How Do I Overcome Toxic Thoughts?

Introduction:

The title of my message is HOW TO OVERCOME TOXIC THOUGHTS. Have you ever been consumed by toxic thoughts to a point where it has clouded your mind from seeing something clearly? The lies of Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Worrry, & Insecurity along with many other types of toxic thoughts can brainwash us. Ultimatly causing us to live in a state of deluison, becasue we have beleived the lie.

Message Title: How To Overcome Toxic Thoughts

Have you ever beeen consumed by a toxic thought to a point where it has clouded you from seeing things clearly?

Lies: Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Worry, Insecurity, and more = Delusion

Becasue we have beleived the lie they tell us.

Delusion Is a flase beleif of judgment about an external reality. I remember when I was younger I would often stay with my grandmother who lived just east of here In Anuach. Somehow I got it in my mind that bears lived in the woods of where my grandmother stayed on the southeast coast of Texas. I rememebr one day I was walking on the land in the woods my family owns with my brother, cousins and uncle and we came across a large burrowed hole in the ground. I immeadeatly got scared and told my family that we need to leave because that is a bear’s home. They looked at me like I was stupid and told me that bears don’t live out here. When I heard those words I was flabbergasted, I can rememeber not beleiving them thinking that they where just joking. For a long time I chose not to beleive them, and trust my own judgement. It wasn’t till way later found out that they where right. I beleived the lie and lived in a state of delusion.

Delusion - a false belief of judgment about external reality

Bear Story (I was delsuional)

Some of you are living in a state of delusion in your mind right now. You beleive a lie and ultimatly its causing you great pain. God says you are worthy, His workmanship, created in His image, but you are clouded by a lie of worthlessnesss and becasue of that you are depressed and you self harm. God has made you uniquly, scripture says he fashioned you in your mothers womb, but you blinded my the lie of Insecurity and so you constantly compare yourself and you have no confidence.

Some of you are living in a state of deluision

You beleive the lie, causing you great pain

God says you are worthy, His workmanship created in His image ------------- You beleive the lie of worthlessness, and you are depressed so you self harm

God has uniquly made you (fashioned in your mothers womb) --------------- You are blined by insecurity so you constantly compare and have no confidence

Galatians 5:1 (LEB)

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

God’s Word promises a life of victory and freedom, but many of us struggle to live in that promise of God IN OUR MINDS. Could it be possible that toxic thinking has kept you from finding and living in spiritual freedom in your mind? Can you relate, do you ever feel like this?

God’s word promises a life of victory and freedom

Struggle to live that IN OUR MINDS

Could it be possible that toxic thinking has kept you from finding and living in spiritual freedom?

Can you relate, do you ever feel like this?

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

“23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

This proverb found in the Bible was orginally written in Hebrew and the word “heart” is Léb in Hebrew. That means our whole being representative of our Will, Emotions and our Mind! In other words the scripture is tellins us to guard how we think! Why? Because God is teaching us through His word that HOW WE THINK DICTATES HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES. This is why Paul says “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. Our thoughts should be in alignment with God. We can obey Christ in our minds.

Heart in Hebrew is “LÉB”[Leyv] - Whole self: Will, Emotions, Mind

Guard how we think

HOW WE THINK DICTATES HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES

Pual (2 Cor 5:10) “Take captive every thought to make it ovedient to Christ”

Our thinking should be in alighnment with God

3 Categories of Thinking:

There are three categories of thinking. How we think about God, How we think about oursleves, and How we think about others. If you think God is cruel and you must obey his rules you may live misrable life either running from God because you have a misunderstanding of Him or blindly following Him and rules as if you fail to obey the rules you are going to hell. If you think you are worthless and have no purpose then you will live in a way without motivation and purpose which ultimatly influences depression. If you view others through a lens of judgment without grace, mercy and compassion then you will have a hard time connecting with people, and guess what. God wants you connected with people its apart of His plan. But if you beleive a lie about people and all you can see is the worst in them then you are cut off from social interactions and God.

How you think about God - cruel/ obey rules - run from God or legalistic life

How you think about yourself - worthless/no purpose - depressed and no motivation

How you think about others - Judgemental/no mercy/grace - low social interaction and can’t experience God

Encouragment:

Here is the truth you do not have to be a prisoner to your thought! God wants your mind to be free. It does not belong to depresson it belongs to God. Your mind does not belong to anxiety it belongs to God. It does not belong to fear or insecurity, It belongs to God! Your mind does not belong to the devil, it belongs to God. The devil is a lie, and Greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world!

You don’t have to be a prisoner to your thoughts

God wants your mind to be free

It doesn’t belong to

Depression

Anxiety

Fear or Insecurity

devil

The devil is a lie & Greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world!

Prayer:

Main Passage:

Our main passage of scripture is going to be in John 5:1-9. If you have your Bibles or Bible app turn over to that chapter with me.

John 5:1-3 (NIV)

“Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.”

Now they lie there because at certain times throughout the days the water in the pool would begin to swril. It was beleived that an angel was causing the water to move and the first person to touch the water during this would be healed by God. Now there is somthing I want you to notice in this scriptre, it says that “a great number of disabled people used to lie - the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.” I want you to notice how culture and the world wants to compartmentalize people based on their issues. All the disabled people where gathered together and identified together based on their issue. Funny how that is similar to how the world works today. We see it in our cultre with poor, rich, gay and straight, republican or democrat, black or white. Culture wants us to compartmentalize people

Context on the pool

Notice: Culture and the world wants you compartmentalize people based on their issues

Similar to today:

Poor

Rich

Gay

Straight

Rebublican

Democrat

Black

White

Problem 1: Issues Become Your Identity

Why becasue THE DEVIL AND THE WORLD WANT YOUR ISSUES TO BECOME YOUR IDENTITY! Your enemy doesn’t want you to just experience depresssion they want you to be depression. Your enemy doesn’t just want you to experience anxiety they want you to say that you are anxious! Experienceing same sex attraction versus identifying with homosexuality. The world wants you to identify with your temptations and not your God! Your enemy wants you to root your identity in the issue that you are facing!

Why?

THE DEVIL AND THE WORLD WANT YOUR ISSUES TO BECOME YOUR IDENTITY

Experiencing depression vs identifing with depression

Experiencing anxiety vs identifying with anxiety

Experienceing same sex attraction vs identifying with homosexualty

The world wants you to identify with your temptations and not your God!

The People You Hangout With:

It’s funny how we see people that struggle with the same thing hang out with each other. If you struggle with vapping you hang out with others that vape. The weed smokers hang out witheach other. The athletes hang out with the athlests, the nerds hang out with the nerd and so on and so forth. Im not saying its wrong to hang out to people but what I am doing is pointing out an observation that people affirm our identity and thats why we hang out with those that sturggle with the same issues as us. You want to know how I know your issue has become your idenity? Its because all you do is hang out with the same people who stuggle with the same issues as you. Your blind in your faith because all you do is hang out with blind people. You are paralyzed in your walk with God because all you do is hangout with paralyzed people...

But Pastor Jarett he gets me there aint nobody out there for me but him. The problem is you are right. He does get you your blind and he is blind and yalls relationship looks like two blind people trying to cross an intersection. That’s not love what that is is trauma bonding and the problem is there is a whole lot of tramua bonding happening and we are identifying that as love to justify why our issue is our idenity. That person cannot help you, those friends cannot help you all they can do is “GET” you… The world and the devil want you to identify with your issues But GOD !!! You see God has given you a NEW IDENTITY! What you do is not who you are! Paul says that you have been given a righteousness that is not your own found in Christ Jesus. You may have an appetite for sin, an issue of sin, but it’s not your identity!

Funny how people that struggle with the same thing hang out

Vape

Weedsmokers

Athletes

Nerds

Goths

People affirm our identity (weather its a lie or truth)

I know your issue has become your identity because all you do is hang out with the same people who struggle with the same issues

Your blind in your faith because all you do is hang out with blind people

Your paralyzed in your walk with God because all you do is hang out with paralyzed pepole

“But pastor Jarett he gets me, he is the only one for me...”

You are absolutly right he gets you - your blind and he is blind - Relationshp looks like two blind people crossing an intersection

Trauma Bonding Vs Love

Whole lot of trauma bonding happening - identifying that as true love to justify why our issue is our identity

That person cannot help you they can only get you

The world and devil want you to identify with your issues BUT GOD

NEW IDENTITY

Righteousness that is not your own

Your appetite is not your identity - Your temtations are not who you are

John 5:4-9(NIV)

“[4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,”

Jesus asked the disabled man if he wants to be healed . Surely any disabled person that is asked this question by Jesus nontheless would want to get well. Jesus wasn’t asking that man if he wants to be well for the sake of asking him. In fact helaing that man would be easy for Jesus, if He wanted to He could heal the entire group of people there with the snap of his finger. Jesus asked him that question because His goal was to expose something on the inside of him.

Jesus asked a disabled person if he wants to be healed

Thats easy work for Jesus

He was aiming to expose something on the inside of Him

John 5:7 (NIV)

7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

*Read in a whiney voice

Problem 2: Victim Mentality

Victims always have a sad story. The problem this man had was not just his disability the problem Jesus was adressing was his mentality the way he thought. To be specific VICTIM MENTALTIY. Notice how he responds to Jesus’s questions he doesn’t respond in excitement or expectations rather he responds with so many reason’s why he couldn’t be healed. Oh how I know of some many people that live the same way. They suffer with the same perspective. Victim mentaltity robs you from the plan of God on your life. It keeps you stuck.

How do you know if you are suffering with victim mentality? Because all victims do is BLAME. “I can’t become free becasue… I can’t get rid of that addiction becasue…” That thinking keeps you from a blessing. It keeps you from abunance and forces you into scarcity!

Victims always have a sad story

Jesus address the true problem - his mentality (the way he thinks)

VICTIM MENTALITY

He responds with why he can’t be healed

So many people today suffer with the same thought process

Victim mentality keeps you stuck!

How do I know you are suffering with victim mentality? Because all you do is BLAME.

I can’t become free because …

(Feel free to elaborate)

That thinking keeps you from abundance and the opposit of abundance is scarcity

Truth: Healing Comes With Responsibility

Jesus asked him the question because He knew that HEALING COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY. 38 years that man had a toxic mentality weather it be his fault or not. 38 years of begging… Jesus knew that if that man got healed he couldn’t beg no more. He would have to get a job, and completly change his way of life.

HEALING COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY

38 years of a toxic mentality

38 years of begging (his fault or not)

Jesus knew that if this man got healed he could not go back to what he was used to. He can’t beg

He would have to get a job and change his way of life

“Do you want to be well?”

Some of you have not received your healing because you don’t want to be healed. Because as long as you remain a victim to your circumstance or situation you don’t have to take responsibility of your life! See you may not like being healed… because when God heals you, you can’t blame anyone anymore!

This is why when you come to church and you experience the presence of God and you come to the altar to get free of something in that momement you feel great. You have commited your life to Jesus you have repented which litterally means to change your mind! Then you leave whatever it is your blaming at the altar. In the hands of God. So when you leave the altar or church or your time of prayer you can’t return to the very thing that you are blamnig. NO you have to set up accountability and boundaries and start taking charge of your own life. Why becasue you are no longer a victim! You start living with a changed mind in abundance and not in scarcity!

You don’t want to be healed

As long as you remain a victim to your circumstance or situation YOU DON’T HAVE TO take responsibility of your life

You may not like being healed …

When you get healed you leave whatever it was that you are blaming at the altar (in God’s hands)

Repent - Change your mind

Set up accountability and boundaries - TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR OWN LIFE

No longer a victim - Living with a renewed mind in ABUNDANCE and not SCARCIRTY.

Jesus’s Response:

Jesus want’s us to live in a state of beleif not in a state of blaming. You have to reject victim mentality becasue when you become a son of the most high you are no longer a victim. If you are a son or daughter of God and you still live with a victim mentality you rob God of His glory, goodness. You are not a victim you are a victor. YOU CANNOT HAVE PITY AND POWER AT THE SAME TIME. Jesus wants to empower you and his power creates abundance. His power can heal you. With Him no obstacle that is before you can stop you, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. This is why Paul says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” So receive a mentality of abundance!

Jesus wants us to live in beleif not in a state of blaming

you have to reject victim mentatlity

It robs God of glory, and goodness

You are not a victim you are a victor

YOU CANNOT HAVE PITY AND POWER AT THE SAME TIME

He wants to empower you

His power creates abundance

His power can heal you

With Him no obstacle can stop you! No weapon formed against you shall prosper

Paul says “I can do all things through Christ who strenghthens me”

So receive a mentality of abundance

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

“18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

**Band Come Out**

What’s Your Focus:

One critical component that helps our mentality shift is our FOCUS! Are you focused on what is seen, your situation, circumstance, obstacle or are focused on the unseen? The lame man was entirly focused on what was seen. His focus was on his situation, limitations, and ultimatly the wrong source. Jesus is standing right in front of him ....

Oh how often the answer is right in front of us but we are so focused on the wrong things. That mans healing was not found in the pool just like your healing is not found in being famous or rich, healing is not found in drinking or smoking, healing is not found in a great job or family . No your healing and restoration is found in the ture source not some counterfeit. Its’s found in Jesus! FOCUS ON JESUS NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE

Critical component - OUR FOCUS

Are you focused on what is seen or unseen?

The lame man was entirely focused on what was seen

His situation

His limitations

The wrong source

When JESUS was standing right in front of him

RELATE: Oh how often the answer is right in front of us but we are focused on teh wrong things

The mans healing was not found in the pool just like

Your healing is not found being famous or rich

Your healing is not found in drinking or smoking

Your healing is not found in a great job or family

Your healing and restorations is not found In counterfits

Its found in the true source JESUS

FOCUS ON JESUS NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE

Altar Call:

If your eyes are set on the wrong reality, this is an opportunity to come to Jesus and put your eyes on Him. Surrender your heart and set your mind on Him!

THOUGHTS:

Even thought the man was in victim mentality, Jesus still called him out and healed him

Even though your identity may have been wrong or misguided Jesus can still work a miricle in your life

He is graceful and merciful