The Myth of Self-Powered Resilience: Why Mental Discipline Cannot Save

• Biblical Context of 2 Corinthians [00:00:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the historical background of Paul writing to the Corinthian church to address internal conflicts and criticisms.
• The Nature of Criticism and Hatred [00:02:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > Discussion on how even apostles faced haters and how negative statements can become 'fortresses' or strongholds in the mind.
• Resilience and Spiritual Warfare [00:05:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > Defining resilience as a lost art in the modern church and explaining that struggles often stem from spiritual warfare and opposition.
• Meekness vs. Weakness [00:07:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > Clarifying that meekness is not weakness but 'strength under control,' referencing Paul's defense of his character.
• Personal Illustration of Online Criticism [00:10:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about receiving a negative YouTube comment and how it initially affected his mindset before he reframed it.
• Filtering Truth [00:14:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The core application that just because someone says something, it does not mean it is true, and believers must filter words through Christ's truth.
• Filtering Words and Truth [00:13:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that we must filter incoming words through the truth of Jesus Christ, noting that just because someone says something doesn't make it true.
• Handling Third-Party Criticism [00:14:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > He advises against letting 'they say' instigate agitation, urging believers to confront issues directly (Matthew 18) rather than gossiping or seeking validation from others.
• Resilience vs. Passivity [00:17:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between turning the other cheek (enduring unjust legal insult) and being a 'spiritual mental doormat,' asserting that Christians must have resilience against internal attacks and gossip.
• Militant Mindset and Spiritual Warfare [00:19:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > He calls for a 'militant mindset' to fight thoughts, not people, citing Ephesians 6 and 2 Corinthians 10 to explain that Christianity involves active spiritual battle, not passivity.
• Weapons of Warfare (Prayer and Scripture) [00:24:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > He identifies prayer and Scripture as the primary divine weapons to discern thoughts and reject enemy attacks, using Scripture as a 'filter' for reality.
• Spiritual Warfare and Mental Filters [00:26:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that believers must consciously apply God's truth as a 'filter' to reject negative self-perceptions and external attacks, citing scripture to counter feelings of worthlessness.
• The Church as a Weapon [00:29:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies the local church and small groups ('life groups') as essential spiritual weapons, urging attendees to overcome past hurts or busyness to participate in community for mutual support and accountability.
• Divine Power and the Holy Spirit [00:33:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the Holy Spirit provides the power, love, and sound mind necessary to resist fear and anxiety, contrasting this with the passivity that allows the devil to gain ground.
• Dismantling Strongholds [00:35:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the Greek definition of 'destroy' (detaching from the cross), the pastor illustrates that breaking deep-seated negative thoughts ('strongholds' and 'arguments') requires significant, systematic effort and divine power, not just passive prayer.
• Filtering Thoughts [00:39:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that while illogical thoughts are rejected, logical thoughts must still be filtered through the Word of God to determine truth, as logic alone is insufficient.
• Resilience and Boldness [00:40:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using his own loud preaching style as an example, the pastor advocates for a 'militant mindset' that ignores offense and follows Jesus' example of boldness, even if it causes people to walk away.
• Pride and Correction [00:41:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies 'lofty opinions' as prideful and explains that when corrected, believers must examine if the correction addresses sin rather than just personality clashes, tearing down the pride that rejects correction.
• Zero-Tolerance Mindset [00:43:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes that believers must destroy 'arguments' (plural) and take 'every' thought captive, not just some, rejecting the idea that a 'positive attitude' is the primary goal over a biblical one.
• Christ-Centered Mindset vs. Positive Affirmation [00:44:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts biblical mindset with failed positive affirmation culture, asserting that the Bible is about Jesus, not a weapon for personal warfare, and thoughts must be submitted to Christ's lordship for His glory.
• Audience Qualification [00:48:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor clarifies that the power to overcome thoughts applies only to believers in Jesus Christ who have the Holy Spirit, ending with an invitation for non-believers to become believers.

• Sermon Illustration [00:10:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts his personal experience checking the YouTube comments section for his sermon series. He describes receiving a comment from 'Alyssa C5,9,2,5,9' that said 'great message, but I hate the delivery shame, but I watched it all.' He details his emotional reaction, including going through stages of grief, and how he initially wanted to retaliate by having the congregation dislike the comment, before realizing that letting one negative voice overshadow many positive ones is a failure to filter thoughts through truth.
• Sermon Illustration [00:06:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the historical context of the Apostle Paul, who was criticized by the very church he founded. He highlights the irony that Paul, who wrote about love and strength, had 'haters' and was accused of being 'humble when face to face but bold when away.' He also notes historical descriptions of Paul as short, balding, and limping, illustrating how physical appearance and personal attacks can be used to undermine a leader's authority.
• Sermon Illustration [00:18:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about receiving a negative online comment, noting that his younger self would have been devastated for days, but his older self recognizes it as a test of whether he seeks human approval or God's approval.
• Sermon Illustration [00:20:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references Chuck Swindoll's teaching that life is 10% what happens and 90% how you respond, using it to illustrate the importance of not letting negative thoughts live 'rent-free' in one's head.
• Sermon Illustration [00:22:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden, arguing that Adam's passivity in allowing the serpent to converse with Eve was the root of the original sin, illustrating that passivity is the devil's playground.
• Sermon Illustration [00:27:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses a hypothetical scenario of receiving a bad medical diagnosis to demonstrate how to apply the 'filter' of Scripture (e.g., 'no weapon formed against me shall prosper') to counter fear and negative thoughts.
• Sermon Illustration [00:27:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a hypothetical scenario where a doctor delivers bad news, illustrating how a believer should 'put up their filter' by recalling scripture ('no weapon formed against me') rather than succumbing to fear.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his own insecurity regarding his preaching style, noting that a single nod from a congregant after the first service has kept him self-conscious ('rent-free') for a whole service, illustrating the power of negative thoughts.
• Sermon Illustration [00:35:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the historical image of Jesus being nailed to the cross and the physical effort required to detach his body from the nails to illustrate the difficulty and effort required to 'destroy' entrenched negative thought patterns.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about hating watching his own sermons back due to his loudness, but a single nod from a congregant helped him accept his style as a badge of honor for following Jesus' boldness.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Jesus preaching loudly and boldly in John 5 to the Pharisees, noting that many walked away, which the pastor views as a 'badge of honor' when people leave his own preaching.
• Sermon Illustration [00:45:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor critiques the modern cultural trend of 'positive affirmation' and 'participation trophies,' arguing it failed to equip adults to handle difficulties, contrasting it with the biblical call to submit thoughts to Christ.

• Pastoral Charge [00:13:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > Do not engage with or retaliate against the specific critic mentioned in the story.
• Pastoral Charge [00:15:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > Confront critics directly in person rather than allowing them to speak anonymously or through intermediaries.
• Pastoral Charge [00:28:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > Write Bible verses on sticky notes and place them on personal devices and surfaces.
• Pastoral Charge [00:30:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > Visit the church website to sign up for a small group/life group immediately.
• Pastoral Charge [00:32:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stop making excuses and join a small group.
• Pastoral Charge [00:47:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stop living in disobedience (specifically cohabitation/fornication) and stop asking for God's blessing on that lifestyle.
• Pastoral Charge [00:48:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > Bow heads and close eyes to pray and become a believer in Jesus Christ.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] Part 3 of Taking Thoughts Captive, Biblical Mindsets for Overcomers. Biblical mindsets for overcomers. And we're going to go to 2 Corinthians chapter 10 in the screen here. And we're going to talk about this six verse passage here that we just read together on how to have a mindset that overcomes the thoughts and the patterns of thinking in your mind that are really holding you back, taking you captive, and basically ruining your life. And I think I need to start off by
[00:00:30] by saying the reason why we have the book of second Corinthians in our Bible, believe it or not, is because Paul the apostle himself had some critics, had some haters. Now we read about this
[00:00:46] ancient city called Corinth in Acts chapter 18. Paul the apostle shows up there having just proclaimed the gospel in Athens. It didn't go very well. And he travels another couple of hundred miles to the southern city of Corinth in ancient Greece. He preaches the gospel and a church takes
[00:01:08] root. He's there for 18 months. It's one of his longest days. He's an itinerant preacher. He goes all over the known world at the time. It's 2,000 years ago. I've been to the ancient ruins of
[00:01:16] Corinth. It was a fantastic trip. Anyway, Paul preaches the gospel. The gospel takes root in this very philosophical, intellectual city, this very cosmopolitan area, and people come to Christ.
[00:01:29] A church is born. Now, that church starts to grow and take root, and it's got some problems.
[00:01:35] Somebody say problems. How many know every church has got problems? Our church has problems. Do you know why churches have problems? Because churches have people. People are problems. If you know some problem people say amen all right we don't know any problem people it's because you're the problem
[00:01:54] and so there's problems and so i said write first corinthians and he writes first corinthians addressing their problems and then uh he makes a plan to come and see them but then he changes course and um he doesn't come and see them instead he writes them a letter it's a very harsh letter
[00:02:10] very strong letter we don't have that letter in our bible and then that letter causes more problems. And they start to have some angst towards the apostle. They start to have an attitude against the great apostle Paul. I mean, this is the guy who wrote, love is patient. Love
[00:02:28] is kind. This is the guy who wrote, there is neither Greek nor Jew nor male nor female in Christ Jesus. This is the guy who said, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
[00:02:39] This is the guy who wrote, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I mean, this is a guy who gave us one third of the New Testament. And listen to me, even he had his
[00:02:50] haters. Have you got some haters? Have you got some people who have said some things that got stuck in your craw? Have you got some thoughts in your heads that are actually the adult children
[00:03:04] of a simple statement that was made to you maybe years ago, decades ago, in your childhood, and it's just been wrestling it's been taken up cap it's been taking your thought captive instead of you taking a thoughts captive and today we're going to talk about that
[00:03:20] second corinthians is written by the apostle paul in response to his haters and while we study this passage we're going to learn four principles of overcoming your thoughts if your thoughts are the result of something that was said or something that was read that disturbed your
[00:03:43] spirit. How many know one statement can throw your entire week right off? Well, Paul didn't have one.
[00:03:51] He's got this 13 chapter book we call 2 Corinthians, where he deals with the attacks, some of them vicious, from the very church that he started. They wouldn't be Christians if Paul didn't bring the gospel.
[00:04:07] And isn't it funny how quickly people can turn on you?
[00:04:10] Isn't it funny how quickly friends can stab you in the back?
[00:04:15] How a partner can become an opponent in a hot second.
[00:04:21] And in today's generation of me versus you, us versus them, the political divide, the age divide, the gender divide, all the divides of our country is so quick that we are jumping on all of these little tribal warfare things
[00:04:33] and lobbing bombs at each other.
[00:04:35] And the collateral damage is that some of those bombs become fortresses, strongholds in our mind that take us captive rather than us taking it captive. And so today, I want to talk to you on
[00:04:47] biblical mindsets for overcomers. And it starts in your mind. Are you ready? Okay, number one, write this down. Overcomers have a resilient mindset. Resilience, I think, is a lost art in the modern church. And I think the reason why is because the modern church has it pretty easy.
[00:05:10] At least in America, we got it pretty easy. We come into this place free. We come into this place at liberty. We worship Jesus. We've got the opportunity. We got tax exemption. We got the
[00:05:23] rights to say what we want. We can come and we can worship Jesus. And sometimes we forget that that there's a spiritual battle that is going on in the heavenly places in the spiritual realm
[00:05:36] and then life comes and trips us up uh in other words life becomes life and we get into a into a situation into a struggle and we say well what the heck is how why is this happening to me what
[00:05:49] is going on why am i struggling with this you're struggling with it because we are at war and oftentimes we get so sidetracked we get so we get so shocked by opposition Paul might have been
[00:06:02] shocked but he took it on and here's how he opens up chapter 10 of second Corinthians and he says this I Paul myself and treat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ and then he says something
[00:06:12] very strange he says I who am humble when face to face with you but bold toward you went away what is he saying here well we got to put this in quotes because what is he doing he is actually
[00:06:22] quoting a criticism of the Corinthians about himself. He's actually taking on their jibes, what they have said about him, and it got stuck in his craw. One statement took root in his mind.
[00:06:40] How many of you can say the same thing? A statement from a parent, an authority figure, a coach, a friend a spouse an ex-spouse maybe that's why they're ex-spouses because they said something you couldn't get over it and so he's saying listen you guys like to say about me that I'm
[00:07:02] humble when I'm in front of you but I'm bold when I'm where away this is a criticism that Paul was taking on and he says listen I am going to be honest with you I beg of you that when I'm present
[00:07:15] when I show up this time, I may not have to show the boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. Now, notice this phrase,
[00:07:23] suspect us, and then notice this phrase, according to the flesh. In other words, there's some accusations in the church and courts, Paul says, which I started, by the way, that think that I'm no longer a very spiritual leader. And they have the audacity to say, boy, you know, you come on
[00:07:40] strong when you write your letters, Paul. But when you're with us in person, you're all soft.
[00:07:48] You're all mild. Let me just take on this phrase meekness because he says, I'm going to talk to you in the meekness of Christ. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is strength under control.
[00:07:59] Jesus was meek. He was not weak. And what the Holy Spirit does is he gives you strength to hold your, he gives you the power to control yourself and he gives you the strength and he gives you the control over that strength and so Paul says I'm gonna have to come in and
[00:08:15] I'm gonna have to be as bold as you think I'm not when I show up next time later on in this same chapter check out verse 10 he says uh he quotes them again verse 10 of the same chapter for they
[00:08:26] say his letters are weighty and strong his let when he writes to us boy he really pours it on but his bodily presence is weak and his speech is of no account. Think about this statement.
[00:08:41] They're saying, Paul, you can really write a good letter, but when you show up, we're unimpressed.
[00:08:49] You kind of, you know, your body is kind of weak. It doesn't look all that impressive. And there's a lot of historical documents. We don't know if they're actually true, but we've heard or at least
[00:08:58] have some historical idea of what Paul looked like, that he was short, he was balding, he had missing teeth, and he walked with a limp. So this guy probably did not have the greatest bodily
[00:09:11] presence when he showed up in person. And they actually wrote him, because he's quoting them, notice the quotes. They actually wrote him and said, this is what we think of you.
[00:09:20] one one statement from someone you love or maybe didn't even know can ruin your week and if you don't let it it can seep into the recesses of your mind and start to define you
[00:09:40] some of you know exactly what i'm talking about because if you're going to do any dealings with human beings of any kind you're going to face some haters you're going to get some critics and you're gonna hear some comments that if you let it will take over your thought patterns if
[00:10:03] you know what i'm talking about say amen let me tell you something i know what i'm talking about because i get it all the time i'm a public preacher i'm on this stage doing what i do
[00:10:14] and put it out there on youtube and the internet and how many know the devil's favorite part of the internet is the comments section. So this past week, I decided to check out what were the
[00:10:30] comments, what were some of the comments of this fantastic sermon series called Taking Thoughts Captive. So I made a horrible mistake on my day off, and I checked out the comments section on our YouTube channel from part one of this series, and the first comment that I got,
[00:10:51] the first comment before I put this up, first comment I got was this. Great message, prayer hands. And I said, amen. The second comment was amen in capital letters, which I love.
[00:11:10] That means they weren't just saying amen. They were shouting amen. But then I saw Alyssa C five, nine, two, five, nine, who wrote the third comment and took the time to edit the comment.
[00:11:28] great message, but I hate the delivery shame, but I watched it all. Ladies and gentlemen, that comment took 12 minutes out of my day off and I obsessed and I went through the stages of grief
[00:11:52] denial, higher, Alyssa C nine, two, five, nine. She don't even have the gall to put her face on her profile. An anonymous hater is the worst kind of hater. Amen, somebody. And then I thought to
[00:12:09] myself, I'll get her back. I'll put her comment in front of 3000 people this weekend who can go to that comment right now and dislike it. It's on it. They say I hate the delivery. And then
[00:12:33] shit. But you watched it all. Here's how I looked at this comment section after reading that one criticism. Next image. How many know what I'm talking about? 50 people can love you.
[00:12:56] One person hates on you. You're like, why? What can I do to win this person over? And then I thought about it a little bit more, stood over, and I started to think, oh, woe is me. And I said
[00:13:09] this. Some of you do this. That's what I get for serving the Lord. And this image, the third image, this is now how I see it. All the other comments, just all the other comments were just changed in
[00:13:27] my mind because this is what happens when we let words get into our spirits without filtering them through the truth of Jesus Christ. Now, don't get on there and comment on Alyssa C9259.
[00:13:47] 9259 is probably her birthday, so she's some old, miserable lady, and I don't care.
[00:13:51] No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Is he still in there? I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[00:13:57] It's still in there. Write this down. Just because they said it doesn't mean it's true.
[00:14:10] just because they said it doesn't mean it's true. Now, I need you to go with me on a little project for yourself's sanity and your peace of mind. Are you ready? In the notes, circle the
[00:14:27] words they say. Please beware of the they sayers, the people who feel it is their job to represent silent partners in the law firm scrutinizing your character and your abilities or your personality. These are the people who show up and they say this, and it happens in church
[00:14:58] all the time. Well, I've heard things. What do they tell you? Well, they don't like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then I always do this. Who? And they say this.
[00:15:16] Well, I told them that I wouldn't say. Let me just give you a heads up here at Water Church.
[00:15:22] If you do that to me, I don't want to hear it. Keep it to yourself. Stop being the unpaid attorney for the prosecution of my character and what I'm doing. If they can't put on their big boy
[00:15:38] or big girl pants and come talk to us in person, then their opinion can be kept to themselves.
[00:15:42] else. You need to learn to do this in your life. You need to stop letting third-party instigation start to become agitation in your spirit. The scriptures are very, very clear.
[00:16:01] If you got a problem with someone, you go to them. Matthew chapter 18, if your brother sins against you, go show him his fault just between the two of you. And if he listens, you've won
[00:16:17] your brother. Don't do what children do. Children go and talk to six other people because here's what it is. You're not sure your complaints about the person are valid. So you go to six other
[00:16:28] people to see if you can confirm your complaints about the person. And let me just tell you, it's a very unchristian thing to do. Not only is it unchristian, it's childish. And you got to
[00:16:38] learn how to reject, they say. They say, by the way, is usually them. They're coming to you with it because it's really their problem, them and their mothers. So I know that this is probably
[00:16:54] your problem. Can I deal with you? Like, that's it. Like, this is what Paul is doing in this text.
[00:16:58] He's like, oh, they say that I'm bold in my letters, but I'm weak. And when he does, he models for us something. You've got to learn to have resilience, not to just sit there and take
[00:17:11] it. Somebody needs to hear this. Turn the other cheek does not mean that you are called to be a spiritual mental doormat for everybody's complaints. So many Christians do this all the time. It bugs the light, the snot out of me. Well, Jesus said, turn the other cheek, so I guess I
[00:17:30] just got to take it. Not from fellow believers you don't. Jesus is talking about the law on the books that allowed a Roman soldier to take a swipe at a Jew. It was an insult. It was the law. He says,
[00:17:45] here's how you do with injustice. You don't let it bother you. You turn the other cheek.
[00:17:50] But we do not have a law on the books that says that every Christian has carte blanche to go after their brothers and sisters in Christ and just treat them like dirt without recourse. Absolutely
[00:18:00] not. Be careful how you talk about God's children. Be careful how you talk about somebody for whom Jesus Christ shed his blood. Some of you got to learn how to have resilience in your mind.
[00:18:16] Now, I got to tell you this. You're not always going to be able to address your haters. You're not always going to be able to respond. You're not always going to be able to shut them down,
[00:18:23] but you got to have resilience. You got to say, hey, it comes with the territory. Do you know what? I said it took 12 minutes out of my day. You know what I learned from that comment? A couple
[00:18:34] things. Number one, I'm glad to say it only took 12 minutes out of my day and not 12 hours.
[00:18:42] My younger 28-year-old self, that would have taken 12 days out of my life. My older self is like, and number two, I thank God for it because it helped me wrestle. What am I doing this for?
[00:18:57] Am I doing this for everybody to like me? Am I doing this so that I get people's approval?
[00:19:02] and then my lovely beautiful wife cheryl she said hey tim think about all the people you like these public figures or all these other preachers and think about all the hate they get they get
[00:19:14] constant i'm like yeah you're right in fact there are entire twitter pages and websites devoted to hating on other leaders in the church and it's like hey instead of hating other believers how about you love some strangers and neighbors. Like, let's get back to that. Let's lift up people.
[00:19:36] Let's lift them up. But this is what's going to happen in your life. So you can't always have recourse, but you got to have resilience to stay strong. If you're going to do anything for Jesus,
[00:19:45] listen, you're going to be hated by somebody. Learn to deal with it. It's called growth.
[00:19:53] It's called maturing. But listen, number two, overcomers have a militant mindset.
[00:19:59] don't just be strong fight back and I don't mean fight the person I mean fight the thoughts the issue is not with what they said the issue is with what you did with it one of my favorite
[00:20:17] preachers who's been hated Chuck Swindoll said life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond so why let that thought why let that statement live rent-free in your head for the next whatever. How much longer do you want to hold on to it? How many things do you want to put in
[00:20:40] your backpack of attacks and carry it around for the rest of your life? You got to have a militant mindset. You got to do war. Look what Paul says. Back to the text. You got to do war. He says in
[00:20:56] verse 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging, what? War according to the flesh.
[00:21:07] Then he goes on about weapons and warfare. In Ephesians chapter 6, he talks about we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers, authorities, principalities in the heavenly room. In other words, to be a Christian is to fight. To be a Christian is to realize that
[00:21:25] you are part of a spiritual battle. And the devil is always awake and alert and seeking someone to devour. So you got to look at those things that come at you and you got to say, well, I was
[00:21:37] expecting you. I was wondering when you were going to show up. My day was so peaceful. I knew it.
[00:21:46] I knew it. Couldn't say that way because there's a battle going on in the spiritual realm. So I'm not shocked, but listen to me, I'm also not passive. And if there's a problem with the modern
[00:21:58] day church, again, because we have it reasonably easy as Christians in America, we really do, okay? We don't have to go underground with our beliefs. Like I said, we got tax exemption.
[00:22:10] In this country, you get tax breaks for giving to the church. I mean, this is a great country to be a Christian in, but at the same time, it can unintentionally, or maybe be under our notice,
[00:22:19] it can lead to a passivity about the fight that we are still currently involved in.
[00:22:25] Write this down. When it comes to faith, passivity is the devil's playground.
[00:22:30] That was Adam's original sin. The serpent was taking up residence in the garden that God had given him dominion over. And the serpent wasn't just taking up residence. The serpent was having a conversation with his wife. And Adam just sat there and let it happen. You understand?
[00:22:53] we're in this mess because of passivity. You can't be passive in the spiritual realm. And listen, you can't be passive in your mental thinking. You can't just let the thoughts be the thoughts you have. I'm trying to help somebody. I hope you're getting it. You know, how you think
[00:23:13] doesn't have to be how you think. Take up arms. He says in verse four, the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but they have, underline these two words, they have what? Divine what?
[00:23:29] Power. We got God's power over our thoughts. So listen to me, everybody who says, yeah, but pastor, they're my thoughts. I can't control my thoughts. No, you're right. You can't control your thoughts, but God can. The scripture says in 1 John, God is greater than our hearts. He
[00:23:45] says it like this. Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts. Now, who has ever here had your heart condemned you? Who has ever just gotten through a day and said, oh gosh,
[00:23:57] I'm just the worst person sometimes. I am just a terrible human being. Who here has walked through a whole week without even, you've been passive about it. You've just let it happen. You've gone through a whole week thinking, I'm just no good to anybody. I got no gifts, no talents. I'm ugly.
[00:24:13] I got no future. Who, why am I even exist? And you have passively allowed that thought to be radiant in your mind. It's time to take up authority, not in your willpower or in your human strength,
[00:24:24] but in the power of the most high God and destroy the thoughts that the enemy is trying to seed into your mind. Get militant. What are the weapons that we have? Write this down. Number one,
[00:24:37] the divine power weapons, prayer. This is a weapon. Talk to God about it. Thought comes in, Lord Jesus, you see that thought. You're not shocked by that thought. You saw that thought coming. I'm giving you authority right now over that thought. Help me in Jesus' name. James chapter
[00:24:58] 5, 16 says, the prayer of a righteous person has great, what, power as it is working. Some of you are so backwards about your attitude toward prayer because here's what you say about, well, I guess
[00:25:10] there's nothing left to do except pray about it. What? That's not the last resort, friend. That's not the, well, I guess we throw in the towel except maybe God will do it. No. This should be your first
[00:25:22] line of defense. It should be something, the scripture says, pray at all times.
[00:25:30] That doesn't mean you get in your prayer closet, you pray 24 hours a day. It just means take everything to God in conversation. What if you did that? What if, as you were tempted in the moment of temptation, you said, Lord, you see right now I got this temptation.
[00:25:48] I'm praying, God, you take authority right now over my life, and you keep me from walking in disobedience. Thinking and knowing that prayer has power. Number two, scripture. Scripture is powerful. The word of God is powerful and a weapon. Paul says in Ephesians chapter six that
[00:26:10] we take up the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the feet shod with the gospel of peace, the sword, the shield of faith. And then he says, the sword of
[00:26:19] the Spirit. And he says, which is the Word of God. The Word of God is an offensive weapon against the attacks of the devil. In Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12, it says, the Word of God is living and is
[00:26:33] active. It's sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and it discerns the thoughts and the intentions of the heart.
[00:26:45] See, sometimes we got to learn to discern what we're thinking. How do I discern what I'm thinking through the word of God? This has got to be the filter through which I observe reality as it's
[00:26:57] coming at me. This has got to be the filter through which I hear the attacks of those who hate me. You're no good. Oh, I see you said no good. Let me put my filter on and let me see if
[00:27:12] that's what God says. Does God say you're no good? No. God says you are his child. God says you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. How about this? Doctor comes in. It's bad. It's real
[00:27:26] bad. I don't know what we're going to do. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait, doctor. Hold on a second. Let me put my filter up. No weapon formed against me is going to prosper. Greater is he
[00:27:36] that's in me than he's in the world. I got a church. I got elders I can pray for. They can lay hands. My Bible says they pray the prayer of faith, and the sick person shall recover.
[00:27:45] It's the filter.
[00:27:48] See, some of you young people, you understand.
[00:27:50] There's something called no filter.
[00:27:55] There's a lot of Christians living with no filter about their thoughts.
[00:27:59] No, put the filter on.
[00:28:00] But make sure it's God's filter.
[00:28:03] Is this what God thinks about me?
[00:28:05] Is this what God says about people?
[00:28:08] Is this what God thinks I should do with my life?
[00:28:09] Or is it what somebody else thinks?
[00:28:11] Because I don't want to waste my life living for the approval of somebody else.
[00:28:16] I want to live in the approval I already got.
[00:28:18] the approval that comes from my heavenly father. And scripture is my weapon. What did the devil try to do to Jesus? Oh, turn these stones into bread. Cast yourself down. Bow before me. And how did Jesus respond? He didn't respond with, well, I don't know if I should do. No, it is
[00:28:38] written. Word of God. It is written. See, some of you got to do this. I said this at the first service. Take some post-it notes, write some verses down, and stick them on your computer
[00:28:47] screens, margins. Stick them on your steering wheel. Stick them on your radio. Stick them on your TV. That'll change your TV watching habits, won't it? You're like, I can't binge that show anymore. The word of God is on my TV. Number three weapon, the church. Some of you don't
[00:29:08] realize this. The church is a weapon against the enemy's attacks. Y'all made a great choice today to take up your weapon and fight off the enemy's attacks. I want to tell you something. All you
[00:29:19] got to do to give the devil a leg up is just stop going to church. Stop having a community of faith that you can come together with, praise Jesus with, listen to the word of God, get encouraged
[00:29:30] by the pastor with a great delivery. Shame. Shameful plug. And then something you got to do this. You got to stop facing me. You got to face each other. We call that life group. And some of
[00:29:50] you avoid life group like the plague. You avoid life group like the plague. I don't need life group. Yes, you do. Jesus did. Before he preached, Jesus formed a life group. Before he cast out
[00:30:02] demons and healed the sick, he gathered 12 guys, and he had a small group. And by the way, he needed them. Jesus needed spiritual friends, and he was the Son of God. If he needed them, you need them.
[00:30:21] To say, I don't need a life group at this church is to suggest that you're stronger than Jesus.
[00:30:26] And some of you say, I'm busy.
[00:30:28] We got e-groups.
[00:30:29] You go online, very easy.
[00:30:32] Some of you got to go to waterschurch.org slash small groups, or groups, I think it is, slash groups today.
[00:30:38] Stop hesitating.
[00:30:38] Get in, face each other, and learn that the things you're struggling with, other people struggle with too.
[00:30:46] You're not the only one who wrestles with those thoughts, those feelings, those emotions, those temptations.
[00:30:52] My Bible tells me that there is no temptation that has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but will, with the temptation, give you a way of escape that you might be able to
[00:31:06] endure it. Now, what did I just do? I just quoted scripture. It was in my mind. I just told it to you, the church, so that we can all benefit together. And I'm going to ask you, pray that
[00:31:17] into your life. Lord, help me to remember that what I'm going through is the same as everybody else. I'm just, I'm in the same battle, and we're not alone, and God is with us. And if I got a
[00:31:26] family of God with me, I got people who can lift me up and pray with me when I'm weak. Sometimes I need the prayers of somebody else. Sometimes I need the faith of somebody else. And sometimes
[00:31:36] somebody else needs the faith that I got. Hebrews chapter 10 says, let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works and let us not get into the habit of neglecting to meet. But let's
[00:31:49] do so more and more as we see the day approaching. We're 2,000 years closer to the day of Jesus than that scripture was written. How much more should we be into community together? How much more? And
[00:31:59] by the way, I've been hearing some complaints from people in this church directly to me, by the way, and I think this is important for me to address. Some of you keep doing a very fatal mistake here
[00:32:07] at Waters Church. You don't get into life group here because you were hurt in a small group in some other church. Can I just tell you with pastoral love in my heart that that is a very
[00:32:19] immature attitude and it's very unfair to us. Don't judge us for what some other church did to you.
[00:32:26] and we won't judge you for what people who have left our church did to us can we be fair and there's a group of people they're all upset about the word covenants in our membership program
[00:32:37] covenant i can't get over the word covenant okay we're changing that we're making it agreement it's the same thing but you can't sign because it says covenant i mean really come on can we get over these small little tiny issues i understand some other church did something
[00:32:55] somewhere, and now you can't bear to get involved. No, that's just an excuse for you to be passive in your faith practice. No more excuses. Jump in. Number four, divine power. The weapon with divine
[00:33:13] power? The Holy Spirit. You know the Holy Spirit lives in you, right? If you're a Christian, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. That means that you have God, the Holy Spirit, dwelling in your
[00:33:22] body. You can grieve the Holy Spirit, but you can also listen to the Holy Spirit. You're not going to hear the Holy Spirit if your phone is in your face. You're not going to hear the Holy Spirit if
[00:33:34] you're just watching television all the time. You're not going to hear the Holy Spirit if you're scrolling the internet constantly. You've got to shut things off. You've got to get alone with the Holy Spirit, and you've got to say, Holy Spirit, be the power that I don't have. Scripture says in
[00:33:47] 2 Timothy 1.7, God has given us not a spirit of fear, and I would add, or anxiety, or constant worry. If you got those things, they don't come from God. They don't come from God. But God has
[00:34:02] given you a spirit of power, love, and self-control. And another translation says, power, love, and sound mind. The Holy Spirit has been given to you so that your mind can be sound. So what I'm saying
[00:34:15] to you today is, you don't have to have the strength over your thoughts. God has the power you need. But you got to pick up the weapons and fight because passivity is exactly where the devil
[00:34:26] wants you. And this is a problem for so many Christians. I think the number one problem, passivity. One hour a week, you're with me. One hour a week, I get to yell at you about these
[00:34:38] things. And the rest of the week, you never pick up your sword. You never pick up your filter.
[00:34:46] You never spend time with the Lord, the one who can calm the sea.
[00:34:52] You know, my Bible says his word calmed the storm.
[00:34:57] His word opened the dry, the sea.
[00:35:00] His word called down fire on Elijah's enemies.
[00:35:04] Some of you, some of you would like that to happen right now for some of your enemies, wouldn't you?
[00:35:08] His word gives you the strength to resist temptation.
[00:35:12] And then we move on in this passage.
[00:35:14] he says, listen, he's given us divine power to what? Destroy strongholds. And then he uses it again. Destroy arguments. One, strongholds. Two, arguments. Three, lofty opinion. Before we get to them, I want to talk to you about this word destroy. I was floored to realize that the Greek
[00:35:35] word for destroy here is also used in reference to people taking Jesus off the cross. In fact, the definition that I found in my Greek lexicon for this word actually means to detach from the
[00:35:50] cross, to destroy. Now, I don't want to get gross, but I just want you to think about this.
[00:35:59] How did they keep Jesus on that cross? They nailed him to the cross, and then he died.
[00:36:07] And the scripture says at the end of the gospels, Joseph of Arimathea goes and asks for his body, and he goes and the scripture says and they took his body down from the cross now i don't want to
[00:36:17] be gross but i do want you to get this picture in your mind his body was nailed to it how many know it took effort to dislodge his body from those nails see this is this is what i'm saying
[00:36:31] when paul says we have divine power in other words it's going to take effort you're going to have to rip those thoughts off you're going to have to you're going to have to get yourself the hammer
[00:36:43] and pull that nail and dislike. Anybody ever see a hammer? I mean, a nail just gets so stuck.
[00:36:49] This is what he's saying. It's going to be a wrestling match. It's not going to happen overnight. Write this down. Some thoughts are nailed to my mind and I need to work to destroy them. A statement can become an attitude. An attitude can become an identity. And some of
[00:37:10] your identity has been because someone said something, and you let the devil nail it into your mind. So three things we got to rip out with the divine power of God. We have to destroy.
[00:37:27] First word, strongholds. What is a stronghold? Write this down. A stronghold is a fortification of thoughts. It's a fortification of thoughts. Some translations say fortress. In the ancient world, strongholds, sometimes fortresses, were just entire cities. Now think about this. Cities
[00:37:49] don't get built overnight, do they? It takes decades to build a city. You don't tear down a city like that. You've got to deconstruct the city. You've got to deconstruct all the intertwining messages that have all been interlocked. Okay, so my dad said I was no good to anybody,
[00:38:09] and then my first boss fired me and then my wife says I never listen and all these other people say I look funny and they're all this intertwine all these statements that have become this
[00:38:20] fortress this intertwined fortress that has taken up permanent residence in your mind you're going to have to ask the Holy Spirit and you're going to have to diligently work to fight and pull down that stronghold what I'm saying is it's not going to happen instantly so everybody who says pastor
[00:38:38] I tried prayer. I tried the word. It didn't work. Well, how long did you try? How many services did you come to? How many life group meetings did you attend? Oh, we tried everything for our marriage.
[00:38:52] Have you tried our marriage class? I've tried everything to get out of this addiction. Have you tried our celebrate recovery class? My money is never going to be right. Have you tried our financial piece? I'm trying to say is you got to do effort. You got to put the work in because
[00:39:07] cities can get built for decades and they got to get torn down systematically. And the same is true for many of our thoughts. Letter B, an argument is something that sounds logical. It sounds logical.
[00:39:21] You don't imbibe, you don't internalize thoughts that don't sound logical. Look, you're all pretty smart people. You're all pretty smart people. Firstly, I know you're smart because you chose to come to Waters Church. But you're not going to listen to stupid thoughts or illogical thoughts.
[00:39:45] You got to understand that many of the things that we internalize, they sound right. And it might not be right. It might be right, but it might not be right. You got to put the filter up.
[00:39:56] Is it true? You know, not to beat this horse, but you know, when that comment came across, I hate the delivery. You know what my first thought was? I hate the delivery too. This might shock some of you people, but I am my own worst critic. I hate watching myself back. I do
[00:40:16] it. It's torture. How does anybody show up at my church? Why am I so loud? I said, then the first service and a guy sitting right over there went, and that simple nod is still living rent-free
[00:40:34] right now in my head. One whole service later. Yeah, I am loud. Yeah, my delivery is not for everybody. Okay, it's not for everybody. I got to get over that. Resilience, militant mindset.
[00:40:48] and then filter it through the word of God.
[00:40:51] Is it true?
[00:40:52] Hey, my Bible tells me Jesus stood up and said with a loud voice, praise the Lord, Jesus was a loud preacher.
[00:40:59] He was a bold preacher.
[00:41:02] He didn't pussyfoot around people's opinions.
[00:41:05] He said it like it was and let the chips fall where they may.
[00:41:08] A lot of people walked out when Jesus preached.
[00:41:11] If people walk out when I preach, I consider that a badge of honor.
[00:41:14] I'm following the footsteps of my great Savior.
[00:41:19] But you're going to wrestle.
[00:41:20] Ah, I'm fighting my own battle.
[00:41:21] You're going to wrestle with logical things that might not be truthful things.
[00:41:28] You got to tear it down.
[00:41:29] And then a lofty opinion is a prideful attitude.
[00:41:34] A lofty opinion is a prideful.
[00:41:35] So what's making you think you're all that?
[00:41:42] Shame.
[00:41:45] You know, what we have to think about when these thoughts come in is, wait a second, wait a second, wait a second.
[00:41:50] Wait a second, wait a second.
[00:41:51] Maybe I do need to change that.
[00:41:53] maybe, maybe that does, maybe somebody just touched something that I'm sensitive to.
[00:42:02] But if I really do some examination, it's actually something that the Lord wants me to change.
[00:42:08] You remember when I talked about going to the person and talking to them directly about the problem you have with them? There's one qualifier. The qualifier is this. It has to be sin. You can't
[00:42:22] just go and have a problem with somebody because you don't like their personality. Not everybody's your personality. I mean, that's life. You go to the person and you talk to them if it's sin.
[00:42:37] And why I'm saying this, because sometimes we get correction and we immediately say, well, how dare you? But wait a second. If it's something that displeases the Lord, the thing that actually has to be torn down is not what they said, but the pride in our heart
[00:42:57] that chooses to reject it. Okay, I'll move on because that's a sensitive issue right there.
[00:43:04] Number three, overcomers have a zero-tolerance mindset. A zero-tolerance mindset. Going back to verse five, we destroy arguments, plural, not just going to be one thing that the enemy comes at you with, that thoughts and ideas come at you with. And then he says this, and every lofty
[00:43:24] opinion, and we take every thought captive. Not some, all of them. See, some of you think, oh, good. Pastor's teaching me how to have a positive attitude. No, I don't really care if you have a positive attitude. I care that you have a biblical attitude. I care that you have a Christ
[00:43:47] honoring attitude. I can give a rip about whether or not you're positive. I mean, you should be positive if you have a biblical mindset, because guess what? The Bible ends pretty happy for God's people. Pretty miserable for people who aren't his people. But the biblical mindset, zero tolerance
[00:44:09] over every thought, every lofty opinion, including maybe I am arrogant. Maybe I do think too highly of myself. Maybe I rush ahead without including others. Maybe it's time for me to take a step back and listen to some other people instead of always spouting off my opinion so quickly.
[00:44:32] so this every thought thing the good thoughts and the bad thoughts is it captive to christ which brings me to number four overcomers have a christ-centered mindset and i already kind of inferred this i don't care if you have a positive mindset i care that you have a biblical mindset
[00:44:53] and a biblical mindset listen to me very carefully the bible is about jesus the bible is not a weapon for you to wage war against people whose opinion you don't like the Bible is not a weapon for you to chapter and verse people and scold them Jesus said in
[00:45:13] John chapter 5 to the Pharisees he says you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have life he says no no no it is the scriptures that bear witness about me what
[00:45:23] is Jesus saying the Bible is about me so when it comes to my thoughts I got to take them captive to obey Christ. Notice it's not to feel better about myself. We tried positive affirmation
[00:45:40] with an entire generation. It failed miserably. Now we got a whole group of adults that don't know how to handle even the most simple difficulties in life because nobody's over there giving them a participation trophy for showing up to work on Monday. Am I taking this
[00:46:02] thought and submitting it to the lordship of jesus maybe jesus wants me to have this thought maybe it's a corrective thought maybe it's maybe it's the wrong pattern of thinking that i'm assuming is right and and this is the heart of paul i don't really care if you like me
[00:46:27] i i care if christ is glorified through me i don't care if i like the thought i care if it glorifies christ like i'll say something from this pulpit and some people will get offended
[00:46:40] and i gotta say maybe you needed to hear it just because you took offense to it does not mean it's wrong like i'll say something like this i'll say something you know living together before marriage
[00:46:54] is actually fornication and is a sin before a holy righteous god right and if you live that way please please please stop asking god to bless you he will not bless disobedience now somebody in
[00:47:09] this church or somebody online is going to say how dare he now you're intruding on my no that's a thought you might need to receive and bring it under the authority of christ in your life
[00:47:23] because it's not about agreeing with me my opinion doesn't matter his does so he says we take every thought captive to obey christ got it sermon in the sentence overcomers don't just think think they fight for what they think in the power of God, for the glory of Jesus Christ.
[00:47:53] God, can you get glory out of my thoughts? Jesus, can you be Lord over how I see myself, over how I see my spouse and my children or my friends and my family, how I see the people who
[00:48:10] hate me? Can you be Lord over that so that my thoughts lead to an attitude of glorifying you?
[00:48:23] Now, one qualifier for this entire sermon is so important that you hear this. Everything that I've said today only applies to believers in Jesus Christ. If you're not a believer in Jesus, you have no power over your thoughts. You have no Holy Spirit. The scriptures are foreign to you
[00:48:44] and your prayers won't be heard. I'm just telling you this is true. But the good news today that I got for you is this. Today you can become a believer in Jesus Christ right now and you can
[00:48:58] flip upside down the devil's plan for your life. Why don't you bow your heads and close your eyes.
[00:49:05] Give you a chance at every location to say yes to Jesus. A simple prayer to confess him as Lord, to ask him to forgive you of your sins and to bring you into his family.
[00:49:19] I'm going to lead you in that prayer right now.
[00:49:20] If that's you and you know you need Jesus, would you say it quietly, but would you say it with your mouth and from your heart?
[00:49:27] Repeat after me.
[00:49:28] Say, Heavenly Father, forgive me of my sins.
[00:49:34] I ask you to receive me into your family through your son, Jesus Christ.
[00:49:44] Today, I believe Jesus died for me and rose for me, and I declare with my mouth, Jesus is Lord in Jesus name.