1 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:19,800 I've got to start out this this message. 2 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,480 The the title of my message today is soul and scepter and 3 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,080 we're going to talk about ruling over your thought life because I 4 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,640 found. You know what, we'll read this 5 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,640 Scripture first because I see that we have this, this 6 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,240 statement being made in our society and in churches. 7 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,040 But Ephesians chapter 12, chapter 6, verse 12 says this. 8 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,360 It says for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but 9 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,520 it's against rulers, against powers, against the world forces 10 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,680 of darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,160 places. And when we say this, I think a 12 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:55,080 lot of times, believers, it's like a passion of mine to try to 13 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,960 take the spiritual concepts and make it real for you to walk 14 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,000 away and do something with. Because when we say our battle's 15 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,120 not against flesh and blood, it's a spiritual battle. 16 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,760 Well, unfortunately, a lot of believers just kind of use that 17 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:12,320 as an excuse to be like, well, send the Lord's hands when 18 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,440 nothing of the gospel, nothing that I've read in the Bible 19 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,120 alleviates your responsibility in any area of your life. 20 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,080 So if there's a battle going on, that's a spiritual battle. 21 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,280 I found the spirit battle is the root of the problem and then we 22 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:28,800 have the fruit of the problem that manifests out in the 23 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,720 natural. But somewhere in between there's 24 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,960 a blockage. So today we're going to talk 25 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:38,080 about what's in between because we know it, it should go without 26 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:39,920 saying, but we'll say it for the sake of saying it. 27 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,000 That the spiritual battle that we're that we're fighting, it 28 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,800 says we wage war not against flesh and blood, but it's a 29 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,720 spiritual one, right? That means we understand it's 30 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:54,360 going to be a prayer battle. Jesus fought 0 battles without 31 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,680 prayer. First, he goes out and spends 40 32 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,720 days in the wilderness. Just like Pastor Chase told us 33 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:02,520 last week. Jesus is out there in deep 34 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,520 prayer, in fasting, spending time with the Lord to deal with 35 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,000 a battle that came and manifested in the natural in 36 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,400 front of him, and the devil began to tempt him. 37 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,520 And throw thoughts in his mind. This is all found in Matthew 38 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,080 chapter 4. And again, I'll say this because 39 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,520 we always say this, you're not obligated to believe one word I 40 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,680 say this morning. Just like Apostle Earl says, 41 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,440 just like Pastor Angie said, just like a Pastor Chase said 42 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,560 your. Job is not to take what I'm 43 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:28,960 saying at face value and believe it because I said it. 44 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:33,160 Your job is to go back into the scripture and verify what what I 45 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,280 was saying is. So by the Holy Ghost, so in 46 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,040 Matthew chapter 4, Jesus goes out empowered by prayer in the 47 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,200 supernatural, then gets tempted in the natural and gives a 48 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,960 response to the enemy. Every time it says what it is 49 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:51,840 written, it is written. Now this temptation that he was 50 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,560 given, you understand, those were mind games. 51 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:01,120 I went on a study and I, you know, I've read through the 52 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,760 Bible a couple dozen times at this point in my life and I 53 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,760 thought every time there's an issue of sin, it always first 54 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:13,360 starts with a thought. Every time, every instance where 55 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,680 I see someone has a failure in the word of God. 56 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:17,960 And then I zoomed out from the word and went into life. 57 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:23,120 Every time I've ever known of a sin that has taken place in my 58 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,480 life or in someone else's, it's always begins with a thought 59 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:32,360 first. So we wage war in a spiritual 60 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:36,160 battle that manifests itself. Many times it says we wage war, 61 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,720 but there's many battles that can take place within a war. 62 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,560 And I found most of those battles are fought right here, 63 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,280 right here in your mind. And, and I'll just tell you, not 64 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:49,160 that I'm trying to foreshadow too much to the end of this 65 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,360 message, but Jesus came and through his death, burial, and 66 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,160 resurrection did not come just to redeem you spiritually. 67 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,760 He came to redeem every single area of your life that was 68 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,520 affected by sin. He came out to just change your 69 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:05,080 spirit. He came and gave you everything 70 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,280 you need so that you could change your thinking. 71 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:10,560 So we have to go back to the beginning. 72 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:11,880 I can never get up here and miss. 73 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,680 It's like we haven't ever exhausted Genesis chapter 1 and 74 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,040 2. And I would venture to say that 75 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,240 until the end of time, we'll never exhaust the depth of what 76 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,680 happened in the garden. You have problems today in your 77 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:24,600 life because of what happened in that garden. 78 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,720 Jesus showed up on the planet and redeemed us because of what 79 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,080 happened in that garden. So in Genesis chapter one verse 80 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,520 26, we see he says let us make man. 81 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,280 God says let us make man in our image according to our likeness 82 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:40,360 and let them what? So God didn't give man a 83 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:42,680 religion. He didn't give him a, a, a list 84 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,480 of things that this is how you sing songs on on a certain day 85 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:46,920 of the week. This is how you should preach 86 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:49,480 messages. What he gave Adam was his very 87 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:51,320 best and it was the ability to rule. 88 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,040 He crowned him with dominion and then gave him a territory to 89 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,280 rule over. That territory was Earth. 90 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:03,040 What was Adam made out of? So we should say this this 91 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,240 morning, God didn't intend man just to rule over the dirt of 92 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,160 the planet. He intended man would rule also 93 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:15,240 over the dirt of his own self. See, so many people are like, I 94 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,520 want the dominion of this Kingdom, yet they can't dominate 95 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:19,920 their own thoughts. They can't dominate their own 96 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,920 choices. Yet Jesus came to empower you to 97 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:27,720 dominate both. So this spiritual war that we're 98 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,520 waging, you understand, Jesus came and through his death, 99 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,280 burial and resurrection, made it available for you to have the 100 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:35,840 new birth and be born into the Kingdom, which changes your 101 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:39,560 spirit man. It changes you on the inside, 102 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,080 who you are, your nature, the root of the problem. 103 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,320 But I know people who pray the prayer, who make the commitment 104 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,840 that he's Lord, make a covenant with him, and then all of a 105 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:49,360 sudden go out and live the same way. 106 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:54,000 How if your roots have been changed, why isn't the fruit 107 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,880 different? It's because in between there's 108 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:00,920 this concept that we call the renewing of the mind. 109 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:06,520 So after he gives man dominion, he crowns him with, with 110 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,560 perfection, with thought, with perfect thoughts, with 111 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,280 righteousness. All Adam knew was to obey God. 112 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,040 The perfect plan was that Adam would hear the word of God, 113 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,080 believe that what God said, and then act on it. 114 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:23,760 Yet there's a spiritual battle that happened in the garden. 115 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,560 We pick up in Genesis chapter 2, and Eve, Adam's wife, shows up 116 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,120 in a tree and we see a serpent, right? 117 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:33,520 We know this is the enemy, which tells me the war that's being 118 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:35,960 waged was already there in the garden as well. 119 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:40,520 So Eve goes up and she's talking. 120 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:43,480 I'm going to paraphrase for the sake of time today, but she's 121 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,520 talking to the serpent, and the first thing that he brings her, 122 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,520 he doesn't touch her and put cancer on her body. 123 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:54,160 He couldn't do that. He doesn't come in and hypnotize 124 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:55,440 her. If this is a. 125 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:57,640 Spiritual issue, we got people walking around, we're finding 126 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,280 hypnotists and people with crystals and all kinds of things 127 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:01,800 trying to tap into a spirit realm. 128 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,120 And Eve failed in the spirit realm because she missed it in 129 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,640 the mind realm first. So whenever Eve shows up, the 130 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,280 serpent comes and brings a thought, he has a theological 131 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,120 debate. He says what did the Lord say? 132 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,080 And she said don't eat or touch of any tree of this of this tree 133 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,160 in the garden, don't touch it, don't eat it. 134 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:22,800 And he said, what'll happen? She said, I will, We will die. 135 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,160 And he said, you will surely not die. 136 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:35,280 He brought a contrary thought. In fact, that's all that his 137 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,960 domain can do. That's it. 138 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:44,640 The only thing that he can do is bring contrary thoughts. 139 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,320 And people wonder why they struggle in their life and 140 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,360 they're wondering why it's a it's a struggle in their mind 141 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,680 and, and they've got challenges in life when really it comes 142 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,000 down to you're struggling because you're listening to the 143 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:04,640 wrong voice. God spoke His word, He was clear 144 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:10,200 in the garden, yet she was crowned with glory, crowned with 145 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,920 right thinking. But the moment she listened, 146 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:17,440 believed, and submitted to the wrong voice, she traded her 147 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,560 crown of glory for a crown of chains that then, from then on, 148 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,480 humanity. Was bound in their mind and 149 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:26,520 couldn't think right and couldn't think straight. 150 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:30,000 They couldn't get their thinking together. 151 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,679 Anxiety became a problem. Depression became a problem. 152 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,080 Thoughts of hatred, thoughts of thoughts of murder became a 153 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:38,919 problem. You were saying the first murder 154 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:41,840 that happened was outside the garden with the children of Adam 155 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,040 and Eve. Her choice to just disobey God's 156 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:50,040 voice and eat the fruit caused murder to enter her family. 157 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:55,600 You know, we got people right now saying, man, they're, 158 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:57,240 they're not in their right mind. Has anybody ever heard that 159 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:00,480 phrase? Oh, the, oh, there's I suffer 160 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,240 from anxiety. Has anybody ever don't say that 161 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,120 You've said that, but has anybody ever heard somebody say 162 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,760 that? You were saying Jesus came to 163 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,440 fix that just as much as he came to fix your spirit. 164 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,240 We have so many diagnosis in the in the world that we live in 165 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,040 today, so much in psychology that tries to place a bunch of 166 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,160 different labels on just a problem of an unrenewed mind 167 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:28,040 said, well, you know, I've been diagnosed with this, an 168 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:32,320 unrenewed mind. If you're not born again, sure, 169 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:35,080 there's a whole bunch of stuff that you're going to suffer from 170 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:37,800 for the rest of your life. Because until the root of the 171 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,680 spiritual war is taking place, you'll never win the battle of 172 00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:47,080 your mind. Every action that's ever been 173 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:51,280 done begins with a thought. We can start thinking of stories 174 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,360 right now in the Bible. The historical account that the 175 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:55,320 Bible gives us. I'm telling you, there's never 176 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,680 been a better documented account of history or more widely 177 00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:01,440 distributed or more widely translated document than the 178 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,360 Bible that tells us the truth about where we've come from and 179 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:06,480 where we're going. In fact, the Bible also has the 180 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:08,360 greatest handle on the human condition. 181 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,920 You can talk to me about Plato and Socrates and all these other 182 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,400 people throughout history, but in the end, Jesus had the best 183 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,880 handle on the human condition. Solomon, David, people that were 184 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:20,720 close to God, they had the best statements. 185 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,640 Think about this in Proverbs 23 seven. 186 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,200 Proverbs 23, seven, let's put this up and let's look at this 187 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,000 together. It says for as he thinks within 188 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:33,360 himself, so is he. There's another translation that 189 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:37,120 says as a man thinketh in his heart, that's who he is. 190 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:42,120 If your thoughts weren't important, come on. 191 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,480 Let's just, let's use our brains. 192 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,160 Whenever I became a believer, when I became a Kingdom citizen, 193 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,040 God didn't tell me to check my brain at the door. 194 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:54,680 My spirit is redeemed. I'm able to comprehend the 195 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:56,560 things of the Word because of the Holy Spirit in me. 196 00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:59,920 But with the Holy Spirit. And your brain, those two things 197 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:03,920 were meant to work together. Come on. 198 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:05,440 As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. 199 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,480 When we go back to this Genesis account, the God that created 200 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,360 the heavens and the earth, the God that created the whole 201 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:14,040 universe is concerned about what you listen to, because look at 202 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,120 what he says to Eve. He whenever he looks and says, 203 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:18,400 Adam, where are you in the garden? 204 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,960 Where are you once he finds him? Adam says we hid ourselves 205 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,080 because we were naked. Then what's God's first question 206 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,880 for his failure? Who told you that? 207 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:36,760 Who told you that? He's asking what voice have you 208 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:42,480 listened to that wasn't me. Then if we Fast forward and we 209 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:44,720 get the guy who, you know, came and redeemed us, right, the 210 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,000 living embodied truth, Jesus Christ, he shows up and in in 211 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,440 his last moments. I find it interesting that he 212 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:52,040 asked the same question of Pilate. 213 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:54,440 Pilate asked him, he says, listen, are you a are you the 214 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:59,120 king of the Jews And Jesus goes, who told you about that? 215 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,320 God himself is continually asking believers today. 216 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:06,760 I promise, he's saying. Who told you that? 217 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:13,800 You realize that fear? Anxiety, worry, these are all 218 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:20,080 learned behaviors. We're not born innately to able 219 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:22,560 just to fear things. Adam didn't wasn't made and then 220 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:24,040 went, Oh my God, what am I going to do? 221 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,160 It's not what happened. In fact, even little kids you 222 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,640 can see when they're when they're first born, they trust 223 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:31,800 whoever it is that's that they're in the care of. 224 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,360 Throughout life, throughout circumstances, throughout things 225 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,080 that we experience, we begin to learn how the world in its 226 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,040 fallen state operates. And we begin to learn fear and 227 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,080 we begin to learn anxiety. And that was never God's plan. 228 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:49,160 That's why when Jesus showed up, think about it, His good gospel 229 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,640 was the Kingdom. God's governing influence on the 230 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,440 earth is here. But the first thing that he said 231 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,800 was repent, because the kingdom's back. 232 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,560 That means you've been trained to think the wrong way your 233 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:04,600 whole life. You've been trained with wrong 234 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,000 thinking. Your mind has been wrong since 235 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,760 the beginning of your existence. But when the Kingdom shows up, 236 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:14,560 it's the same call for every believer in 2025 that it was 237 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:18,600 back in year 3. Repent. 238 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:22,760 Change the way you think because you'll never enter into the 239 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,840 kingdom's fruit, even though the roots been dealt with. 240 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:30,480 If you can't change your mind and how it operates, well, 241 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:31,720 somebody's like, it's just how I am. 242 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,920 That's just, you know how I've just always been like this. 243 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,280 Jesus didn't show up for you to say I've always been like this. 244 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:38,840 He showed up, said you've always been like this. 245 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,200 Here I am to set you free. The problem with salvation is we 246 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,520 think we were saved from an end result. 247 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:47,920 When you're saved from what brings the end result, you're 248 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:51,560 saved from sin and the thinking that brings sin into your life. 249 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:54,760 Wrong actions come from wrong thinking. 250 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:57,280 Right actions come from right thinking. 251 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:00,800 So if somebody keeps saying, well, I'm in a pattern, I just 252 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,280 can't seem to break free. It's maybe it's not your spirit 253 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:08,200 man that's the problem. Maybe you refuse to take. 254 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:10,600 Responsibility over what God can't change. 255 00:14:17,420 --> 00:14:23,020 Put up Joshua 1/8. Joshua 18. 256 00:14:24,020 --> 00:14:30,480 Great book of the Bible. Joshua was telling the children 257 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:32,560 of Israel this. He says this book of the law 258 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,560 shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on 259 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:39,880 it night and day, day and night, so that you may be careful to do 260 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:41,640 according to all that is written in it. 261 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:46,600 Leave this up here. Meditate is this word that it's 262 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:47,680 not. It doesn't mean you sit down 263 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,440 with your hands in a certain way, crisscross applesauce and, 264 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,160 you know, close your eyes like something from The Lion King. 265 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:57,640 OK, but meditate literally means to turn over and think on 266 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:02,160 constantly in your mind. Meditation is a problem for 267 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,360 believers because you're given the option of what to meditate 268 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,800 on. Too many people meditate on what 269 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:11,120 they're going through. Too many people meditate on and 270 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:12,960 they're turning over in their mind that conversations that 271 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:14,880 they had that they wish they could have responded different 272 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:16,520 because they're not as quick witted as they wish they were. 273 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:18,280 And when the person said that, here's what I could have said. 274 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,280 I also could have said this and I also could have said this and 275 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:24,280 you're meditating. You're meditating on something 276 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,360 that you weren't built to meditate on. 277 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:29,320 What was Adam built to meditate on? 278 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,640 The word that proceeded out of God's mouth. 279 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,320 But then we look at Joshua and he gives us a clear picture. 280 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:39,560 He says, don't let the book of the law, the word of God, depart 281 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:42,200 from your mouth. Meditate on it night and day. 282 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,000 That means when you're laying in your bed at night, you're having 283 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,160 a sleepless night and you're riddled with anxiety, you're not 284 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,880 meditating on the right thing. He doesn't say just meditated on 285 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,600 a Sundays and on Wednesdays he says meditate on it every day, 286 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:56,840 every night. But then in the end, look at 287 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,200 this, he says do all that is according to all that is written 288 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,160 in it for then you will make your way prosperous, then you 289 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:07,640 will have success. Who makes your way prosperous? 290 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:14,600 OK? Who guarantees your success? 291 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:19,640 Who's making you have success? Too often we're trying to put 292 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:23,240 responsibility on God when he's given you the responsibility in 293 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,200 the dominion. God can't renew your mind. 294 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,480 He can change your whole spirit and give you a brand new spirit 295 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,160 on the inside, but what he won't do is renew your mind for you. 296 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:35,920 He's the God of empowerment. That means He's given you 297 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,760 everything necessary for you to do that yourself. 298 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,640 So when you go to God and you say, oh, oh, it's so bad, Lord, 299 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:44,680 just help me, help me. He's saying I've given you 300 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:49,360 everything you need. That's why I don't really care 301 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:50,720 for it. When there's songs, you know, 302 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:51,880 you go certain places, they sing songs. 303 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,880 I want more of you God. You're not going to get more of 304 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:58,200 God than he's already given. When you got born again, He 305 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,200 placed a brand new spirit, man, lacking nothing inside of you. 306 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:05,400 The problem is you got to spend the rest of your life getting 307 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,520 your mind to catch up with who you already are. 308 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,200 This isn't a video game where we get to unlock new levels every 309 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:12,800 time we come to church and we get to unlock. 310 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:15,640 No, all you're doing is getting a revelation of what's already 311 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,000 inside of you. When you go into a trial or a 312 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,119 temptation or a problem, what's already there is enough to 313 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:23,119 manifest. But the problem is people are 314 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:24,920 destroyed because they don't know. 315 00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:27,640 They don't know who they are already. 316 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:30,400 When people say, oh, I suffer from anxiety because you're 317 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,800 ignorant, the problem in your mind is not anxiety. 318 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,360 The problem in your mind is you don't know who you already are. 319 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:40,480 I struggle with depression. You know, you struggle with 320 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:41,760 meditation. That's what you are. 321 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:44,800 Let me diagnose you. You can go to a world doctor and 322 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:46,920 they say, oh, you battled with bipolarism and I'll say no. 323 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:49,640 You battle with identity, and that's only found in the Bible. 324 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:53,240 We're running to the world looking for a medication of 325 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,760 something that the Bible says. It's like medicine to my spirit 326 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,400 and my soul. What are we doing? 327 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,000 So there's a lot going on in our world right now. 328 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:04,480 There's a lot happening on social media. 329 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:05,480 There's a lot happening in the news. 330 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,840 And the last thing you need to do is start going, well, what, 331 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,440 what are they saying? And listening to the news more 332 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,520 than you're listening to what the Bible says about it. 333 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,560 Perfect love casts out all fear. And if God is love and the love 334 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:22,160 of God has been poured out or shed abroad in our hearts, you 335 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:23,760 don't have an excuse to say you're afraid. 336 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,160 What can you be afraid? What is God afraid of? 337 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:28,520 Somebody you know, somebody, raise your hand. 338 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,680 What is God afraid of? And nobody can, nobody can give 339 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:33,360 me an answer because he's not afraid of anything. 340 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:39,880 Yet that God lives in you greater is he that lives where 341 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,920 in me than he that's in the world. 342 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,760 So why would I look to the world for answers when every answer 343 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,400 that can be found, every answer that brings true life and true 344 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,360 meaning is found in the Word of God. 345 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,840 But we were made to obey first. And I need him to make this 346 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:59,040 connection because the word of God, like we saw in Joshua that 347 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:02,240 you meditate on the word so you can observe to do it. 348 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:05,040 He didn't say just know what the word says. 349 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:07,600 He said no, you need to meditate on the word so that you can know 350 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,400 how to apply it in your life. Because I would say that a lot 351 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:15,280 of people are suffering from mental health problems because 352 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,800 they've really suffered first, an obedience problem. 353 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,160 If you look at the life of Saul and you go to Second Samuel, 354 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:24,400 first and second Samuel and sees Saul and David and how this 355 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,760 plays out, Saul is anointed of God. 356 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,640 The Holy Spirit comes upon him like just like it did the 357 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,360 prophet, priest and king. He was able to prophecy by 358 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:36,160 unction of the Holy Ghost. This guy was full of God. 359 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,680 And then we Fast forward in the story to where he's sitting 360 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:44,680 alone in the darkness of his own palace, tormented in his mind. 361 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:47,440 Spirits are riddling his mind. He's going to call somebody in 362 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:51,680 to play a harp for him, an anointed person to come in and 363 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,080 play a harp. We have to say what? 364 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,920 Happened in between. We've got a guy prophesying as 365 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,120 the oracles of God and leading in the Nate God's peoples and 366 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:02,720 all of a sudden he's riddled with depression and anxiety in 367 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:05,800 his mind and can't break free. That starts acting on thoughts 368 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,080 of murder and and hurting other people. 369 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,400 You're like what is going on? But in the middle we find we can 370 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:16,240 pinpoint where it happened. That God says, listen, you're 371 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,120 going into battle, you're fighting a battle, you're making 372 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,800 sacrifices, but this next battle, I want you to go in and 373 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,240 annihilate all of it. Don't have one selfish thought 374 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:25,840 in the midst of what I've called you to do. 375 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,080 And Saul goes in and knows what God said and do. 376 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:31,560 What the word? Was and was full of the 377 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:36,000 anointing and went in and said I want what I want. 378 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:45,440 And you know what? He never repented from that. 379 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,640 From that moment on, Saul became a disgraced king. 380 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,120 And if we're all called to have dominion on this earth and 381 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:55,440 called to reign as kings and Queens over this planet and 382 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,720 reign in life in this Kingdom, you understand there are people 383 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:00,360 walking around that are disgraced kings and disgraced 384 00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:02,880 Queens because they've refused to obey a simple word from the 385 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:04,480 Lord. And they wonder why there's 386 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,120 calamity in their life and in their family. 387 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,120 It's not God's fault. If I'm going to stand up here 388 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:12,600 and be a spokesman for the king, he's never failed. 389 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:14,800 If there's a problem going on, it's not because he didn't 390 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:16,880 fulfill his word. He fulfills his word every time. 391 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,800 So if we're missing something, if something's gone astray, if 392 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,760 something's not lining up, we got to search ourselves. 393 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,120 We got to take the personal responsibility and say, where 394 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:26,880 did I miss it? Because if you look at the very 395 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:30,400 next king, King David, he, he thought a dumb thought on the 396 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:32,640 rooftop, I like her. I want her body. 397 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,040 He came, brought her in, slept with her, has committed the 398 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:39,600 adultery, Vince said. I've got to try to cover this up 399 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:44,680 and murders her husband. At this moment he's a disgraced 400 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,920 king. But somewhere with the man of 401 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:51,360 God, approaching him with the word of God, he makes a change 402 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:53,080 to where now he's a redeemed king. 403 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,800 And I'll tell you every time, the difference between disgraced 404 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:59,480 kings and redeemed kings is this word repentance. 405 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:03,000 Saul refused to repent. He refused to take 406 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:04,880 responsibility for his own actions. 407 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:07,840 And then David did the opposite. He said, I have sinned against 408 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,160 God and sought out forgiveness and then never did it again. 409 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:14,840 People say, oh, I repented from that. 410 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,680 Then why do you? Why do we keep going back to it? 411 00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:19,800 David was not the example of that. 412 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:22,040 David blew it. Yeah, he blew it that time and 413 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:27,400 did not do that again. Yes, Saul wallowed in his own 414 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:33,160 self self induced problems. His disobedience then caused an 415 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,080 open mind to come in and let be affected by other thoughts. 416 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:39,840 You don't throw a spear at God's anointed King David because 417 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,080 you're thinking right. That comes out of wrong 418 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:44,920 thinking. Which tells me we've got a lot 419 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,560 of maybe believers, but even people in the world that are 420 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:49,920 running to pill bottles looking for a harp in it. 421 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:54,280 In fact, they're coming to church and coming from 422 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:56,600 conference to conference and worship to worship so they can 423 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,040 hear a harp that'll drive away something they were made to 424 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,440 drive out themselves. Just because you show up and 425 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,680 lift your hands doesn't mean that temporary anointing's going 426 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:05,800 to carry you the rest of your life. 427 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,160 You've still got to change your mind. 428 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:10,760 Just because you can silence the lies that are in your head, just 429 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:12,840 because you can silence them momentarily doesn't mean you've 430 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:14,480 dealt with them by driving them out. 431 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,360 That's why I'm not impressed. Just because you come down to 432 00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:21,440 worship doesn't mean you're a spiritual person. 433 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,600 A spiritual person knows that they have the right to choose 434 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:33,560 the spirit or choose the flesh. These are things to think on 435 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:37,360 today because the last thing that I want to see is a bunch of 436 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:39,760 believers running around and not have the fruit they're supposed 437 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,200 to have because they haven't taken their responsibility. 438 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:44,480 See When you Got Born Again. Romans 10/9 and 10 gives us a 439 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,720 clear picture. If you confess with your mouth, 440 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:49,960 that means make a covenant that Jesus is Lord, Master, ruler, 441 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:52,920 supreme and authority in your life, your owner, that you will 442 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:56,320 be born again brand new. That the picture that it gives 443 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:58,920 us is that your spirit man, Jesus didn't come, die, be 444 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,280 buried and resurrected so that he could clean you up. 445 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,400 He came so that he could kill the old. 446 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:06,000 Remove it. And they give. 447 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,160 You something brand new. That's why at the end of every 448 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:11,720 month we have water baptism. It gives us that picture is that 449 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:14,000 whenever you stand there in the water, you're saying my old 450 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,920 spirit dies and is buried. And then when he's raised up, 451 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,600 you're raised up to newness of life in Christ. 452 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,840 The life of God that's in Christ Jesus becomes the life that 453 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:28,080 you're now anointed to live. But the problem is what he 454 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:31,520 didn't do is he didn't come over to Mr. Gus and he didn't say 455 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:34,160 you've got a brand new spirit. And also, Bam cracked open his 456 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,720 head and gave him a new brain. So the problem is when Mr. Gus 457 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:42,040 got born again, his spirit has changed, but he still thought 458 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:46,320 the same way on the inside. He now has the ability to live 459 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:48,920 right and the ability to know God and the ability to commune 460 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,120 with the Spirit of God. But in his mind, he's got to go 461 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:55,120 somewhere to find out how am I supposed to live? 462 00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,320 That's why the gospel Jesus brought wasn't a gospel that 463 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:02,720 just says, hey, just hold on, one day it'll all be better. 464 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:06,400 Just trust me. No, everything that he mentioned 465 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:10,280 in between his birth and his death was to empower you to live 466 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:12,520 the Kingdom right now in your life. 467 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,000 If your thinking is wrong, hey guess what? 468 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,880 Jesus came to fix that. And this is the battle we face 469 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,160 with the world today. It's not a battle of just 470 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:24,320 spirits. That's the root. 471 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,720 But the problem is in between the the root and the fruit is 472 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,320 the thinking. So there's a battle for the 473 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,680 thought life. The enemy wants your thoughts, 474 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,400 and so does God. In fact, because there's this 475 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,920 divine law of free will, God will never violate your free 476 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:46,240 will, which means the only way He will lead you is through your 477 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,680 thought life. He is spirit, and our spirit 478 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,360 communes with His Spirit, but the way that Spirit communes 479 00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:55,160 with our spirit is through thoughts and truth. 480 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:57,680 See, everybody's looking for truth. 481 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,400 If we go back to that conversation with Pilate, Jesus 482 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:03,280 looked at him and said, who told you this? 483 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:06,000 Wondering where did you get this truth from? 484 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:08,920 But then at the end of the conversation he says, you said 485 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:10,320 rightly, I am a king for this reason. 486 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:12,640 I was born and came to testify to the truth. 487 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,400 He who hears my voice hears the truth. 488 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,480 Then Pilate asks, what? What is truth? 489 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,840 I have found that the pursuit for truth in the human heart is 490 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:26,440 really just the pursuit for reality. 491 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:31,040 That's all that it is. What's reality? 492 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,440 We have the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, to lead us and 493 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,000 guide us to what's the reality of the situation. 494 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,480 The reality is not what labels somebody's put on you. 495 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:43,840 The reality is you've got a spiritual issue that now is that 496 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:46,480 is being diagnosed as something that's a mental issue. 497 00:26:46,480 --> 00:27:00,160 And in the end, God fixed both. Romans chapter 12 verse 2. 498 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:04,600 Romans chapter 12 verse 2. This is just. 499 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:09,520 It's crazy to me how some people miss this in their personal walk 500 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:13,480 with the King that he says listen, you got born again and 501 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,840 do we can we all agree on the inside who you were is forever 502 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:20,560 changed. You couldn't ever earn that. 503 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:22,800 It's by grace through faith alone. 504 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:26,800 Your faith in who he has changes your spirit. 505 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:30,120 No good works you could have done could have changed your 506 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:33,480 spirit. No action you could have taken, 507 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,680 no no devotion, no sacrifice could change your spirit. 508 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:38,840 That's proven throughout all history in the old covenant. 509 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,040 But then we get the writer of Roman says do not be conformed 510 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,800 to this world, but be transformed. 511 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:50,800 Did our did our spirit not get transformed when we were born 512 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,440 again? So why is he now telling born 513 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,920 again church people to transform themselves? 514 00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:02,840 It's because the root was taken care of and transformed. 515 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,280 But the fruit will never be transformed until we transform 516 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,720 it by the renewing of our minds so that we may prove what the 517 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,720 will of God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect. 518 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,760 You realize the perfect life is only as far away as your ability 519 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:18,840 to renew your mind and believe what God says. 520 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:24,520 Come on your faith when we talk. About faith. 521 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,440 Have faith. That means a firm persuasion 522 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,920 based on something I've heard. That means I've heard something, 523 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:34,000 I believed it, and I am firmly persuaded that it's true, and 524 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,040 now I'm going to act on it. And that's how faith works. 525 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,160 Everybody on this planet is operating in faith. 526 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,680 Everybody. Eve, when she disobeyed God's 527 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:51,000 command and obeyed the serpent, put faith in his words and she 528 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:56,360 acted in faith. That's why we have to read where 529 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:59,520 he says have faith in God or have the God kind of faith. 530 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,480 Why we need to believe the words that God's saying. 531 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,960 See your thought life is multiple things are being thrown 532 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:08,560 at your head. Multiple things are being 533 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:11,120 continually bombarding this mind of yours. 534 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,600 In fact, that Peter even wrote in one of his letters, he said 535 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:17,000 the enemy Satan is roaming about like a roaring lion, seeking 536 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,360 whom he may devour. And if you look in the original 537 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,480 Greek of these words that he was using, that word devour is like 538 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,280 a picture of a lion that is hovering over this carcass that 539 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:28,520 is licking up the final remnants of its blood. 540 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:30,720 He's done that much damage. He's cleaned the. 541 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,440 Bones and is sucking up the rest of the blood from this carcass. 542 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:36,800 It's a that's a graphic depiction of what the enemy is 543 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:42,320 wanting to do in your life. But he said the devil roams 544 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:44,720 about like a roaring lion seeking for somebody that he can 545 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:46,080 destroy their life to that point. 546 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,880 But that word devil's important. Devil is not his name. 547 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:53,640 It's his job description. When you see the word devil in 548 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:57,120 the Bible, it's describing what he does, not who he is. 549 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:00,880 He's got other names. We got, you know, Lucifer, we 550 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:01,920 got Satan with those things used. 551 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:04,760 But when you see the word devil used, this is a combination of 552 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:06,400 two Greek words. And listen, you want me to 553 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:08,040 pronounce that you got the wrong clay? 554 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:12,600 OK. But the first Greek word they're 555 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:18,280 used in devil is the word that is dia, which means to penetrate 556 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:21,520 all the way through. Then the second word, however 557 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:25,400 you say it means to throw with the intention of hitting over 558 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,600 and over. And it's this word that is like 559 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:29,440 it's derived from the the bolo weapon. 560 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:30,440 Has anybody ever heard of a bolo? 561 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:32,040 Has anybody ever watched a Western movie where they have 562 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,800 this rope and it's got these weights tied to the end of it 563 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,760 and they throw it and when they do, it wraps around. 564 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,160 It's a weapon that has to be thrown all the time. 565 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:40,640 So when we put. Together the word. 566 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,720 Devil, it literally means somebody who is continually 567 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:46,800 throwing with the intention to penetrate all the way through. 568 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:52,040 Then we read through Ephesians right and we got the the armor 569 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,760 of God. Instead, we have the shield of 570 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:58,000 faith that it quenches the what? Firing darts to the wicked? 571 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,960 What are these darts? What is he trying to do? 572 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:08,680 He's throwing thoughts. Because if God himself honors 573 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:11,440 free will and all that he'll do is give you thoughts, you 574 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:13,360 understand Satan has the same thing. 575 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:16,200 He cannot do anything other than just give you a thought. 576 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:21,520 If you fail, if you act unrighteous, if you sin against 577 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,600 God, it's not because the devil made you do it. 578 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:25,680 But it would be fair to say the devil made me think it. 579 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:28,600 It's because the devil made me do it. 580 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:30,400 No, he didn't, but he definitely made you think it. 581 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,120 And what you did is you entertained the thought. 582 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:35,920 You meditated day and night on something that wasn't the law of 583 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:39,520 God. I mean, think about it when you 584 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,200 say entertain, right? If I, if I invite, you know, 585 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,600 Rafael Eloise over to my house or if they, if they knock on the 586 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:48,160 door, right, I open that door, I go, Nope, not today and slam the 587 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:55,280 door. They go away or they camp out in 588 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:56,520 front of the door. But either way, they're not in 589 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,880 my home. But if I say, hey, come on in 590 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:02,240 and then I feed them something and then I have conversation 591 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,520 with them, what do we call that? We are entertaining guests. 592 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,040 The same thing works in your brain. 593 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,320 Every single thought that comes at your mind doesn't mean it 594 00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:16,400 needs to be let in and fed. In fact, he said, every 595 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,240 imagination that exalts itself above the Word of God should be 596 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:23,120 taken captive. The mind of every person should 597 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:25,400 have a foyer. And a holding cell in front of 598 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:28,520 it that every thought that comes, you put it in this place 599 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:30,560 and say, what does this align with the word? 600 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:32,880 Does this align with what God says? 601 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:37,120 If it doesn't, you cast it off. If it does, you receive it in 602 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,240 and you meditate on it and that thing will feed you and carry 603 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:42,680 you through any trial and tribulation, any kind of 604 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:43,600 circumstance you would go through. 605 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:48,680 The word of God comes and brings the answer, but there's always 606 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:52,440 the either or. If you're saying, well, I'm not 607 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,440 meditating on the word, you're meditating on something else. 608 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,520 Nobody is sitting out here thinking nothing. 609 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:06,400 Sometimes I wonder, but I know nobody's thinking nothing. 610 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:09,800 Your mind always has something going through. 611 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,160 In fact, even right now while I talk, I'm not going to try to 612 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:14,120 get into the science of the brain, but you understand your 613 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,240 thoughts can go way faster than your mouth. 614 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:19,560 As I'm talking, not only are you hearing what I'm saying, but 615 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:21,920 you're also rattling off other scriptures in your mind, maybe 616 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,080 that back up this point or other thoughts that you've had or 617 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:25,960 other guilt that you may have where you said I haven't done 618 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:27,200 this and. There's a lot of other thoughts 619 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:28,440 moving. Faster than just what I'm 620 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:32,000 saying. And I'm saying so fast, my 621 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,240 beautiful wife, Pastor Danny's over here, Simon, her hands are 622 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:40,120 smoking. But we have a problem in this 623 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,560 world that we live in that we've got a whole, we've got a whole 624 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,160 world of people whose minds are wrong and they don't understand 625 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:48,040 that Jesus came to redeem the heart, the spirit, and the mind. 626 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,040 I want to give you a few statistics real quick, just so 627 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,960 we can put this in perspective, that one in eight people in the 628 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:55,440 entire world are diagnosed with a mental disorder. 629 00:33:56,160 --> 00:34:03,360 One in eight mental disorder, 300 million people suffer from 630 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:08,760 anxiety every day, and it's reported 280 million people 631 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,639 suffer from depression just in the US alone. 632 00:34:12,639 --> 00:34:17,800 One in five adults have mental illnesses and live with them and 633 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:19,400 are medicated for them. One in five. 634 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:29,440 That's a terrible percentage for even a place like this. 19% of 635 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:34,000 US adults annually have anxiety or disorders that affect their 636 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:39,520 physical health. We can trace a lot of diseases 637 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:44,679 back to issues of the mind. There's people that are 638 00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:47,120 completely healthy yet have a disorder where they always think 639 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:59,320 they're sick. Suicide is the second leading 640 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:03,480 cause of death amongst people ages 10 to 34 in the US. 641 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:08,240 From 10 years old to the age of 34 years old, it's the second 642 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:13,240 leading cause of death. You understand the great tragedy 643 00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:16,240 of suicide is that no one's ever done it and not thought it 644 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:23,960 first, which tells me even in believers that thought should 645 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:26,000 have been dealt with with the renewing of the mind. 646 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:31,480 So many issues that plague our nation plague our even our 647 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,520 families and our extended families that you were coming up 648 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:35,960 into into October, November. This is a time where we're going 649 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:39,680 to get together at Thanksgiving. And you know, not everybody's 650 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:41,480 family members all love the Lord like you. 651 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:46,160 Do you want to hear the hot topics like anxiety, depression, 652 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,280 anger, fear, worry, stress. All of these things get brought 653 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:51,560 up around Thanksgiving by family members every time. 654 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,360 And this also tells me that you can have a born again somebody 655 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,800 that's that's got the nature of God and the spiritual part of 656 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:03,000 their life is, is taken care of. Yet they can go out and think 657 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:04,200 wrong. And when they're alone in their 658 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,680 bedroom at night or when they're when they're waking up and 659 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:08,760 traveling to work, driving by themselves, what are they 660 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:11,440 thinking? No one's ever taken their own 661 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:14,720 life just on a whim. It's something that's been 662 00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:17,520 nagging like the devil does, and throwing a thought and throwing 663 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,400 that thought over and over and over until it penetrates deep. 664 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:28,080 Into here. But Jesus came not just to save 665 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:30,840 you from hell, He came to save you from a mental hell. 666 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:34,680 Because I'm telling you right now, there's people in here, 667 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:37,680 there's we've got a whole, a whole gamut of, of different 668 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:39,640 types of beliefs and people that have come into this room right 669 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:40,800 now. There's some of you that have 670 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,000 been in the word for a while. And this is just a great 671 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:45,200 reminder for you to just stay on top of reminding yourself 672 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:47,080 there's some people in here this morning that probably have never 673 00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:50,200 heard this before in their life. There's some of you that may be 674 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:52,320 like, I don't even know what the Bible is about, and I came here 675 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:54,840 for the first time. I'm telling you, the good news 676 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:57,600 is not that Jesus came and died. That was sad. 677 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:01,360 The good news is that his death and his resurrection brought you 678 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:04,680 the ability to be whole in every single place in your life. 679 00:37:06,240 --> 00:37:09,040 That anything that was lacking in your family, anything that 680 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,640 was lacking in your upbringing, anything that's lacking inside 681 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:15,000 you right now can be made right through the Word of God 682 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:18,640 manifesting in your life. But the challenge is your spirit 683 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:21,920 can be whole, but your mind has to go on a journey of being made 684 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:25,120 new. See when we talk about this 685 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:27,720 Kingdom message, the reason we always start so often when 686 00:37:27,720 --> 00:37:30,560 Genesis chapter 1 and 2 is because that was God's perfect 687 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:33,080 scenario. That man heard the word of God, 688 00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:35,720 obeyed the word of God, had a right mind, a right heart, and 689 00:37:35,720 --> 00:37:38,160 was just living in the Kingdom in their dominion. 690 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:42,360 Yet when Jesus showed up, we use words like He came to restore. 691 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,400 Have you ever heard that He came to restore mankind? 692 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:47,920 We came to redeem humanity? Have we heard that? 693 00:37:49,240 --> 00:37:52,800 That means that little prefix RE means to bring back to 694 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,240 something? And we've seen Apostle Earl do 695 00:37:55,240 --> 00:37:56,960 it, you know, 100 times, right? Like, I've got my phone right 696 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:01,200 here and this is my will. It's to be right here on this 697 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:02,920 podium. The perfect place that I want it 698 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,240 to be is right here for the rest of service. 699 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:07,600 Yet something happens and Pastor Chase comes up and knocks it 700 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:14,280 down and it has fallen. For me to restore it or put it. 701 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:17,560 Back in the position it fell from, where do I put it with me 702 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:20,200 so that it can be safe and not have to fall again? 703 00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:24,200 No. For me to actually bring 704 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:28,000 restoration, I have to put it right back exactly in the place 705 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,160 that it fell from. This was God's plan for humanity 706 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,720 through Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. 707 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:37,880 Not to bring you to heaven where He is, but to put you back on 708 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,400 earth in the position and authority Adam had in the right 709 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,160 way of thinking that Adam had. That's why when Jesus shows up, 710 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:50,920 the first thing he said is repent That little RE. 711 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:56,200 Shows up again, go back to the right way of thinking. 712 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,960 That was in the beginning. That's why in Romans chapter 12 713 00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:04,120 verses one and two, he says be transformed by the renewing, not 714 00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:08,080 the newing of your mind. He doesn't say, hey, get a new 715 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,680 mind, you know? He says renew because it denotes 716 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:15,160 returning your mind back to the way it's supposed to think. 717 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:18,360 See, God's word doesn't just come and give you a good option 718 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:21,400 of how to live, it comes and gives you back the original 719 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:23,400 right option that you were made for. 720 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:26,720 God's word isn't here just to help you think better, it's here 721 00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:29,400 to think the way you were destined to think. 722 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:33,440 Nothing that Jesus did, nothing that the word does is just here 723 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:36,560 to be a benefit to our lives. It's the source of everything 724 00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:39,000 your your beating heart yearns for. 725 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:43,680 Get us the one thing the enemy wants you to not think about. 726 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:49,480 Life's simple. Life really is simple. 727 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:54,160 Right now in in our in our five year old class, they sing a song 728 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:58,240 that says, read your Bible, pray every day and you'll grow, grow, 729 00:39:58,240 --> 00:40:01,920 grow. Now my daughter Tori, she's four 730 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:03,560 years old. They sang her that song. 731 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:07,440 One day we came in the house, she was sitting praying this 732 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:09,200 great prayer. She's on her knees by the couch. 733 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:12,160 She's praying. We're like, what's she doing? 734 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:15,840 She's like, God bless my family, help help my cousin Mei Mei help 735 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:18,480 my mom and dad and you know, and, and she gets up and then 736 00:40:18,480 --> 00:40:20,840 she goes over to her little picture Bible and she's looking 737 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:22,200 through it and me and Danny are just kind of in awe. 738 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:23,880 Like, wow, what a good little Kingdom kid. 739 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:26,640 This is great. And when she finished reading 740 00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:32,160 what she stood up and she goes, I'm just watching like, what are 741 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:35,920 you doing? She goes, I read my Bible and I 742 00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:42,080 prayed I should be bigger. Now I get it. 743 00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:47,040 I get the principle works, but the growth is a spiritual 744 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:48,920 growth. The growth is a mental growth I 745 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,160 would expect. And we had to explain this to 746 00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:52,400 her, right? And she's only four, but she's 747 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:54,240 doing this much. There's a there's a lesson to be 748 00:40:54,240 --> 00:40:56,680 taught. I'm like, God will help you 749 00:40:56,680 --> 00:40:58,400 physically grow. He made your body. 750 00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:01,560 Don't worry about that. What you're doing when you pray 751 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,080 and grow, you grow closer to God. 752 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:04,160 You grow closer to the anointing. 753 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:05,880 You're going to have better thinking when you're older. 754 00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:07,640 If you stay in the word in prayer, you're going to have a 755 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:11,280 better way of living because you're tapped into God was like, 756 00:41:11,280 --> 00:41:13,240 but I want to be big and I said I don't want you to be big too, 757 00:41:13,240 --> 00:41:15,760 but I want you to be big on the inside first because I know a 758 00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:18,040 lot of adults that are big on the outside but so small on the 759 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:21,880 inside. Just because we teach it to 4 760 00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:24,320 year olds doesn't mean you're ever free of it at 80 years old. 761 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:26,920 Read your Bible. Why do what, Joshua? 762 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:29,840 Said, let the word of God be meditated in your mind. 763 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:32,160 Think on the word. We could go so many verses. 764 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:34,400 I mean, Paul told us think on these things, right? 765 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:36,480 Whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, 766 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:37,880 whatsoever things are of a good report. 767 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:39,240 You know where you don't find those? 768 00:41:39,240 --> 00:41:46,040 Facebook. I don't care if you follow nice 769 00:41:46,040 --> 00:41:49,160 Christian pages, you're going to have to find it somewhere in 770 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:50,600 there. So many people are meditating on 771 00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:53,440 social media or the local news that they can't get their mind 772 00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:55,720 straight at all. In fact, when they go in and 773 00:41:55,720 --> 00:41:57,640 have conversations with people, they're thinking every. 774 00:41:57,640 --> 00:41:58,680 All that comes out of their mouth is. 775 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:00,440 You know what's? Going on in the world right now. 776 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:04,080 I know what's going on in the world right now. 777 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:05,920 Can't even compare what's been going on in my heart. 778 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:09,680 Have you read your Bible? OK. 779 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:22,200 First Corinthians chapter 2 verse 16 says, for who has known 780 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:25,760 the mind of the Lord, that he would instruct him? 781 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:30,000 But we have what? The mind of Christ? 782 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,720 We have the mind of Christ. You're saying, well, you said 783 00:42:33,720 --> 00:42:35,960 when we got born again, only our spirit may change, but God 784 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:40,160 didn't change our mind. You're right, we have the mind 785 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:41,880 of Christ. When every time I open my Bible, 786 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:46,880 I have full access to the mind of Christ, but there's still the 787 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:50,840 burden of responsibility on me that I would get this mind in 788 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:52,760 me. That's why Paul wrote a letter 789 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:56,000 to the church and said, listen, let this mind be in you, that 790 00:42:56,000 --> 00:43:00,880 which is also in Christ Jesus. He didn't say you already have 791 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:02,600 this mind in you. That would say he said, let it 792 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:05,920 be, permit it. Permit the mind of Christ to be 793 00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:07,480 in you. That means you have to give it 794 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:10,520 daily permission to manifest in your thoughts. 795 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:19,520 It's arguably the only life changing word. 796 00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:26,560 Your heart, your spirit can be forever changed through the new 797 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:30,000 birth, but your life and the Kingdom coming from heaven to 798 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,200 earth through you comes only through mind renewal. 799 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:38,600 I can't act on the word if I haven't first thought on the 800 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:48,480 word. Jesus had a lot to say about our 801 00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:51,080 our human condition. He knew that 2000 years from now 802 00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:52,800 we would be working jobs to pay bills. 803 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,520 And in Matthew chapter 6, if we start in Matthew chapter 6 verse 804 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:58,560 24, I'm going to read you something that Jesus said about 805 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:00,160 your mind. And this should hit home for a 806 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:02,080 lot of people, especially if you've in your past dealt with 807 00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:05,520 anxiety or worry or frustration that you seem to not be able to 808 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:07,160 get free of. Let me let me read this to you. 809 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:13,640 Matthew chapter 6 verse 24 says no one can serve 2 masters for 810 00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:16,200 either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be 811 00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:18,080 devoted to 1 and despise the other. 812 00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:21,600 You cannot serve God and wealth. But I would like to say that 813 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:24,040 when Jesus talks, you understand it goes a little bit more than 814 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:27,040 just face value. When He said no one can serve 2 815 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:29,360 masters because you'll either love one and hate the other or 816 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:31,880 you'll be devoted to 1 and not serve the other, then that means 817 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:34,080 it's going to have to do more than just cash. 818 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:36,960 We've taught this from the financial perspective, but you 819 00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:41,040 understand you can't serve God and also serve the words of the 820 00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:42,520 enemy. Eve proved that out in the 821 00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:44,920 beginning. Adam proved that out through his 822 00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:47,400 disobedience. His submission to the enemy is 823 00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:49,160 what forfeited his right to dominate. 824 00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:51,920 So this goes for anything in your life. 825 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:56,080 You cannot submit your thinking to 1 and not also be negating 826 00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:58,000 the other. You can't say I want to do what 827 00:44:58,000 --> 00:44:59,520 I want to do without also negating. 828 00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:01,040 I don't want to do what God wants me to do. 829 00:45:02,760 --> 00:45:04,720 Well, I'm not obeying the devil. Well, you're not obeying God. 830 00:45:04,720 --> 00:45:14,600 And there's an either or. He says for this reason, I say 831 00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,080 to you, do not be worried about your life. 832 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:23,760 We can stop right there. Do not be worried about your 833 00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:27,640 life. You know, you realize all 834 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:30,320 through the Bible when God speaks or Jesus speaks, 835 00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:32,360 something I've never found where he made a suggestion. 836 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:36,320 He always gives a command. He doesn't just present you 837 00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:38,280 options. He always tells you the exact 838 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:40,240 right thing to do. Either do it or don't. 839 00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:46,160 That's how a king works. A king decrees his word and his 840 00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,680 word becomes law. And a King's word is either to 841 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:52,760 be obeyed and submitted to or rejected and rebelled against. 842 00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:57,480 Yet right here Jesus tells all believers, present and future, 843 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:02,560 do not worry about your life. See brother, I'm just so worried 844 00:46:02,920 --> 00:46:05,000 that then would be disobeying the word of the King. 845 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:10,640 That would be how we define sin. Sin always brings about what 846 00:46:10,640 --> 00:46:12,600 payment? Death. 847 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:16,880 So if there's. Death in an area of your life, 848 00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:19,320 Have you been worried about it? Have you been consumed in a 849 00:46:19,320 --> 00:46:21,240 thought that wasn't God's thought about that area? 850 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:26,160 OK, this is just questions, he says. 851 00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:29,360 Do not worry about your life as to what you will eat, what you 852 00:46:29,360 --> 00:46:32,480 will drink, or As for your body, as what to you put on for His 853 00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:34,040 life. Not more than food is the body, 854 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:36,200 not more than clothing. Look to the birds of the sky. 855 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:38,720 They do not sow, nor do they reap, nor they gather the crops 856 00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:41,240 into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 857 00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:44,400 Are you not worth much more than they are, or more important than 858 00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:45,680 they are? He says. 859 00:46:45,880 --> 00:46:48,880 And which of you, by worrying, can add a single day to his 860 00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:51,320 lifespan? And why are you worried about 861 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:52,720 clothing? Notice how the lilies of the 862 00:46:52,720 --> 00:46:54,600 field grow. They do not labor, they do not 863 00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:56,760 toil or spin. Yet I say to you that not even 864 00:46:56,760 --> 00:46:59,680 Solomon in all of his glory clothed himself like one of 865 00:46:59,680 --> 00:47:01,560 these. But if God so clothes the grass 866 00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:04,160 of the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown 867 00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:07,000 into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? 868 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:13,800 O you of little faith, do not worry then, saying. 869 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:19,680 He says it again. Do not worry saying do not worry 870 00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:24,120 saying. Yet for some reason I get around 871 00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:27,960 Christians and they're saying stuff they're worried about. 872 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:31,800 Man, did you see what happened? I don't know what's going to 873 00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:33,840 happen. I don't, you know, I got a bill 874 00:47:33,840 --> 00:47:36,240 in the in the mail and and you know, you realize God, anytime 875 00:47:36,240 --> 00:47:37,440 you've gotten a bill that was a surprise. 876 00:47:37,440 --> 00:47:39,320 It wasn't a surprise to God. He's omnipresent. 877 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:41,400 He saw when they stamped it and sent it to you. 878 00:47:45,120 --> 00:47:46,880 If somebody's calling collections on you, God was 879 00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:48,360 there when they sent the letter in the 1st place. 880 00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:51,080 So he's not looking at going, Oh my God, what are we going to do? 881 00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:55,000 You know what I can't, I can't come through. 882 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:58,240 This is $300. I, I'm infinite. 883 00:47:58,240 --> 00:48:00,640 I own the cattle on 1000 hills. But I'm going to have to fail 884 00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:05,560 you this time. Well, it's silly, but there are 885 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:08,160 people who have genuine stress in their life when that shows up 886 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:13,560 and it's not laughable. You get worried about little 887 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:16,320 things, you get anxious about little stuff. 888 00:48:16,320 --> 00:48:18,960 Whenever your job is to renew your mind to get into the word 889 00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:20,960 of God, to meditate on what the God's Word says and live a 890 00:48:20,960 --> 00:48:24,400 stress free life. Every Kingdom citizen is 891 00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:28,200 guaranteed a stress free life if they meditate and apply the word 892 00:48:28,200 --> 00:48:30,400 of God. If you have stress, it's your 893 00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:36,440 fault because he says Gentiles are eagerly seeking after these 894 00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:39,520 things, but your heavenly Father knows that you have need of 895 00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:42,440 them. So seek first his Kingdom and 896 00:48:42,440 --> 00:48:45,720 his righteousness and all these things will be provided for you. 897 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:49,280 God doesn't just say don't worry and then that give you a reason. 898 00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:53,240 He says don't worry because everything that you could worry 899 00:48:53,240 --> 00:48:56,240 about I'll take care of. If you seek my Kingdom and you 900 00:48:56,240 --> 00:48:58,840 apply what my word says and stay in right alignment with the 901 00:48:58,840 --> 00:49:02,000 governing authority, then the next verse we always read, 902 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:05,360 Matthew 633 writes seek first the Kingdom, but look at Matthew 903 00:49:05,360 --> 00:49:09,120 634. He says, so do not worry about 904 00:49:09,120 --> 00:49:12,920 tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. 905 00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:15,440 Each day has enough trouble of its own. 906 00:49:17,040 --> 00:49:19,960 People don't lose sleep just because of what happened during 907 00:49:19,960 --> 00:49:22,680 their present day. They lose sleep because they're 908 00:49:22,680 --> 00:49:24,840 stressed about what will this produce in my future? 909 00:49:30,280 --> 00:49:34,280 He says don't worry about your life, don't do it. 910 00:49:40,270 --> 00:49:44,150 It is good because if we can get this, what can stop us? 911 00:49:45,710 --> 00:49:46,950 That's why I love the words so much. 912 00:49:46,950 --> 00:49:49,070 I love this message of the Kingdom because the good news 913 00:49:49,070 --> 00:49:52,630 that Jesus brought is if you hear and obey like Adam was 914 00:49:52,630 --> 00:49:56,230 supposed to, like Jesus proved that we can, if you do this, 915 00:49:56,230 --> 00:49:58,840 you'll be unstoppable. What can be impossible for a 916 00:49:58,840 --> 00:50:01,560 people who show up and hear the word of God, believe the Word of 917 00:50:01,560 --> 00:50:03,720 God, act on the word of God, and aren't moved by what's around 918 00:50:03,720 --> 00:50:08,640 them, they're unstoppable. What can happen for a body of 919 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:10,480 believers if they show up at Anchor Faith Church and they say 920 00:50:10,480 --> 00:50:13,200 we're all in the unity of the Spirit because we all believe 921 00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:15,720 what God said. We have acted on what God said 922 00:50:15,720 --> 00:50:18,440 and now we're moving forward and saying what can stop us? 923 00:50:19,880 --> 00:50:22,680 But it first has to take place in your own mind and in your own 924 00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:24,200 heart. It does no good for you to come 925 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:27,080 in here and say Amen, Hallelujah and then stand up in your chair 926 00:50:27,080 --> 00:50:28,200 and lift your hands, glory to God. 927 00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:30,320 And then you go home and lay in your bed and think stupid 928 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:37,900 things. It does no good for for you to 929 00:50:37,900 --> 00:50:39,540 have an an issue that needs to be dealt with. 930 00:50:39,540 --> 00:50:41,540 And one of the pastoral staff comes and says, Hey, there's an 931 00:50:41,540 --> 00:50:43,340 adjustment that we got to make and you go, Amen. 932 00:50:43,340 --> 00:50:44,420 I'll believe it. Thank you, pastor. 933 00:50:44,420 --> 00:50:46,180 And you walk away and you're like, man, I'm just so sorry. 934 00:50:46,180 --> 00:50:47,820 I'm such a piece of trash. I'm not even good enough. 935 00:50:48,020 --> 00:50:50,460 Why is God even? We've missed the point. 936 00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:53,560 Are you saying what God's saying? 937 00:50:54,280 --> 00:50:55,560 Are you thinking what God's thinking? 938 00:51:02,770 --> 00:51:06,210 We were born to think a certain way and Jesus brought back that 939 00:51:06,210 --> 00:51:08,370 way of thinking. He came and did all that he did 940 00:51:08,370 --> 00:51:11,530 so he could restore you. He could get let you renew. 941 00:51:11,690 --> 00:51:13,410 Go back to your original thinking. 942 00:51:16,770 --> 00:51:19,640 You know, I think a lot in this, you know, in the past couple 943 00:51:19,640 --> 00:51:21,600 weeks, a lot of things have been happening in our nation, in our 944 00:51:21,600 --> 00:51:23,160 society. And it's caused people that, you 945 00:51:23,160 --> 00:51:25,360 know, wonder the question, you know, would I, would I die for 946 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:27,280 what I believe? Would I die for this, this 947 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:30,480 Kingdom that I've, you know, so strongly say that I represent? 948 00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:34,480 But so many people have probably said that to me where I would 949 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:38,240 have to look back at them and say you wouldn't because you 950 00:51:38,240 --> 00:51:40,240 don't prove that you would be willing to die for something 951 00:51:40,240 --> 00:51:45,120 unless you live for it first. I've never had to ask myself, 952 00:51:45,120 --> 00:51:47,240 would I die for this Kingdom? Because in the end I know I've 953 00:51:47,240 --> 00:51:48,840 proved that I would because I've lived for it. 954 00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:52,200 I made the choice every day to apply the Kingdom, to know the 955 00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:54,200 Kingdom. I've made the choice to put down 956 00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:56,160 my flesh. That right there is enough for 957 00:51:56,160 --> 00:51:59,400 me to say I have done what Romans chapter 12 verse 2 says, 958 00:51:59,600 --> 00:52:02,120 present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable 959 00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:05,000 unto God. Come on, that's your reasonable 960 00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:08,960 service of worship. But it starts in changing your 961 00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:12,680 thinking if you're not willing to start saying over yourself 962 00:52:12,680 --> 00:52:14,880 what God says, if you're not willing to identify with what 963 00:52:14,880 --> 00:52:16,320 God says. That's why I can't really stand 964 00:52:16,560 --> 00:52:19,200 the, the, the when believers come and they're like, oh, I go 965 00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:21,360 to a A every week and I say, I am an alcoholic. 966 00:52:22,880 --> 00:52:27,720 You've missed the gospel. He didn't come to save 967 00:52:27,720 --> 00:52:29,640 Alcoholics. He came to get Alcoholics 968 00:52:29,680 --> 00:52:32,120 changed to not be Alcoholics anymore. 969 00:52:32,320 --> 00:52:34,480 I'm just an alcoholic saved by no, you're not. 970 00:52:35,160 --> 00:52:37,560 That's why it just irks me so bad when somebody's like, oh, 971 00:52:37,560 --> 00:52:40,520 we're all just sorry sinners saved by grace. 972 00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:43,680 No, no, no. The save by grace part means 973 00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:45,480 that you used to be something that died. 974 00:52:46,160 --> 00:52:49,400 Now you're something brand new. You used to be. 975 00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:50,760 So don't identify. Let's see. 976 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:52,880 That's a problem in the mind. That's not a spirit problem. 977 00:52:52,880 --> 00:52:54,480 God made you brand new when you were born again. 978 00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:56,360 But in your mind you still can't get past. 979 00:52:56,440 --> 00:53:00,000 Here's what I am. Oh, I'm just a human. 980 00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:02,440 Human sin, we fail, we make mistakes. 981 00:53:02,440 --> 00:53:08,720 No, no, no, not Kingdom humans. Are you a regular human or are 982 00:53:08,720 --> 00:53:12,720 you a Kingdom human? That's why it's. 983 00:53:12,720 --> 00:53:14,160 Difficult. I've been in places before and 984 00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:15,800 you're ministering and people, Oh, you think you're better than 985 00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:21,320 me? Yes, my life is better because 986 00:53:21,320 --> 00:53:22,800 I'm in the Kingdom. If you're not in the Kingdom, 987 00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:24,480 then you don't have the source of true life. 988 00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:27,360 I don't think as a person, God cares about me more than he 989 00:53:27,360 --> 00:53:29,040 would care about you. I'm not a better. 990 00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:31,160 I'm not just better because God says that I'm better. 991 00:53:31,160 --> 00:53:33,280 I'm better because my life is better because I based it on 992 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:35,000 better choices. So if you're asking me to 993 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:36,720 compare, your life is built on sand. 994 00:53:36,720 --> 00:53:39,880 My house is my life is built on a rock like a house, and the 995 00:53:39,880 --> 00:53:41,400 storms come. Which is better? 996 00:53:42,840 --> 00:53:45,400 I have a better foundation because I've chosen the word. 997 00:53:45,520 --> 00:53:47,160 I have a better foundation in my thoughts. 998 00:53:47,160 --> 00:53:49,440 I'm not riddled by every time somebody says something negative 999 00:53:49,440 --> 00:53:52,040 about me, but there's some people whose whole life 1000 00:53:52,040 --> 00:53:54,320 collapses and falls apart if somebody gives them negative 1001 00:53:54,320 --> 00:53:57,720 criticism. They go through and they're 1002 00:53:57,720 --> 00:54:00,760 reading on comments and they. You're opposed to think who's. 1003 00:54:00,760 --> 00:54:02,000 Saying what? What are they saying? 1004 00:54:03,680 --> 00:54:06,160 And they get so moved by that. When that's a storm of life, 1005 00:54:06,160 --> 00:54:08,000 Come on, people are going to disagree with you. 1006 00:54:08,240 --> 00:54:09,480 These things are going to happen. 1007 00:54:09,680 --> 00:54:11,480 And if you fall apart every time, it's probably because you 1008 00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:12,840 haven't based your identity on the word. 1009 00:54:12,840 --> 00:54:14,320 You've based it on people's opinions. 1010 00:54:20,330 --> 00:54:22,650 Hey man, let's wrap this up with Colossians chapter 3. 1011 00:54:24,410 --> 00:54:26,570 Colossians chapter 3 verses one through 3. 1012 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:31,320 Come on, this is for us. It says. 1013 00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:34,360 Therefore if you have been raised with Christ, have you 1014 00:54:34,360 --> 00:54:36,880 been raised up with Christ? Have you been born again? 1015 00:54:36,880 --> 00:54:38,960 Have a brand new spirit man on the inside of you? 1016 00:54:39,960 --> 00:54:41,880 Come on, if you've been raised with Christ, then what? 1017 00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:47,560 Keep seeking the things above, not the things that are of this 1018 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:53,160 earth, for you have died and your life is now hidden with 1019 00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:57,720 Christ in God. So keep seeking the things 1020 00:54:57,720 --> 00:54:58,880 above. There's another one that says, 1021 00:54:58,880 --> 00:55:01,800 look, verse 2. Set your mind on the things 1022 00:55:01,800 --> 00:55:03,720 above, not on the things that are on this earth. 1023 00:55:04,960 --> 00:55:07,560 So seek what's above. Set your mind on the things 1024 00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:09,320 above. Let me break this down to be 1025 00:55:09,320 --> 00:55:11,320 actually really real for you for a minute. 1026 00:55:11,440 --> 00:55:14,680 I grew up in church. My my parents were associate 1027 00:55:14,680 --> 00:55:16,880 pastors at the church I grew up in for a time, which means as a 1028 00:55:16,880 --> 00:55:19,160 kid, I got to sit and listen to a lot of adults talk. 1029 00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:21,920 And there was this phrase that kept getting brought up by 1030 00:55:21,920 --> 00:55:23,440 people that would have to be correct. 1031 00:55:23,440 --> 00:55:25,440 But they would say, oh, you know, some people are so 1032 00:55:25,440 --> 00:55:27,280 heavenly minded, they're no earthly good. 1033 00:55:27,280 --> 00:55:31,200 Has anybody ever heard that? So heavenly minded, they're no 1034 00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:35,320 earthly good. And as a kid, I thought, yeah, I 1035 00:55:35,320 --> 00:55:36,680 can see that. And then all of a sudden, one 1036 00:55:36,680 --> 00:55:40,160 day I had this thought, wait, was Jesus heavenly minded? 1037 00:55:41,120 --> 00:55:44,480 In fact, who that has ever walked this planet was more 1038 00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:49,720 heavenly minded than Jesus, yet on the same side, who has ever 1039 00:55:49,720 --> 00:55:52,800 existed on this earth that was more earthly good than Jesus? 1040 00:55:55,960 --> 00:55:58,440 So when he says set your mind on things above, let me tell you 1041 00:55:58,440 --> 00:56:01,280 what he's not saying. He's not saying to be a weirdo 1042 00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:04,560 and walk around going, oh brother, I don't even think 1043 00:56:04,560 --> 00:56:07,080 about anything in in this life. I'm only thinking about heaven 1044 00:56:07,080 --> 00:56:10,560 and its rewards and its returns. No, no, setting your mind on the 1045 00:56:10,560 --> 00:56:13,600 things above from a religious perspective can be weird like 1046 00:56:13,600 --> 00:56:14,800 that. You're you're allowed to be 1047 00:56:14,800 --> 00:56:17,760 weird in religion. We're not in religion. 1048 00:56:18,880 --> 00:56:21,360 If we have been entered into a government called the Kingdom of 1049 00:56:21,360 --> 00:56:24,600 God, then setting your mind on the home country means the way 1050 00:56:24,600 --> 00:56:27,640 that it operates, its culture, its laws, its decrees. 1051 00:56:27,640 --> 00:56:28,880 Those are the things I think about. 1052 00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:31,840 So when I enter a situation, my mind being set on above doesn't 1053 00:56:31,840 --> 00:56:33,200 mean I'm ignoring what's on the earth. 1054 00:56:33,360 --> 00:56:35,600 It means that I'm getting my response from above. 1055 00:56:37,240 --> 00:56:39,360 So he's saying set your mind on things above doesn't mean, hey, 1056 00:56:39,360 --> 00:56:41,360 just walk around and don't try to think about anything that's 1057 00:56:41,360 --> 00:56:42,960 going on in your life and only think holy thoughts. 1058 00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:45,240 No, no, no. All of your thoughts come from 1059 00:56:45,240 --> 00:56:49,600 the throne. And and you know, not to 1060 00:56:49,600 --> 00:56:51,320 disappoint you, but it's not because he's going to have some 1061 00:56:51,320 --> 00:56:53,120 big booming voice from his throne and tell you what to do 1062 00:56:53,120 --> 00:56:54,640 every situation. What he's going to do is point 1063 00:56:54,640 --> 00:56:56,880 you back to his written, documented word. 1064 00:56:57,360 --> 00:56:59,320 See, as believers, we're called to not just renew. 1065 00:56:59,320 --> 00:57:01,160 Our mind. But once we've renewed our mind, 1066 00:57:01,280 --> 00:57:04,560 we are called to set. Our mind in that fixed unmovable 1067 00:57:04,560 --> 00:57:07,160 position of being from above.