Reset Your Thinking

Romans 12:1-2

Living in the Light - Reset Your Thinking

Main Thought – Our Mind must be a place where the Light can shine in and out.

Intro:

· We are in a new month, but we are still sticking with our theme for the year, and that is called “living in the light”

· You know light is amazing, it helps plants to grow, it helps us to see where we are going, it helps warm the air.

· However, there are some places, even among lit areas, that have trouble getting light.

· Dark places where light has trouble reaching – for instance light can penetrate about 33oo feet into the water, but beyond that, is total darkness.

· Just like water, there are parts of us that live in the light, but then there is a part of us that dwells in darkness.

· And if we are honest, we sometimes visit those areas of darkness, we sulk into those dark caverns and its there we try to hide our life from Christ.

· I don’t want darkness in my life, I want to abide in the light and if you want to abide in the light as well, then friend we have got to get rid of the darkness that is in our thoughts. We must renew our thinking.

(Read Scripture)

· Now Paul tells us that we must renew our mind.

· You ever been to a parts store, and they have a remanufactured part. Basically, they use the shell, but they put new components on the inside.

· That is what must take place in our mind, we must take what is broken inside our mind out and replace it with new.

· Now think about what the scripture is telling us. Because if you want to live in the light, then the light needs to be shining in your mind.

Point 1. The Congestion of the Mind

· Now I don’t know about you, but one thing that I struggle with in my thoughts is getting rid of the junk that I don’t need to hang onto anymore.

· Useless information – waiting for Jeopardy to call

· We fill our minds with a lot of stuff in this world, that we crowd out the Lord.

· What is it that we are crowding our minds with?

o Worry

o Doubt

o Fears

o Grief

o Depression

· You name it, we fill it with all the junk that blocks out the light.

· You ever leave something laying in the yard for way too long. And when you move it, what does it leave behind? A dead spot. But if you give it time, that dead spot will grow once again.

· What has to happen first? The item that was blocking the light has to be removed.

· Now let me ask you, when you have guest coming over to your home, do you want garbage and trash laying around? No, you get rid of it because you want your home to be presentable.

· Well, that is what God wants us to do with our minds. Get rid of the clutter crowding your mind that the Lord may transform us.

Point 2. The Corruption of the Mind (Insanity / Sanctity) (King Saul)

· Now when you live in darkness, when your mind lives in darkness, you are going to have mental issues.

· There was a research study on two cave explorers that were living alone in dark desolate cave for months, to test the effects of isolation, loneliness, and darkness. Throughout the ordeal, the two test subjects basically went insane. They slept for long periods of time. They hallucinated. They thought they were abandoned.

· While we live in a world where there is sunlight, there are people who are in their minds living in darkness, and it is causing them to go insane.

· Take for instance King Saul. His mind was consumed with jealousy. His jealousy blocked out the light of the Lord, and the man went insane. To the point that he took his own life.

· Friends, when you let your minds dwell in darkness, you will become a paranoid and lonely person.

· Now what is darkness of the mind? Anything that takes our focus off the Lord. When I give in to sin, I am allowing my mind to dwell in darkness. And when a person does that, he will go crazy.

· James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

· Friend when you play with sin, it will destroy your life.

· We say that this world has gone insane. We see all the crazy stuff happening and it leaves us scratching our heads.

· Friends, if we keep playing with the world and sin, then we will go insane.

· If we want to stop from going insane, then we need to replace insanity with sanctity.

Point 3. The Cure for the Mind

· Paul said to transform our lives by the renewing of our mind. Friend, let me tell you, you don’t have to live in darkness.

· You don’t have to struggle with all that junk anymore. Because there is a cure, and that cure is Jesus.

· What do you need to do? Gather it all up. Listen to what he says here.

· 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

· What he is saying, is go through your mind and every thought and struggle you have, that is preventing that light to shine, take a hold of it, and throw it into a cage. Lock it up.

· Now, your mind will have a tendency to wander. You will get to thinking about something you shouldn’t and before you know it, you are giving into sinful behavior.

· What you must do, is change your thought process.

· Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there by any praise, think on these things.”

· Friend change what you think about.

o You thinking about how you hate someone – think about how much Jesus loves them

o You thinking about your struggle with drugs or alcohol – think about how Christ said if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

o You thinking about pornography – take it captive and think on the real love of Jesus.

o You thinking that no one cares about you – think how Christ said he will be there for you no matter what.

o You thinking you can’t do it – think how Christ said all things are possible through him.

· The only way your mind can be cured, the only way you can see clearly, the only way you can have your sanity, is by allowing Jesus Christ into your life.

Closing

· The National Institute for Mental Health says that 1 in 5 live with mental illness. That means there is likely 50 or so people in this congregation that have that struggle.

· Well let me tell you the real fact, that everyone born is born with mental problems. They are born in darkness, and until they see the light, they will have struggles.

· Until you allow Jesus in your life fully, you will never be who you were meant to be.

· I look at this world, and you know what I don’t worry about it one bit. Because I am not thinking on the things of the world. I am thinking about Jesus.

· Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

· What are you thinking right now? Are you thinking about Jesus? Or, are you thinking about something else? If you want to live in the light, renew your mind today, by coming to Christ.