The human mind is an amazing thing!

 

Building Up Your Mind

How to Fix Your Thoughts

I.                   Introduction (Romans 8:6)

A.    The human mind is an amazing thing

1.      It is the place of all your thoughts, all our memories

2.      It is where choices are weighed and decisions are made

3.      It is the realm of dreams, and where we design and create things that don’t yet exist

4.      It is our conscience

5.      Our imagination

6.      Our intelligence – the ability to learn and understand

7.      Our governor – controls and directs the life, the heart, and the will

8.      Our will – the thing that makes all our final decisions

B.     You can either build up, develop, and expand your mind, or you can destroy it

C.     It’s up to you!

D.    God says in Romans 12:2 that we need to constantly renew our mind, restore it, recharge it

E.     The question is, How do we do that?

F.      How do we learn to think differently, think better?

G.    It all begins with cleaning the mind!

H.    Today I want to learn how to build up the mind

II.                The State of the Common mind – the “Modern Mind”

A.    The mind of the guy you are thinking about dating!

B.     Blind to God (2Cor 4:4) and spiritual things – thinking they do not need God (1Tim 6:17)

C.     Seared (1Tim 4:2) – burned out, past feeling

D.    Spoiled – ruined ( Col 2:8) – constantly conquered by images and lusts, and memories

E.     Reprobate (Rom 1:28) – vain, empty, rejected, a waste!

F.      Thin, Superficial, unable to discuss and debate about anything – only yell and argue

G.    In Bondage

1.      To their past

2.      To sinful habits, and lusts and to their friends

H.    A Sewer (Titus 1:15) – filled with

1.      Lusts of the flesh and of the mind

2.      Anger and bitterness

3.      Envy and jealousy

4.      Depression and discouragement

5.      Things you wouldn’t want in your child’s thought life!

I.       The worst… Unconcerned – apathetic! People are proud of their ignorance of God! Proud of their ability to live without a conscience, and without guilt! Look at the rioters, and the homosexuals, and the trans-genders, and the lives of Hollywood stars!

J.       No wonder most people can’t handle any time in the Bible!

K.    If a modern mind is going to be restored, and repaired, it is going to have to be a miracle!

1.      The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse the mind (Heb 9:9,14)

2.      God gives us a sound mind (2Tim 1:7)

3.      God shows us how to think with a right mind (1Cor 2:16)

III.             How to Renew and Rebuild Your Mind (Philippians 4:4-10)

A.    Rejoice - Worship – Praise God (Philp 4:4; Mark 5:6)

1.      You will always become like the “God” that you admire

2.      Who and what do you think about all day long?

a.       Your problems? Well, there you go!

b.      Your enemies?

c.       Your friends, and what they are doing?

d.      Your desires, needs, lusts?

e.       Your work?

f.       What you think about, is what you will become!

3.      Look unto Jesus – consider Him

4.      Walk daily with Him

a.       Get to know Him – the REAL Him – not the fake, plastic, false god of modern religions and cults

b.      Read through your Bible.

c.       Cast all your care upon Him – as quickly as it comes on you!

d.      Talk to Him

e.       It’s amazing just how much restoration occurs just when we do those two things!

5.      Just start there!

6.      Worship does a lot to repair the damage from stress

a.       Ex 4:29-31

b.      Job 1:14-21

c.       The false promises of the devil involve worship of HIM (Mt 4:19)

7.      Do you realise that the majority of people in the Bible, in dire need, under incredible stress, knew enough to come and bow before Jesus and just worship Him?

B.     Refrain (Philp 4:5)

1.      To change a fat, lazy slob into an Olympic athlete requires setting some strong limits on: what they eat, when they go to sleep, how they exercise, etc!

2.      So SET some limits to what you will and won’t think about!

3.      Just like limits on what you will allow yourself to do!

4.      Moderation means having a limit!

a.       Funny how everybody thinks that they drink moderately

b.      A moderate drinker is a NON drinker!

5.      A moderate Christian does not allow themselves a little porn, or a little covetousness, or a little murder (Eph 5:3)

6.      Ponder what you are allowing yourself to think about so easily (Pr 4:26; Dt 32:29)

a.       Stop thinking evil about ANYONE (Zech 7:10)

b.      Cast down every imagination that disobeys Christ (2Cor 10:5)

c.       Don’t ever think about quitting, or going back to “the old life”

d.      Be in charge of what you think!

e.       Don’t let anything or anyone dominate you except Christ!

C.    Repent – The Lord is at Hand (Philp 4:5; Isaiah 55:7)

1.      This is vital

2.      Every thought that you think is not private, is not protected (Mt 12:36)

3.      It matters what you think!

4.      Thoughts are the seeds of actions

a.       If you hate in your heart, you are guilty of murder

b.      If you lust in your thoughts, you are guilty of adultery

c.       What you think is what you become

5.      Take a good look at what’s inside your mind, and be very afraid!

6.      And wrestle against it!

7.      What have you allowed yourself to get into the habit of thinking about? It’s time to repent and forsake it!

8.      Keep yourself soft towards God and hard towards sin!

9.      Wrestle against any darkness in your thinking – any strongholds (2Cor 10:5)

a.       Involvement in any Occult or Cult activities in the past or present. (Satanic Rituals, Witchcraft, Fortune Telling, Secret Ceremonies, etc.)

b.      Expose it – talk to someone about it

1)      Your husband, wife

2)      Your parents

3)      Your pastor

4)      Your spiritual mentor – the person you look up to and lean on for godly advice

c.       Confess it

d.      Forsake it – dump it, like cow manure!

10.  Wrestle against your lusts – against the things you want to do

a.       Anything you are habitually doing that is sinful. (Sexual Immorality, Addictions, Pornography, etc.).

b.      Put up some sort of a fight Christian!!!

11.  Wrestle against your reoccurring memories (Philp 3:13,14)

a.       Anything others have said to you, or about you, that have created False Perceptions that are not in line with what God says to be True about you. (“You’re Stupid”, You're Ugly”, You’re Good for Nothing”, etc.)

b.      Anything that YOU have found yourself saying and believing

12.  Wrestle against your feelings

a.       Any Attitude that you are presently harbouring that is displeasing to God. (Pride, Rebelliousness, Unforgiveness, Critical Spirit, Mocking attitudes, Jealousy, etc.)

13.  Dump every enemy onto the cross, and let it die there! That is the Christian’s “Trash can” or mortuary, or graveyard!

D.    Request – Pray A Lot (Philp 4:6)

1.      Casting all your care on Jesus - Pray about everything

2.      I think most Christians waste so much energy, and so many of their thoughts because they think and worry without prayer!

a.       Why not pray why you are worrying? That’s the right way to worry!

b.      Why not ask for God’s help, and God’s grace, and God’s wisdom if it has been made so available to you?

3.      Praying is just asking

4.      Supplications is to REALLY pray, as in begging!

5.      WITH thanksgiving!

6.      Quit living and thinking like God is not there! Most people are depressed, not because God is not there and not mighty on their behalf, but because they have lived like He is not there, and have not gone to the throne of His grace and obtained the help that they needed!

7.      Praying is NOT repetitious words, but words from the heart!

8.      Write out your requests and needs, and then start asking God to help!

Thank You for visiting this site. If we can be of help in any way, please do not hesitate to ask. Much Blessings on you and yours, Dr. Joseph A.Carson Northland Baptist Ministries