1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,560 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. Have you ever looked back in time and considered 2 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:21,000 how certain defining moments have shaped your life in future? Today, John Metter, lead 3 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:25,200 pastor of Cross City Church, looks at the importance of defining moments and how we 4 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:35,640 can recognize what God is saying through them. Well, I'm so glad to be back with you this 5 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:41,200 week. We spent the last week or two in California, my wife and I, where it never gets above 75 6 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:46,800 degrees and it's 55 degrees at night. Can somebody say amen? I mean, that was a great, 7 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,240 great place. But if you go to the beach, you get sunburned within 30 minutes. So it's just 8 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:55,320 a really amazing place. We hated to come back, but this is home. So here we are, 105 degrees 9 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:59,600 home and we are, we're glad to be back. I'm convinced that people would not stay in California 10 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,280 if it were not for the weather and the great beaches. Otherwise, that'd probably all come 11 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,640 here. But we, we're really glad to be home. We're glad to be back with you and I can't 12 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:12,640 wait to share this message with you. If you have your Bibles this morning, please take 13 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:17,800 them and turn to Romans chapter 12, verses one and two, probably some of the most familiar 14 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:24,800 passages of scripture that you have heard before, heard, shared before, perhaps put 15 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,680 in your heart and life before. And today I want to talk to you about defining habits. 16 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:36,280 Our defining moment series is about moments in life where something happens to us that 17 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:41,360 changes the future completely. About 10 years down the road and 15 years and 20 years down 18 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:46,400 the road, in some cases longer, we look back to those defining moments and say, that was 19 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:52,480 the moment my life changed. We've talked about moments of salvation. We talked about moments 20 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:58,080 of catastrophe where bad things happened to us and then how we respond to those bad things 21 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:04,280 affects us for the rest of our lives. Last week you heard from someone who shared a message 22 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:11,280 about a defining moment of learning to trust God and obey God that he couldn't think possible 23 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,940 before. Today I want to talk to you about defining habits, a little bit different from 24 00:02:15,940 --> 00:02:21,760 defining moments, defining habits or moments when you learn, if I do this on a regular 25 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:27,640 basis, I know the outcome will be different from what I'm getting right now. And I promise 26 00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:32,160 you today, two habits that will change your life. Please stand with me as we read the 27 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:37,160 Bible today, Romans chapter 12, verse one and two. 28 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:44,160 Paul says to the church at Rome, therefore I urge you brethren by the mercies of God 29 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:50,520 to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual 30 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:56,160 service of worship. Verse two, you're more familiar with perhaps, and do not be conformed 31 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:03,160 to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the 32 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:08,160 will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 33 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,680 Now be honest with me this morning, how many of you know verse two pretty well? Would you 34 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:17,960 raise your hand if you do? And I think many of us do. But today I want to ask you to make 35 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:24,960 sure that verse two, all these verses of course, but verse two is part of your life. Not just 36 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:31,480 something you remember a little bit about, but part of the habit of your life. 37 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:38,480 Join me in prayer. Father in Jesus name, help us to see the power of this habit. Help us 38 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:45,480 to see what happens when we do this over and over, and how you promised to transform us, 39 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,080 and how you promised to get us out of the mold that the world wants to squeeze us into. 40 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:55,620 Lord today, by the power of your Holy Spirit, speak to us loudly in our hearts and minds. 41 00:03:55,620 --> 00:04:02,620 We ask this in Jesus name and all God's people said amen. Amen. Please be seated if you would. 42 00:04:02,620 --> 00:04:09,620 These verses are quite frankly verses that I've known most of my life, even as a child. 43 00:04:10,300 --> 00:04:14,180 I can remember my parents showing me these verses. I can remember hearing about them 44 00:04:14,180 --> 00:04:19,900 in Sunday school classes that I went to. I can remember them on memory cards that were 45 00:04:19,900 --> 00:04:25,900 placed in front of me. Memorize this passage John, memorize this verse John, and I memorize 46 00:04:25,900 --> 00:04:30,460 the verse, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your 47 00:04:30,460 --> 00:04:34,700 mind so that you can prove that which is that good acceptable and perfect will of God. 48 00:04:34,700 --> 00:04:39,180 But I have to say that for years those verses were in my mind and heart, but they weren't 49 00:04:39,180 --> 00:04:44,580 taking root. They weren't growing. They weren't affecting me in any way. The reason they weren't 50 00:04:44,580 --> 00:04:49,420 affecting me is because I was not obeying them. I was not doing what these verses told 51 00:04:49,420 --> 00:04:54,620 me to do. I didn't have the habit that these verses are telling us to have. I didn't have 52 00:04:54,620 --> 00:05:01,620 the practice that they promised to bring reward to. I wasn't getting the outcomes that I was 53 00:05:01,900 --> 00:05:07,140 hoping I could get because I wasn't putting into my life what I was called to put into 54 00:05:07,140 --> 00:05:10,540 my life. So we have this passage today and I want to share with you some things. This 55 00:05:10,540 --> 00:05:13,780 passage is so powerful for your life in the days ahead. 56 00:05:13,780 --> 00:05:17,500 But first before we dive into the two habits I want to give you two reasons that we ought 57 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:24,500 to be doing this. Two reasons, two whys. Should I pay attention to verse one and two? Pay 58 00:05:24,500 --> 00:05:28,660 attention to the two habits verse two tells me to have. Why should I do that? Why should 59 00:05:28,660 --> 00:05:33,300 I interrupt, disrupt what I'm doing now in order to put this into my life? And we go 60 00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:34,780 back to verse one for that. 61 00:05:34,780 --> 00:05:38,820 So in verse one we find Paul starting off this text by saying, therefore I urge you 62 00:05:38,820 --> 00:05:45,820 brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice accepted 63 00:05:46,020 --> 00:05:50,660 with God which is your spiritual service of worship. Now I hope you realize this is a 64 00:05:50,660 --> 00:05:57,300 huge request. The apostle Paul says to the church in unusual terms he's beseeching them, 65 00:05:57,300 --> 00:06:02,740 he's begging them, he's imploring them, he's pleading with them. He said I beseech you 66 00:06:02,740 --> 00:06:08,740 by the mercies of God. And then what he asks them to do is a huge order, it's a tall task. 67 00:06:08,740 --> 00:06:14,780 I urge you to give yourself, to sacrifice yourself to God. Present your bodies as a 68 00:06:14,780 --> 00:06:20,540 living and holy sacrifice to God and that's only reasonable for you. That's your spiritual 69 00:06:20,540 --> 00:06:25,460 service of worship, that's how you really worship him. Now that may be a new idea for 70 00:06:25,460 --> 00:06:31,340 some of you today. Worship is not what we get out of a song service. It's not what we 71 00:06:31,340 --> 00:06:37,140 get out of someone's teaching. Worship is not what we get out of a feeling or an aura 72 00:06:37,140 --> 00:06:42,900 or an environment that helps things feel spiritual. That's not what worship is. Worship is not 73 00:06:42,900 --> 00:06:48,300 also not saying oh that's my favorite song. I love that vibe, I love that beat, I love 74 00:06:48,300 --> 00:06:53,540 to hear it over and over. Even if it stimulates you to love Jesus more, that's not what worship 75 00:06:53,540 --> 00:06:59,980 is. Worship is not what you get out of something, worship is what you bring into something. 76 00:06:59,980 --> 00:07:06,980 And Paul's telling us to bring our everything to Christ. Present your bodies as a living 77 00:07:07,780 --> 00:07:14,420 and holy sacrifice to God. In other words, it's not your offering that he's looking 78 00:07:14,420 --> 00:07:20,820 for, it's not the animals that were sacrificed in the Old Testament that he's looking for. 79 00:07:20,820 --> 00:07:25,620 It's not just cleaning up on Sundays and habitual worship, getting into worship week in and 80 00:07:25,620 --> 00:07:30,380 week out and singing the songs and doing the things. It's not just that he's looking for, 81 00:07:30,380 --> 00:07:37,380 he's looking for you to give yourself to him completely. I love what C.S. Lewis says about 82 00:07:38,180 --> 00:07:44,020 this in his book, Mere Christianity. I even love the lingo he uses. He says, hand over 83 00:07:44,020 --> 00:07:49,380 the whole natural self. All the desires you think are innocent as well as all the desires 84 00:07:49,380 --> 00:07:53,860 you think are wicked. The whole outfit, I love that line. Give him the whole outfit, 85 00:07:53,860 --> 00:08:00,060 give God your whole outfit, everything about you. And I will give you, scripture says, 86 00:08:00,060 --> 00:08:06,940 a new self instead. In fact, I'll give you myself. I'll give you my will and it shall 87 00:08:06,940 --> 00:08:12,740 become your will. Again, C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, a great book to read by the 88 00:08:12,740 --> 00:08:18,220 Lord. So this kind of sacrifice that he asks us to bring him is a life transforming kind 89 00:08:18,220 --> 00:08:25,220 of sacrifice. In fact, our lives are not transformed until we bring this sacrifice to him. As long 90 00:08:25,220 --> 00:08:31,300 as you hold your life in your own hands, nothing will change. As long as you keep thinking 91 00:08:31,300 --> 00:08:37,660 the way you have thought, nothing is different. As long as you don't invest your whole self 92 00:08:37,660 --> 00:08:43,580 in Christ, there will not be those great outcomes you find in verse two. You won't be able 93 00:08:43,580 --> 00:08:47,660 to know what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is, and you won't be able to 94 00:08:47,660 --> 00:08:52,940 prove or process the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God if you don't first present 95 00:08:52,940 --> 00:08:58,980 your bodies of living sacrifice to Christ, which is what Paul is saying. So the obvious 96 00:08:58,980 --> 00:09:06,620 question for us today is why? Why would we do that? Why would we as believers in this 97 00:09:06,620 --> 00:09:12,180 world, in this time, do what this passage tells us to do? And I think the answer is 98 00:09:12,180 --> 00:09:17,900 in this chapter, but even more so in the chapter that precedes that. So I want you to back 99 00:09:17,900 --> 00:09:23,420 up just a few verses. If you have your Bibles open, go all the way back to chapter 11, verse 100 00:09:23,420 --> 00:09:29,220 33, and then verse 36. Maybe you know this already. But the translators, when they made 101 00:09:29,220 --> 00:09:35,100 the translations of scripture, added the chapter numbers and the verse numbers. In the original 102 00:09:35,100 --> 00:09:39,340 language, there are no chapter numbers. There are no verse numbers, and it's helpful for 103 00:09:39,340 --> 00:09:43,940 them to do that. I think it's helpful to be able to know this chapter 12 is where a thought 104 00:09:43,940 --> 00:09:48,700 idea begins to progress onto another thought idea and so forth. It's helpful for us to 105 00:09:48,700 --> 00:09:54,460 organize 66 whole books of the Bible into bite-sized and readable portions. I appreciate 106 00:09:54,460 --> 00:10:00,580 the translators' work, but sometimes the translators don't give us quite the context we need, and 107 00:10:00,580 --> 00:10:07,580 that's the case here. Chapter 12, verse 1, begins with what kind of word? The word therefore. 108 00:10:07,580 --> 00:10:10,780 And every time you see the word therefore, you have to go back and look at what it's 109 00:10:10,780 --> 00:10:16,020 built on, what it's based on. Now, if Paul is asking me to give my whole life as a living 110 00:10:16,020 --> 00:10:21,700 sacrifice to God, I have a good question. Why should I do that? And in verse 33 and 111 00:10:21,700 --> 00:10:28,000 verse 36, he tells us why. Let's look at those verses. He says, all the depths of the riches 112 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:35,000 of both the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable 113 00:10:35,700 --> 00:10:42,700 his ways. And then verse 36 says, for from him and through him and to him are all things. 114 00:10:43,020 --> 00:10:48,820 To him be the glory forever. Amen. And I think this answers my question. The question of 115 00:10:48,820 --> 00:10:54,540 why do I need to be the sacrifice? Why would I give myself to him? Why should we have defining 116 00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:59,260 moments like this where we expect God to speak to us and our lives are changed? Why does 117 00:10:59,260 --> 00:11:04,700 it matter what habits we cultivate with God? And here's the answer of why. Let me summarize 118 00:11:04,700 --> 00:11:10,820 it for you. The greatness of God and the glory of God should motivate ourselves to give ourselves 119 00:11:10,820 --> 00:11:17,820 to him and have defining moments with him. The greatness of God and the glory of God 120 00:11:17,820 --> 00:11:24,100 are greater than anything else this world has to offer. In fact, Paul goes so far as 121 00:11:24,100 --> 00:11:28,780 to say you can't even get to the depths of God. They're unfathomable to your mind. They're 122 00:11:28,780 --> 00:11:34,260 unsearchable to the way you know how to search for things. Most of us are Google experts. 123 00:11:34,260 --> 00:11:40,620 Try to search for on Google the unsearchable riches of God. Try to find out the unfathomable 124 00:11:40,620 --> 00:11:46,300 justice and wisdom of God. Google can't help you, but God can. And that's why the scripture 125 00:11:46,300 --> 00:11:50,340 says give your whole self to him and you're going to find out things about God and about 126 00:11:50,340 --> 00:11:57,340 your own life that will revolutionize you. Sacrifice yourself for the greatness of God 127 00:11:58,580 --> 00:12:02,860 and the glory of God. Now we could spend a lot of time on that, but let me just make 128 00:12:02,860 --> 00:12:09,860 the point here. We sacrifice ourselves for so many things and take such huge risks for 129 00:12:09,860 --> 00:12:16,860 such little reward. Have you ever done that before? Have you given away a lot in order 130 00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:23,020 to get a little bit of a thrill? I wish I had every dollar back I'd spent thinking I 131 00:12:23,020 --> 00:12:27,700 was going to find something that would make me happy or satisfied with a product of some 132 00:12:27,700 --> 00:12:31,740 kind. And then later on I realized, man, that thrill didn't last long, did it? Or how much 133 00:12:31,740 --> 00:12:36,180 money do I spend for experiences thinking, oh, this is going to be the ultimate experience 134 00:12:36,180 --> 00:12:40,740 in life. I'll never want to pursue another great experience after this one. And then 135 00:12:40,740 --> 00:12:45,100 within five minutes, it's all right. I'm not sure I would have spent that money again. 136 00:12:45,100 --> 00:12:50,140 Or diving into something like drugs or alcohol because he gives us a rush and gives us a 137 00:12:50,140 --> 00:12:57,140 high, but we look back and go, that was not worth the sacrifice that I put into this. 138 00:12:57,820 --> 00:13:03,020 Now you're looking at a guy that spent some time and money on sacrificing big things for 139 00:13:03,020 --> 00:13:07,620 small rewards. I'm the guy who once ate a four pound hamburger just to see if he could 140 00:13:07,620 --> 00:13:14,620 do it. I ate half pound patties. And I'll tell you, I ate every bite of that and wished 141 00:13:14,940 --> 00:13:21,060 I hadn't eaten about three fourths of it. I'm the guy that climbed a cliff a hundred 142 00:13:21,060 --> 00:13:26,260 feet high, barefooted on sharp rocks in order to get the thrill of diving off a hundred 143 00:13:26,260 --> 00:13:32,260 foot cliff into a lake below. I only did that one time. It's not worth it to do that again. 144 00:13:32,260 --> 00:13:38,860 People do crazy things for a little reward. They really do. Now you'd think we'd really 145 00:13:38,860 --> 00:13:44,540 be motivated to sacrifice for the greatness and the glory of God, wouldn't you? I mean, 146 00:13:44,540 --> 00:13:50,380 since we spent so much on getting so little back, what if we could give ourselves to something 147 00:13:50,380 --> 00:13:57,380 that was incomparable? Someone who is unsearchable and unfathomable in his greatness and his 148 00:13:57,380 --> 00:14:02,380 glory. That's what Paul's saying. With all the thrills Paul had in life, he understood 149 00:14:02,380 --> 00:14:08,660 the best thing to give himself to was God. So he says to all believers, present yourself 150 00:14:08,660 --> 00:14:15,220 a living sacrifice, which is your spiritual service of worship to the God who is great 151 00:14:15,220 --> 00:14:19,780 and awesome and glorious. You should seek the finding moments with him and you should 152 00:14:19,780 --> 00:14:25,020 want to develop those moments into habits. And when you do that, it's really amazing 153 00:14:25,020 --> 00:14:32,020 what God reveals to you about himself and what he reveals to you about yourself, about 154 00:14:32,140 --> 00:14:36,260 what he wants you to be, about how he wants you to change, about how he's wired you, about 155 00:14:36,260 --> 00:14:43,260 your purpose for life, answering the question, why was I placed in this spot, taking up space 156 00:14:43,700 --> 00:14:48,020 and breathing air? You want the answer to that question from the only one that can give 157 00:14:48,020 --> 00:14:53,260 it to you. How many of you in this room have taken personality tests before and enjoyed 158 00:14:53,260 --> 00:14:57,340 reading about yourself? I mean, I'm amazed at how people love to read about themselves 159 00:14:57,340 --> 00:15:03,220 and their personality tests. And there are all kinds of personality tests out there. 160 00:15:03,220 --> 00:15:07,740 Some of them are kind of weird to be honest with you. They have all kinds of funny names. 161 00:15:07,740 --> 00:15:11,300 How many of you know about Enneagram? Would you raise your hand if you know about Enneagram? 162 00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:14,780 How many of you know what number you are with Enneagram? Would you raise your hand? Okay. 163 00:15:14,780 --> 00:15:19,140 Many of you know what number you are. You talk to each other in conversations and you 164 00:15:19,140 --> 00:15:23,060 say, oh, I'm a one or I'm a nine or I'm an eight and the rest of us go, what in the world 165 00:15:23,060 --> 00:15:28,500 are you talking about? I think Enneagram is a fine, go after it all you want, but the 166 00:15:28,500 --> 00:15:33,740 reward is kind of small. I actually had a job advocate one time say to me, well, there's 167 00:15:33,740 --> 00:15:37,140 something you need to know about me and I said, what's that? And he said, well, I'm 168 00:15:37,140 --> 00:15:44,140 a beaver and I have no context for what that means. He meant that my personality test classifies 169 00:15:44,780 --> 00:15:50,460 me as a beaver and my thought was, I'm looking for a human to fill this role. I had no idea 170 00:15:50,460 --> 00:15:55,060 but it became part of his vocabulary, part of the way he talked about things and part 171 00:15:55,060 --> 00:15:59,860 of the way he did things. I don't know if you're a one or a nine. I don't know how 172 00:15:59,860 --> 00:16:03,980 the numbers go. Maybe you're a 10. I don't know. I don't know if you're a beaver or 173 00:16:03,980 --> 00:16:10,980 an otter or a golden retriever. I don't know what you are, but I know this. God knows you. 174 00:16:13,220 --> 00:16:18,540 He knows how you word. He knows what your purpose is and if you enjoy finding out things 175 00:16:18,540 --> 00:16:23,780 about yourself based on a 15 minute exam, what would it be like to find out something 176 00:16:23,780 --> 00:16:29,460 about yourself from the creator of the universe who had you in mind from the beginning when 177 00:16:29,460 --> 00:16:35,620 you were conceived, when giving birth was what happened to you, when you became a full 178 00:16:35,620 --> 00:16:40,580 fleshed adult later on in life, what wouldn't you give to know what he thinks about who 179 00:16:40,580 --> 00:16:47,100 you are? That's what Paul's saying. Present your body as a living and holy sacrifice, 180 00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:52,580 which is your spiritual service and worship. I tell you, I thrill at knowing what God's 181 00:16:52,580 --> 00:16:56,260 plans have been for my life and looking back and seeing how he's directed and guided me 182 00:16:56,260 --> 00:17:01,100 all this way, all these years. I wouldn't do anything different. There is no thrill 183 00:17:01,100 --> 00:17:05,860 that can compare with the thrill of knowing what God's will is and being in God's will. 184 00:17:05,860 --> 00:17:11,380 Paul says, give yourself. That's where you begin. I encourage you to do that. Give yourself 185 00:17:11,380 --> 00:17:19,260 to him. Surrender yourself to him daily. Start the day with him. Die the self. Let it be 186 00:17:19,260 --> 00:17:24,900 your spiritual service of worship to him, regardless of what the song service was like, 187 00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:29,140 regardless of what worship time was like, regardless of the message itself. Every day 188 00:17:29,140 --> 00:17:34,780 get up and say, God, I'm yours. I'm going to give you my life. That's the only reasonable 189 00:17:34,780 --> 00:17:41,460 spiritual thing I can do because you gave yourself for me. Start there. Start there. 190 00:17:41,460 --> 00:17:45,860 Then the two habits. I promise you two habits today that are in this text and can't wait 191 00:17:45,860 --> 00:17:50,540 to get to them. Here we are in verse two. The first part of it says this. Do not be 192 00:17:50,540 --> 00:17:57,100 conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. I want you to 193 00:17:57,100 --> 00:18:01,660 look at that line for just a moment. Just stare at it. Think through it. Two things 194 00:18:01,660 --> 00:18:08,660 here. Don't be conformed to negative command and be transformed to positive command. Now 195 00:18:08,660 --> 00:18:13,540 as we dwell on those two things for just a moment, let me give you a little bit more 196 00:18:13,540 --> 00:18:22,980 insight about them. Both of these are imperatives. As Paul writes this emphatic plea, he says, 197 00:18:22,980 --> 00:18:31,260 without doubt, absolutely I plea with you that you must not be conformed to the world 198 00:18:31,260 --> 00:18:36,860 and you must be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So these two imperatives, one 199 00:18:36,860 --> 00:18:42,220 is negative. Stop doing something. You must stop it. And one is positive, something you 200 00:18:42,220 --> 00:18:48,260 must begin doing. It's present tense, so it's about doing it all the time into your future. 201 00:18:48,260 --> 00:18:53,820 It's also passive. And what passive means in this particular sense is that if you don't 202 00:18:53,820 --> 00:18:59,220 do something to reverse what's going on in your life and mind right now, you will be 203 00:18:59,220 --> 00:19:07,740 conformed to the world. So you must make a change, must make a difference, or it will 204 00:19:07,740 --> 00:19:14,700 push you into its mold. And you must be sure that you allow the power of God's word to 205 00:19:14,700 --> 00:19:20,860 transform your mind. So given that background, these two habits are going to be pretty important 206 00:19:20,860 --> 00:19:25,660 to your life. By the way, someone told me the other day it takes 21 days to start a 207 00:19:25,660 --> 00:19:30,300 new habit. And I think that's largely true. We can get out of that habit if we're not 208 00:19:30,300 --> 00:19:33,660 careful, but if you want to start a great habit that will transform your life, then 209 00:19:33,660 --> 00:19:39,980 what I'm about to share with you involves those kinds of habits. I love what J. Philip 210 00:19:39,980 --> 00:19:46,940 said about this in his translation of verse 2. Stop being squeezed into the world's pattern. 211 00:19:46,940 --> 00:19:51,620 Instead be transformed into God's pattern. One of these two things is going to happen 212 00:19:51,620 --> 00:19:56,980 to you. The truth is that something has already happened to you if you're a resident on planet 213 00:19:56,980 --> 00:20:02,300 Earth. The world squeezes you into its mold. And it squeezes you into its mold a million 214 00:20:02,300 --> 00:20:07,420 different ways. So if you've come to Christ and now you're slowly being transformed by 215 00:20:07,420 --> 00:20:12,100 the renewing of your mind, and some of you are over this side of that spectrum, of that 216 00:20:12,100 --> 00:20:17,820 graph, and your mind is transformed and continually being transformed, some of us are somewhere 217 00:20:17,820 --> 00:20:24,140 in between fully being transformed and fully being conformed. But one way or another it's 218 00:20:24,140 --> 00:20:29,780 going to happen to you. And every one of us have this command as believers in Jesus Christ 219 00:20:29,780 --> 00:20:35,420 that we must make the decision to be transformed. That is, we must have our minds qualitatively 220 00:20:35,420 --> 00:20:41,660 renewed so that we have a very different way of thinking. Now you don't have to do anything 221 00:20:41,660 --> 00:20:46,140 to be squeezed into the world's mold. There's a million hands in this culture trying to 222 00:20:46,140 --> 00:20:51,820 shape you, and that's always been true. In a book called Good Faith, authors Lyons and 223 00:20:51,820 --> 00:20:56,460 Kinnaman write this. They said that Western society has a new moral code. And by the way, 224 00:20:56,460 --> 00:21:00,300 every society has its own moral code. It has its own way of trying to squeeze you into 225 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:05,860 its mold. But this one says, they call this the morality of self-fulfillment. It says 226 00:21:05,860 --> 00:21:10,860 the best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself. And people should not criticize 227 00:21:10,860 --> 00:21:16,820 someone else's life choices as central to this code. The Bible says it more simply than 228 00:21:16,820 --> 00:21:22,300 that, in the book of Judges, every man did right in his own eyes. He did what was right 229 00:21:22,300 --> 00:21:27,940 in his own eyes, and it brought catastrophe to the culture in that day. The truth is we're 230 00:21:27,940 --> 00:21:34,540 way too fond of our own thoughts. We're way too happy about the way we think anyway. We 231 00:21:34,540 --> 00:21:39,700 think way too highly of ourselves, and that's part of the war that we're in. We've got 232 00:21:39,700 --> 00:21:44,100 to think more highly about God, about what God has said, about what God's truth is instead 233 00:21:44,100 --> 00:21:49,020 of our own thoughts. But you're being squeezed by a million hands. Now just look at these 234 00:21:49,020 --> 00:21:53,300 hands for just a few moments. I have very large hands, and when I am at a television 235 00:21:53,300 --> 00:21:57,620 screen and I put my hand towards the camera, it becomes massive. It looks like a catcher's 236 00:21:57,620 --> 00:22:02,020 mitt, and that's why I'm doing it right in the other camera. I want you to feel this 237 00:22:02,020 --> 00:22:09,820 today because this is true in all of our lives. Culture is shaping you. It's shaping you. 238 00:22:09,820 --> 00:22:16,860 It's pushing you here. It's pushing you there. It might be media that pushes you there. Movies, 239 00:22:16,860 --> 00:22:24,940 music, thoughts, things you read, conversations you have. Everything is molding you and shaping 240 00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:29,180 you, trying to make you something that it wants you to be. You're being shaped by a 241 00:22:29,180 --> 00:22:33,500 million hands, whether you know it or not. It's really that we're passive. The truth 242 00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:38,180 is we are passive to all that. It's all happening, and sometimes we're really aware that culture 243 00:22:38,180 --> 00:22:43,460 is trying to shape us. Sometimes we have no idea. Sometimes we're so far over this way, 244 00:22:43,460 --> 00:22:47,860 we're completely deceived, thinking all is well, but in fact our minds and our thoughts 245 00:22:47,860 --> 00:22:54,660 are far, far from God's truth. That's why the command, that you are to surrender yourself 246 00:22:54,660 --> 00:23:00,260 to God first. You be the sacrifice, and then don't be conformed to the world. Don't let 247 00:23:00,260 --> 00:23:06,980 the world shape you the way it wants to shape you. If you are thinking today, well, I should 248 00:23:06,980 --> 00:23:10,580 just keep on believing whatever I want. You're already being squeezed, and you've already 249 00:23:10,580 --> 00:23:16,900 been squeezed, and you're already in the mold of the world. Here are these two habits. Let 250 00:23:16,900 --> 00:23:22,180 me spell them out plainly. First of all, we must resist the natural thinking of the world. 251 00:23:22,180 --> 00:23:29,980 We've got to resist. Don't be conformed. Don't be shaped. Don't let all of the world around 252 00:23:29,980 --> 00:23:35,180 us make us think and act the way it wants us to. That's where spiritual growth gets 253 00:23:35,180 --> 00:23:40,580 real, and that's where the battles start heating up. Spiritual war takes place when we decide 254 00:23:40,580 --> 00:23:44,620 we're going to think more along the lines of what God says that we should say and think 255 00:23:44,620 --> 00:23:50,100 and do, and the world holds us back, and our spiritual adversary, the devil, is at work 256 00:23:50,100 --> 00:23:55,780 trying to send those fiery darts to keep us thinking the way he wants us to think, shaping 257 00:23:55,780 --> 00:24:01,780 us the way he wants us to be shaped. Whenever Paul writes about spiritual warfare, and particularly 258 00:24:01,780 --> 00:24:08,180 warfare of the mind, he uses spiritual analogies, and usually the armor of God is what comes 259 00:24:08,180 --> 00:24:13,180 up first when we talk about that, that in Ephesians chapter five, where he talks about 260 00:24:13,180 --> 00:24:18,300 the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness. He talks 261 00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:23,620 about the girdle of truth or the loins of truth, and he talks about the sword of the 262 00:24:23,620 --> 00:24:29,260 spirit, which is the word of God. All that is analogies to help us think about the fact 263 00:24:29,260 --> 00:24:34,260 that we really are in the battle. If Paul wanted to use any other picture that he desired, 264 00:24:34,260 --> 00:24:38,260 he could have used another picture, but he wanted us to know the war is real, the war 265 00:24:38,260 --> 00:24:45,740 is intense, and you need to be aware of your armor. When the enemy approaches us, we're 266 00:24:45,740 --> 00:24:50,660 supposed to fight, we're supposed to resist, we're supposed to be able to say, you're 267 00:24:50,660 --> 00:24:54,580 not going to take over my mind. I know you want to shake my mind to the world, but my 268 00:24:54,580 --> 00:24:59,220 mind belongs to Christ, because remember in verse one, I present my bodies in living and 269 00:24:59,220 --> 00:25:05,140 holy sacrifice, which is my spiritual service of worship, and my mind is part of that. 270 00:25:05,140 --> 00:25:09,300 So no other world can have my mind. I refuse to let it have my mind, and I'm in a battle, 271 00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:16,060 I'm in a war, it's important that we resist those natural thoughts. One of my favorite 272 00:25:16,060 --> 00:25:21,100 verses is 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 5. It's in a series of verses, verse 3, 4, and 273 00:25:21,100 --> 00:25:26,100 5, that's very, very big on spiritual warfare, particularly the mind. Look in verse 5 with 274 00:25:26,100 --> 00:25:33,380 me at what it says, we are destroying speculations, and every lofty thing raised up against the 275 00:25:33,380 --> 00:25:39,780 knowledge of God. Now you translate that into your thought life, the ifs of life, I wonder 276 00:25:39,780 --> 00:25:44,260 if this, I wonder if that speculation, every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge 277 00:25:44,260 --> 00:25:50,420 of God, that means I know God says this, and I know God did that, but did God? That's a 278 00:25:50,420 --> 00:25:54,620 something raised up against the knowledge of God. But this next line is the most important 279 00:25:54,620 --> 00:26:01,620 one today. We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Do you see that 280 00:26:01,620 --> 00:26:08,620 line? Take every thought captive. That's one word in the Greek. It's a word that means 281 00:26:10,100 --> 00:26:16,220 to captivate at spear point or sword point. Now for purposes of illustration, I've brought 282 00:26:16,220 --> 00:26:20,380 one of my swords in today, and I have a collection of swords by the way. I've got a bunch of 283 00:26:20,380 --> 00:26:24,620 them, and they're really cool and they're really sharp, so don't try to break into my 284 00:26:24,620 --> 00:26:30,940 office, okay, that's the message there. But over the years I've collected these, and one 285 00:26:30,940 --> 00:26:35,620 of the reasons I collect them is because of the symbol of the sword of the spirit, which 286 00:26:35,620 --> 00:26:40,820 is the word of God. And it's helpful to have one of these while I stand up here to illustrate 287 00:26:40,820 --> 00:26:47,820 this point. If I know thoughts are coming my way that are natural, worldly, unbiblical, 288 00:26:48,220 --> 00:26:53,780 untruthful, it's my responsibility to captivate at spear point, to captivate at sword point 289 00:26:53,780 --> 00:27:00,220 that thought before it gains entry into my mind. Think of your mind as a house. Think 290 00:27:00,220 --> 00:27:07,220 of your house as having an ear gate, something you hear, an eye gate, something you see, 291 00:27:07,220 --> 00:27:11,700 a mouth gate, something you consume. You think about it having all those entry points into 292 00:27:11,700 --> 00:27:17,220 your life to dominate your thoughts, to lead your thoughts one way instead of another. 293 00:27:17,220 --> 00:27:22,700 And then think about the imagery that Paul gives us that results in me having this sword 294 00:27:22,700 --> 00:27:28,980 in my hand. As I see a thought coming my way, I captivate it by spear point. I change the 295 00:27:28,980 --> 00:27:34,420 direction of that thinking. You say, well, I don't know if that really translates. Well, 296 00:27:34,420 --> 00:27:38,460 just imagine this, if you came to knock on the door of my home, my physical home, and 297 00:27:38,460 --> 00:27:43,620 I opened the door with a sword in my hand, you might be less confident to storm into 298 00:27:43,620 --> 00:27:49,340 my house because I have this sword in my hand. Just the reality of a sword, just the presence 299 00:27:49,340 --> 00:27:54,860 of that changes the game, doesn't it? And the truth is when you know the word of God 300 00:27:54,860 --> 00:27:58,500 and are able to use it like the sword of the spirit is intended to be used, it changes 301 00:27:58,500 --> 00:28:03,300 the game in terms of the world conforming you to its mold. 302 00:28:03,300 --> 00:28:09,620 And so this verse here says that we must be willing to resist, even violently resist the 303 00:28:09,620 --> 00:28:14,420 thoughts that come into our mind. And we use the sword of the spirit, which is the word 304 00:28:14,420 --> 00:28:19,940 of God, in order to do that. Keep that in mind for just a few moments because that's 305 00:28:19,940 --> 00:28:27,700 just the first habit. It tells us to stop, to resist. It tells that thought coming at 306 00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:33,340 us to stay out of our mind. And I would tell you over and over again, the best place to 307 00:28:33,340 --> 00:28:39,900 win the battle with an invader is at the door. Do not let them gain entry into your thought 308 00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:44,300 life. But the second habit works hand in hand with 309 00:28:44,300 --> 00:28:50,140 the first. Not only must we resist the natural thinking of the world, we must replace our 310 00:28:50,140 --> 00:28:56,180 natural thinking with his truth. Throughout the Bible, we're told to resist worldly thinking 311 00:28:56,180 --> 00:29:02,020 and replace it with God's truth. Help me complete this verse. Jesus said, you shall know the 312 00:29:02,020 --> 00:29:09,620 truth and the truth shall set you free. Jesus came to reveal the truth to us. That's why 313 00:29:09,620 --> 00:29:13,580 we have the Bible today. That's why we have the words of Jesus. He came to reveal truth 314 00:29:13,580 --> 00:29:17,420 to us and the truth sets us free. And that's the way it happens. The battle that you're 315 00:29:17,420 --> 00:29:21,900 going to have is the battle for the mind, the battle for your thoughts. And it's won 316 00:29:21,900 --> 00:29:26,340 by setting your mind on the right things, the truth. 317 00:29:26,340 --> 00:29:33,900 Now, Paul's got this great line of Philippians chapter four for us that talks about thoughts 318 00:29:33,900 --> 00:29:37,300 that we ought to have in our mind and thoughts that we need to dedicate ourselves to thinking 319 00:29:37,300 --> 00:29:42,260 about. It's chapter four, verse eight of the book of Philippians. And you know this passage 320 00:29:42,260 --> 00:29:46,660 pretty well. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let 321 00:29:46,660 --> 00:29:50,220 your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, the past is understanding. Shall 322 00:29:50,220 --> 00:29:55,620 I guard your hearts and your what? And your mind in Christ Jesus. And he follows that 323 00:29:55,620 --> 00:30:02,220 up with this verse. In chapter four, verse eight, he says these words, finally brethren, 324 00:30:02,220 --> 00:30:08,100 whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, 325 00:30:08,100 --> 00:30:12,740 whatever is of good repute, if there's any excellence, anything worthy of praise, dwell 326 00:30:12,740 --> 00:30:17,980 on these things. This is not a poster you put on your wall. This is the battle that 327 00:30:17,980 --> 00:30:23,740 you have. As you've got to reach into your arsenal and replace whatever is false with 328 00:30:23,740 --> 00:30:30,100 whatever is true. And replace whatever is dishonorable with whatever is honorable. And 329 00:30:30,100 --> 00:30:33,940 whatever is wrong needs to be replaced with whatever is right. And whatever is impure 330 00:30:33,940 --> 00:30:40,060 needs to be replaced with whatever is pure. All the way through this text, it names item 331 00:30:40,060 --> 00:30:45,260 after item that you have to replace the thoughts of the world. And specifically it happens 332 00:30:45,260 --> 00:30:50,580 when you struggle with anything and you find out what God's word says about that and you 333 00:30:50,580 --> 00:30:57,580 have the truth, the battle, the lie from that moment on. It's your sword in the battle. 334 00:30:58,780 --> 00:31:04,260 Craig Rochelle said it like this, what gets into your mind comes out in your life. And 335 00:31:04,260 --> 00:31:09,060 that's true. So it's so incredibly important that we learn to do that. I've shared just 336 00:31:09,060 --> 00:31:14,980 in small form my own battle with anger years ago. And by the time I was 18 or 19 years 337 00:31:14,980 --> 00:31:21,380 of age I was very, very angry and quite destructive. Lost a lot of friends as a result of my temper 338 00:31:21,380 --> 00:31:26,740 tantrums and just the destruction that I caused as a result of that. I was mad about everything. 339 00:31:26,740 --> 00:31:31,020 And none of it was rational. I was mad at God in part because of my hearing loss. I 340 00:31:31,020 --> 00:31:35,300 was mad at how people responded to me. I was mad about what I thought the future held for 341 00:31:35,300 --> 00:31:39,260 me and I didn't think it was good. And there were so many things about my thinking in that 342 00:31:39,260 --> 00:31:43,860 day and time that contributed to my anger. But the problem was that the anger got out 343 00:31:43,860 --> 00:31:49,980 of control and before long it was smaller and smaller things would set me off. As a 344 00:31:49,980 --> 00:31:55,900 result of that, as a young Christian battling with a big anger problem, I realized I was 345 00:31:55,900 --> 00:32:00,300 in trouble. And I really didn't have anybody to help me with it. I wasn't going to share 346 00:32:00,300 --> 00:32:05,300 with anybody that I needed help. Everybody around me knew I needed help, but I didn't. 347 00:32:05,300 --> 00:32:11,460 And there were two passages of scripture that God directed me towards. I read my Bible and 348 00:32:11,460 --> 00:32:17,100 those two passages became my lifeblood. They became the things that I used in battle. One 349 00:32:17,100 --> 00:32:24,460 was Ephesians chapter 4 verse 26 and 27. It says, be angry and do not sin. Don't let the 350 00:32:24,460 --> 00:32:30,380 sun go down on your anger nor give the devil an opportunity. And that got my attention 351 00:32:30,380 --> 00:32:35,700 because I knew my mind was an opportunity for the enemy and I was angry perpetually 352 00:32:35,700 --> 00:32:41,500 and that command in scripture was powerful. And then James chapter 1 verse 19 and 20 became 353 00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:45,660 an important passage to me as well. Let every man be quick to hear. Slow to speak, slow 354 00:32:45,660 --> 00:32:51,260 to anger for the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. And I put those 355 00:32:51,260 --> 00:32:57,020 verses in my mind and as a 19 year old young man wanting to move beyond my anger, those 356 00:32:57,020 --> 00:33:02,780 two passages gave me the sword I needed when anger started creeping in, when I could feel 357 00:33:02,780 --> 00:33:08,100 the emotion rise, when I realized something bad was about to happen that I didn't previously 358 00:33:08,100 --> 00:33:13,900 have much control over. All of a sudden my mind was thinking with truth instead of emotion. 359 00:33:13,900 --> 00:33:20,260 And it went on and by that I mean a brief few months. Anger was just not a part of my 360 00:33:20,260 --> 00:33:24,580 life anymore and it hasn't been a part of my life since I was in college which was at 361 00:33:24,580 --> 00:33:34,940 least 10 years ago, right? Some of you get it, some of you don't, I get it. Resist the 362 00:33:34,940 --> 00:33:41,500 fear that you're worthless. Replace it with the fact that God's word says you're priceless. 363 00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:46,740 Resist fear that you feel. Replace it with the faith God calls you to walk by. Resist 364 00:33:46,740 --> 00:33:53,180 self. Replace it with Christ. Resist temptation. Replace it with truth. You don't have to get 365 00:33:53,180 --> 00:33:59,260 into it. Resist emptiness. Replace it with the purpose that God says he has for you. 366 00:33:59,260 --> 00:34:07,260 Dig into the depths of who God is. My greatest battle wasn't just with anger. It was with 367 00:34:07,260 --> 00:34:12,460 the worldliness in my mind. Just the fact that I was susceptible to things I heard and 368 00:34:12,460 --> 00:34:18,180 read more so than I was susceptible to God. And over a two year period while I was in 369 00:34:18,180 --> 00:34:23,100 graduate school God gave me an amazing victory without me even though the war was being won. 370 00:34:23,100 --> 00:34:29,900 During those days I had multiple jobs because we had a young growing family and I remember 371 00:34:29,900 --> 00:34:34,540 having a newspaper route with something that people used to call the Fort Worth Star Telegram. 372 00:34:34,540 --> 00:34:39,820 Anybody remember a newspaper called the Fort Worth Star Telegram? Back in those days that's 373 00:34:39,820 --> 00:34:45,020 what you read to keep up with the news, right? So I threw about 600 of those every morning 374 00:34:45,020 --> 00:34:50,380 at 2am to about 6am for two solid years while working several other jobs and going through 375 00:34:50,380 --> 00:34:55,140 graduate school. So I slept about two or three hours a night and that was it for those two 376 00:34:55,140 --> 00:34:59,220 years. In my life, and I think it's true of everybody when you're worn out, when you're 377 00:34:59,220 --> 00:35:05,260 stressed out, you're vulnerable to temptation, to bad thoughts, to attitude issues and I 378 00:35:05,260 --> 00:35:10,980 was getting overwhelmed. The things you see in the dark of the night, the things you see 379 00:35:10,980 --> 00:35:14,780 in the middle of the night are not worthy to repeat and certainly not something that 380 00:35:14,780 --> 00:35:19,140 helped my mindset. And I knew I was in trouble. I was struggling and didn't know how to get 381 00:35:19,140 --> 00:35:24,860 out of it. My sweet mother-in-law one day said, you know I found 350 cassette tapes. 382 00:35:24,860 --> 00:35:32,220 A cassette tape is a previous form of media for those of you that don't know. Thereof, 383 00:35:32,220 --> 00:35:37,180 my pastor at the time, her pastor was a guy named Ron Dunn, great Bible teacher. And Ron 384 00:35:37,180 --> 00:35:41,660 had this very peculiar voice. It was a very high nasal voice. It didn't work well in person 385 00:35:41,660 --> 00:35:46,140 but it worked great on the radio. He used to say, my mother told me I had both the face 386 00:35:46,140 --> 00:35:53,220 and the voice for radio ministry and that's what I did. But I could hear him. I remember 387 00:35:53,220 --> 00:35:59,500 getting a Walkman headset and listening over and over. And for a span of two years, at 388 00:35:59,500 --> 00:36:05,580 least two years, at least 700 straight nights, listen to me, I listened to two of those messages 389 00:36:05,580 --> 00:36:11,220 for 700 straight nights. That takes me a while to work through a tape like that and I have 390 00:36:11,220 --> 00:36:15,100 to back up because I missed some things and I fell in. Sometimes I would stop and take 391 00:36:15,100 --> 00:36:21,900 notes but over the course of two years my thinking was changed from stressed out, angry, 392 00:36:21,900 --> 00:36:29,060 attitude problems, given to temptation, to where it was a calmness and serenity and clarity 393 00:36:29,060 --> 00:36:37,420 about my life. My life was changed because my mind was changed. I look back and I think, 394 00:36:37,420 --> 00:36:40,140 you know, I had no idea what was going on. I knew the battle was there. I knew it was 395 00:36:40,140 --> 00:36:44,140 very real but I didn't know how to fight that battle. But what I did know was those 396 00:36:44,140 --> 00:36:49,100 random cassette tapes were not so random. They were not coincidentally placed in my 397 00:36:49,100 --> 00:36:54,940 life and I wasn't fully aware of the forces that were at work and I wasn't really aware 398 00:36:54,940 --> 00:36:59,500 of the crossroads that I was at but I now clearly know these were the most defining 399 00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:06,180 moments and habits in my life. And now decades later I look back and those were the moments 400 00:37:06,180 --> 00:37:14,060 where my mind changed and because my mind changed, my life changed. You talk about powerful 401 00:37:14,060 --> 00:37:19,740 people. When I later got to know Ron, I told him the story and I said, Jesus saved my soul 402 00:37:19,740 --> 00:37:27,900 but you might have saved my mind. And I meant it because the teaching of God's Word changed 403 00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:32,900 my life. That's what the battle looks like. You've got to flood your mind with truth and 404 00:37:32,900 --> 00:37:37,740 the truth that sets us free. Now if that sounds too radical for you, please realize that the 405 00:37:37,740 --> 00:37:44,540 world is radically devoted to taking your mind away from you. Please keep in mind that 406 00:37:44,540 --> 00:37:49,260 the world is radical and the solution is radical and the battle is serious and the weapons 407 00:37:49,260 --> 00:37:54,980 are serious so you must resist and replace, resist and replace. This will change your 408 00:37:54,980 --> 00:38:03,900 life. It will change your life. So here are some suggestions. First of all, read the Word 409 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:10,180 of God daily. Get a plan and read it. When I was in college, man, we didn't have these 410 00:38:10,180 --> 00:38:14,220 plans on the internet because we didn't have the internet. We didn't have anybody tell 411 00:38:14,220 --> 00:38:17,380 us how to read through the Bible so I got a calculator and calculated the number of 412 00:38:17,380 --> 00:38:22,740 pages in the Bible that I had in my possession and divided it by 365 and learned that I could 413 00:38:22,740 --> 00:38:27,100 read four pages a day of the Bible and get through the end of the Bible. I was amazed 414 00:38:27,100 --> 00:38:31,180 and mesmerized that only four pages of the Bible a day I could get through at the end 415 00:38:31,180 --> 00:38:37,860 of the year and I committed to do that and it changed my life. Find a plan that's easier 416 00:38:37,860 --> 00:38:44,180 for you than it ever was for me. Find a plan, get into it. Number two, listen to solid biblical 417 00:38:44,180 --> 00:38:52,100 teaching. When you walk, when you drive, when you have free time, certainly as we gather 418 00:38:52,100 --> 00:38:56,180 in worship, as we gather in small groups, when people open the Word of God and teach 419 00:38:56,180 --> 00:39:01,660 it, get into that solid teaching. That's number two. Number three, memorize the verses 420 00:39:01,660 --> 00:39:08,460 that help you resist sin. What is it that you need a weapon for? What emotion? What 421 00:39:08,460 --> 00:39:14,980 thought process? What frustration? What fear do you need a verse for? Find your verse. 422 00:39:14,980 --> 00:39:21,340 Find your knife. Find your sword and your spear and get after the battle. And then number 423 00:39:21,340 --> 00:39:26,580 four, resist the mind control of the world. Limit the exposure of all the darts of the 424 00:39:26,580 --> 00:39:36,700 wicked one. There are so many of them. Your habits shape who you are. Two reasons why. 425 00:39:36,700 --> 00:39:44,340 Two habits, two outcomes. I can't quit until I get this outcome for you. Verse two B, you 426 00:39:44,340 --> 00:39:48,380 do all that and Paul says, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which 427 00:39:48,380 --> 00:39:55,300 is good and acceptable and perfect. In other words, when you practice these habits, when 428 00:39:55,300 --> 00:40:01,500 you resist worldly thinking and when you replace it with biblical truth, you're going to have 429 00:40:01,500 --> 00:40:05,100 two outcomes. I think you can see it with this verse. Look at the last one first. You're 430 00:40:05,100 --> 00:40:09,740 going to know what's good and acceptable and perfect. And then in the early part of the 431 00:40:09,740 --> 00:40:14,700 verse, you're going to practice what's good and acceptable and perfect. So let me summarize 432 00:40:14,700 --> 00:40:20,980 it. When you practice these two habits, you will both know God's will and be able to practice 433 00:40:20,980 --> 00:40:25,780 God's will. Look at how powerful that is. You probably said before, if only I could 434 00:40:25,780 --> 00:40:32,980 know God's will or if only I could just obey God, I'm telling you how. Paul is teaching 435 00:40:32,980 --> 00:40:42,180 us how by this practice of resisting the natural thoughts and replacing them with the spiritual 436 00:40:42,180 --> 00:40:50,660 thoughts. I need to wrap this up. So let me just say these things to you. I want you to 437 00:40:50,660 --> 00:40:56,820 imagine for a few moments what your life will be like when you win this battle. That means 438 00:40:56,820 --> 00:41:00,660 you're going to have to think about where you're failing, where you're losing. You're 439 00:41:00,660 --> 00:41:07,340 going to have to identify what those things are that pull you under. So imagine your life 440 00:41:07,340 --> 00:41:17,060 when you win this battle, because the battle can be won. Imagine what happens when fear 441 00:41:17,060 --> 00:41:25,620 becomes faith. Imagine what will happen when emptiness is replaced with purpose. You know 442 00:41:25,620 --> 00:41:30,940 why you're here. Imagine what it will be like when temptation is replaced by trust. I don't 443 00:41:30,940 --> 00:41:37,260 have to give into that, do I? Because God has a way out. Imagine what will happen when 444 00:41:37,260 --> 00:41:45,300 lies are replaced with truth, when anger is replaced with kindness, when self is replaced 445 00:41:45,300 --> 00:41:52,100 with Christ. Imagine that. That's what he promises. That's what he promises. It's too 446 00:41:52,100 --> 00:42:00,620 hard for me. I'm under too far. I've gone too far the other way. No, no, and no. Nothing 447 00:42:00,620 --> 00:42:09,500 is too difficult for God, but you must believe him for it to come about. I want you to stand 448 00:42:09,500 --> 00:42:15,060 with me if you would today, because your head's about eyes closed for just a moment. Today 449 00:42:15,060 --> 00:42:19,900 at the conclusion of this prayer, you have an opportunity to do something to change your 450 00:42:19,900 --> 00:42:26,100 life. It may be the day that you need to make the decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. 451 00:42:26,100 --> 00:42:31,860 Listen, if you made a verbal profession of faith to Christ, but did not surrender to 452 00:42:31,860 --> 00:42:37,100 him, you need to go back and look and see if that was real. That's why we have decision 453 00:42:37,100 --> 00:42:40,900 stations here today to help you with that conversation. Have you given your life to 454 00:42:40,900 --> 00:42:47,820 Christ? Is it obvious? Is it clear? Has it ever been clear? And if not, help take those 455 00:42:47,820 --> 00:42:53,100 steps today by having those conversations. Christ will forgive you. He will give you 456 00:42:53,100 --> 00:42:59,020 eternal life. He will set you free. That's the first decision you need to make. Secondly, 457 00:42:59,020 --> 00:43:05,940 decide what to do with your mind. What will you do with your mind from this day forward? 458 00:43:05,940 --> 00:43:13,260 Will you resist? Will you replace? What will you do? As I pray, I'm praying for you to 459 00:43:13,260 --> 00:43:17,980 make these decisions and for the power of God to be at work in your life. If you're 460 00:43:17,980 --> 00:43:21,780 a guest today, I'd love to visit with you in our guest reception room. I'd love for 461 00:43:21,780 --> 00:43:26,420 you to stop by our decision station so that you can make the decisions that are life transforming. 462 00:43:26,420 --> 00:43:33,540 Father, in Jesus' name today, I'm so, so grateful for your supernatural power that 463 00:43:33,540 --> 00:43:40,540 changes lives. You changed my life, Lord. You completely gave me a new mind and a new 464 00:43:40,540 --> 00:43:46,940 ability to follow you, to know you. Lord, you overcame all those old things in my life 465 00:43:46,940 --> 00:43:51,260 and I'm so grateful that you have. And Father, I know that promise holds true for every person 466 00:43:51,260 --> 00:43:56,700 in this room. Every person who will look to you and trust you and believe in you can have 467 00:43:56,700 --> 00:44:01,420 that same promise fulfilled in their lives. And I pray today, Lord, in the same way Paul 468 00:44:01,420 --> 00:44:09,220 begged, Lord, I beg you that each person will make this decision today and not walk away. 469 00:44:09,220 --> 00:44:24,860 Father, thank you for what you've done, what you will do in Jesus' name. Amen.