WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:05.099 The Apostle Paul commands us to take every thought 00:00:05.099 --> 00:00:08.619 captive. But what does that really mean, especially 00:00:08.619 --> 00:00:11.419 in our day? With commercials coming on, radio 00:00:11.419 --> 00:00:14.000 over here, TV over here, and you're bombarded 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.199 by information. How do we guard our thoughts 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.539 from the toxic things that enter our mind and 00:00:20.539 --> 00:00:23.399 destroy our relationship with God? That's today. 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:28.379 Don't go away. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:31.210 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Our mission is 00:00:31.210 --> 00:00:33.590 to inspire Christians to be genuine followers 00:00:33.590 --> 00:00:36.750 of Jesus and to empower them to be active disciple 00:00:36.750 --> 00:00:39.590 makers in our world. Well, as many of you know, 00:00:39.729 --> 00:00:41.810 Chip's our regular Bible teacher for this daily 00:00:41.810 --> 00:00:44.250 program. But today he's passing the microphone 00:00:44.250 --> 00:00:47.090 to his friend, Jenny Allen, to share her series, 00:00:47.250 --> 00:00:49.710 Get Out of Your Head. But before she gets going, 00:00:49.890 --> 00:00:51.990 Chip's here in studio now. And Chip, you wanted 00:00:51.990 --> 00:00:54.250 to jump in here and talk a bit more about Jenny 00:00:54.250 --> 00:00:56.270 and why you're so eager for our listeners to 00:00:56.270 --> 00:00:58.969 hear from her. Well, for those that don't know 00:00:58.969 --> 00:01:01.670 Jenny Allen, you need to get to know her. And 00:01:01.670 --> 00:01:03.229 one of our commitments here at Living on the 00:01:03.229 --> 00:01:07.349 Edge is we want the Bible to be relevant to every 00:01:07.349 --> 00:01:10.590 audience, to every group, so we could take the 00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:13.209 Word of God, put it in our hearts, and live out 00:01:13.209 --> 00:01:15.250 our faith. I mean, we're committed to helping 00:01:15.250 --> 00:01:18.090 Christians live like Christians. And when I see 00:01:18.090 --> 00:01:20.250 what's happening in our culture, one of my personal 00:01:20.250 --> 00:01:23.650 passions is for the next generation. And Jenny 00:01:23.650 --> 00:01:27.170 is a teacher of God's Word. We happen to go to 00:01:27.170 --> 00:01:30.829 the same seminary. She has a ministry to women 00:01:30.829 --> 00:01:33.870 called the If Gathering. She's become not only 00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:37.409 a great speaker, but an author. And I just wanted, 00:01:37.530 --> 00:01:40.700 especially the women. to hear what Jenny has 00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:44.680 to say, because they're being so bombarded by 00:01:44.680 --> 00:01:47.120 toxic thoughts in the culture that we live in. 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:50.340 And I will have to say that, though I had women 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:53.599 in mind, it has been a great help to me, and 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:55.659 there's not a man that will listen to this series 00:01:55.659 --> 00:01:58.099 that Jenny's going to teach for us that won't 00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:00.560 walk away going, well, women may struggle with 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.670 that, but I do too. Great setup, Chip. Well, 00:02:03.769 --> 00:02:05.650 I hope all of you will join us for each part 00:02:05.650 --> 00:02:08.009 of this series because we really believe you'll 00:02:08.009 --> 00:02:10.370 be encouraged by what Jenny's going to talk about. 00:02:10.710 --> 00:02:13.129 One last thing before we get to Jenny, let me 00:02:13.129 --> 00:02:15.430 encourage you to get our message notes. They 00:02:15.430 --> 00:02:17.949 contain Jenny's brief outline, all the scripture 00:02:17.949 --> 00:02:21.129 she references, and more. These notes will really 00:02:21.129 --> 00:02:23.310 help you remember what you hear and maybe even 00:02:23.310 --> 00:02:25.780 share what you're learning. Download them under 00:02:25.780 --> 00:02:29.439 the broadcasts tab at livingontheedge .org. App 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:32.699 listeners tap fill in notes. Okay, if you're 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:34.520 ready, here's our guest teacher, Jenny Allen, 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:37.360 to kick off this series with her talk, Taking 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:42.259 Every Thought Captive. I believe in the power 00:02:42.259 --> 00:02:46.740 of God to absolutely not just save our souls, 00:02:46.819 --> 00:02:49.120 but change our lives. I've seen him do this for 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:50.979 other people, and I have seen him do this in 00:02:50.979 --> 00:02:54.400 me. And I want to tell you a story about why 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:57.240 this project, Get Out of Your Head, is so important 00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:00.639 to me. I believe we are at war. I believe that 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:02.699 the enemy is coming for us. And I'm sorry, if 00:03:02.699 --> 00:03:04.180 you just clicked on this and you're like, what 00:03:04.180 --> 00:03:07.599 is this? What enemy? I am a Christian, and I 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:09.439 believe the Bible, and the Bible is pretty clear 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:11.340 that there is an enemy to God, and there is an 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:15.360 enemy to us. And his desire is to kill, steal, 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:18.139 and destroy. And one of the main ways I'm watching 00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:20.219 him do that in our generation is through our 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:23.199 minds. In John 8, it talks about the enemy, and 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.300 Jesus actually describes him and says he is the 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:28.939 father of lies, that when he speaks, he lies, 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:31.099 and that is who he is. And so I have watched 00:03:31.099 --> 00:03:34.300 this person after person after person. has believed 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:37.460 these lies. And here's the thing, not even realize 00:03:37.460 --> 00:03:40.259 that they are lies. That's the hard part. Eventually 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:43.139 you start to believe they're just true and you're 00:03:43.139 --> 00:03:47.199 dwelling on them. And our minds are a mess. Our 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:50.439 minds are discouraged. Our minds are distracted. 00:03:50.860 --> 00:03:55.020 Our minds are exhausted. And I believe there's 00:03:55.020 --> 00:03:57.840 a way out. In fact, so many of you struggle with 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:00.900 anxiety and depression. So many of you struggle 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:02.719 with mental illness or somebody that you know 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:04.900 struggles with mental illness. And I want to 00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:07.060 address this right up front, that mental illness 00:04:07.060 --> 00:04:09.979 can be a physical issue. It can be a chemical 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:12.919 issue that needs medicine. And medicine is a 00:04:12.919 --> 00:04:15.060 gift from God and counseling is a gift from God. 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:17.860 But I also believe there's another component 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:20.519 to this. And I want to start by reading a few 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:23.839 verses in 2 Corinthians 10. It's verses three 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:26.069 through six. For though we walk in the flesh, 00:04:26.170 --> 00:04:28.610 we are not waging war against the flesh. And 00:04:28.610 --> 00:04:30.769 I want to say this because I think some of us 00:04:30.769 --> 00:04:33.410 stop at the obvious things. We stop at the physical 00:04:33.410 --> 00:04:35.790 response and we stop at the emotional response 00:04:35.790 --> 00:04:39.089 rather than realizing there is another thing 00:04:39.089 --> 00:04:41.990 happening. And it is a spiritual war that is 00:04:41.990 --> 00:04:45.649 waging against us. And it's not a flesh. There 00:04:45.649 --> 00:04:48.110 was a season of attack that came that was quiet, 00:04:48.189 --> 00:04:51.410 that was subtle, that I barely noticed, honestly. 00:04:51.709 --> 00:04:54.470 And it came every night at 3 a .m. And it was 00:04:54.470 --> 00:04:59.209 doubt that filled my mind and it beat me up for 00:04:59.209 --> 00:05:01.470 month upon month. And the bad part was, is I 00:05:01.470 --> 00:05:03.810 didn't even realize it was happening. I was at 00:05:03.810 --> 00:05:07.329 war with the devil in the night and I never said 00:05:07.329 --> 00:05:09.670 it out loud. I never told anybody what was happening 00:05:09.670 --> 00:05:13.750 for 18 months. Now, fast forward, I finally do 00:05:13.750 --> 00:05:16.930 mention it to people. And then second I did, 00:05:17.149 --> 00:05:20.470 my first thought was, oh my gosh, I have been 00:05:20.470 --> 00:05:24.709 under spiritual attack. duh. I mean, it was obvious, 00:05:24.810 --> 00:05:28.230 but I didn't see it because I was not guarding 00:05:28.230 --> 00:05:31.750 my mind because I did not live with this reality 00:05:31.750 --> 00:05:34.910 that the enemy could be lying to me at any minute, 00:05:35.029 --> 00:05:37.110 that at any minute he could be whispering a lie 00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:40.149 to me that I thought was true and that I walked 00:05:40.149 --> 00:05:42.389 in and believed in and built thought patterns, 00:05:42.509 --> 00:05:45.269 toxic spirals around. And that's exactly what 00:05:45.269 --> 00:05:48.360 happened. There was a cost. And it was to my 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:51.060 faith. And what a great strategic move of the 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:53.680 enemy to go after my faith. But everything shifted. 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:56.740 And I believe that every single one of you listening, 00:05:56.860 --> 00:06:00.319 in some way, that enemy is as real to you. And 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:03.550 those lies are as real to you. in the middle 00:06:03.550 --> 00:06:05.029 of this project. In fact, it was even before 00:06:05.029 --> 00:06:07.290 the project began. I was walking outside. It 00:06:07.290 --> 00:06:09.110 was a beautiful day and I was all by myself and 00:06:09.110 --> 00:06:11.269 I was praying for our generation. I do this. 00:06:11.329 --> 00:06:13.189 I pray for individuals, but I also pray for our 00:06:13.189 --> 00:06:16.149 generation. I always think about us getting to 00:06:16.149 --> 00:06:18.930 heaven together. And I think about all the people 00:06:18.930 --> 00:06:20.910 I lead and the people the church is leading right 00:06:20.910 --> 00:06:22.689 now around the world. And I just want us to do 00:06:22.689 --> 00:06:24.790 so well in our time. I want our time to matter. 00:06:24.930 --> 00:06:28.509 And as I was praying about our generation, God 00:06:28.509 --> 00:06:31.250 brought to mind these enemies that are attacking 00:06:31.250 --> 00:06:33.379 our generation uniquely. And I wrote them down. 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:35.519 I pulled over on the side of the track I was 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:37.779 walking on and I typed them up. And it was seven 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:39.759 things that I saw coming for our generation. 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:41.620 And we're going to talk about these seven things. 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:43.819 And I'm telling you, you know, it's everything 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:47.660 from cynicism to noise to victimhood. There's 00:06:47.660 --> 00:06:50.000 a plethora of things coming for us. But I think 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:51.500 in our generation, we're looking at some unique 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.120 things that have plagued our minds and that has 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:56.379 robbed us of the effectiveness that we could 00:06:56.379 --> 00:06:58.430 have. for the kingdom of God. I'm gonna give 00:06:58.430 --> 00:07:00.870 you a lot of science in this season because in 00:07:00.870 --> 00:07:04.689 my studies of the brain, you cannot deny the 00:07:04.689 --> 00:07:08.069 power of God and the thing he built in our minds 00:07:08.069 --> 00:07:12.089 when you read the science of it. It all backs 00:07:12.089 --> 00:07:14.790 up the Bible. It's crazy. All of these truths 00:07:14.790 --> 00:07:17.129 that the Bible says, like take every thought 00:07:17.129 --> 00:07:19.370 captive, that we have power over our thoughts. 00:07:19.529 --> 00:07:22.379 All of these truths. They are spelled out in 00:07:22.379 --> 00:07:24.560 science. It's true. We can change our minds. 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:26.459 And I want to read you the rest of this verse 00:07:26.459 --> 00:07:29.079 in 2 Corinthians 10. For the weapons of warfare 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:32.339 are not of the flesh, but have divine power to 00:07:32.339 --> 00:07:36.870 destroy strongholds. Guys, in these verses, The 00:07:36.870 --> 00:07:39.990 author of Corinthians, who's Paul, is saying 00:07:39.990 --> 00:07:43.149 we have power to destroy strongholds. So many 00:07:43.149 --> 00:07:44.949 of you are stuck in strongholds. That's why this 00:07:44.949 --> 00:07:47.430 matters so much. It's not because of the little 00:07:47.430 --> 00:07:50.290 bitty lie about your identity or about your worth. 00:07:50.410 --> 00:07:53.850 It's because that lie over time adds up. And 00:07:53.850 --> 00:07:57.129 so back to the science part, 80 % of our thoughts 00:07:57.129 --> 00:08:00.430 are negative. 95 % of our thoughts, you thought 00:08:00.430 --> 00:08:03.029 them yesterday. They're repetitive. And so we're 00:08:03.029 --> 00:08:05.250 thinking repetitive, negative thoughts every 00:08:05.250 --> 00:08:08.290 day of our life. And guess what those build? 00:08:09.189 --> 00:08:11.930 Strongholds. They actually change our brains. 00:08:12.029 --> 00:08:15.350 They change our chemistry. Our physical brains 00:08:15.350 --> 00:08:17.870 change. Now, yes, I believe in medicine and counseling. 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:20.350 And no, I do not think you can just change your 00:08:20.350 --> 00:08:21.850 thoughts and all of a sudden be out of mental 00:08:21.850 --> 00:08:24.930 illness. But I absolutely believe that in disciplining 00:08:24.930 --> 00:08:27.389 and training our thoughts, that it can eventually 00:08:27.389 --> 00:08:30.610 over time change our minds. That's science. Not 00:08:30.610 --> 00:08:32.389 just for those of us that believe in science, 00:08:32.450 --> 00:08:34.710 but those of us that believe in God. He says 00:08:34.710 --> 00:08:37.529 that... Our warfare is not of the flesh. It is 00:08:37.529 --> 00:08:40.289 of the spirit and that we have divine power to 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:42.769 destroy strongholds. So something about the power 00:08:42.769 --> 00:08:44.710 that God gives us, if you know the Lord Jesus 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:46.610 Christ, and if you don't, I hope by the end of 00:08:46.610 --> 00:08:49.269 the season, you will. But something about knowing 00:08:49.269 --> 00:08:51.370 the Lord Jesus Christ and believing in the power 00:08:51.370 --> 00:08:53.669 of the gifts and the power and authority he's 00:08:53.669 --> 00:08:56.769 given us, we have the power to destroy strongholds. 00:08:56.769 --> 00:08:59.149 Now, authority, that is something that I didn't 00:08:59.149 --> 00:09:02.200 realize that I had. most of my life. I was a 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:04.860 victim to my mind and I didn't understand that 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:08.240 God had given me authority over my thoughts and 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:11.379 I could change them. And I'm telling you, let 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:14.539 me fast forward to my story today and tell you 00:09:14.539 --> 00:09:16.259 that there are still, in fact, last night I woke 00:09:16.259 --> 00:09:18.419 up at 4 a .m., but let me tell you what I do 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:20.860 now when I wake up. I do not let the enemy have 00:09:20.860 --> 00:09:23.600 an inch. I don't let him have a second of my 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.799 mind. I notice it now. I see when I start to 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:28.940 spiral or think negative thoughts about God, 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:31.919 about my life, and I interrupt it and I say, 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:34.059 no. Like, and I mean, y 'all, I've gotten all 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:35.820 charismatic in my bedroom. Like I'm waving my 00:09:35.820 --> 00:09:38.639 arms and like, get out of here. Like I know what 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:40.840 I'm up against and I'm clear about it. And I 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:43.019 speak with authority over it because of the power 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:46.679 of God that I know is real and strong enough 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:49.580 to destroy it. And guys, I'm free. Like I wake 00:09:49.580 --> 00:09:52.000 up at 4 a .m. and I'm no longer under the bondage 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:55.179 that I was under for 18 months. I am free and 00:09:55.179 --> 00:09:58.120 I believe you can be too. Verse five, we destroy 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:00.779 arguments and every lofty opinion raised up against 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:02.519 the knowledge of God. That's what was happening. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:05.000 Lofty opinions were being raised up against the 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:06.620 knowledge of God and every lie that you have 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:09.019 believed, every fear that you have had, every 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:11.220 worry and anxiety that you have had, these are 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:13.899 all opinions raised up against the knowledge 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:16.789 of God. Because if our knowledge of God was full 00:10:16.789 --> 00:10:18.889 and complete, guess what? He is not a God of 00:10:18.889 --> 00:10:21.909 fear. We would never fear. Fear is not of God. 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:24.950 It is of the devil. And every lie that we give 00:10:24.950 --> 00:10:27.029 an inch, it will take a mile. It will take a 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:28.450 mile. And for some of you, it has taken years. 00:10:28.669 --> 00:10:32.649 It has taken so much of your life. Some of you, 00:10:32.669 --> 00:10:34.830 you're here praying for hope. And some of you 00:10:34.830 --> 00:10:37.750 are like teetering on that edge of giving up 00:10:37.750 --> 00:10:39.830 your faith. And I just want to say, I'm here 00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:42.730 to fight for you. that there is an enemy and 00:10:42.730 --> 00:10:45.090 that he is fighting for you. And I am here because 00:10:45.090 --> 00:10:47.909 God loves you and because he also is fighting 00:10:47.909 --> 00:10:50.289 for you. And that there are opinions raised up 00:10:50.289 --> 00:10:52.029 every day in our minds against the knowledge 00:10:52.029 --> 00:10:55.370 of God. And our God says that we have the power 00:10:55.370 --> 00:11:00.309 to destroy them, to destroy strongholds. You're 00:11:00.309 --> 00:11:02.909 listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:11:03.029 --> 00:11:05.669 Jenny Allen is our guest teacher for the series 00:11:05.669 --> 00:11:08.409 Get Out of Your Head. And real quick, if you'd 00:11:08.409 --> 00:11:10.450 like to learn more about Jenny's popular book 00:11:10.450 --> 00:11:12.970 that this series is based on, keep listening 00:11:12.970 --> 00:11:15.309 after the teaching. Chip will join us in studio 00:11:15.309 --> 00:11:17.789 with all the details, so be sure to stick around. 00:11:18.190 --> 00:11:20.450 But for now, let's get back to Jenny's talk. 00:11:21.230 --> 00:11:24.230 Paul says next in that verse that opinions raised 00:11:24.230 --> 00:11:26.250 up against the knowledge of God, that we destroy 00:11:26.250 --> 00:11:29.389 them. And then he says this. And we take every 00:11:29.389 --> 00:11:33.830 thought captive to obey Christ. That's how we 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:36.129 change our minds. Romans says it this way. Do 00:11:36.129 --> 00:11:38.529 not be conformed to this world, but be transformed 00:11:38.529 --> 00:11:42.429 by what? How do we change? All of us want to 00:11:42.429 --> 00:11:45.809 change. How do we change? And Romans says, by 00:11:45.809 --> 00:11:50.769 the renewal of our minds. Guys, this is the crux 00:11:50.769 --> 00:11:54.559 of our lives. Our minds. are the crux of how 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.299 we will live, who we will love, what we will 00:11:57.299 --> 00:12:00.360 do with our lives. Our minds hold the power and 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:03.220 the key to our lives. I remember my daughter 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:04.960 did a lot of studies. She wanted to be a neuro 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:07.659 researcher. And so she basically was all through 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:09.539 high school and middle school. And she would 00:12:09.539 --> 00:12:11.139 bring me all this stuff as part of what prompted 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:13.740 me to do this project. And she said, mom, what 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:16.000 we know about the brain today, the writers of 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.019 the scriptures would have said. the mind, every 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:19.940 time they said the heart. So that means that 00:12:19.940 --> 00:12:23.320 a majority of the Bible is about our minds, that 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:25.600 every time it says heart, it also is talking, 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:28.399 the seed of our emotions is found within our 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:30.600 brains. And so when you think about our minds 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:32.679 and our hearts and how much of scripture is about 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:35.620 it, continually, it says, guard our heart, our 00:12:35.620 --> 00:12:38.399 mind. It says, take captive our thoughts, that 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:41.879 this is an active. process, that we're not reluctantly 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:44.720 thinking about whatever the heck we want, but 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:47.860 we are actively fighting to believe truth, to 00:12:47.860 --> 00:12:50.019 fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter 00:12:50.019 --> 00:12:54.080 of our faith. He sets before us this call to 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:58.200 single -mindedness, to complete consumption of 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:01.039 God and His love for us and His goodness over 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:04.460 us. And as we fixate on Him, the things of this 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:06.340 earth grow strangely dim. That's like the old 00:13:06.340 --> 00:13:08.500 hymn that you used to sing in Sunday school. 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:12.419 This is how we change. Verse six, being ready 00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:15.299 to punish every disobedience when your obedience 00:13:15.299 --> 00:13:19.039 is complete. This is warfare. And Paul knows 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:21.679 it. And that's why he writes that this is warfare. 00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:24.940 And he speaks of things like destroying every 00:13:24.940 --> 00:13:28.200 lie, every opinion. Y 'all, we have to take this 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:31.179 bull by its horn. And we haven't. Candidly, we 00:13:31.179 --> 00:13:34.100 have not. You bring your friends together because 00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:36.519 it's going to take an army of people surrounding 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:38.580 each other and saying, we're not going to let 00:13:38.580 --> 00:13:40.200 each other believe these lies anymore, but we've 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:42.259 got to take this seriously. We've got to take 00:13:42.259 --> 00:13:43.799 this seriously. I know some of you, you just 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:46.539 tuned in. You're like, guess what? Fun and happy 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:47.919 are on the other side of this. I'll tell you 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:50.080 that right now. Like I have never been more joyful. 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:52.000 I've never been more free. I've never been more 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:55.019 grateful. I've never been more peaceful than 00:13:55.019 --> 00:13:58.080 I have as I have done war with this part of my 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:02.110 life. Proverbs 23, 7 says this, for as a man 00:14:02.110 --> 00:14:04.850 thinketh in his heart, so he is. Y 'all, this 00:14:04.850 --> 00:14:10.309 is our lives. The sum of our lives will be rooted 00:14:10.309 --> 00:14:12.850 in what it is we think about. And we never think 00:14:12.850 --> 00:14:15.210 about our thoughts. You think anywhere from 9 00:14:15.210 --> 00:14:19.470 ,000 to 60 ,000 thoughts in a day, in a day. 00:14:19.570 --> 00:14:21.629 And when was the last time you even noticed what 00:14:21.629 --> 00:14:23.950 it was that you were thinking about? So today 00:14:23.950 --> 00:14:25.450 I want you to do something. I want you to pull 00:14:25.450 --> 00:14:26.830 out a piece of paper and I want you to start 00:14:26.830 --> 00:14:28.730 writing down your thoughts. And I'll tell you, 00:14:28.750 --> 00:14:30.049 we're going to take you through a process. If 00:14:30.049 --> 00:14:31.470 you want to go download it right now, we have 00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:33.230 an anxious thoughts guide and we're going to 00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:35.370 give you a mind map that you can fill out and 00:14:35.370 --> 00:14:37.330 start to notice your thoughts. And you can print 00:14:37.330 --> 00:14:38.990 a bunch of copies and put them by your bed and 00:14:38.990 --> 00:14:40.409 just start to notice at night when you go to 00:14:40.409 --> 00:14:42.210 sleep, what is it that I thought about today? 00:14:42.470 --> 00:14:45.429 Notice if it's around 80 % negative because this 00:14:45.429 --> 00:14:48.590 matters. This matters. Our brains are physically 00:14:48.590 --> 00:14:52.279 changing depending on what we think about. You 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:54.600 think about what you're grateful for, your brain 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:57.360 shifts. You think about what you dread, your 00:14:57.360 --> 00:15:00.740 brain shifts. And we can win this war. I believe 00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:02.840 it. I believe we are looking at more freedom 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:05.279 in our generation than we have previously had. 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:07.899 And I believe that that can happen in our lives 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.570 individually as we actually believe truth. And 00:15:10.570 --> 00:15:12.370 so I'm gonna fight for you to believe truth. 00:15:12.590 --> 00:15:15.129 And I cannot wait to see what God is gonna do 00:15:15.129 --> 00:15:17.470 through this. I do not want you to halfway engage 00:15:17.470 --> 00:15:19.950 with this. We need people to fight for us. We 00:15:19.950 --> 00:15:22.250 need to understand what it is to have these weapons 00:15:22.250 --> 00:15:24.710 that God says have the power to destroy strongholds. 00:15:24.710 --> 00:15:27.590 So we're going to war, y 'all. Come on, invite 00:15:27.590 --> 00:15:30.169 all your friends. I mean, you could gather in 00:15:30.169 --> 00:15:31.769 a living room. You can each get the book and 00:15:31.769 --> 00:15:33.750 you can listen to this almost like a Bible study. 00:15:33.850 --> 00:15:35.610 I hope that that's what this will feel like. 00:15:35.870 --> 00:15:38.330 Invite your friends and let's see what God does. 00:15:38.809 --> 00:15:42.149 I wanna pray for you. God, I want to thank you 00:15:42.149 --> 00:15:44.370 for this community. I want to thank you for a 00:15:44.370 --> 00:15:46.750 microphone. It feels like an honor. It feels 00:15:46.750 --> 00:15:49.590 like a sacred, incredible honor that I get to 00:15:49.590 --> 00:15:51.970 be in their ears, in their minds right now, and 00:15:51.970 --> 00:15:53.649 that I get to fight for them to believe truth. 00:15:54.110 --> 00:15:56.470 God, I do not take that lightly. I believe that 00:15:56.470 --> 00:15:58.309 this matters more than we can understand, more 00:15:58.309 --> 00:16:01.230 than I can understand. And I feel your love for 00:16:01.230 --> 00:16:04.350 them. God, I feel that you want them to live 00:16:04.350 --> 00:16:06.720 more free than they are right now. And I believe, 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:09.460 God, that almost all of them have been believing 00:16:09.460 --> 00:16:11.779 some lie. They've been believing some lie that 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:13.899 has crippled them, that has made them afraid, 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:15.840 that has made them anxious, that has made them 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.740 depressed. And I believe, God, you want to set 00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:21.519 them free. And so today, God, I pray. I want 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:23.879 to pray huge prayers, but I also want to pray 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:25.399 small prayers. I want to pray that they'll have 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:27.559 a glimmer of hope. I want to pray that that hope 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:30.179 would be real and realized. And the big prayer 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:32.840 I want to pray is that you would set them free, 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:35.019 that they would have their eyes opened and they 00:16:35.019 --> 00:16:37.539 would see in a new way the enemy and what he 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:40.460 wants for them and that they would have nothing 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:42.600 to do with it. They would go to war. They would 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:45.259 fight better than they ever have. In Jesus' name, 00:16:45.340 --> 00:16:51.200 amen. You're listening to Living on the Edge 00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:54.120 with Chip Ingram. Jenny Allen was our guest teacher 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.820 for this program, Taking Every Thought Captive, 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:59.240 which is from her series, Get Out of Your Head. 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:02.019 Chip will join us in just a minute to share his 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:04.759 application for this message. Let me ask you, 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:07.319 what drives your thought life? What influences 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:10.319 the way you think? Is it anxiety, loneliness, 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:13.740 insecurity? Whatever it is, do you feel trapped 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:16.960 by it? Like no matter how hard you try, your 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:20.259 mind drifts back to these harmful patterns. In 00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:22.779 this series, author and speaker Jenny Allen calls 00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:25.819 out seven toxic thoughts that derail our connection 00:17:25.819 --> 00:17:29.200 to God. Discover the powerful antidotes God's 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:32.039 given us to break free from these dangerous mindsets. 00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:35.019 Join Jenny to learn what you can do to fight 00:17:35.019 --> 00:17:37.779 and win the war for your mind. Well, before we 00:17:37.779 --> 00:17:40.900 go on, here's Chip. Well, thanks, Dave. And I'm 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:43.140 joined here today with Jenny Allen, our teacher 00:17:43.140 --> 00:17:46.079 for the series. And Jenny, thanks, first of all, 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:49.319 for doing this with us. You know, we are committed 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:51.839 to reaching the next generation. And God has 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.539 given you such a stewardship to reach especially 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:59.079 young women and young moms. But get out of your 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:01.440 head. First of all, that's sort of a crazy title 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:04.079 for a book. What are you hoping to accomplish 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:06.480 in this series? And maybe you could give us a 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.460 little bit of the behind the scenes. Like, where 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:11.759 did this series come from? How did it turn into 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:15.079 a book? And maybe most of all, what do you hope 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:18.140 God will do as our listeners hear this series 00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:21.059 get out of your head? Thank you, Chip, so much 00:18:21.059 --> 00:18:24.140 for having me. And yes, it is a crazy title. 00:18:24.890 --> 00:18:27.809 But I believe everyone is resonating with it 00:18:27.809 --> 00:18:30.450 because we know that we're all stuck in our heads, 00:18:30.549 --> 00:18:33.589 right? I think the timing of this conversation 00:18:33.589 --> 00:18:36.990 is so important because many, many people have 00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:40.569 struggled with anxiety or depression or even 00:18:40.569 --> 00:18:44.569 just fearful thoughts that maybe they don't feel 00:18:44.569 --> 00:18:49.210 like are a big deal. And yet they are. And they're 00:18:49.210 --> 00:18:52.819 holding us captive. And Jesus says that we are 00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:55.079 to take our thoughts captive. They are not supposed 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.559 to take us captive. And yet we've been on the 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:01.519 defense with our thoughts and feeling like we 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:04.240 can't control them. And what scripture calls 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:07.400 us to is an offensive strategy, that we are supposed 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:12.920 to fight back, that we are given divine weapons 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:15.740 that destroy strongholds, 2 Corinthians 10 tells 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:19.279 us. I want to know what those strongholds are 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:21.240 in my life, and I want to know what the divine 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.579 weapons are that God's given me so that I can 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:26.640 fight back. And I hope and believe that so many 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:29.180 of you listening care about that too. So hopefully 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:31.880 this will massively encourage you that you are 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:34.859 not a victim to your thoughts, but we are actually... 00:19:35.369 --> 00:19:38.029 given dominion over our thoughts. We're not given 00:19:38.029 --> 00:19:40.990 dominion over everything we feel, but we're given 00:19:40.990 --> 00:19:43.329 dominion over our thoughts. That's a place we 00:19:43.329 --> 00:19:46.509 have the ability to control. So why wouldn't 00:19:46.509 --> 00:19:48.769 we? Why wouldn't we fight back against the enemy, 00:19:48.910 --> 00:19:52.309 which I believe this is one of the greatest battlefields 00:19:52.309 --> 00:19:57.000 today of the devil. He hates us, and he wants 00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:59.319 to destroy us, kill, steal, and destroy from 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:01.599 us. That's what Scripture tells us. So where 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:03.559 is he doing that? He's doing it in the crevices 00:20:03.559 --> 00:20:06.920 of our minds. He's lying to us. Scripture tells 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:10.460 us Jesus clearly says he's a liar, that he hates 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:14.359 the truth, and he wants to confuse everyone with 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:18.059 his lies. And we've fallen for it, and I just 00:20:18.059 --> 00:20:21.099 say we fight back. Great word, Jenny. And let 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:23.079 me encourage all of you listening to get a copy 00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:25.700 of Jenny's book, Get Out of Your Head. You can 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:28.839 do that by going to livingontheedge .org or by 00:20:28.839 --> 00:20:35.960 calling 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:40.900 or livingontheedge .org. Well, Chip, before we 00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:43.259 go, you wanted to wrap up this program by sharing 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:45.460 a few final thoughts about what Jenny shared 00:20:45.460 --> 00:20:48.430 today. Well, thanks, Dave. And thanks, Jenny. 00:20:48.609 --> 00:20:52.549 I really would say that this has been a passion 00:20:52.549 --> 00:20:56.589 for me for a very, very long time. To go back 00:20:56.589 --> 00:20:59.710 into my earliest years as a Christian, I think 00:20:59.710 --> 00:21:03.710 the first at least two or three years, I thought 00:21:03.710 --> 00:21:06.730 trying hard was how life change occurred. And 00:21:06.730 --> 00:21:10.130 I had issues I could not overcome. I mean, I 00:21:10.130 --> 00:21:12.650 struggle with lust. I struggle with pride. I 00:21:12.650 --> 00:21:15.049 struggle with insecurity. And don't get me wrong. 00:21:15.130 --> 00:21:17.650 I'm not saying that I've, you know, arrived in 00:21:17.650 --> 00:21:20.529 all those areas. But I can tell you willpower 00:21:20.529 --> 00:21:24.789 and willpower alone does not work. And what I 00:21:24.789 --> 00:21:27.990 love about what I hear Jenny doing is she's going 00:21:27.990 --> 00:21:32.569 to help us identify toxic thoughts. The enemy 00:21:32.569 --> 00:21:38.430 came to kill and to steal and destroy. And contrary 00:21:38.430 --> 00:21:42.170 to the movies or popular belief, he rarely does 00:21:42.170 --> 00:21:45.490 it in really scary ways with, you know, like 00:21:45.490 --> 00:21:48.089 super phenomena that you've never seen before. 00:21:48.569 --> 00:21:52.990 His messages are lies, lies about us, lies about 00:21:52.990 --> 00:21:55.529 God, lies about the future, lies about security, 00:21:55.849 --> 00:21:58.569 lies about happiness, lies about things will 00:21:58.569 --> 00:22:01.130 never change, lies about our past. Well, you'll 00:22:01.130 --> 00:22:04.660 never overcome it. Lies, lies, lies. And what 00:22:04.660 --> 00:22:09.039 I love is hearing from a young woman who's living 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:12.579 in a world that I don't live in, not just generationally, 00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:15.400 but, you know, I've got a wife and I have a daughter, 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:20.579 and I see how women are bombarded by very specific 00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:23.259 toxic lies, I think even more than the rest of 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:27.019 us. And so let me just encourage you, stay with 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:29.779 us on this journey. You can hear she's a very 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:34.200 passionate, dynamic teacher. holds to the scriptures. 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:37.960 She believes in God's Word. And I can't wait 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:41.380 to be on this journey with you as we listen to 00:22:41.380 --> 00:22:43.680 Jenny teach. And at the end of the programs, 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:47.140 I'll be back to talk about my takeaways and maybe 00:22:47.140 --> 00:22:48.799 a couple thoughts that I think will help you. 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:51.799 Looking forward to all that, Chip. Hey, before 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:53.819 we go, I wanted to let you know, Living on the 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:57.180 Edge depends on listeners just like you to help 00:22:57.180 --> 00:22:59.839 us continue to encourage Christians to live like 00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:02.099 Christians. So would you consider partnering 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:05.000 with us on a monthly basis so others can benefit 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.619 from this ministry? To set up a monthly donation, 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:13.519 call us at 888 -333 -6003 or go to livingontheedge 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:17.180 .org. App listeners, tap Donate. And thanks in 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:19.640 advance for doing whatever God leads you to do. 00:23:20.009 --> 00:23:22.609 And lastly, would you stop for a minute and pray 00:23:22.609 --> 00:23:25.069 for Living on the Edge today? We've never seen 00:23:25.069 --> 00:23:27.470 a greater need for God's truth to go out than 00:23:27.470 --> 00:23:30.289 right now. And by God's grace, Living on the 00:23:30.289 --> 00:23:32.109 Edge has been able to provide encouragement, 00:23:32.390 --> 00:23:34.789 teaching, and personal discipleship resources 00:23:34.789 --> 00:23:37.769 to more people than ever before. So thank you 00:23:37.769 --> 00:23:39.970 to those who support us with your prayers. God 00:23:39.970 --> 00:23:43.349 is doing amazing things. Well, be sure to join 00:23:43.349 --> 00:23:45.690 us next time as our guest teacher, Jenny Allen, 00:23:45.809 --> 00:23:49.529 continues her series, Get Out of Your Head. We 00:23:49.529 --> 00:23:51.990 live in the noisiest generation that has ever 00:23:51.990 --> 00:23:54.549 been. No generation has had to deal with more 00:23:54.549 --> 00:23:57.710 inputs than ours. So what does it look like to 00:23:57.710 --> 00:24:00.630 shift the spiral? And we're watching the spiral 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:03.450 of an emotion hitting a thought, a thought hitting 00:24:03.450 --> 00:24:05.890 a behavior, a behavior hitting a relationship. 00:24:06.049 --> 00:24:08.829 And those spirals are going through our minds 00:24:08.829 --> 00:24:11.970 all the time. And what God wants to do is He 00:24:11.970 --> 00:24:14.690 wants to shift the spiral from a negative spiral 00:24:14.690 --> 00:24:17.029 that's spiraling down. He wants to shift it to 00:24:17.029 --> 00:24:19.039 one that's going up. one that is going toward 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:22.220 Him. But that interruption and that distraction 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:26.559 that constantly has you pulling away from God, 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:30.440 that distraction is our responsibility. We have 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:33.640 a choice to change the way we think, but we have 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:36.039 to choose it. Until then, this is Dave Drury 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:38.359 saying thanks for listening to this edition of 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:39.539 Living on the Edge.