. When I was at school, there was 113 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:09,160 a popular phrase that sort of went viral back then, and it was 114 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,720 you are what you eat. There was a lady used to come on 115 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,440 television and she used to be telling all the school children 116 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,040 who are my age that you need to eat well because then you'll be 117 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,160 well. Where did this idea come from? 118 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,720 Well, it came from the Bible because the Bible is very clear. 119 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,040 You are what you think. Whatever you allow into those 120 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,000 gates, you've got gates over your your mind. 121 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,440 Whatever you open the gate to and say you can enter in, that's 122 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,760 eventually what you become. That's what the Bible is saying 123 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,040 here. So how do we stop this? 124 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,560 That's what I want to know. How do we stop having these 125 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,240 thoughts? How do we stop these seeds that 126 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:47,080 have started to grow? Dare I say? 127 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,640 Well, some of you listening, you're avid gardeners and you 128 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,400 know what it is to put on a pair of gardening gloves and to get 129 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,200 your hands dirty. That's exactly what you have to 130 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,600 do. You need to go and you start up 131 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,480 rooting these thoughts. You need to sort of remind 132 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,600 yourself, why is this thought evil? 133 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:06,600 You know, why is it wrong to want lots of money? 134 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:09,840 You know, why is it wrong to obsess with having lots of 135 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,080 money? As you know, it's not wrong to 136 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,400 be rich, but but why is it wrong to to let that be your God? 137 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,000 Because the love of money is the root of all evil. 138 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,320 You have a verse there and you attack it. 139 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:25,080 Why is it wrong to to go off with another person if if you 140 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:28,880 know they're even not a believer or if you know you're married? 141 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:32,280 Why is that wrong? Because the Bible in the book of 142 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,160 Galatians, I think it's chapter 5, it gives a whole list of 143 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,160 people who will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 144 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,840 And it's those who are not pure. It is those who have ran around 145 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,480 and done wrong things. You know that the Bible says 146 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:50,280 that the person who goes out and has this kind of affair, well, 147 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,440 it says that same person will destroy his own soul. 148 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,640 He'll destroy his own life. You need to remind yourself, you 149 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:59,000 need to teach your mind that this thought that you're 150 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,360 dreaming about, thinking it's going to be great, everything's 151 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,680 going to be wonderful. You need to tell yourself, no, 152 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:08,040 this is ugly, this is dark. The word of God, which is wise, 153 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,240 so much wiser than me. It's alive, it's living. 154 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,720 That is the truth. And every time you know, in your 155 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,200 own life, when you've gone your own way, you've done your own 156 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,120 thing and you've thought it would be OK in your mindset. 157 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:21,720 And then when it's happened, the reality you realise. 158 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,000 Oh yeah, the word of God was right. 159 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,160 Or, Oh yeah, the way my parents brought me up all along, that 160 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:31,000 was the truth. So you, you start with that, you 161 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,559 start to uproot them. And then the next thing you need 162 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:36,240 to do in a garden, if if you've been uprooting everything, 163 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:37,600 what's going to happen to your garden? 164 00:08:38,039 --> 00:08:39,960 It's going to be bad. There's going to be nothing in 165 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,120 there. So you need to start planting 166 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,800 new. You need to start planting new 167 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,480 seeds in there. Good seeds, reminding yourself 168 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,120 the Lord is good. Remind yourself that verse in 169 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,680 the Proverbs again, I'm not going to quote it correctly, but 170 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:58,080 where he says, he says, just give me just what I need. 171 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,360 You know, don't make me so rich that I forget you, but don't 172 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,280 make me so poor that I end up stealing. 173 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,720 Just give me enough to be content, you know, remind 174 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:11,280 yourself of the the Lord. God is great, He is holy, He is 175 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:12,800 true. I don't need to be great. 176 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,000 He must increase and I must decrease. 177 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:19,240 As as John the Baptist said, plant in these good words, these 178 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,800 good fruit into your life. Get that planted in and let the 179 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,160 fruits of the Spirit not only grow in your heart, but grow in 180 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:28,160 your mind too. And then the really big thing is 181 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:31,360 this. You need to spend lots and lots 182 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:35,560 of time in the word of God. I actually believe one of the 183 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:39,040 reasons the church, if we're honest, it's a bit of a mess. 184 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:42,720 I believe myself as a Christian. I'm not the same Christian I was 185 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:44,840 10 years ago. Yes, some things have been 186 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,440 positive and the Lord has done wonderful things. 187 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,240 But when I look back as well, at the same time, I think, Joe, you 188 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,040 seem like you were so much more on fire. 189 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:54,800 And when I think what is the big cause of it? 190 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:58,480 For me, it's social media. All this time we're spending on 191 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,880 the Internet. So if we're spending three hours 192 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,480 a day, 2 hours a day on the Internet, but then only 1015 193 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,760 minutes reading the word of God, is it any wonder that our garden 194 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:09,560 is a mess? Is it any wonder that our our 195 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:12,960 mind is filled with all kinds of things and we don't have the 196 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:15,920 good stuff inside of us? So what am I saying? 197 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,240 Read your Bible for longer, spend longer in the Word because 198 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,720 the Word of God has a balancing effect on your life. 199 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,480 We're going to come to this in a moment when we talk about having 200 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:28,760 heavy thoughts, having dark thoughts. 201 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,600 But the word of God, if you read it, it'll make you rational, 202 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,160 it'll give you wisdom. It will sort of stabilize 203 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,640 everything where you, you know you're leaning one way or you 204 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:40,920 lean on another. The Word of God will just make 205 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,920 it all straight and he'll lead you to those paths of, of 206 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:47,520 righteousness. He'll lead you to drink of those 207 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:51,000 still waters and bring a stillness in your life which we 208 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:59,000 we all need, don't we at times? And then something else to my 209 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:00,800 gardening friends. What have I missed now? 210 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,280 So OK, we've, we've uprooted all of the weeds, we've taken out 211 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,840 all of those dark thoughts. We've, we've started to plant 212 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,040 good thoughts now good plants into our garden. 213 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,640 But what could happen now? Do you have dandelions in your 214 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:15,760 country? You know those those plants and 215 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,840 they have like 1000, not quite 1000, but I don't know about 100 216 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:21,760 little seeds. And when the wind blows, they 217 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,600 just go flying everywhere and that's it. 218 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,880 Your whole garden is covered in dandelions. 219 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,400 Now dandelions, if you are a hot drink fan, I know where you can 220 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:31,680 have dandelion tea and it can be quite delicious. 221 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,520 But overall, they're a nuisance. So what do you need to protect 222 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,000 yourself from these weeds that spread? 223 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:41,200 So in other words, when the, the thought, when, when you can see 224 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,720 it and it's and it's and it's the seed's been planted and it's 225 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:47,880 in its infancy, shall I say, you need to take that thought 226 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:51,840 captive, as the Bible says. See, you have to really be quite 227 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,400 aware as, as I said, it's a battle every day. 228 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:56,520 You've got to be awake. Can any of you in a battle just 229 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,440 lie down and have a rest, Lie down and have a siesta? 230 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:03,880 No, you're constantly watching. And when you're not watching, 231 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:05,320 someone else is watching. You're back. 232 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,000 Aren't they in in a war? So you've got to be vigilant 233 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:12,480 with your mind. And so sometimes one might say 234 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:13,840 something, they might be a Christian. 235 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,240 It might even be a Christian YouTube video. 236 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:21,680 And it it sounds appetizing. It sounds great. 237 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:23,640 Oh, I'd love to do that. It sounds OK. 238 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:25,480 So he believes that and he's a Christian. 239 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,560 So maybe I can. But you know yourself and you 240 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:30,920 know what the word of God says. Just be aware. 241 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:33,200 Take that thought captive. No, I won't let that happen. 242 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:37,720 You and I, we've got to be so careful with what we watch on 243 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,720 television, what we listen to as music. 244 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,880 We might see something. I'll give you an example. 245 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:45,440 I'm going to be very transparent now. 246 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,840 I find it really hard to watch old films. 247 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,600 Well, films that have got great actors in and British actors 248 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:54,000 particularly. Why? 249 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,360 Because as many of you know, my dream was to become an actor, 250 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,640 but I gave it up when I became a Christian because I knew that I 251 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:05,040 couldn't really. This is for me personally, but I 252 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,720 knew personally I couldn't live it out and be full out for the 253 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,440 Lord Jesus Christ when so many movies, so many plays are full 254 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,600 of bad words, are full of bad scenes. 255 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,840 And I don't know how I would make a living by saying I can't 256 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,600 do this scene, I can't act that part, I can't say this. 257 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:24,520 And so I pulled away from it. But I find it so tremendously 258 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,520 hard sometimes when I'll watch actors and the British and 259 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,720 they're about my age and I'll start to dwell and start 260 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:36,080 thinking could have could have done some movies, could have 261 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,000 been in the theatre. And a jealousy will get into my 262 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,760 heart and I have to take captive of captive of that thought. 263 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,800 The worst I can do is go on the Internet movie database the next 264 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,880 day, start looking at what drama school did they go to, where are 265 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:50,560 they from? And that's what I'll often do. 266 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,160 But I need to take it captive. No, the Lord has called me to 267 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,120 something else. The Lord has called me to do off 268 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,200 the curb ministries to to do these cup of Joe podcasts, which 269 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,120 let's be honest, you watch your film and it might, you know, 270 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:02,920 inspire you. It might make you happy, it 271 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:04,880 might make you sad, it might move you. 272 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,040 But when you get the word of God, you convert a soul. 273 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,880 The Bible says those who win souls are wise. 274 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,120 Those who win souls for the Lord Jesus Christ, it says will, will 275 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:18,040 shine like the stars forever and ever says that in the book of 276 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:20,640 Daniel. So just one soul, if one of you 277 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:24,840 becomes a Christian through one of these videos, who cares if I 278 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,440 was wasn't, you know, an actor or, or in the movies, It doesn't 279 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:30,320 matter anyway, that's my personal story. 280 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:32,480 Maybe you've got, maybe you know, your own thing where 281 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,720 something can come into your mind and you've just got to 282 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,480 watch it. But there is a verse, another 283 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,280 verse that I would like to share with you really just off the 284 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:44,400 back of that. And it's in Philippians 4 verse 285 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:49,160 8, Philippians 4 verse 8. Finally, brethren, whatever 286 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:54,000 things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are 287 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:58,280 just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, 288 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:02,560 whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue 289 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:07,720 and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditates on these 290 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:09,960 things. So what's the Bible trying to 291 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:11,720 say here? Well, it's really just what 292 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:15,480 we've been saying it it. Can you honestly say, let's go 293 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,480 to this verse, that film that you watched or that Netflix 294 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,680 television show. Can you honestly say that it's 295 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,560 it's pure? Can you say that it's it's 296 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:27,960 noble? Can you say it's, it's lovely? 297 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,640 It's of a good rapport? Can you say that that that 298 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,960 person you watch on TikTok or on social media, are they 299 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,880 praiseworthy? Do do they do they meditate on 300 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:38,040 good things? Are they pure? 301 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:42,040 Are they lovely? If so, watch it, enjoy it. 302 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:43,960 That's great. That's that's what we should be 303 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:46,680 filling our minds with. So you know, a wildlife 304 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,000 documentary, that's an obvious example, but you know that 305 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,360 that's a wonderful thing to do. You're looking at God's 306 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:54,120 creation. It's lovely to see these things. 307 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,000 It's lovely to go to the bottom of the ocean and see all of 308 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,640 these incredible fish. Like the Bible says that the 309 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:01,720 oceans are teeming with life, these things. 310 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:06,280 It's good to do that. But then a film or a movie that 311 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,360 everyone's talking about, all of your friends at work, all of 312 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:11,640 your friends at school, everyone's talking about it. 313 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:13,880 It might have a lot of excitement, a lot of thrill 314 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,440 around it, but it's dark. It's, it's, it's wrong. 315 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,200 It's, you know, it's, it's not right. 316 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,080 The Bible says avoid that. Get that away. 317 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,720 And for some of you, for some of you, my dear friends, this might 318 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:32,120 be this video might be a prompt to go on a massive season of 319 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,320 uprooting. You might have to be getting rid 320 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,480 of some films that you've got, throwing out some DVDs. 321 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:40,720 You might have to cancel your subscription to some YouTube 322 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,560 channels or even to one of these streaming services because you 323 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,800 know what you're doing, what you're watching this stuff and 324 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,640 it's and it's rubbish and it's and it's messing with your mind. 325 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:55,520 Maybe even friends, my dear friend, our friends can be such 326 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:57,560 a big hindrance to us as Christians. 327 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,920 The four people you spend the most time with is the person 328 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:02,720 you'll become in a few years time. 329 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,839 And if you're spending time with people who share crude jokes, 330 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:10,240 who don't care about God, who blasphemy, who use bad language, 331 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,319 who you know do wrong things, don't have respect for 332 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:17,000 authority, that will that is who you're going to become one day. 333 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:19,040 Gossips. You'll become a gossip. 334 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,280 If if someone loves money, you will become that same person. 335 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:26,800 So you may have to go into a season of uprooting friends and 336 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,760 maybe trying to seek and find new friends, maybe at a local 337 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:34,720 church or an evangelism that's going on in your local town. 338 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,920 Try and surround yourself with the person that you want to 339 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,440 become. So that's how we deal with those 340 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,400 sinful seeds that the devil plants in our mind. 341 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,360 But what about the second part to this video? 342 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,000 And I do wonder if this is the part that a lot of you are going 343 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:54,160 to benefit from the most. And it's heavy thoughts in the 344 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:58,880 mind. The devil wants your mind to 345 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:02,160 have no peace. It wants it to be full of 346 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:07,040 unrest, uncertainty. He wants you to be wrestling all 347 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:11,080 the time and and having dark thoughts and and sadness. 348 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:12,880 He doesn't want you to be joyful. 349 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,840 He doesn't want you to be rational because when you're 350 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,560 joyful, rational and, and you love the Lord Jesus Christ, 351 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:20,880 you're a problem. You're a threat to his Kingdom 352 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,640 because you're going to win other people to the to the 353 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,840 Kingdom of Christ. And that's a real threat to the 354 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,440 Kingdom of darkness. Let me give you an example of 355 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:32,800 this. You remember in the Bible, 356 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,840 Moses, the Moses got the Israelites out of Egypt. 357 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,640 They were promised by the Lord that they would have a promised 358 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:43,680 land, Canaan. And when they got to the very 359 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,240 edge of the promised land, what did Moses do? 360 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:51,360 He sent 12 spies out into Canaan to look at the land to see what, 361 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:54,880 what, what the land was like. Are the big fortresses there? 362 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:58,080 What's the fruit like? Is it good fruit food there? 363 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,000 What are the people like? Are are they a problem or, or 364 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,680 can we take them? So he sent these, these 12 spies 365 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,760 to to go back to go into the promised land. 366 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,400 Now, as they came back, what did ten of these spies say? 367 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,840 Well, they first they came back with this big cluster of grapes, 368 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:17,920 all of these grapes. And they said, yes, it's a land 369 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,560 flowing of milk and honey. It's a it's a beautiful land, 370 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,120 but they said the people there are massive. 371 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,160 They're giants. And we felt like grasshoppers 372 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:30,160 compared to them. They were so huge. 373 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,120 So that's really interesting. He says that we felt like 374 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:37,000 grasshoppers compared to them. Now let's hear the full verse in 375 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,840 its context. Just get your Bible and turn to 376 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,800 Numbers 13, Numbers 13, and verse 33. 377 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,640 Because when I heard a pastor say this just today, it really 378 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:49,720 made me think. I think it's going to make you 379 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:50,560 think. Also. 380 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,920 Numbers 13, verse 33. So this is the report the spies 381 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,320 gave back to Moses. There we saw giants. 382 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:02,440 The descendants of Anak came from giants, and we were like 383 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:06,080 grasshoppers in our own sight. So in other words, these guys 384 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:07,920 seemed so big. They felt so small. 385 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,320 You can understand that. They felt like grasshoppers. 386 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:16,560 But then they say this, and so were we in their sights? 387 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:19,920 And so were we in their sight. And in other versions it says. 388 00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:23,560 And so we were like grasshoppers in in their own sight. 389 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,760 Well, how did they know this? How did these spies know this? 390 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,600 Did they go up to the giants and say, hey, do you want to compare 391 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:32,000 sides? Do you think we look like 392 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,240 grasshoppers to you? They didn't know it. 393 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,040 They didn't have a conversation with them. 394 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:38,320 In other words, they've been deceived. 395 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,600 In their minds, they had a limiting belief. 396 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,440 They believed because these guys were so, so big and they were 397 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:48,480 small, that automatically these giants would see them as 398 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,240 grasshoppers. But that wasn't the case. 399 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:53,960 And my dear friend, that's what the devil does with us. 400 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:57,360 He makes us believe false things about ourselves. 401 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,760 He makes us believe things that aren't necessarily true and we 402 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,720 create false narratives in our mind. 403 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,800 And we're going to come to some of these very specifically, and 404 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,760 maybe I'm going to cover what how you particularly think at 405 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:13,440 times. But Joe, tell us, why is this 406 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,240 such a big deal? Well, because because of this 407 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,760 this, this false narrative, this fear that overtook them, they 408 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:24,200 then wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. 409 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:27,600 They never entered the promised land because they were so afraid 410 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,640 because they believed the giants saw them as grasshoppers. 411 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:34,200 Isn't that crazy? I used to listen to a band 412 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,800 called Green Day. Let me know if anyone in the 413 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,320 comments section has ever listened to Green Day before. 414 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,960 I'm not sure what the music are like now, so I'm not that this 415 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:47,360 isn't a recommendation by any chance by any means, especially 416 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:50,400 after what I've just read to you in Philippians, but they sung 417 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:52,080 one of the lines of one of their songs. 418 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:53,880 I think the song was called Basket Case. 419 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:58,000 They used to sing. Sometimes my mind plays tricks 420 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,280 on me. I wonder, does your mind ever 421 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,960 play tricks on you? You know what it is to think 422 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:10,680 rationally, but sometimes you don't think rationally. 423 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:16,120 Sometimes you think in ways that aren't usual, and you know when 424 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:19,680 you're spiraling out of control. You know, when, when, when the, 425 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:23,520 if you like the strings of your mind have been strained or 426 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:27,200 unhinged and your mind is playing tricks on you. 427 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,120 It is worth noting that hundreds of years ago, people didn't 428 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:38,760 think how we think today. You see, back then, if someone's 429 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:43,320 mind was, you know, not the best, or they weren't thinking 430 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,240 straight, or, yeah, they were going through a hard season, 431 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,880 what would always happen is you'd be sent to the church, 432 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,160 you'd be sent to the minister, and the minister would help you 433 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,200 get through this. Now, we know today that that 434 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,320 isn't helpful to just say you just some people. 435 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:02,120 I mean, there will be some people, I imagine even in this 436 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:04,720 comment section, you say you don't need any help, you just 437 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:06,640 need church. You just need God, You just need 438 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,920 the Bible. But I would really strongly warn 439 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:13,280 against that. But now the sad thing is the 440 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:17,160 pendulum has gone the complete other way where as soon as you 441 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,200 know your your mind on hinges, it's no, you just need to go to 442 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:22,960 the doctor. Just go to the doctor and and 443 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:26,680 take his advice only. Well, I think we need both. 444 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,200 I really do believe if there's someone, and as we're going to 445 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,720 talk about some of these things just in a second, If you are 446 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:37,600 really struggling and it's it's affecting your daily life, you 447 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,000 do need to get some professional help you. 448 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,640 You do need to do that. But at the same time, and This 449 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:46,640 is why I so strongly say, get in a local church, go to your 450 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:50,560 pastor, get some help, get get some people around you in the 451 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:53,800 church who love you and you and can walk you through this 452 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,240 difficult time. Because the sad reality is, even 453 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,720 in this day and age, even with all this education, we look at 454 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,200 someone and they're limping or we look at someone and we can 455 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,480 see visibly that they're not a well person and our heart goes 456 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,000 out to them. We feel a sense of pity as as 457 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,760 human beings. And yet if someone's acting a 458 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,520 little bit odd, a little bit strange, maybe they're they're, 459 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,160 they're frantic or they're rearranging something, we just 460 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,880 say, oh, that person's weird or I need to keep away from that 461 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,080 person. But we don't realise that 462 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:30,200 actually, if we could see inside of their mind, we'd see a 463 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,440 completely different story. And perhaps then we'd feel a 464 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,960 level of pity for them. So as I said, the word of God, 465 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,440 particularly if you're struggling like this, you need 466 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:43,240 to be spending more time in the Word of God to get that balance 467 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,800 in effect upon your life. Listen to good teachers online, 468 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:50,600 read good Christian books. But there's a verse in the Bible 469 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:54,280 that believe it or not, so remember, I, I opened by telling 470 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,280 you about this really godly man, this elder at the church he used 471 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,320 to go to. Well, his wife shared this very 472 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:05,880 verse with us after she got a very bad diagnosis, the worst 473 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,760 kind of diagnosis. And she said, this is the verse 474 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,520 that kept her sane. This is the verse that kept her 475 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,400 going through this, this dark season that she was in. 476 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:18,360 And it's Isaiah 26 verse verse 3. 477 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:32,160 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on 478 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:38,280 you, because he trusts in you. I'll just read it again. 479 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:44,320 You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on 480 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:49,320 you because he trusts in you. Isn't that just such a 481 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:54,920 beautiful, precious verse? We are going to like Peter. 482 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:57,800 We are going to sink beneath the water the moment we take our 483 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,400 eyes off the Lord Jesus Christ. But when we fix our eyes on 484 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:06,040 Christ, when we fix our eyes on God, we'll be in that perfect 485 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,800 peace, no matter what might come, no matter what might be 486 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,840 going on, no matter what seeds the evil one has planted in our 487 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,120 mind. If we've got our mind fixed on 488 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:20,440 Christ, he'll keep us in that perfect peace, a piece that that 489 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,240 the rest of the world looks and thinks, how on earth is she so 490 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:27,120 calm in this storm? How on earth is that man able 491 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:31,280 to, to, to trust God when, when he's lost everything, everyone's 492 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,720 turned away from him and yet he's got this perfect peace 493 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:38,280 because he's keeping his mind daily on the Lord. 494 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,000 He's he's in prayer. She's in prayer, she's studying 495 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,840 the word, she's with God. And that is really the, the 496 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:46,680 strongest thing I could say to any of you. 497 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:49,360 It doesn't get any more simple than this. 498 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,120 Spend much time with the Lord in your devotion and you can't go 499 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:56,120 far wrong. So what are the kinds of things 500 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:57,800 that some of us might be struggling with? 501 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,960 I'm one or two of these things. And I wonder if if you've got 502 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:09,240 any of these also in your life, maybe you're someone and you 503 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:13,200 don't feel clean at times. Something might come near you 504 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:17,120 and you feel suddenly unclean. Or you might look at something 505 00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:20,640 and it's out of order and you've ordered it in a certain way and, 506 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,480 and it really bothers you and you have to go through rituals 507 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:26,320 to either get yourself clean or to order or structure 508 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:29,320 everything. And this kind of behaviour, it's 509 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:31,320 exhausting. It's tiring. 510 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,520 What would I say to you? Well, I would say you need to 511 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:40,200 trust in the sovereign shepherd. The Bible says the Lord is my 512 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,880 shepherd and a shepherd. He is the one who gives us just 513 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:45,800 what we need. That's why you can say the Lord 514 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:47,760 is my shepherd. I shall not want. 515 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,360 You need to trust that He's sovereign over all things. 516 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,440 He won't put too much on your plate and He won't give you too 517 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,080 little. My times are in His hands. 518 00:27:57,360 --> 00:28:01,360 Whatever it is that's that's causing that unrest or that need 519 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:05,920 to do these rituals, just trust that God's got everything in 520 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:09,800 control and he'll just give you the right amount of grace to get 521 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,560 through each day. That's what you need to remind 522 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,320 yourself of that there is one who's sovereign, who's in 523 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:18,880 control, and you don't always have to be in control because He 524 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:22,800 has ordered all of your steps and He'll watch over you even 525 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,840 when you slumber. The Lord God watches over us. 526 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:30,560 Perhaps you're someone who struggles with idealization, so 527 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:34,600 you might see someone and because you've had pain in your 528 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:37,840 past, you know someone's left you or they've abandoned you. 529 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:40,480 Someone who who should have been a caregiver, who should have 530 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:43,640 been so close to you. You idolize this per a new 531 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,720 person in your life, maybe a relationship, and you become 532 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,680 attached to that person and you dwell on them. 533 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:53,520 But then when you get closer and close to that person, a bit like 534 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:56,280 when you see one of those beautiful statues in a museum, 535 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:58,160 you look at it and it looks so beautiful. 536 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:01,920 But you get a bit closer and you start to see the cracks, you 537 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,120 start to see the imperfections. And suddenly this person who 538 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:09,320 seems so great to you, suddenly you're almost repulsed by them 539 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:12,960 and you feel let down. And, and this, this fear of 540 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,320 abandonment, it just creeps in. They're going to leave me. 541 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,640 I'm going to be left and, and it and it and it ruins your life. 542 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,400 If that's you, what would I say to you? 543 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:25,480 You need to remember that the Lord God, it says about Him, he 544 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,000 will never leave you nor forsake you. 545 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:32,720 Though every boyfriend, though every man, though every woman, 546 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,080 though every person who was once close to you may have left you 547 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:39,280 and you built such strong attachments, maybe even a pet 548 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,840 that you loved. It's gone though, it's all gone. 549 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,040 There is one who is firm rock solid. 550 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:48,200 There is a firm rock that you can stand on who will never 551 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,760 leave you, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. 552 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,120 So put all of your investments into him. 553 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,320 Put all of your eggs into that basket, because that is the one 554 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:59,680 who will never let you down. And when all of your eyes are 555 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,440 fixed on Jesus, suddenly it won't matter as much if these 556 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:06,520 people who you once trusted have let you down. 557 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,960 And you'll actually be able to see people in the correct light 558 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:12,840 that they're just a Sinner just like you are, and you should 559 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:14,680 never put any person on a pedestal. 560 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:19,400 What about if you're someone who struggles with delusions or 561 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,800 false beliefs and they they take control of you and you can't see 562 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,040 things rationally. You think people maybe are 563 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:30,680 against you and you're always looking over your shoulder. 564 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:34,200 You're always concerned and you think that maybe there's a big 565 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:37,840 scheme that's going on and, and you start to it's always on your 566 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:40,360 mind all the time and you don't know what's true. 567 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:43,280 What would I say to you? Remember that the Lord Jesus 568 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:47,040 Christ said I am the way, the truth and the life. 569 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:51,040 He is truth, He is truth. Just fix your mind on him. 570 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,560 Stop letting your mind be concerned with these other 571 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:55,560 things. And every time you're fearful of 572 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:57,360 all of these things, go back to the truth. 573 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,080 Go back to Jesus. Jesus, I'm struggling now. 574 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:01,760 I'm struggling with these thoughts. 575 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:04,160 I don't know how to think. I don't know how to process 576 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,360 this, but I know you are true. So I'm going to dwell on you. 577 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:09,040 I'm going to think about your life. 578 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,560 I'm going to think about you. Maybe you're someone who just 579 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:17,920 lacks any kind of motivation. You feel really, really low 580 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,440 while while it's just like a simple task, like getting out of 581 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:26,240 bed is just so, so difficult. You have no energy. 582 00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:28,360 Or maybe you're like that at times. 583 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:31,080 And then other times you're you're on top of the world and 584 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,760 you feel so happy and you're impulsive and you do all of 585 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:35,960 these different things and you go from this extreme to the 586 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,480 other extreme and it's exhausting. 587 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,320 You've got no energy. What would I say to you? 588 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:47,440 I'd say, remember the Christ who said come to me, all you who are 589 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,200 weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. 590 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,640 Some of you do need rest. You need to be kind to yourself 591 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,080 and the Lord Jesus Christ is telling you to be kind to 592 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,680 yourself. But remember who who you go to 593 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:01,880 when you need that rest, you go to him. 594 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,360 You don't pull out the phone and start scrolling away and just 595 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:05,720 doing all kinds of different things. 596 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:09,440 No, come to him and let him give you the rest that you need. 597 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:12,360 His his yoke is light. It's easy. 598 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,000 What do you do if you're someone who struggles with excessive 599 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,520 worry? You, you just have no peace and 600 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:26,360 you're always, always on, on egg shells just, you know, just 601 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:30,320 can't ever seem to relax. You need to remember again, very 602 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,520 similar to the first one we were talking about, that there is one 603 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,600 who is in control. There is one who clothes the 604 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,600 lilies of the field. There is one who who who feeds 605 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:42,960 the sparrows of the air, and you're of more value than than 606 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,080 sparrows. You're of more value than than 607 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,240 lilies. Will will he not look after you? 608 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:49,960 Will he not care for you? You need to remind yourself that 609 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,360 which of you by worrying can add 1 cubit to his stature. 610 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,480 It won't do you any good to keep concerning yourself with these 611 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,320 things and you need to just just go to the Lord Jesus Christ. 612 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:03,400 But at the same time, remember, it's not always the worst thing 613 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:06,280 in the world to be worried. For instance, you know, we can, 614 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:09,760 you know, there's, I think it's become quite unhelpful actually 615 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:13,880 in the church where we say worrying is a sin sometimes, 616 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,400 yeah, is worrying is a sin. For instance, you know, going 617 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:20,560 back to the beginning, a man who's doing wrong behind his 618 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:23,080 wife's back and he's worried about getting caught. 619 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,320 That man is sinning. That worry is a sin. 620 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,080 You know, it's it's linked to his sin. 621 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:33,120 But when, when the Lord Jesus Christ, remember when the Lord 622 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:37,400 Jesus Christ was born and the angels came and saw the 623 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,440 shepherds and here they are, they're just working away in the 624 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:41,960 field. It's pitch black outside. 625 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:45,440 And suddenly they see a myriad hundreds, maybe even thousands 626 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:48,520 of angels light up the sky. And what do the angels say? 627 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,080 Do not be afraid. I mean, what kind of a thing is 628 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:54,480 that to say to to these shepherds who are just seeing 629 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:57,600 these, these angelic beings? How can they not be afraid? 630 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:59,640 What was it? Would it be sinful to be afraid 631 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:01,640 in that moment? Of course not. 632 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:06,920 So again, do try to be kind to yourself and if you aren't able 633 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:09,800 to function again, please go and talk to someone. 634 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,600 But remember again there is one who can cast all of your cares 635 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:17,920 upon free carer for you. Maybe you're someone who has 636 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:22,480 flashbacks, nightmares, you struggle to sleep because you 637 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:27,080 went through a really bad event once in your life and you keep 638 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:30,080 seeing it and, and it's just there all the time. 639 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:33,560 All the time it's there and you can't stop dwelling on it. 640 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:38,920 In fact, on a little diversion, my wife's sister is actually a 641 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:40,520 therapist. She's quite high up. 642 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,920 And when we were talking about all these different people with 643 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:47,400 inner struggles, she told me this kind that I'm talking about 644 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,080 right now. This is the worst kind to have 645 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:53,719 out of all of them because it's just so stressful. 646 00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:55,760 It's just constant. It doesn't stop. 647 00:34:56,639 --> 00:34:58,480 So if you've got this, what would I say to you? 648 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:04,680 Well, think about the Lord Jesus Christ, who not only saw this 649 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:07,160 terrible event, but he went through it. 650 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:11,800 Is there anything more agonising than the cross to be nailed 651 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:16,360 there in front of all these people laughing at you, mocking 652 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:20,520 you that the pain of the physical pain, But then the, 653 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:24,520 the, the spiritual suffering of, of God, scooping up all of the 654 00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:28,200 sins of the world and, and, and throwing it upon Christ. 655 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:32,680 And Christ is then punished in our place for our sin. 656 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:36,920 He went through that and the Bible says that we don't worship 657 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:38,680 a God. He's just on some distant cloud. 658 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:43,960 It says this Christ, he, he can sympathize with our suffering. 659 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:47,280 He can empathize with it because he knows what it is. 660 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,520 So just dwell on that. I'm not saying it's going to go 661 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,600 away any of these. I'm not saying any of them will 662 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,120 just magically disappear. That's probably the wrong word 663 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:59,040 to use. But I'm saying do try to to 664 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:02,520 adjust your mind to remember these things because perhaps it 665 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:08,440 might just help you. Maybe you're someone who needs 666 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,960 admiration. You need constant attention. 667 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,920 You think very highly of yourself and sometimes in 668 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:20,040 relationships you're very selfish, very self-centered. 669 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:23,680 Well, what would I say to you? I would say you really do need 670 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,600 to humble yourself. Remember that the Lord God says 671 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:29,200 he who exalts himself will be humbled. 672 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:33,320 You need to remember that there is one who is truly worthy of 673 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,880 honour and praise. And if you fix your mind on him, 674 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,160 suddenly you're not going to have these same massive thoughts 675 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,760 about yourself, these same thoughts that you're so special 676 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:44,680 because you're a member. Right now in heaven, the Lord 677 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:47,800 Jesus Christ, there are angels that are covering their face 678 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:52,840 saying holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. 679 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:55,960 They can't look because he's so righteous, He's so holy. 680 00:36:56,600 --> 00:37:00,480 Dwell on on on the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ. 681 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:02,520 And then you'll remember you're no king. 682 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:06,000 You're just dust and ashes and do your best. 683 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,280 Because again, just like these, we might look down on this 684 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:11,680 person and they get a lot of negative light. 685 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:15,120 But just like these other people, it's because their mind 686 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:17,560 isn't what it should be. And that's how that why they're 687 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:20,560 thinking that way. And then lastly, if you struggle 688 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:25,680 with body image, perhaps you look in the mirror and you fix 689 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:29,320 your eyes on one part of yourself and it just really 690 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:31,120 bothers you. And you, you, it's like you've 691 00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:34,200 got a magnifying glass on that one part and everyone else looks 692 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,280 at you and doesn't notice it, but you notice it. 693 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,800 Or maybe you look in the mirror and you see something completely 694 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:42,720 different and it's LED you to have unhealthy relationships 695 00:37:42,720 --> 00:37:46,560 with certain things and, and you just, you just feel hideous. 696 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:51,640 Basically, you feel ugly. You feel like you're striving 697 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:54,000 for perfection, but you'll never get it. 698 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,800 And so you somehow try to get control back through other areas 699 00:37:57,800 --> 00:37:59,920 of, of your life. What would I say to you? 700 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:03,760 I would just remind you, where did you come from? 701 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:07,800 You were knitted together perfectly in the womb. 702 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:12,360 Who made you? God made you the very hands that 703 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:15,960 flung stars into space, the very hands that moulded this, this 704 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,840 earth that that, that made this beautiful world. 705 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:22,120 And he made you. And you want to tell yourself 706 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,160 that you're ugly. You want to tell yourself that 707 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:28,200 just because there's a, a certain beauty that's put on the 708 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:32,960 Internet or put on, on the movie screens, that that's what beauty 709 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:34,520 is. And because you don't compare to 710 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:36,720 that, you're not beautiful. Come on. 711 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,040 We all know that there's people that were, you know, attracted 712 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:42,000 to or that other people don't like. 713 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,720 When you're at school as a, as a, as a young man, you know that 714 00:38:45,720 --> 00:38:48,720 as well as I do. Your mate fancied this girl and 715 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:50,840 then another one fancied that one and they were completely 716 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:53,560 opposite in looks. We all know that, don't we? 717 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,920 And the same with with ladies. That's why sometimes you'll see 718 00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:01,840 a drop dead gorgeous lady with a man who looks like he's got a 719 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:05,280 face like a barrel full of bashed crab shells, you know. 720 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,840 But to her he's beautiful. But to other people, they say, 721 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:10,960 why would you? Why would you go out with him? 722 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:14,600 You know, you get what I'm trying to say here. 723 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,240 I'm trying to tell you that every single one of us is 724 00:39:17,240 --> 00:39:20,040 beautiful in God's eyes. You're precious. 725 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:24,160 You're made in the image of God. So don't worry, even if people 726 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:26,720 have said things to you, they're not telling the truth. 727 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:30,640 You're a glorious creation of the Lord Jesus Christ. 728 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:32,200 And I don't want you to forget that. 729 00:39:33,360 --> 00:39:37,800 Now, I would be a fool if I didn't think that some of this 730 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:43,120 is, I don't know, open some things in people's lives. 731 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,800 It's maybe it's maybe been a bit sensitive. 732 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:47,560 Maybe I've touched a few nerves here. 733 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:52,320 And I just wonder if we all need to pray for one another. 734 00:39:52,720 --> 00:39:56,080 If you are going through something, maybe sinful seeds, 735 00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:59,080 maybe there is a temptation. And if you're feeling brave 736 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:02,240 enough, would you write that in the comments section and ask for 737 00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:04,720 prayer? If you are struggling with one 738 00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:07,680 of these things, I've talked about one of these ways where 739 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:11,160 you have got heavy thoughts. Which you again, just just leave 740 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:14,440 a prayer request in in in the comments section. 741 00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:16,920 And then I'm going to ask those of you who are watching this 742 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:21,320 video now and you're very loyal to this channel and your prayer 743 00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:24,520 warriors and you do pray. Would you just go through and 744 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:28,240 just, you know, pick out some people and just write If you 745 00:40:28,240 --> 00:40:31,320 truly will do this, I'm praying for you right now and just pray 746 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:33,080 for a few people in the comments section. 747 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:36,280 Let's all pray for one another. Please pray for me too. 748 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:38,760 I'm in this battle. It's not easy. 749 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:41,440 We've all got a battle of our mind, but we need one another. 750 00:40:41,720 --> 00:40:45,600 And that's why I love this this, this cup of Joe family here 751 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,760 because it's just so precious that we love each other. 752 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,480 Big thank you also to everyone who helps me to do this 753 00:40:51,480 --> 00:40:55,000 practically for everyone who donates through our website, 754 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:58,200 from everyone who's a channel member on here, from everyone 755 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:02,160 who supports in prayer. I honestly, I cannot do this 756 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:04,800 without you. And if I'm not always able to 757 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:08,400 stay in touch, just know I am so, so grateful. 758 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:11,480 We've just got a lot of plates in the air, doing St. preaching, 759 00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:16,080 running 4 YouTube channels, family church, all kinds of 760 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:18,920 things. But God is good and we're here 761 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,560 to to work for him. We're here to redeem the time. 762 00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:24,400 God bless you all. Thank you for watching and 763 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:26,840 please do leave your thoughts in the comments section.